EVERYONE is well aware of Bradford Council's desperate need to save money.

Some cuts have already been implemented – and many more are in the pipeline.

Public consultation is currently underway on the latest range of proposed measures, including the possible closure of community halls and public loos.

Whilst there is a realisation and even general acceptance of the fact that tough funding decisions need to be made by City Hall bosses, there is far less concurrence over how these savings should be achieved.

Few people can expect to be untouched by the tightening of the purse strings – and publicly-funded organisations have to realise the support they receive is most likely going to be diminished.

But that said, the revelation this week that funding for some of Keighley's most deprived areas is being slashed has come as a huge hammer blow.

There are real fears that community centres at the heart of the town's neediest neighbourhoods could close, cutting off a vital lifeline to people who require help most.

It is essential that during this whole process, decision-makers look beyond plain balance sheets.

The closure of a service or the axing of a post here or there may save a few thousand pounds, but the implications could be far more wide-reaching and costly in human terms.