THE Tory government were branded 'villains' on Thursday night as councillors reluctantly agreed to hike up council tax Halton.

However, the Labour dominated authority refused to discuss cuts to members allowances after a row broke out between rival parties.

Council tax is set to rise by 2.99% in Halton, which has the the fourth lowest in the north west.

Mike Wharton, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, said  the outlook for local government funding was the 'most uncertain' it had been for nine years – forcing the cash-strapped council to make some difficult decisions.

Outlining some bleak statistics during a passionate budget debate the chamber heard that the council will need to find budget reductions totalling £21.3million during the next three years.

This comes after having found savings of £9million for the current year.

Mr Wharton said  the Government’s own figures show 'the rich just keep getting richer'  – forcing poorer councils into raising council tax as a way to make ends meet.

He said: “While we recognise the additional burden this will place upon our residents, the Government has given us no choice if we are to continue to deliver the essential services which the most vulnerable members of our community require.

“We continue to work closely with our trade unions who, like us, know who the real villains are.”

His speech was met with applause from fellow councillors – including Tory and Lib Dem opposition members who agreed with the proposals.

However, peace didn’t last long – with a scrap over member’s allowances breaking out shortly after.

Members’ allowances currently account for less than 0.5% of the council budget.

Following a tri-annual review, an independent panel said the current scheme was generally “fit for purpose”,  but that payments to vice chairs of committees appeared “disproportionate” for the actual activity that was undertaken by them.

The panel agreed to retain the vice chair’s allowance but wanted to invite the council to consider if it should be removed and reallocated across the pot – thereby increasing the basic allowance for all councillors.

Lib Dem Councillor Chris Rowe said he was disappointed the council was not 'considering or discussing this' at the meeting  – and put forward a number of proposals for how the cash for vice chairs could be better spent.

However he was mocked by a number of Labour  councillors who took the opportunity to remind Rowe of his own party’s role in the authority’s suffering finances.

Tom McInerney,  cabinet member for children and young people, quipped: “It was very good of the leader of the Liberal Democrats to make a statement saying he wishes to save 75 per cnet of the vice chairs allowances, but he wishes the other 25 per cent to be shared among himself and his colleagues.

“This is the very party who got us into the situation we are in today.

“He’s sat there for five years and took cuts across this council and never once did I hear a Liberal Democrat voice say to us, that they didn’t agree with what they were doing when they were sitting in power. ”

Labour councillor Chris Loftus then weighed into the debate – this time taking aim at the independent panel who deal with allowances.

He fumed: “Normally when this report comes to the council, we have a clear way forward, put down, in writing, and there is no discussion.

“The reason why we have the panel, as I understand it, is that we don’t discuss and debate anything in terms of our own allowances. That’s why the independent panel were given the job to do.

“The problem this side, the panel hasn’t carried out it’s work, The idea should be, hand it back to them, tell them to make a proper decision like they were asked to in the first place and get it over and done with.”

Cllr Polhill, Halton Council leader, said he was willing to have a discussion about the contentious vice chair’s allowance in the future – but said that the full council meeting was not the time or the place for it.

Major changes are already on the way for the local authority, after a ward boundary review found the borough should be represented by three less wards and two less councillors.

Cllr Polhill, whose own allowance is below that of leaders in similar authorities, said there would be a proper structured review about suggestions made by the panel after those changes take effect.

Speaking after the meeting, he said this could entail a “shake up” of committees and  roles requiring extra responsibility in order to make the council run more efficiently.

The recommendation to the council will mean an increase for the average Band D property of £41.20 or 79p per week.