Council tax bills are set to rise by 4.45%

From the archive, first published Tuesday 21st Feb 2006.

Council tax payers in Bradford will suffer another inflation-busting rise in April sending bills 25 per cent higher than five years ago.

And despite the anticipated increase of about four per cent, cuts are seen as inevitable.

If they were given free reign to spend, Council bosses would land tax payers with a 13 per cent increase - something the Government won't tolerate.

So the ruling Conservative group has proposed £3 million of cuts and a 4.45 per cent increase in tax. The other political groups now have only days to reveal their plans before the decision is made next week.

The Government has handed Bradford £225.6 million to spend next year but it needs £134 million more in tax.

Two surveys, one by the Local Government Association (LGA), have indicated the average increase will be between four and 4.3 per cent.

LGA chairman Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart blamed new duties such as pub licensing, tougher recycling targets and the ageing population for ''standstill' budgets.

He said: "The Government settlement included no funding for demographic change such as the increasing number of vulnerable elderly people and more people with mental and physical disabilities requiring care and this will lead to reductions in some services.

"Although local government is delivering more efficiency savings than any other part of the public sector, this has left very little room for many authorities to manoeuvre between higher council tax and service reductions."

Bradford Council's executive member for corporate matters, Councillor Kris Hopkins (Con, Worth Valley), said: "It demonstrates that ever more pressures are placed on local government and reflects the great demands being placed on social services.

"But there is further investment in our budget for social services, regeneration and education."

Labour group deputy leader, Councillor Dave Green (Lab, Wibsey), said: "I believe that if people are paying increases in council tax they deserve increases in services.

"We have a situation where the Conservatives have admitted the last settlement was more than generous yet we are in a position where we are facing more cuts."

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