KEIGHLEY’S under-threat tip will remain open following a huge outcry from residents of the town.

But the decision is a rare bit of positive news in the coming year’s budget, which will see a Council tax rise and increasingly tightening purse strings.

Councillors will vote on the 2023/24 Bradford Council budget at a meeting next Thursday (February 23).

But today the Council revealed that the planned closure of the Keighley Household Waste Recycling Centre, proposed late last year, is no longer included in the list of cuts.

The final budget proposals show that households will be hit with a 4.99 per cent increase to their Council Tax bills (2.99 per cent Council Tax rise and 2 per cent social care precept).

And the Council will need to dip into its limited reserves by a further £11m beyond what it had originally planned.

The report reveals that £58.4m of the budget is being set aside to deal with inflation, and an extra £57m for Children’s Social Care.

Since the budget was proposed last year, there has been a public consultation that over 900 people responded to.

As previously reported, many of the responses were objections to the closure of the Keighley tip.

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The Council’s Labour run Executive will meet on Tuesday to receive a report into the finalised budget plans.

On the decision to scrap the Keighley tip closure, the report says: “The Waste Services saving of £500k has also been amended to £388k in 2023-24, following public consultation and the identification of alternative proposals, the closure of the Keighley Household Waste and Recycling centre will no longer happen.”

To balance the budget – something Councils legally have to do - the authority will use £44.299m of its reserves, which is £11.889m more than originally planned.

A report going to the Executive says: “This represents an unprecedented use of reserves that cannot be sustained beyond the short-term.

“Our reserves can only be used once, and resources set aside for investment in the District’s priorities and its future must now be used to meet the immediate funding challenges.”

Referring to the decision to keep Keighley tip open Councillor Sarah Ferriby, executive for Healthy People and Places, said: “Thank you to the people of Keighley for responding to the Council’s consultation so that your voice was heard.”

Conservative Group Leader in Bradford, Councillor Rebecca Poulsen said: “This valuable community resource has been saved by the residents of Keighley and surrounding villages and they have every right to be pleased with their achievement. It just shows that people power can occasionally force the council to retain the front line services which are much valued by local people.

“The Conservative Group would like to thank everyone across Keighley for their efforts in getting the Labour Executive to U-turn on the closure that they had proposed”.

Keighley MP Robbie Moore said: "Today’s screeching U-turn from Bradford Council is a victory for the residents of Keighley and my thanks go to each and every one of the 7,311 residents who took time to sign our petition to Save the Tip, which I had the honour to present to Parliament last month.

 

"But let’s be absolutely clear here. Labour run Bradford Council’s handling of the situation throughout has been a total and utter fiasco, and this U-turn need not have happened had Bradford Council listened to the people of Keighley from Day 1."