Bradford Conservatives

The Bradford Conservative Group has today tabled budget proposals which would lead to a freeze in Council tax for every household in the district for the 2010-11 financial year – the first year of a potential three-year “zero increase” settlement should a Conservative Government be elected at the forthcoming General Election.

In addition to £2.5 million of extra funding to support adult services, the Conservatives have proposed the creation of a £5 million strategic reserve to ensure the Council can continue to respond to the changing economic circumstances and task the management of the authority, through the present organisational review, to drive out even greater efficiencies and make the best possible savings for local residents in the years ahead.

The Conservative proposals also include significant increases in funding in a range of other areas including highways, gritting, recycling and community halls.

And there are a series of new initiatives including a city centre cycle race, an Imagination Library, a campaign to encourage older residents to take up benefits they are entitled to, a wave of community clean-ups plus extensions to the already very successful b someone campaign and Community Warmth scheme.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Kris Hopkins, who unveiled the Conservative proposals at this afternoon’s meeting of the Council’s Executive in Bradford City Hall, commented:

“The Conservative budget proposals are the result of a lot of very hard work from Group Members, professionally assisted by Council officers, over the last number of months.

“We have been very conscious of the ongoing financial restraints not only on the Council but, more importantly, on local residents and that is underlined by our desire to see a freeze in Council Tax for the next 12 months.

“Given that a Conservative Government, if elected, has already committed to funding any Council Tax rises of up to 2.5% for all local authorities who stay at or below that figure for its first two years in office, we hope Bradford district residents will therefore enjoy an effective three-year freeze on their bills.

“Adult services are very much a priority for the Conservatives, as evidenced by the £2.5 million of additional funding we have made available to ensure that the needs of older residents in the district will continue to be extremely well catered for.

“A few weeks ago we allocated £300,000 to fix potholes across the district following the long cold snap.  But we must think into the longer term so, in addition to an extra £300,000 in one-off monies, we have increased the amount of funding going to highways by £800,000 on a permanent basis.

“We have also responded to residents’ concerns by providing £100,000 to provide new grit bins across the district together with £150,000 of new resources to ensure they are refilled promptly and efficiently at times of greatest need.

“And, in other areas, we are continuing to support the b someone campaign, Community Warmth, uniformed youth groups, community halls, recycling and the environment plus we have proposed a number of new ventures including the launch of a Bradford city cycling race – which we would intend to finance for at least two years - and an Imagination Library.

“Specific permanent funding has also been set aside to support the district’s St George’s Day celebrations and the civic Carol Service, and we have allocated £50,000 so we can begin planning now to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

“Add to all of this the £5 million strategic reserve coupled with the requirement for the Chief Executive to drive out efficiencies to ensure Bradford Council provides the best possible value for money for local residents, and I believe the Conservatives have put forward a budget which is responsible and very good news for this district.

“As a hung Council, I am obviously fully aware that we must work with the other political parties to find an agreed way ahead.

“I now look forward to sitting down with the other Group Leaders in the coming days to seek to do just that.”

The Bradford Conservative Group has tabled a Motion for debate at tomorrow’s full Council meeting calling for an urgent plan to be drawn up to tackle the growing problem of illegal drivers on the streets of Bradford district.

“Many people will be aware that Bradford was recently labelled the ‘uninsured driving capital of Britain’ following the publication of a report by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau which found that, in some parts of the city, up to 49.5% of drivers were uninsured,” commented Cllr Kris Hopkins, Leader of the Conservative Group, who will be proposing the Motion tomorrow afternoon.

“And sadly, driving without insurance is only part of the problem, as very significant numbers of motorists are also taking to the roads of the district without either licences or road tax.

“One of the obvious consequences of this is an alarmingly high rate of casualties on our roads including 2,097 people last year.

“Of these, 274 were killed or seriously injured – 51 of them children.

“When you discover that uninsured drivers are 12 times more likely to be involved in road crashes when compared to drivers who are fully insured, then you know that strong action must be taken.

“It is for this reason that, working with West Yorkshire Police, Conservative-led Bradford Council allocated more than £300,000 over the last 12 months to extend Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems across the district as a means of dealing with a number of serious criminal offences including driving without vehicle insurance, road tax or a valid licence.

“But much more needs to be done.

“The Conservative Motion, if passed by the Council, requests the Chief Executive to meet as soon as possible with West Yorkshire Police to discuss what additional measures can be introduced to increase the pressure on motorists driving illegally on the streets of Bradford district.

“And, following this meeting, he will be asked to bring an urgent action plan to the Council’s Executive setting out how the local authority, the Police and our other key partners will deal with the problem over the next 12 months.

“This may include, for example, a series of high profile enforcement days to catch offenders and reassure local residents that we are taking the issue of illegal drivers on our roads extremely seriously.

“I hope the other political parties on Council will give the Conservative Motion their unanimous support so we can get on with tackling this scourge which puts the lives of countless numbers of local residents at risk.”