OPPOSITION Lib Dem councillors in York will these evening call on Labour to reverse planned budget cuts that will come into force from April.

They will be presenting two 'alternate budgets' at a crunch budget meeting at 6.30pm tonight which will decide on council spending for the year beginning in April.

In their main budget amendment, to be presented by Lib Dem leader Cllr Nigel Ayre, they will propose a budget that reverses more than £4 million of Labour’s proposed cuts.

A second budget amendment, prepared in case the first amendment fails, will propose reversing just £1.6 million of cuts.

Labour is proposing to make a raft of cuts in a bid to save more than £14 million as it struggles to plug a projected £40 million 'black hole' in council finances over the next four years.

Its package of savings includes cuts of £300,000 in the contracted funding for Explore York libraries in each of the next two years; a city-wide review of personal care and support; stopping weekend cover by social workers at York Hospital; and a £46.50-a-year charge for emptying green bins.

The party says the cuts are needed to set a balanced budget - and save the authority from bankruptcy.

But the Liberal Democrats say Labour could use an extra £1.6 million of cash just earmarked to the council by Whitehall to protect key services.

They say their main budget amendment also identifies ways of reversing a further £2.4 million of cuts, through a combination of reducing spending on council comms, downgrading some top council roles, drawing on reserves, and reducing IT and admin budgets.

Cllr Ayre said under their main alternative budget there would be NO cuts to library funding and NO green bin tax.

It would also reverse the plans to cut social worker support at York Hospital over the weekends (a measure the Lib Dems say would only add to bed blocking at the hospital); and reverse threatened funding cuts to community projects run by organisations like Age UK, York Mind, Changing Lives and the Wilberforce Trust, he said.

The amendment would also restore funding for the Salvation Army’s early intervention rough sleeping programme – Labour decided last September not to continue funding he Salvation Army contract.

But the Lib Dems have also proposed a second, less radical budget amendment in case the first fails to pass tonight.

This proposes reversing just £1.6 million of planned budget cuts, using the new Whitehall money.

This amendment would seek to protect library funding; overturn the proposed charge for emptying green bins – and restore the contract for the Salvation Army’s rough sleeper early intervention programme.

If the first amendment fails, this second amendment will be presented by Lib Dem councillor Christian Vassie.

In that case, he is expected to say: "The Government has, as governments do, magicked some money for local authorities as a pre-election ‘sweetener’. For York this means about £1.6 million.

"Our second amendment urges us to use that money to protect key services.

"We all know libraries are about more than books, fantastic though books are. They are also places to learn new skills. Places to escape isolation and loneliness. Places to keep warm. And more.

"Secondly, we know a green bin tax will impact not only on those who can afford to pay a bit more but also on those using food banks and struggling to pay bills.

"Thirdly, the numbers of rough-sleepers on our streets has increased this winter. We all recognise the amazing work done by the Salvation Army over many years. A £100k could be put to great use re-engaging their services."

Neither alternative budget has much chance of being passed, however.

Labour, which holds a slender outright majority on the council, has already dismissed the Lib Dems’ main budget amendment.

Labour executive member for finance Cllr Katie Lomas said, ahead of this evening's meeting: "The chief finance officer has been clear in their advice that use of one-off reserves to plug ongoing gaps is not a sensible approach to managing the council's budget.

"This significantly increases the risk of the council having to make unmanageable cuts to its budget in future years or worse, declare effective bankruptcy and so isn't an approach Labour will support".