LANCASHIRE County Council will this afternoon debate its controversial multi-million pound cuts package and adding more than £50 to the average yearly council tax bill.

In advance of the authority’s budget debate, Labour accused its Tory bosses of failing to consult properly on key elements of its savings programme.

The Conservative administration is seeking to save £122million by 2022, including an extra £77m proposed in November.

Last week’s cabinet meeting dropped proposals to turn off thousands of street lights and introduce on-street car parking charges in Nelson and Colne.

Other savings plans affecting care provision, the Lancashire Breaktime Service, family support, waste recycling centres, the Lancashire Wellbeing Service, health advice and addiction support services remain on today’s agenda.

The meeting is set to approve increasing the authority’s element of the council tax in 12 boroughs (including Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale) by 3.99 per cent

This would add £51.67 a year to a typical Band D home’s bill.

Cllr John Fillis, deputy leader of the county Labour group criticised online consultation procedure on changes to household waste recycling centres, Lancashire Wellbeing and Breaktime services.

He said: “The Conservative administration is doing everything it can to stifle the responses from the public.

“Even the questions in the consultation are constructed to support the cuts without people having the option to say ‘no’.

“This whole consultation is a sham and they are doing everything they can to stop people from having their say.”

County council leader Cllr Geoff Driver said: "Of course the consultation is not a sham.

“Comments such as this from Labour are simply a smokescreen to deflect attention from the fact they have absolutely no alternative strategy to get the county council out of the mess they created.

"We have put forward proposals to eliminate the £200m-plus deficit Labour left us in May 2017 and we are genuinely seeking the public’s views on those proposals.”

Liberal Democrat group leader and Pendle Rural representative Cllr David Whipp said: “The Conservative proposals are a ‘bogus budget’ as most of the planned cuts have yet to be achieved, with many of them subject to so-called ‘consultation’.