IT IS nonsense for Green councillors to claim the Liberal Democrat-Conservative budget will “leave the city without funds in the face of an emergency” (The Press, July 8).

Council reserves stand at £7.5 million. This figure is well over the recommended five per cent of the council’s net budget and the emergency budget leaves the reserves untouched.

Instead of reserves, we are using £154,000 of contingency funding. Another £449,000 could have been used, but we are leaving this.

The money we are now including in the budget also comes from areas such as the underspend from 2014/15, a reduction in taxpayer-funded trade union work, and a restructure of senior management.

After listening to residents, we have decided to re-allocate this funding to key areas of front line services such as road repairs, community centres and ward committees.

We are also ditching Labour’s plans to charge residents for all garden waste collections (which, surprisingly, were supported by the Greens).

Instead, the first green bin will remain free and there will be two extra garden waste collections during the winter months.

We are also putting in extra money to reverse the fall in recycling seen under Labour.

This is a responsible budget which focuses on the things that matter to local residents. I hope all councillors can support it.

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Liberal Democrat spokesman for finance and performance, Earswick Chase, York