Bradford set council tax for the current year @ 4.99%.
Council tax rise set at 4.99%. The Conservatives proposed a 3.99% increase.
The Conservative & Queensbury Independent Group on Bradford Council have described the Labour Council’s Budget as needlessly harsh on Council Taxpayers.
Councillor Mike Pollard, the Conservative & Queensbury Independent Group Finance & Projects spokesman said, “My colleagues and I have been complaining about the Council’s management of its finances for many years now, particularly since it failed to invest in Children’s Social Services, which caused the service to have to be provided by a Trust whilst also destroying the Council’s finances. This latest budget leaves us with no alternative but to be critical once again.
The mismanagement of the Council’s finances necessitated the Council getting permission from the government to borrow vast sums of money and sell the family silver to pay for day-to-day costs, as it was impossible to do so from income. To get this permission, the Council had to show that it was maximising income, so the cost of services and car parking charges were hiked and Council Tax increased by as much as 9.99% in a year.
Now the Council Tax is going up by a further 4.99% when Council Taxpayers have already been hit hard during an ongoing cost of living crisis, with the possibility of a recession on the horizon. My colleagues and I proposed an increase of 3.99% across the board, which might not sound like much of a saving for Council Taxpayers, but every little counts at this moment in time.
It seems unfair that priority should be given to increasing the discount for people already receiving Council Tax discounts of a Band A equivalent 70% by 2.5%, rather than a 1% lower increase for everyone. People struggling to pay the full amount deserve assistance just as much as people who only pay as little as 30% of their Council Tax; it is simply unfair.
Our proposal also included half an hour’s free parking in non-City Centre areas and an additional much needed car park at Squire Lane, serving BRI and doubling the additional funding for Youth Services proposed by the Labour Council. The free car parking measures would help residents and retailers alike; the Youth Service uplift is much needed at a time when young people are finding it increasingly difficult to find work and additional car parking spaces for visitors to BRI would be very much appreciated by everyone who ever needs to visit there, as finding a space is a challenge that can take some time and patience.
Whilst the Labour Group have said that the Government would not approve of our proposals and they would undermine government confidence in the Council’s recovery plans, we doubt it, as our proposals include the need for less of the Council’s income to be funded by Exceptional Financial Support, which, it must be remembered, isn’t really ‘Support’ at all – it’s merely permission for the Council to borrow enormous sums with those borrowings having to be paid back over just 20 years – it’s not like borrowing for long term assets, it’s the equivalent of paying for a relatively short term and hence expensive ‘mortgage’, but without the benefit of a house at the end of the term. Our proposals were more than fully costed.”
If there’s one point in the Conservative amendment that needs to be reinforced, its Youth Services.
- Level up the playing field across the district by restoring Youth service provision in Shipley and Keighley at an additional cost of £120,000.
- We then seek to add a further £200,000 to the Youth Service pot and share the total £500,000 equally across 5 parliamentary districts.
This is something which should resonate with all councillors. Councillors need note that the leader of the council often states that “Youth is our future.”
So why the big fuss about youth?
In Wharfedale, we’re about to close the only Youth Service group this March due to changes in funding (correct at time of going to press).
The group meets weekly and serves between 30 – 40 under 18’s in each session. It’s a very successful youth group, but a lack of funding coupled with cost of living and current global uncertainties means that funding will be even more difficult, if not impossible to find at this moment in time.
If this is happening in Wharfedale, then it’s more than likely to affect other areas of the district.
The question this raises is should we be looking at increasing Youth service funding as part of the budget process, as the Conservative amendment notes. It should also be noted that this isn’t a one off 4.99% increase. According to council reports a 4.99% increase is planned until at least 2030/31.
We have already seen a 9.99% increase last year a 4.99% increase this year, and expect this to carry on until 2030/31. Remember, the compounding effect of charges, over the period 2025 – 2030/31 council tax will rise by 29.95% but compounding interest means that the actual rise is 33.64% far higher than inflationary targets, at the same time there are significant cuts to services in the pipeline (see report extract below).
Key assumptions for council tax – ongoing savings targets (cuts).
The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) above is based on the following key assumptions:
- savings targets (CUTS) of £50m for 2027/28 and 2028/29, £40m each year thereafter; the council tax-payer is paying more for less.
- that all planned savings are delivered in full, any not so delivered will be funded by alternative mitigations identified and delivered by the relevant budget holders;
- there are no further growth/pressures/investments over and above those already built in;
- a target of £100m of Capital Receipts to reduce borrowing;
- 4.99% Council Tax increases each year;
- the settlement will continue in 2029/30 and 2030/31 at similar levels as in 2028/29;
- that MHCLG will support the request for further exceptional financial support in 2026/27. This is considered to be a realistic assumption because the Council:
- is planning to meet the Government’s expectation of increasing Council Tax by 4.99% as reported in the November 2025 Executive report;
- is doing all that it can to minimise the need for EFS support;
- has an Improvement Plan/MTFS that is ensuring all opportunities to ensure the long term sustainability of the Council and thus its services are taken;
- is seeking to minimize increased debt and thus ensure debt servicing costs are as sustainable as they can be;
- has a track record of taking realistic and deliverable plans.
Source: Bradford Council’s budget document, page 72 – https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g8509/Public%20reports%20pack%2010th-Mar-2026%2016.00%20Council.pdf?T=10
Bradford council tax rises over the past few years have exceeded both CPI and RPI.
Latest inflation data from the House of Commons Library
The UK annual inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), was 3.0% in January, down from 3.4% in December. The fall was driven by price decreases in transport (particularly motor fuels) and food and non-alcoholic beverages. See: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02792/
Source: ONS, CPI annual inflation rate, series D7G7, monthly data up to Jan 2026
Food price inflation was 3.6% in January, down from 4.5% in December.
UK inflation rose almost continuously from under 1% in early 2021 to 11.1% in October 2022, a 41-year high, before easing over the following two years. Further detail on the factors that lead to this period of high inflation is covered in the Library research briefing, Rising cost of living in the UK.