Dundee Liberal Democrat councillor Fraser Macpherson has slammed the Labour opposition group for failing to come up with a single “coherent or competent” amendment to the SNP council budget.
Mr Macpherson said it was “astonishing” that of the 13 opposition council members, he was the only one offering any sort of alternative.
The Dundee West councillor claimed Labour were offering nothing but “empty rhetoric” and that in his 15 years of service he has never come across a group unwilling to provide an alternative.
The councillor proposes that instead of “slashing” the budget, as proposed by the SNP, cuts could be made across the board to “non-controversial areas such as equipment, furniture, contract care hire, catering and hospitality.”
He said: “We should find the savings by making a large number of small savings across the board and sharing the load.
“We should not be imposing garden charges on the elderly and disabled and instead be offering an ability to pay basis.
“One of the largest cuts in the counter proposal was to the computing budget at £20,000.
“That has an annual budget of something like £1.5 million and if we can’t find savings of £20,000 out of a budget of £1.5 million, we might as well give up and go home.”
Labour group leader Councillor Kevin Keenan responded to Mr Macpherson’s comments by saying that the west end councillor was simply “venting his spleen.”
He said the group’s lack of budget response was a result of the SNP refusing to listen to any of the Labour opposition proposals in the past
He said: “In previous years, like other political parties, the Labour Group has offered an alternative budget.
“Not once have the SNP administration been prepared to listen to any constructive suggestion or proposal.”
Mr Keenan said he “appreciated” Mr Macpherson feels he can make a difference.