Eight Bradford Council services – including Council wardens, highway repairs, parks and street cleaning – are to be run more locally as powers are devolved to the authority’s five area committees.

Local councillors on each of the committees will have a greater say in how these services are run.

A full list of services which will be devolved in the first round is: the youth service, parks and recreation spaces, street cleansing, public toilets, council wardens, highway repairs, highways area teams, and road casualty reduction. At the moment existing budgets of £15 million are to be distributed between the areas on the same proportional basis as is currently used, meaning that Bradford West would receive a larger proportion of council warden funding to operate 25 wardens in the city centre, for example.

But the executive agreed last month to develop new formulae to enable the budgets to be allocated to the committees for specific services to be based on need, but they could not be transferred between service areas. This should take effect from the next financial year.

“Area committees are encouraged to explore ways in which to increase citizen involvement in decision-making, service redesign and service delivery,” the report states.

“Area committees could consider new models of service delivery which would encourage closer working between services and citizens, using a community development approach.”

This could be Friends of Park groups supporting work within park services or Council wardens working with litter-picking groups to keep their neighbourhoods clean.

Councillor Imran Hussain, deputy leader of the Council and portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said: “I am delighted that we have devolved some services to the area committees. We are very serious about the devolution agenda.”

Conservative group leader, Councillor Glen Miller, said he had reservations regarding funding distribution and how the services will be managed at this level.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said the moves should include other areas.

The area committees are expected to welcome the extra decision-making powers when they discuss the reports.