Cuts to Government grants which are used to support Bradford’s most vulnerable young people have been lambasted by a senior councillor.

Councillor Ralph Berry claims a net loss of £5.7 million in education grant money in the new financial year amounts to “a dramatic withdrawal of support” and jeopardises the future of some Bradford Council services.

The ending of grant money accounts for more than the £7.5 million that Bradford schools are expected to share through the Pupil Premium, a new fund for schools which has been launched to target extra money to children from deprived backgrounds.

Some £4.3 million is also being shaved off Bradford’s annual share of the Early Intervention Grant which is used by the Council for, among other things, tackling teenage pregnancy, short breaks for disabled children and Sure Start Children’s Centres.

The Council is tasked with maintaining services traditionally funded by the grant with a requirement to spread at least some of the money on providing free nursery school places for two-year-olds.

Another funding stream being cut is the Dedicated Schools Grant, which makes up the base education budget for local authorities.

From April, Bradford’s share will fall by as much as two per cent – a reduction of up to £7 million. It translates to a budget cut per pupil of up to 1.5 per cent.

Councillor Berry, the Council’s executive member for education and children’s services, said: “I think it’s going to be uneven and arbitrary.

“Some schools that have claims for the Pupil Premium will have a cushion for a period but the most severe cuts seem to be targeted on the most vulnerable, youngest children and families. “The budget negotiations in City Hall are heavily focused on protecting the most vulnerable children but it’s tough.

“This is a dramatic withdrawal of support when you add this to the Education Maintenance Allowance. I helped set up Sure Start in this city and have seen it get to the point where we have universal children’s centre cover and there is a real risk, if we are forced to cut back on preventative work, that the bill coming down the track will be bigger.”

The impact of the Council’s financial settlement from the Government will be discussed at a meeting of the Council’s children’s services scrutiny committee today.