CITY finance chiefs will this week make a series of proposals designed to tackle the cash shortfall in the district's revenue and capital budget.

And in announcing the plans the council's finance chairman, MBI Cllr Geoff Wilson, delivered a blistering attack on his critics in the Labour group.

The proposals have identified total savings of just over £500,000 which it is argued will be more than enough to get the authority back on track. Recent warnings by political opponents of massive Council Tax increases were dismissed by Cllr Wilson as scaremongering.

Areas where cash can be saved include a recalculation of the investment interest on the Kingsway site and a cut in the council's corporate training budget for this year which basically means that there will be no more management training courses for officers until next April.

MBI councillors were keen to stress that they have not touched such things as welfare grants and the cash for the city's Christmas lights although these could be brought up for consideration by other political groups. The cash savings have been considered by council service heads and are only in place for the current financial year. The MBI claim the savings will not impact on local services.

Announcing the plans Cllr Wilson commented: "Unlike the last Labour administration, which left the authority with massive debts, we are being up front, honest and prudent with local tax-payers' money.

"Recent scaremongering headlines in some local papers were not based on sound facts and far from being the picture of doom and gloom that Labour would like to present the future is actually looking bright.

"Next year should see some positive steps forward," he added.

The inherited costs of such things as the Salt Ayre overspend, Blobbygate and the cost of sacking of David Christley were cited as just some of the reasons the authority was in financial trouble.

"For the last eight years Labour spent more than their income, is it any wonder the district inherited such a mess?" asked Cllr Wilson.

The group also claimed new management structures and Best Value reviews were the way forward and insisted that work had already started on next year's budget when, they argue, better working procedures will be in place to identify further savings for the authority.

The MBI attacked the Liberals as well as Labour for supporting the old boy network saying that the pact refused to accept reform of the way the council works and wanted senior officers, including those who had advised during some recent financial disasters, to remain unchanged.