THE Liberal Democrat budget amendment, considered last week, was rejected, in part, because it was financially a risky budget.

The amendment included the removal of all the contingency fund and reduction of reserves to the bare legal minimum.

Such money is used to respond to unexpected events, such as major floods. This approach to the budget is the same as the Lib Dems’ pre-election spend in 2010 and 2011 which left reserves at the legal minimum.

The council must leave itself in a position to respond when such events occur. The impact of not doing so would be plundering the budgets of existing services, budgets which we know are under immense pressure since the council began losing significant funding from the Government in 2010.

Labour has delivered balanced budgets every year of this administration and has ensured reserves and contingency are both held at healthy levels. The same careful financial planning cannot, unfortunately, be said of the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing, Deputy Leader, City of York Council.