Online consultation events on our proposed Financial Plan and Budget proposals for 2022-23
We have launched a consultation on our budget proposals for 2022-23.
A number of online public consultation events will take place in January.
To help us all stay safe during Covid-19, we are offering the following online consultation events as an opportunity for you to speak to us about the budget proposals, give us your views and tell us your ideas for how the Council could be spending its money.
Thursday, 6 January, 6pm to 7pm register and get tickets here
Saturday, 8 January, 6pm to 7pm register and get tickets here
Monday, 10 January, 10am to 11am register and get tickets here
Tuesday, 11 January, 1pm to 2pm register and get tickets here
Saturday, 15 January, 10am to 11am register and get tickets here
Sunday, 16 January, 6pm to 7pm register and get tickets here
The proposals are provided in full detail on our website. You can take part in the consultation in our online survey, or you can print out a PDF copy and send it to us in the post.
Paper copies are also available on request by calling 01274 431000.
The consultation is available online on Bradford Council’s website. Full information about the proposals is also available on the website pages.
Consultation will continue until 19 January 2022, to enable the feedback to be reflected in the papers that are published for the Council’s Executive meeting on 15 February 2022. Bradford Council’s budget will be set at Full Council on Thursday, 17 February 2022.
Proposals overview
The proposals are available in full on our website.
The proposals mean no new cuts to services and no redundancies but will focus on the delivery of services with the scope for new investment severely limited and previously agreed savings must continue to be delivered. Council tax must increase in line with the Government’s assumptions as set out in their October Spending Review.
The Council has had to deal with significant financial pressures in the years preceding the pandemic. Since 2011, the Council has had to find over £300m in savings and extra income as a result of national spending cuts, increasing demand and rising costs. This has required difficult decisions to be taken about services and priorities.
COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact requiring additional expenditure while at the same time reducing income. While much of the impact was met through Government support, there is no indication that the Government will continue this support now. Yet, there will be an on-going legacy health and financial of COVID long into the future.
Headlines include:
Proposed priority investments
- It is proposed that investment of £7.5m should be made in Children’s Social Care and £3m in Adults Social Care in order to meet costs arising from increasing demand and delays in making savings as a result of the COVID Pandemic. Both services are working to make savings and reduce future costs.
- Investment of £552K is proposed in order to fund Children’s Short Breaks support to children with disabilities and their families in line with a previous decision of the Executive Committee.
- £3m of reserves will be allocated to support City of Culture 2025, should the District achieve City of Culture status. This is in line with the previously agreed decision of Full Council as is a further £1.25m to address a potential regeneration opportunity.
- Increased funding for pay, energy costs contract prices, National Living Wage and National Insurance Contributions are proposed. Inflationary increases will be weighted towards Adults and Children’s Services which are those most affected by National Living Wage increases. The total impact of inflationary pressures will be £22.4m.
Proposed capital investments
- New investments include vehicle replacements - £3m
- IT upgrades - £6m
- Climate change investments to help deliver a net zero carbon council estate - £2m.
Council tax proposals
It is proposed that, following the Government’s own Spending Review which included an increase in Council Tax, it is increased by 1.99% and that the Adult Social Care precept increases by the 1% which the Government advised. This is below the 4% inflation which the Government is forecasting for next year but enables the Council to pay all care workers the Living Wage of £9.50 per hour.
To help mitigate the impact of Council Tax and Adult Social Care precept increases, it is proposed that a £50 discount to Council Tax bills will be applied to working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme recipients in 2022-23 as a one year commitment. The budget also proposes to increase the Council tax discount available to care leavers (for whom the Council has a Corporate Parenting responsibility) aged between 21 and 25 from 50% to 100% and to extend support to care leavers who no longer live in the District.
Overall, Council Tax would still remain very low compared to other West Yorkshire Councils and Metropolitan Councils. As Bradford’s Band D Council Tax is around 8% lower than the average for Metropolitan Authorities.
Please tell us what you think about the Executive’s proposals for spending and local taxes.
To find out more about our proposals and to have your say, visit here
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