BRADFORD Council has been forced to halt controversial cuts to foster carers’ allowances while the decision goes under the microscope.

The Council’s Labour leadership approved the cuts during a tense meeting on Tuesday, but now the opposition Conservatives have stepped in to trigger a scrutiny process, saying they fear the move could drive foster carers away.

In papers filed with the authority, the Conservatives say foster carers already feel “undervalued” and cuts to allowances could leave the authority unable to fulfil its “duty in relation to looked after children”.

The papers also claim that while the cuts to allowances had been justified on legal grounds, information about the exact legal situation had been insufficient for a decision to be made.

Cutting weekly living allowances by up to £35 per child will save the authority £454,000 a year, but bosses had said the main driver was a legal need to level out the allowances given to foster families with those given to other types of carers.

The GMB union - which is representing many of the foster carers - had last week challenged the Council to publish this legal advice.

Councillor Simon Cooke, leader of the Conservatives, said: “Whilst I understand why it has to be confidential, I do actually think there would be some value in a scrutiny committee looking at it, which it can do confidentially.”

Councillor Val Slater, deputy leader of Bradford Council, said: “It is the Tories’ democratic right to call in any Executive decision for scrutiny but I am disappointed that they have done so in this case.

“It is important that anyone caring for our looked-after children are treated and paid in the same way and up to now this hasn’t been the case.

“There have been different levels of payment for private foster carers as opposed to friends and families.

“We have now taken steps to equalise these payments but payments in Bradford still remain higher than in the rest of West Yorkshire.

“The cost of the fostering service is £10.1m and we currently have 620 children in foster care.”

Tristan Chard, GMB organiser for Bradford, said he was pleased the decision would now be scrutinised.

He said: “I’m pleased it has been picked up on, and I’m pleased it has been picked up on with the points we have been arguing throughout.

“It is disappointing that it wasn’t addressed at the meeting. The feedback I had was that it was basically voted through without much consideration being given to it or the arguments we had submitted.”

He said to his knowledge, Bradford was the first authority in West Yorkshire to cut fostering allowances, and it came just a year after fostering retainers and holiday payments had been slashed.

He said: “Bradford are leading a race to the bottom.”

One Bradford foster carer, Jane Collins, added: “We are pleased that the issues we raised, that were shrugged off by Cllr Hinchcliffe and the Executive at the meeting, have been heard by other councillors who were present and that they have raised these concerns.”