Rival politicians have turned down the chance to alter Kirklees Council’s budget.

The Labour run council has put forward its plan to slash more than £100m from its books by 2021 after huge cuts were imposed by the government.

The four year budget is set to be voted on by councillors from all parties at a town hall meeting on Wednesday evening.

Normally opposition groups submit budget amendments in a bid to re-distribute cash to their preferred services or areas.

But this year neither the Conservatives nor Liberal Democrats have done so.

It is thought to be the first time in many years that the opposition has made no attempt to alter the ruling group’s budget.

Cabinet member for resources, Clr Graham Turner, said: “In my time on council I can’t remember this happening.

“I think it’s recognition that some very difficult decisions will have to be made and the scope for manoeuvre is very limited.”

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But Tory chief, Clr David Hall, said his group had given up trying to suggest efficiencies to their Labour counterparts.

He said: “Since 2010 we’ve put in a number of amendments which have always been ignored. Had they been accepted there wouldn’t be the swathing cuts that they’re having to make now.”

Clr Hall said they would still challenge the “terrible budget” on Wednesday night and would not be supporting it.

Clr David Hall
Clr David Hall

“We’ve had seven years of fiddling while Rome was burning,” he added. “If they had listened to us we might not be in this mess.”

Clr Nicola Turner, leader of Kirklees Liberal Democrat group, said: “It is difficult to amend this type of budget – the council has been starved of cash for a number of years, and is rapidly using up its reserves.

“We all understand that huge savings need to be made, but we don’t yet know the detail of how the budget cuts will be implemented and exactly what that might mean for local people.

Clr Nicola Turner, leader of the Kirklees Liberal Democrat group
Clr Nicola Turner, leader of the Kirklees Liberal Democrat group

“As a result of this lack of clarity, we are in a difficult position to propose any changes.”

Last year the Conservatives said they would cut £25m from the council’s back-office and IT functions and regeneration plans for Huddersfield and Dewsbury.

They said they would instead spend an extra £5m on road repairs and would devolve £10m to district committees to be spent by councillors in Kirklees various areas.

The Lib Dems found £10.8m of savings of which they proposed £4.2m was pumped into repairing Tolson museum.

They also tried to protect the budget for the free town bus and requested two new bridges be built at Slaithwaite and Longroyd Bridge.

An amendment by the Green party has been received but it does not require any significant change in spending allocations.

Kirklees Green chief, Clr Andrew Cooper, has asked for the council to commit to creating new local housing development company that would help the council control, and speed up, the building of new homes in the borough.