Schools, regeneration and the safeguarding of children will be among Bradford Council’s key spending priorities this year.

The authority has set out where it wants to direct its resources in the wake of ongoing austerity measures.

Council leader, Labour’s Councillor David Green, said multi-million-pound budget cuts meant local government across the country would look “very different” in the coming years, and Bradford was having to prioritise its spending on the areas which would have maximum benefit to people.

The Council’s new Corporate Plan sets out what it wants to achieve in the 2013/14 municipal year.

  • According to the document, its six top priorities will be:
  • Transforming educational outcomes
  • Driving regeneration
  • Safeguarding vulnerable adults, children and families
  • Securing an adequate supply of affordable homes
  • Reducing health inequalities, and
  • Maintaining safe, clean and welcoming neighbourhoods.

Coun Green said the Treasury’s recent Spending Review meant the authority was facing a budget cut of up to £110 million over three years.

He said: “The Council has faced significant cuts in the past couple of years and will continue to do so, which means local government will look very different in the long term.

“However, despite these severe reductions, we are committed to protecting frontline services for the young, the old and the vulnerable in our district.

“We have therefore put together this plan which sets out how the Council will deliver our key priorities over the next 12 months.

“The plan also states how we want to regenerate the district by supporting businesses to create jobs and by providing the education, skills and training young people need to take up those jobs.”

Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said her group would be pressing for more commitments to helping working-age adults with disabilities and unemployed young people.

She said: “When young people account for 25 per cent of our population, we need to put more emphasis on getting young people into work.”

And Conservative leader Coun Glen Miller said the plan was a “wish list” and he was yet to see how it would be delivered. He said: “Most of this will be aspirational.”

The Corporate Plan looks set to be approved by the Council’s Executive on Tuesday and would then go before a meeting of full Council that day.