PLANS to close the Stockbridge depot have been scrapped by cash-strapped Bradford Council.

But the local authority's top team is largely sticking by a major programme of cuts after its leader said it “can’t afford” to reverse them.

News of the U-turn over the Stockbridge site was one of the few concessions agreed by the executive yesterday.

Last-ditch pleas to protect both bowling greens and community halls from cuts were made.

However, premises including Silsden Town Hall, Holden Hall at Oakworth and Denholme Mechanics' Institute will close unless groups take them over.

The executive agreed a £100,000 fund to support groups seeking to take on the community assets.

Denholme town councillor Jacqui MacFarlane, who was at the meeting, said: “It is a sorry state of affairs that in the 21st century, we are saying we cannot afford to keep this invaluable resource open for the people of Denholme, particularly the elderly residents. They deserve better than this.”

Now planned cuts to a host of council services, from social care to public toilets, are likely to be approved at the authority's annual budget meeting tomorrow, despite a consultation with the public which saw thousands of people raising objections through petitions, letters and meetings.

Bradford Council’s Labour leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe confirmed that most of the “painful and grim” cuts her authority had proposed in December remained on the table, which includes the loss of a further 416 jobs over two years.

She said: “Sadly, we have not been able to reverse any major cut proposals in this budget. We can’t afford to.”

Cllr Hinchcliffe was highly critical of the Government’s austerity programme, calling it “a choice, not a necessity”, and said as the authority was having to find a further £82 million of cuts by 2020, it was having to hit services “people want to keep”.

After the meeting, leader of the opposition Conservatives, Councillor Simon Cooke, questioned whether it had been a true consultation with the public.

He said: “We have this consultation, at considerable expense, then we don’t actually do anything with the findings, other than saying, ‘thank you very much’."

The Tory group did welcome the change of heart over the Stockbridge depot.

Worth Valley ward councillor, Russell Brown, said: "I have been pressing constantly for the Stockbridge depot to be kept open since the council announced it intended to close it and I am glad the council has seen sense.

"It was an odd proposal in the first place. It was obvious to me – and should have been to the Labour councillors – that rather than produce a saving, it was always going to be a false economy. The saving that they were trying to achieve was only a few thousand pounds and there was no hope of that even.

"Had this wacky idea been implemented, it would have greatly increased the council’s costs by raising the fuel and driver time required by gritters and other council vehicles to respond to ice, snow and other highway problems in Keighley and the surrounding areas, when they had been moved to depots in other parts of Bradford district.

"Every aspect of the proposal was flawed and I have been pointing this out from day one. I am glad Labour councillors have finally recognised my point and done the right thing."