Bradford Council’s first budget since Reform took control is likely to include a 4.99 per cent Council Tax rise and hikes in charges at leisure facilities.
And it will be the first budget since 2022/23 that the Council will not require financial support to balance its budget.
Next week a public consultation into the Council’s proposed 2027/28 budget will begin, and before it does it will be discussed by the Council’s Reform Executive on Tuesday.
A document going before the Executive reveals that the Council plans to make £50m of savings from April.
The budget is based on the assumption that Council Tax will rise by 4.99 per cent from April.
Earlier this year Council Leader Stephen Place confirmed in a Council meeting that Council Tax would not be frozen, saying: “It’s not going to happen.”
In July he told a Council meeting he would “love” to reduce Council Tax, but added: “Unfortunately under the EFS (Exceptional Financial Support) we’re not allowed to.”
In 2024, the Council faced being unable to balance its books, which would effectively leave it bankrupt.
The Government stepped in to offer Exceptional Financial Support, meaning the council would be able to borrow money to fund its day-to-day operations.
The support came with a number of caveats, including the sale of millions of pounds worth of financial assets to reduce the borrowing level, and that council tax rises by a certain amount each year.
By the end of this current financial year (2026/26) the Council will no longer need that financial support following years of cuts and tax rises.
By then the Council will have borrowed £391m.
Many of the savings listed in the report going to the Executive are efficiency savings.
However, others will see rises to fees and charges for Council services.
One proposal in the budget is for the Council to “enhance income generation and participation growth across sport and leisure.”
That proposal aims to make £210,000, and the report says this will be achieved through “a targeted programme of participation growth, commercial development and pricing optimisation.”
This will include “selective fee and charge increases above the standard uplift where supported by market demand.”
£500,000 would be cut from the staffing budget of the Council’s Localities Team, which delivers local services and community initiatives across Bradford.
A further £200,000 would be cut from that service the following year.
An addition £2.87m would be generated through plans to increase Council fees for certain services by 3 per cent.
The report does not detail which fees will rise.
Some services currently provided through regular Council funding will now be funded using income from the Clean Air Zone.
£1.18m of CAZ cash will be used to fund schemes that support improvements in air quality and sustainable transport, including public rights of way and active travel.
The report to the Executive says: “In total, savings of £50m have been identified across 42 proposals which are considered deliverable within the financial year.
“The timely delivery of these savings proposals is essential to maintaining the confidence and support of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and to ensure the Council remains on course to achieve long-term financial sustainability.”
It says the amount of savings is “based on a number of key assumptions” – including that the Authority raise Council Tax by 4.99 per cent.
Another is that “growth, service pressures and inflation remaining broadly in line with current forecasts.”
Councillor Ian Eglin, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Corporate Resources, 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.
“I would encourage residents, businesses and community groups to have their say before final decisions are made.”
Councillor Suhail Choudhry, deputy leader of the Labour Group in Bradford, said: “For months, Reform told Bradford that council tax
rises came from Labour arrogance and incompetence.
“Now their first budget plans assume another 4.99 per cent rise, the highest allowed without a local referendum.
“Families will also pay more to use leisure centres. Fees go up across council services, and the neighbourhood teams who tackle problems on our streets face a £700,000 cut. Reform says frontline services won’t be affected. For residents who rely on them, fewer neighbourhood staff and dearer leisure centres are frontline services.
“Reform has brought no new ideas. The council is on track to come out of emergency government support early because of the recovery plan Labour put in place and the fairer funding deal from the Labour Government. Reform is following Labour’s savings plan while making residents pay more for less.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted all the opposition parties for a comment.
