Lib Dems propose lowest Council Tax increase - less than 3%

12.27.32pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 13th Mar 2007

The Liberal Democrats budget for Bradford was unveiled on February 28th at the Executive Meeting.

It focuses on substantial efficiency savings to be re-allocated to Fair Access to Care for the elderly and disabled in their own homes and supporting under performing primary schools.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said,

" This has been the most difficult budget setting I have ever been involved in.

" There are many pressures competing for council resources. The Bradford i project has yet to demonstrate that it can make sufficient savings to offset the costs - an extra £3.7m has to be put in next year. The Care Trust is in debt and the Building Schools for the Future project needs support. These, and various other demands including inflation, energy costs, the pension scheme, dealing with the increasing amount of waste generated in the district coupled with the increasing costs of land fill taxes as well as making provision to pay men and women equal pay for equal work have increased the money needed by £20m.

"To pay for our priorities we have found savings of nearly £8m. Some of these are efficiencies - doing the same thing for less money, or ways to raise more money. Some are real service cuts. In addition, all departments except Social Service will not get a full allowance to cover inflation in pay and prices.

"The Government's failure to invest in social care at a time when there is real pressure for people to remain in work - and work for more years - and equally strong pressures to provide support to a loved one, is leaving carers with real dilemmas.

The Liberal Democrats do not want to add to that hardship. We have consistently argued against changing the criteria which will ration social care to only to those people with substantial or critical needs.

"By making some very hard choices, we have been able to find the money needed to continue to care for people with moderate needs with washing, dressing and basic household tasks.

"Our primary schools recently came near to the bottom of the performance league tables. Clearly we have a problem which Labour's experiment with Education Bradford has been unable to sort out so have decided to allocate £1m to support the primary schools which are struggling most.

"Because Bradford is a balanced council with no party having a majority of councillors, all the budget proposals revealed today will have to be discussed line by line to arrive at a view which will get the support of the Council on Thursday.

"The Liberal Democrats will be fighting for our priorities but we will also take a constructive view of other party's proposals to arrive at a consensus which is the best for Bradford in this very challenging financial situation."