£127m from government for cash strapped Bradford Council
Bradford Council has secured another £127.1m in funding from the government.
It is one of 30 local authorities in England to have received financial support from the government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. (MHCLG)
Under the terms of this assistance, the council will be unable to sell off any of its community and heritage assets.
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon, said: “We are under no illusion of the state of council finances and have been clear from the outset on our commitment to get councils back on their feet and rebuild the foundation of local government.
“We are working with local leaders, encouraging councils to come in confidence where needed to seek help and be assured we will offer a relationship of partnership – not punishment – in our joint mission to improve public services for communities and create economic stability as set out in our Plan for Change.”
Last month, Bradford Council finalised plans to raise council tax bills by almost 10%. It has warned that it needs to save £40m next year and a further £50m per year for the following four years.
The city avoided bankruptcy last March after receiving an emergency package from the government.
In November, Bradford Council agreed £40m, implementing cuts to its street cleaning budget and a reduction in library hours. And three of the district’s recycling centres were also permanently shut last April to cut costs.
The government said a record number of councils had reached out to it asking for financial support to help them balance their budgets this year.
It adds that it intends to end “outdated processes and bureaucracy of bidding for different funding pots” and bring forward the first multi-year settlement in a decade in 2026-27 to provide certainty and economic security to councils setting budgets.
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