IT is a matter of extreme concern that some sports clubs, community groups and advice services have warned they will go out of existence if Bradford Council’s ruling Labour group follows through with its budget plans to axe subsidised rents and rates and its support for advice services.
It is, of course, well documented that the council has to find £120m of cuts over the next four years. But some of these proposed savings directly affect organisations which play significant roles in glueing communities together.
Only yesterday, this newspaper reported on the worrying upwards trend in childhood obesity rates which are predicted to have reached crisis point by 2050, costing the NHS £80 million a year in this district alone.
Offering youngsters fewer opportunities to enjoy less sedentary lifestyles will significantly add to that bill.
If these savings can’t be found another way – and we all accept there are huge pressures on local authority resources – at the very least there should be a programme of very gradual increases over, say, five years to give these groups the opportunity to organise more fundraising activities and seek sponsorship.
And there needs to be a recognition that for some it could be a bridge too far, so the council should use some of the revenues for a stress-relief fund to help out those that are likely to go under and buy them more time.
The council itself has been given at least four years to restructure its finances and examine its priorities and it should extend the same courtesy to the local groups and clubs who are a vital part of the local community.
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