The deputy leader of Allerdale council has likened the cash-strapped authority to a lemon being squeezed until the pips pop out.

Councillor Mark Fryer made the comments at an executive meeting today (November 21) in which the council set out its budget strategy against a backdrop of central Government cuts.

The meeting heard that there there was an increased reliance on council tax to raise cash amid austerity – and that the future funding position for councils remained uncertain.

The council's borrowing looks set to double again in the 2019-20 financial year, while council tax will rise by a predicted 2.9 per cent as bosses fight to balance the books.

However, the figures quoted in the financial plans for the 2019-20 budget will be subject to “significant review” and public consultation before being approved by the council.

Summing up the financial pressures faced by the council, Coun Fryer said

He added: “It’s getting tighter and tighter. The lemon squeezing [is getting to the point] where the pips are almost coming out. We have managed the services pretty well but we have significantly reduced staff numbers in our organisation – probably 50 per cent.

“The pressures are on the pensions and terms and conditions, which we should always fight for, but it’s going to be difficult and volatile – and over the next six to 12 months it’s going to be a pretty rocky road.”

However the meeting heard that the council was expecting a £20,000 underspend against its original revenue budget for the current year, with "strong financial management" identified as the reason.

Councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes said: “Given that many councils are on the brink of financial extinction to achieve an underspend, however small, is good news.”

Responding to the figures, opposition councillor Mark Jenkinson denied that government cutbacks were to blame for increasing the public debt. “They can’t rely on excuses like austerity,” he said. “This isn’t borrowing to catch up with basic functions of maintenance, street cleaning and refuse collection. This is borrowing for vanity projects."