Council given permission for 9.9% tax hike

Council tax is set to rise by nearly 10% in Bradford after the government approved a request from the local authority.

The Labour-run council had submitted a bid to increase bills by almost 15% in 2025-26 but was only given consent for a 9.9% hike.

The council said the proposed rise - which will be put to councillors next month - would reduce required borrowing costs "by about £5.5m a year" over the next 20 years and help to protect services.

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: "None of us want to see an increase in council tax when other bills are also rising but we have a responsibility to make sure the council's finances balance."

She said the council needed to save £40m next year and a further £50m per year for the following four years.

"We are trying wherever possible to find new ways of working and new funding sources so that we can save money for council taxpayers without cutting vital services," she said.

"But by increasing council tax now, in many cases by £2 or £3 a week, we can avoid significant borrowing costs of £111 million for Bradford council taxpayers over the next 20 years and protect services in the longer term.

"If approved in March, thinking of our least well-off residents, we'd put in place arrangements to further support low-income households."

Opposition leaders have previously criticised the proposed rise, saying residents would not get a say in the matter and also voiced concerns about many peoples' ability to pay.

Bradford Council was one of six councils to have a request for an increase beyond the established annual threshold of 5% approved.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "We have agreed to a limited number of requests and in all cases have not agreed to the full amount requested.

"Where we have agreed, it is only for councils with amongst the lowest levels of council tax, and where we expect, even after these increases, residents will still be paying less than the average compared with similar councils."

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