MINISTERS were accused of making Bradford the “fall guy” for cuts, after the Council was hammered with a further £20 million loss for next year.

Council leader David Green charged the Government with “smoke and mirrors” by handing it responsibility for crisis loans for the poorest, while swiping the cash to pay for them.

And he warned of local government “failing” without an end to the cuts, as the Labour-run Council contemplates being forced to make £160m of savings since 2010.

Cllr Green said: “The Government looks at local authorities as the fall guy.

“They say we have got to provide essential services – and we want to provide them – but they are making us bear the biggest burden of the cuts.

“The system will fail unless they give us more devolution, including fiscal devolution, or ease the burden by taking some of those responsibilities off us.”

But, in the Commons, Keighley Conservative MP Kris Hopkins said the Government had been “vindicated” because councils were still delivering “good-quality services with a reduced amount of money”.

And the Local Government Minister rejected claims of unfairness, saying: “It is shameful to say that I or my colleagues would go out of our way to pursue the most vulnerable.”

Nevertheless, even on the Government’s measure of overall ‘spending power’ – which bundles together grants, council tax, business rates and the New Homes Bonus – the North-South divide was clear.

Ministers said Bradford will lose £19.9m, or 4.1 per cent of ‘spending power’, with other heavy losses in Kirklees (£8.8m, 2.5 per cent), Calderdale (£3.8m, 2.1 per cent) and Leeds (£15.1m, 2.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, some councils in the South - Kingston (up £2m), Richmond (up £3m), Bedfordshire (up 4m), Windsor (up £2.5m), Wokingham (up £3m) – are gaining funds.

Moreover, Cllr Green said the true picture was that Bradford would have to find £34m of savings next year and a further £130m by 2020, on today's projections.

Today, the Government axed ‘local welfare assistance schemes’ – a last lifeline for people falling into debt and destitution – forcing Bradford to find £1.6m, if the loans are to survive.

Cllr Green said: “As ever, there is some smoke and mirrors, such as giving us responsibility for welfare schemes – while taking away the money.”

He confirmed the authority would reject Government pressure to freeze council tax next April, by pressing ahead with a planned 1.6 per cent rise.

Cllr Green said: “The reason is that we need to build up our resources and reduce our dependence on Government, given what’s happened over the last four years – so we are not at the whim of the Treasury.”

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