Elected mayor for West Yorkshire agrees return of £50m to councils
The elected Mayor of West Yorkshire has agreed to return £50m to the five local authorities in the region.
The money will come from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund reserve, which funds long-term infrastructure projects.
A statement from the Mayor and the five councils – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield – said: “The funding comes at a time when town halls face serious financial challenges posed by high inflation, rising costs and increased demand for children’s and adult social care, following the COVID-19 pandemic and over a decade of significant funding cuts from central government.”
The payments, reflecting population size, will be as follows:
- Bradford: £11,884,363
- Calderdale: £4,493,611
- Kirklees: £9,424,404
- Leeds: £17,661,242
- Wakefield: £7,684,380
The statement also called on central government to deliver long-term sustainable funding for the local government sector.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Councils across West Yorkshire and beyond are facing the perfect storm of government austerity cuts and high inflation. Because of devolution, I’ve been able to work with them to identify this support at a time of need.
“With town halls across the country declaring huge financial deficits, it is only right that regional leaders work together and step in where they can. But I am urging the government to stop passing the buck for their mismanagement of the economy and properly fund local government for the long-term.”
Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: “One of the benefits of working closely in partnership with the Combined Authority is that we're able to ensure funding is in the right place at the right time to be of best use.
"While this return of funding is appreciated, it in no way makes up for the £350m in funding for Bradford that has been cut by central government.
“Many local authorities nationally are facing significant financial challenges, government needs to change its approach to ensure councils can continue to meet increasing demand for services amid high inflation and energy costs."
Cllr James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Leeds City Council is facing huge financial pressures made worse by national issues linked to inflation and growing demand for council services.
“The funding from the mayor will help in part, but it won’t solve the underlying problem that councils just aren’t properly funded by national Government. With a projected funding gap in Leeds of £59.2m next financial year, our council will still have to take some extremely difficult decisions about council services and buildings that haven’t been considered before.”
