"THIS is an unimaginative, un-aspirational plan – full of holes – which will lead the council into bankruptcy in four years."

That is the damning verdict from Labour leader Dr Michael Thompson on Bromsgrove Council's budget.

Bromsgrove Council approved this year's council tax levels and overall budget last week.

Council tax will now rise by 2.99 per cent for Bromsgrove Council for 2019/20 and the Council's Medium Term Financial Plan (which covers the next four years) will rely on drawing down reserves from the current £4.2 million down to £1.1 million by 2022/23 in order to balance longer term budgets.

The labour leader said a number of "giveaways" such as; £150k to be part of the Greater Birmingham LEP, when the council is already a member; another £150k for traffic consultant Mott McDonald; and £10k to legal consultants was just "wastage" and completely unnecessary.

He said: "When looked at like this one can very easily understand why a Labour Party could afford to implement such a great manifesto.

"Without this wastage we could afford the free swimming for the 18s, to rebuild the sports hall, to invest in green spaces and community gardens, to build cycle racks in the town centre, to reintroduce the pensioners’ pass, and we would probably not even need to raise the tax.

"But the Tories are right – as you run the council we could not afford Labour’s promises. Because this is an unimaginative, un-aspirational plan – full of holes – which will lead the council into bankruptcy in four years."

Councillor Thompson said there were plenty of questions left unanswered that needed looking at.

He said: "What happens in year five when the drain on reserves will take the reserves below the recommended limit, and in year six when it will bankrupt us?

"This budget is balanced on the assumption that we do not have to pay the negative revenue tax. To my knowledge we only have this guarantee for one year.

"If – and as is likely – this will not be the case – this council will have to find £2m which only means one thing bankruptcy (perhaps this is what the council wants, perhaps it wants a bail out to become a unitary)."

He added the council must do better than this.

"I look forward, in May 2019, when Labour takes control of this council, to a new dawn for Bromsgrove," he added.