The Executive noted the financial challenges faced by the council and agreed that £9.717m of additional savings were required, bringing the total savings target to £43.557m. The Executive approved the closure of Baildon Recreation Centre in March 2025 and to commence consultation on the rest of the savings proposals, including a review of the capital programme. The Executive also received an update on the progress of the Shipley Locality Plan.

2025/26 Additional Revenue Budget Savings Proposals and Capital Programme Review

The Director of Finance, Steven Mair, submitted a report (Document “AC”) setting out £9.717m of additional savings proposals to be made to the council's budget in 2025/26. This was in addition to the £33.840m in proposals presented to the Executive on 5 November 2024, bringing the total proposed savings to £43.557m.

The Director noted that

This report formed part of a tranche of papers relating to the 2025/2026 Budget proposals, setting out additional savings of £9.7m across a number of proposals, together with the savings set out in November, a combined savings package of just under £44m was being proposed, which will go out for consultation and reported back to the Executive in February 2025.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, thanked finance teams for their work in identifying these savings and added that it was vital to carry out this work given the financial challenges facing the council. Councillor Hinchcliffe also welcomed private sector capital investment in projects like the District Heat Network, City Village and Squire Lane pool.

Councillor Hinchcliffe also added that, despite the financial challenges, the council had

Agreement in principle for a further capitalisation direction to address [a £140m estimated budget deficit in 2024/25]. A capitalisation directive permits the Council to borrow money to fund its day to day running costs as it seeks to reduce its overall expenditure to a sustainable financial level.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Healthy People and Places Portfolio Holder, praised officers for their work on the Sports Facilities Review, particularly the consultation on the proposed closure of Baildon Recreation Centre, adding that Conversations were taking place, in earnest, with the end users on the implications and to secure an alternative location.

A Member of the Conservative Group questioned the viability of the savings proposals, particularly those relating to Sports and Leisure, and the lack of a detailed budget document. In response, the Director of Finance said that every effort would be made to deliver efficiency savings rather than facility closures and that budget documentation would be shared with councillors.

A Member of the Green Group questioned the decision to close Baildon Recreation Centre without prior consultation with residents, ward councillors, or Baildon Town Council. They also asked how the consultation would run alongside the existing consultation on the Sports Facilities Service review and whether the council would engage with stakeholders to find solutions and ensure residents' continued access to affordable sports facilities. In response, Councillor Ferriby said that it was not typical to consult residents prior to formal consultation, and officers had briefed Group Leaders about the proposals.

The Executive agreed the savings proposals, including:

• A saving of £0.6m to Bradford Children and Families Trust, linked to a reduction in the cost of accommodation and support for care leavers aged over 18. This saving will be achieved by an 18 plus accommodation panel...to plan for those Care Leavers who have turned 18 or are about to, but who remain in Supported Accommodation, to find them a tenancy based on their readiness.
• A saving of £0.497m on Sports Facilities. This comprises a saving of £0.091m to be achieved by closing Baildon Recreational Centre, and a reduction of £0.406m to the existing budget.
• A saving of £0.240m on Street Scene by ceasing commercial grounds maintenance, reviewing tariffs for commercial land hire and reviewing existing lease arrangements.
• A saving of £1m from reduced spending as a result of the Spending Control Panel introduced in April 2024.
• A saving of £2m from raising Fees and Charges by 6% to cover inflationary increases.
• A saving of £1.5m from third party spend, to be achieved by review[ing] current corporate council contracts and [making] proposals on delivering cost reductions and / or generate income.
• A saving of £0.680m through [e]nabling [e]fficiencies with [d]igital [t]echnology, for example by using automation to reduce administration and improve internal processes in areas such as payroll and management of internal meetings.
• A saving of £2.6m from a review of the capital programme, for example by removing the £20m Strategic Acquisition reserve scheme entirely, because no scheme [was] identified.

It was agreed that a report would be brought back to the Executive in February 2025.

Shipley Locality Plan – Progress Update 2024

The Strategic Director, Place, Damian Fisher submitted a report (Document “AD”) which reviewed progress on the 2022-2025 Shipley Locality Plan. The Shipley Area Coordinators gave a detailed overview of the plan's activities and Cllr Hinchcliffe welcomed the breadth of work being undertaken, particularly on preventative initiatives. The regeneration of Shipley was also praised, as was the partnership working being undertaken on the City of Culture initiative in Bingley.

The Executive requested that the Shipley Area Co-ordinators, accompanied by the Chair of Shipley Area Committee, should present a progress report to the Executive in 12 months' time.

Sports Facilities Service Review

The Strategic Director, Place, Damian Fisher submitted a report (Document “AE”) which outlined the progress made against the savings target of £1.25m set out in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 budget. The report stated that £406,000 of efficiency savings had been found and that a long-term sports facilities strategy needed to be developed.

It was agreed that Baildon Recreation Centre would close in March 2025, subject to stakeholder engagement. A Baildon Ward Councillor questioned the lack of consultation and short notice given regarding the proposed closure, stating that information about the closure only came to light when Executive papers were published on Monday 25 November 2024, and that, with a planned closure date of March 2025, this gave insufficient time to resolve any outstanding issues. The Councillor added that this would be another lost for Baildon residents but welcomed the consultation with the Model Railway Group and urged further discussion regarding Baildon Library.

The Executive agreed to the closure of the centre and that officers would liaise with ward councillors about Baildon Library. They also agreed the proposal to develop a long-term strategy for the provision of sports facilities and agreed a timeline for this.