Row over rising council tax

No one party has overall control of Wirral Council

A row has broken out on a Merseyside council amid claims that council tax bills could rise by 7%.

The Conservatives say Wirral Borough Council has a £7m budget deficit and has called on a task force to be set up to look at ways of cutting costs.

Tory group leader Councillor Jeff Green said the authority's £84m administration bill was a particular area of concern.

But the leader of the hung council - Labour's Steve Foulkes - claimed the Conservatives had failed to provide any detailed savings proposals.

Councillor Green said: "Currently the council spends £84m on administration and that equates to £594 per household.

If it was a charity which was spending that much on administration people would think twice before giving to it Cllr Jeff Green

"Given the circumstances we're in, and there's no question Wirral's been treated badly by the government grant, we believe now is the time to set up a task force to look at the figure of £84m.

"We need to find out what it is being spent on, how it compares with other metropolitan authorities and if any savings can be found.

"There's a question of good housekeeping. If it was a charity which was spending that much on administration people would think twice before giving to it."

Savings proposed

Councillor Foulkes admitted the council was "some way short" of balancing its budget but added the Labour group had already proposed £8m in savings.

He said: "Councillor Green is getting a bit excited. He has had responsibility for coming up with ideas for savings and we haven't seen any yet.

"Many administrators are really frontline service deliverers, such as progressing housing benefit claims. That can't be done by computer, it has to be done by people."

Councillor Green said bringing in outside consultants would means extra expenditure for the authority.

Wirral's council tax bill is due to be settled by early March 2004.