OPPOSITION councillors have accused Labour-led Bradford Council of getting its priorities wrong during its latest round of cuts.

Council bosses have set out new proposals to slash £60 million from the budget over the next two years.

Bin collections would change from weekly to alternate weeks, winter gritting would be reduced and there would be further cuts to youth services and all but the most heavily-used libraries.

Councillor Simon Cooke, leader of the opposition Conservative group, said: "So far, all we’ve got is a threat to sports clubs and community halls alongside cutting 50 per cent of the only service most people think they get from the council - emptying the bins.  "Yet again, the Labour group seem to prefer looking after their friends in the unions and the leadership’s pet schemes, to protecting services received by every household in the district."

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But he welcomed other suggested savings.  He said: "It’s good that the Council has finally got round to looking at shared services, outsourcing and the effective use of reserves – all of which were proposed four years ago by the Conservative group.  "They are finally starting to play catch-up, but remain way behind.  "Let’s hope that they take up some of our other proposals such as ending the funding of full-time union officials, looking at reducing the number of councillors and abolishing expensive talking shops like the Bradford District Partnership."

Labour council leader David Green had called the proposals "the hardest, most gut-wrenching budget process that we've been in".