Labour want you to pay for their complete incompetence and not only that - but for you to suffer poorer local services as a result as well.
It is infuriating but unfortunately not surprising that under Labour’s watch - Susan Hinchcliffe and her team have bled Bradford Council dry by wasting money on glorified white elephant projects, non-statutory schemes and their gross mismanagement of children’s services.
Cllr Hinchcliffe’s attempt to blame everyone but herself for leading the council to bankruptcy isn’t fooling anyone.
It wasn’t the government who decided to spend £15m on the Kirkgate Centre whilst at the same time failing catastrophically to protect our children; it wasn’t the government who decided to get involved in the £35 million One City Park white elephant project whilst attempting to slash Keighley and Ilkley’s statutory services; and it wasn’t the government who decided to splash nearly £200,000 on staff gift cards as the District sunk into financial ruin.
If Bradford Council wanted to start saving some money - perhaps they could start by scrapping ill-thought through schemes that the vast majority of people do not want - like their ridiculous town-wide 20 mph scheme in Ilkley in which they plan to plaster the town with speed humps, costing the taxpayer hundreds of thousands.
But no, instead they plan to close Ilkley’s Tip and the Tip at Sugden End in the Worth Valley which will led to an increase in fly tipping. They plan to increase parking charges which will hamper local businesses, implement parking charges at Ilkley’s Lido and look to close local sporting and leisure facilities, all negatively impacting our children’s health and wellbeing.
But it won’t stop there - they will then look to close our libraries and other key services - all as a result of their financial mismanagement.
I won’t accept these absurd proposals as why should we - and I will campaign like there is no tomorrow to stop them.
It simply is not fair that residents across Keighley, Ilkley, Silsden, the Worth Valley and our wider area who contribute the most already to Bradford Council through Council Tax - but get the least back - are now going to be expected to pick up the tap for Labour’s steer incompetence by having to pay up to a 5 percent increase in Council Tax.
Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Keighley and Ilkley wants to tie us even closer to Bradford Council and continues to endorse Susan Hinchcliffe - but I take a robust view - and will stand up for our area.
The case to take Keighley and Ilkley out of Bradford Council control and form our own unitary authority which puts local priorities first, has never been stronger. And as Keighley and Ilkley's MP, that is exactly what I will continue to fight for.
