Bradford Council to close tips and leisure centres while hiking council tax, with no Government support

This would mean all non-essential funding would be legally prohibited.

Government support has not been forthcoming, the Yorkshire Post understands, with one union warning dozens of jobs would be lost as a result of the emergency measures proposed yesterday.

While all councils have seen their share of Government funding reduce, Bradford’s specific problems are linked to astronomical costs for children’s social care, with demands and overall costs rising faster than in other parts of the country.

The leader of the council, Susan Hinchcliffe, has said more needs to be done to stop private children's social care settings making profits of around £300 million a year, in a sector which has been branded “dysfunctional” by the Competitions and Markets Authority.

Under the plans, Sugden End, Ford Hill and Golden Butts household waste recycling centres would close, there would be zero spending on libraries next year, schools will be charged more to visit museums and the overall number of swimming pools, gyms and indoor recreation centres is expected to be reduced.

A Government spokeswoman said they were “engaging regularly” with Bradford Council following its request for exceptional financial support.

While the overall spending power of the council has fallen in real terms since 2010, the demand for children’s social care has risen by 61 per cent.

This has come at a time when costs have been skyrocketing, with residential placements going up from an average cost of £3,600 a week per child in 2020-21 to an average of £6,000 a week last year.

This means that the average cost for one placement each per year is now £312,000.

It means the council spends 87p out of every £1 on adult or children’s social care - far higher than some of its comparable peers.

The full extent of the cuts is likely to deepen further, the council warned, with more proposals developed in the coming months.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: "No council should be having to choose between funding services for communities and neighbourhoods, and funding services for vulnerable children and adults, but that is the situation we find ourselves in.

"The demand for, and cost of, providing residential placements and home-to-school transport is unsustainable for many councils on top of the effects of inflation and reductions in central government funding since 2011.

"I am asking government to fix the dysfunctional children's social care market and fund local services effectively so that we can continue building a future that enables everyone in the Bradford district to make the best of opportunities available to them here.”

UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Michael Parkinson said: “Like other councils across the country, Bradford has already seen staff levels slashed. But these services can’t run on thin air.

“Communities rely on the council to provide vital services and they’ll be the ones who suffer from this restructure.

“The blame for this situation lies in Westminster. Central government has continued to gouge away at financial support for local government.

“UNISON is urging the council to hold fire on any significant changes until after a general election. Hopefully a Labour government will offer better support to navigate the difficult period ahead.”