Plans put forward by the Labour-run Borough Council to reduce the grass cutting and street cleaning budget by a further £150,000 should be rejected say Our West Lancashire as the current service is already inadequate.

Instead the Independents are calling for savings by reducing councillor allowances which are the highest in Lancashire.

Councillor Ian Davis told QLocal yesterday afternoon: “I am urging residents to respond to the public consultation that the council have launched and to reject the council’s plans to reduce the levels of grass cutting even further.

The standard of grass cutting is already not good enough. We even have residents of our sheltered housing having to pay extra to get gardeners in because the council haven’t cut the grass for months and now the council want to reduce the service still further.”

Instead, Our West Lancashire want to see councillor allowances reduced to the Lancashire average which would save over £75,000 a year.

Jane Thompson, OWL’s Scott ward spokesperson continued: “Our councillors vote and decide their own allowances level.

"I don’t think our councillors are any better than those in Chorley, South Ribble or other parts of Lancashire and it’s wrong for them to pay themselves so much when they are proposing cuts such as this.

"Perhaps it is time too to look at reducing the number of councillors we have.”

Our West Lancashire Cllr Adrian Owens added: “When this consultation proposal was voted through by Labour councillors at this month’s council meeting it was made clear that service levels would be affected.

"I’ve already had confirmed that the number of grass cuts has been reduced from 12 to 8 and I’ve witnessed tenants having to cut overgrown grass on housing land. How much lower do the Labour council want to take levels of maintenance on our streets? I urge residents to make their views known.”

The consultation can most easily be completed at http://www.westlancs.gov.uk/more/you...enge-2017.aspx