The government will 'not ride to the rescue' to fix funding shortfalls at Cheshire West and Chester Council, councillors have been warned.

A meeting of full council convened on Thursday where members were told it was predicted to overspend this year by £13.4 million, which would be reduced to £9.9 million due to varying cost-saving measures totalling £3.5 million.

Cabinet member for finance Cllr Carol Gahan (Labour) said adult social care continued to place high demand on council coffers, and that pressures around children's social care had stabilised but remained 'volatile'.

She also warned that immediate action was being taken to reduce the black hole, as failure to act would 'seriously impact the council's financial resilience'.

But Cllr Gahan's shadow cabinet counterpart on the Tory benches, Cllr Charles Hardy (Tarporley), was unimpressed.

He told members: "At the meeting on February 20 this year I stated that I'd read the 2025/26 budget proposals with a feeling of utter disbelief. I described the budget as 'wishful thinking' and 'make believe'.

"Let me remind council that in February 2024 a balanced budget was presented to council, but by the end of the first review, a £6.7 million overspend was forecast.

"In February 2025 a balanced budget was presented to council, but by the end of this first review, a £9.9 million overspend is forecast.

"So much for the balanced budget."

Labour council leader Cllr Louise Gittins told councillors the Labour Government's local council funding package was a 'step in the right direction' but criticised the previous Tory Government's austerity measures.

She added: "Since Covid (there has been) a rising increase in demand in children's services, with the complexity of the needs in special educational needs, in adult social care, in homelessness as well.

"And that is something that I don't think any of us would have predicted."

Lib Dem Cllr Ted Lush said the council itself could not depend on Government help and would have to make tough choices.

He told the chamber: "I think if we're going to solve the problem we can't rely on Government, because they never actually ride to the rescue as we want them to.

"And therefore, in this chamber the decisions that we make – I think we're going to have to make very, very difficult decisions, particularly in adult services.

"And I think we should not be ready for that and accept that and then get on with it."

Adding: "Hopefully we can get out of the situation that we find ourselves in year after year."

At the meeting councillors were also asked to back diverting a £1 million underspend from the capital fund – a pot of money earmarked for things like long-term infrastructure – into the revenue budget, which funds 'day to day' operations, instead of putting it in the reserves.

The decision was backed with 38 in favour and 22 against.