Angry Cheshire East councillors clashed at a finance meeting with one saying the committee chair was 'bang out of order' after she blamed the Conservatives' 'historic vandalism of our finances' for the council's current crisis.

The finance sub-committee was discussing a paper on the MTFS (budget) consultation provisional settlement update.

A report of interim executive director of resources Adele Taylor, highlighted that, if Cheshire East had not frozen its council tax between 2011/12 and 2015/16 when it was Conservative controlled, it would have £35m more in income this year, when it is currently facing a funding gap of £18.3m.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Con) told this week's meeting : "Now, while I understand that was a political decision, it was a decision that was taken in consultation with the then finance team who were happy that was the action that we should be taking and supported the recommendations that were made."

Later in the meeting, committee chair Dawn Clark (Crewe, Lab) sparked fury among the Tories, with comments about previous financial decisions.

Cllr Dawn Clark. (Photo: Cheshire East Council)

Cllr Clark, who was an officer working for Cheshire East in 2011 and 2015, said: "To say that it was actually the officers who were party to those decisions to freeze, I think it was most probably a very strong political arm which was actually making those officers be party to those decisions."

She continued: "It's because of those decisions that were taken in 2011/12 and 2015 not to raise the council tax in line with inflation which has left us with a huge negative financial legacy."

Cllr Clark said the Labour/Independent administration started rebuilding the council's reserves in 2020 but then came 'the car crash of the Truss administration, which tripled inflation and interest rates, undid that and the consequence was the cost-of-living crisis, which puts further pressure on us'.

"Do I need to also add HS2, the reduction in local government funding by the previous government that failed to address social care and SEND (special education needs and disability)?" she said.

"So, we are where we are, but we do need to examine and consider all our options to put right this historic vandalism of our finances and the so-called austerity policies of Whitehall and political brinkmanship here at Cheshire East Council."

Congleton councillor David Brown, who was deputy leader during the Conservative administration, was furious.

As the named vote was taken, he fumed: "That is one of the most biased political speeches I have ever heard in my life…

"Why that had to be said, I think it's distasteful and bang out of order."

Conservative group leader Janet Clowes said: "I don't believe in brinkmanship, I do believe in objective scrutiny."

The three Conservatives voted against recommending the budget proposals in the report to the corporate policy committee for discussion as did Liberal Democrat group leader Reg Kain.

The three Labour councillors – which included councillors Alan Coiley (Wistaston) and Brian Drake (Alsager) together with Independent Lata Anderson (Wilmslow) voted in favour and the recommendation was carried on the casting vote of the chair.

The committee was discussing recommendations for the corporate policy to consider, and no budget decisions will be made until the full meeting of the council in February.