We asked all parties fielding five or more candidates for a statement on their priorities if elected. This is an election message from the Labour Party.

Bradford Council Leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said:

"Pioneering, Confident and Connected’ is Bradford Labour’s manifesto for the district. As a Labour Council since 2010 we’ve used that Bradford pioneering spirit to build new opportunities for residents and businesses.

"We’ve supported over 3,000 people into work through our acclaimed Get Bradford Working programme. We’re the country’s fourth most improved education system. We’ve been named the best place in the country to start a business by a major bank. We’re the fifth best in the country at supporting people out of hospital.

"We’ve invested in a new Hockney gallery at Cartwright Hall, a major refurbishment of Cliffe Castle and a record breaking Bingley Music Live.

"We've introduced tougher measures on fly-tipping and litter. We’ve supported over 360 rough sleepers a year. We’ve increased our winter gritting to cover 62 per cent of our roads – better than any council in West Yorkshire.

"After eight years of Tory Government austerity, people in Bradford and across the nation are struggling to make ends meet. Bradford Labour is on your side but the Tory government has slashed its grant to our district council from £183 million in 2013 to zero by 2020. That makes it really hard to deliver all the services that people have come to expect. It’s time to hold the Tories to account.

"However, we won’t have our ambition for the district muted. Bradford Labour has published a comprehensive manifesto of commitments to you to match this ambition. We want to get 20,000 people into work, deliver three new Enterprise Zones, create 500 new apprenticeships and secure better transport links for our district.

"There are no quick fixes, but Bradford Labour has a clear plan to create a more prosperous district where people can realise their potential, delivering a district which works for the many, not the few.”