A highways chief has warned road safety schemes will be put at risk after the Government ordered Bradford Council to hand back £1.4 million of its transport grant.

A total of £1.22m is being taken from the Integrated Transport Block grant – which funds all non-maintenance transport schemes costing less than £5m such as small road projects, road safety, bus priority schemes, walking and cycling schemes and transport information schemes. The remaining £180,000 comes from the Primary Route Network (PRN) funding used for strengthening bridges.

John Blackburn, the Council’s strategic director transport and highways, said: “This is a 25 per cent cut from the Integrated Transport Budget and it will affect road safety schemes and other schemes that enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists but it is too early to say which ones just yet.

“Obviously officers and members will be looking closely at the budget and prioritising as necessary.”

Nationally, there will be a £309m reduction in DfT grants with the ITB taking the biggest hit at £150.9m. Also included are major projects with a £61.4m cut, and the road safety capital grant will be slashed by £17.2m. Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood said: “Clearly we are in a situation where these cuts are to small scale schemes that will affect local communities and that is unacceptable in my view.

“Bradford, when you look at the situation, has fared worse than many other authorities which again is not acceptable. The whole process of implementing the Tory-Lib Dem cuts is arbitrary, in my view, and not based on any meaningful principle.”

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “Government is clear that deficit reduction is the most pressing issue facing Britain today. It is therefore vital that we take these measures now to ensure economic recovery. We have undertaken reductions in a way which maximises the flexibility of local authorities to shape their budgets according to their local priorities and where their efficiencies can be found.”

Sadiq Khan MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “This capital funding includes key infrastructure projects to improve transport in, around and between our towns and cities, benefiting businesses and residents alike.

“The Government must tread very carefully in the way it finds capital savings in Transport.”

The reduction comes on top of a £7.265m revenue cut to Bradford’s budget for 2010/11 announced last week.