BRADFORD Council has paid out more than £2.5 million in the past two years in redundancy payments to almost 130 members of staff.

New figures published by the Government revealed the costly job losses at the Council, and come as ministers have been criticised for “not seeing local government as a priority”.

Bradford Council said it tries to avoid job cuts but "significant pressure on budgets" means this isn't always possible.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the figures as part of its research into ending “excessively high” payouts in the public sector.

In the 2020/21 tax year 41 staff were let go at a total cost of £483,600, while the year before 88 staff were made redundant, costing the Council £2,080,198, which included a total of more than £1.2 million in pension contributions.

Last year the average payout to staff let go was £11,794, less than half the average amount handed out in the prior 12 months when it was £23,639.

The number of staff let go in the past two years is down from the previous five years - between 2014 and 2019, Bradford Council made 796 staff redundant, an average of 159 a year, costing a total of £16,886,777, around £3.38m a year on average, with an average payout of £21,214.54 per person.

The Association of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers said job losses will continue across England because the Government does not see local councils as a priority.

Ian Miller, honorary secretary of the ALACE, said: “The higher spend between 2014 and 2017 reflects that councils were making very significant reductions in their workforce at that time as a result of the Government’s austerity programme which has cut funding for local government since 2010.

“Job cuts will continue because local government has not been a priority for this or previous governments.”

He added that councils aim to protect frontline services, and that workforce reductions slowed in 2020-21 because the focus was on responding to the pandemic.

Mr Miller said costs for older employees tend to be higher as the local government pension scheme requires immediate payment of pension rights where someone over 55 is made redundant, or let go to make the council run more efficiently.

The Local Government Association said its survey of local authorities indicated that many planned redundancies in 2020 and 2021 for several reasons, including funding shortages and local government reorganisation.

It said council restructures tend to be focused on removing senior posts, which means older, longer-serving and higher paid staff are often the ones affected – and these workers are also more likely to volunteer for redundancy.

An LGA spokesman said: “Councils are required to ensure termination payments are fair, proportionate, lawful and provide value for money for the taxpayer.”

The MHCLG said councils are best placed to make decisions, but that the Government is still committed to tackling excessive exit payments.

A spokesperson added: “Severance pay is the responsibility of individual councils and we urge them to ensure that payments reflect value for money to the taxpayers who fund them.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Through efficient budgetary management, every effort is made each year to avoid staff redundancies.

"This is reflected in our overall ratings compared to other local authorities, of 100th in 2020/21 and 175th on 2019/20 based on the data referenced.

"We will continue to work hard to avoid the need to make redundancies, however continued significant budget pressures mean this may not always be possible.

"The costs associated with making staff redundant are outlined as part of the Council’s, and nationally agreed, terms and conditions.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk