Bradford Council's financial plans up to 2017/18

The ruling Labour group, which has a narrow majority on Bradford Council, pushed through its revised budget plans on Tuesday 25^th February 2016.

This despite failing to win the backing of Councillors from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, UKIP or Bradford Independent Group.

In Adult Services the key changes are:

• Higher home care charges for those who can afford it;

• 15 minutes’ welfare checks on elderly people at home will be replaced by a phone call;

• An extra £1.5m will be spent on social care in 2016-17, rising to £3m in 2017-18, to help increasing demand;

• £1m cut to housing support for the homeless, ex-offenders and people with mental health issues;

• An extra £400.000 spent looking after people who have no right to claim benefits and are facing destitution, such as failed asylum seeker.

In Regeneration the key changes are:

• There will be a review of community organisations getting subsidised rents or rate relief, before cuts are made;

• Some street lights will be turned off in the early hours;

• Winter gritting routes will be reduced;

• City Park’s maintenance fund will be replaced with a £500.000 reserve;

• The council’s Jacobs Well office will be closed with staff moving to Britannia House.

In Environment and Sport the key changes are:

• General waste bins will only be emptied fortnightly;

• New charges will be brought in for garden waste collections, library book reservations and some car parks at woodlands and parks;

• The Bingley Music Live festival will have its subsidy removed;

• The youth service would be cut;

• Some sport pitches would be transferred to clubs;

• Civic Christmas trees would no longer be put up, unless private sponsors can be found

• Around two-thirds of libraries will become run by volunteers or close if no volunteers are found;

• The council would stop funding police community support officers, saving £770.000

• The tourism budget would be cut, with the possible closure of visitor centres.

In Children’s Services key changes are:

• Special needs services to be moved from a central hub to individual schools;

• A contract with Connexions to help young people into training and jobs will be cut by £450.000, or 30 per cent;

• A ‘community resolution’ service which sees low-level young offenders making amends to victim rather than facing court will be axed;

• An extra £1.5m a year will be spent on children in care, to meet rising demand;

• An extra £483.000 will be spent on the delayed remodelling of the management of children’s centre.

The Council tax will go up by the legal maximum of 3.99 per cent, which includes a new two per cent levy to raise cash for social care.

But, once again the Bradford Council’s Labour Group on Thursday 25^th February 2016, showed at full council that they would prefer to pay the wages of trade union official rather than spend it on the most vulnerable people in the Bradford District, but what else do you expect from a party funded by the trade unions.

They have also shown recently that they don’t care about wasting public money after they took the decision and agreed at an executive meeting previously to the fitting of 60 colourful, flashing lights at a cost of £235 per light bulb on the top of Margaret McMillan Tower the former central library, which is now the home of children's services. but what purpose do they serve?

It’s about time that councillors at Bradford Council stop blaming David Cameron and the Government.

It seems we all need to be remind of Jesus words in John 8:7, ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone’

Only those who are faultless have the right to pass judgement upon others, no one is faultless and that, therefore, no one has such a right to pass judgement.