Bradford Council isn’t the only one in a precarious financial position and blame lies with the Government - Yorkshire Post Letters

Bradford Council is by no means the only council in a precarious financial position. The Local Government Association estimates that councils have faced a 27 per cent real terms cut in central funding since 2010.

On top of that they face a rising demand for services like social care and homelessness support as well as coping with inflation and record energy costs.

Yet support from central Government has not been forthcoming with the Tories preferring to let councils cut services and make staff redundant in the hope that the electorate won't blame them in a General Election year.

Bradford council's total budget for 2023/24 is £1.3bn. According to the Resolution Foundation, the disastrous Truss budget cost the taxpayer £30bn, enough to fund Bradford council for 23 years, without the need for the citizens of Bradford to pay any council tax.

That is just one of many examples of fiscal irresponsibility by the Tories; others include £37bn spent on Track and Trace with no discernible impact according to the Public Accounts Committee, and the £400m given to the Rwandan government to support an absurd initiative.

The Local Government Association is running a campaign to save local services, which is laudable and deserves support, but the most effective way of saving local services will be to vote the Tories out at the General Election.