Council to consult public over latest £50m cuts plan

A six-week public consultation is to be held after Bradford Council outlined plans to save £50m.

The Reform UK-led authority said it had identified 42 areas where it was able to reduce outgoings.

The council, which has been in receipt of Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from the government since 2023, said the proposed spending reductions came on top of the £150m already saved over the past three years.

A spokesperson for the authority said if the savings were delivered 2027-28 would be the first year since 2022-23 in which the EFS was not needed.

In the summer, council leader Stephen Place confirmed council tax would need to rise in Bradford by 4.99% over the coming years to bring stability to the authority's finances.

Executive member for corporate resources, Ian Eglin said: "These proposals are an important step towards balancing our budget without needing exceptional government financial support.

"We have focused on making services more efficient and productive, getting the best value from contracts and service providers, helping people earlier and bringing in more income, while limiting the impact on the services people rely on.

"This has been extremely challenging given that demand on council services continue to rise.

"There is still more work to do, but we are on track to end the need for exceptional financial support two years earlier than originally planned, which will reduce debt payments in the future."

The consultation will run from 3 November to 16 December.

In recent years savings have been made through the loss of more than 100 jobs, the closure of three household waste tips and the sale of a number of assets.

Eglin said the latest proposed savings would come from running services more efficiently, helping people earlier to reduce the need for more costly services, and bringing in more income.

None of the proposed savings will reduce availability of front-line services, the council said.

All proposals will be considered by the council's Executive Committee on 3 November then put out to consultation.

The final 2027-28 budget will be decided by the Reform-run council in February.

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