The council tax rate in the Bradford District could be raised to up to 15%, it has been revealed.
Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe has now submitted a request to Government to discuss the potential options for raising Council tax above 4.99% - to between 9.99% and 14.99%.
A report ahead of a meeting of the Council’s Executive next week recommends councillors agree to the submission, which is a one-off request for one year only.
It says work would need to be done before a final decision is made by Full Council.
Reacting to the news, Robbie Moore MP said:
“Despite a record breaking bailout from our last government and the promises of “change” from our new government, Bradford Council’s leaders have somehow managed to make the situation here worse.
Just three years ago, Bradford Council leaders told the public in their own legally binding financial reports that the District was in “strong financial health”. Now, they face a £130 million financial black hole.
As the Council admit in their financial document today, their failure to protect children in our District and the subsequent removal of children’s services following this scandal has cost the District £150 million.
Let's remember that Ofsted placed the responsibility for Bradford Council’s failures squarely at the feet of Council leaders themselves - many of those same leaders are shamefully still in place today.
Hardworking people across our area will be brought to breaking point by these tax increases. We already know that residents across Keighley and Ilkley pay a significant proportion of Bradford Council’s annual tax collection, whilst 75% of the Council’s unpaid Council tax debt comes from Bradford City Centre.
Yet once again, it will be us picking up the tab for the Council’s financial mismanagement.
It is time for systemic change across the Bradford District. We need to separate. We need a new local authority for the residents of Keighley, Ilkley and Shipley independent from Bradford which puts local people and local priorities first.”
