WIRRAL Council's leader has warned the town hall's most senior officers they will be held to account for their advice over massive cash cuts.

His stance comes as a new report makes clear the difficulty of slashing cost while still providing vital services to the borough's most vulnerable people.

One area struggling to meet the required reductions is adult social services, scheduled to lose £16m.

A report says "significant" financial pressures amounting to £6m are already being experienced in the department.

Increased demand on the budget for older people and funding for learning disability services accounts for £3m.

And a £3m shortfall has been discovered due to potential "slippage" in savings that were predicted from reducing staff numbers through early retirement and redundancy.

Councillor Foulkes says he fully intends to hold senior officers to account after they assured him while he was in opposition that budget cuts identified by the then Tory/Lib Dem coalition administration were realistic and manageable.

He said: "The first thing I want to make clear is I have inherited the Tory and Lib Dem budget and our options for this year and next are dictated by the previous administration's decisions.

"However, senior officers assured me when we were in opposition that these cuts were sustainable and achievable.

"They gave their assurance there would be no overspends.

"If that was not correct, if they were wrong in their analysis or felt under pressure for whatever reason not to be honest with me, then they should explain now why that was so.

"I intend to keep those officers to their word and hold them and the previous administration to account."

He added: "Having said that, we will make sure we provide as good a service as possible and look for budget efficiencies that can be managed in a timely manner."

Although council spending already has been culled by £51m and the workforce reduced by 1,100, Wirral still has to meet Government demands for enormous savings in next year's budget.

As part of this process town hall scrutiny committees are being tasked with finding ways to close the looming £25m budget gap and limit Council Tax increases in 2012/13.

The adult social services report will be considered by the health and well-being scrutiny committee at its meeting next Tuesday.

A series of options presented to make further reductions includes "out-sourcing" certain services to private or voluntary sectors.