Responding to a press release regarding the forthcoming budget from the West Lancs Labour Group, Cllr David Westley, Conservative Group finance spokesman, said: "Labour both locally and nationally are in complete denial about the mess they left the country in. They left us with the largest deficit in the G20, and we were borrowing more than we spend on the entire NHS and Defence budgets combined
"Instead of facing up to their responsibilities, they are showing the same weak opportunism as their national masters.
"The Labour Group knows perfectly well that using reserves to pay for revenue expenditure is not sustainable. If we did this, the money would eventually run out and we'd have to make cuts further down the line. By facing up to reality now, we will return to growth quicker than we would if we followed Labour's example.
"West Lancashire Labour Group's solution to the financial mess their Government has left West Lancashire's taxpayers in exposes their economic illiteracy and demonstrates just why they should never again be let anywhere near the public finances."