THE Liberal Democrats have unveiled their ‘manifesto for Bradford’, pledging to freeze council tax and raise school standards.

The team yesterday gathered in Bradford’s City Park, waving placards and yellow balloons, as they set out what they would do for the district if they held the balance of power in either the Government or at Bradford Council.

The pledges include:

  • Freezing council tax;
  • Setting up a register of private landlords and ensuring rental homes are of a decent standard;
  • Building new schools and making sure every child has a place at a good local school; lCutting the number of local councillors by two-thirds, to just one per ward;
  • Creating more high-quality apprenticeships in local government jobs such as accountancy, planning and engineering;
  • Building more homes for older and single people.

David Ward, the party’s parliamentary party candidate for Bradford East, said: “We have always produced a document saying this is what we stand for. We challenge the other parties to do it."

“It could well be the case there is no one party who have overall control. I think people have a right to know, if it’s a hung council, what the other parties will be campaigning for.”

And Bradford Council’s Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, said: “We would be freezing council tax, definitely.”

She said a Telegraph & Argus report yesterday had highlighted the number of people sinking into arrears with their council tax.

She said: “These were people who couldn’t afford it.”