BRADFORD Council has defended its decision to offer support to keep a city brewery in business.

Bradford Brewery unexpectedly announced its closure over the weekend, and it has since emerged the business has been put up for sale after running out of money.

The company put in charge of the sale process has said there has been “quite a bit” of interest shown in the business since they took it on.

The Brewery was set up in 2015, and Bradford Council helped fund its £400,000 refurbishment of the Shaw’s Moisture Meters building on Westgate into a brewery and bar.

The building had been empty since 2006.

After the sudden closure Bradford Council told the Telegraph & Argus: “We are very sad to hear that Bradford Brewery is closing.

“We have been in touch with the owners to see if there is anything we can do to keep the business going.”

That statement drew criticism from Unite the Union and the Bradford People’s Assembly, which pointed to the fact that many council staff are facing the axe in the coming years due to budget cuts.

A spokesman said: “This shows utter disdain for the staff that work very hard for Bradford Council to deliver the services amid more and more cuts and fewer resources.

“Bradford Council is happy to have talks with Bradford Brewery to try and save the business, whilst at the same time it is doing the legal minimum it has to do to try to save hundreds of jobs.

“It is not acceptable for the Council to prop up the private sector, even in an advisory capacity, when its services are being cut to the bone.”

The Union pointed out that the Council had cut jobs in libraries, leisure facilities, youth service provisions, street cleansing, children’s services and adult services.

Addressing some of the union’s criticisms in a Facebook post, Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport at the Council, said the support being offered was not financial, but mainly advice and support.

When asked for an official comment, he said: “Naturally we need to support our local economy because without good jobs and thriving businesses our district won’t be able to fund the high quality services we all value and rely on.

“It’s vital that we grow our business rates base to be able to afford good public services into the future and we need to promote wider economic growth that benefits as many people as possible.

“This need is urgent because the government will cut its main grant entirely by 2020.

“Meanwhile we will continue to lobby the government to end its unfair austerity programme.”

Business turnaround firm Chamberlain & Co has been put in charge of the sale of the Brewery, and a spokesman for the company said: “The minimum level of future investment required is estimated to be £50,000.”

They said the Brewery’s other city centre pub - Exchange Ale House in the Wool Exchange, is still open.