WIRRAL'S council leader has warned 'brutal' government cuts mean the authority is reaching "breaking point".

During a cabinet meeting Cllr Pat Hackett said: "Bigger cuts are on the way next year, which means we might have to consider vital services people rely upon.

"That's the facts of the matter.

"We have worked hard under enormous pressure to keep our libraries and services and children's centres open because they affect people’s life chances.

"But these new cuts next year would mean putting a lot of services at risk."

Cllr Hackett was commenting on leaks relating to the government's Fair Funding Review – which suggest around £300m will be diverted from less affluent local authorities, such as Wirral, to more affluent ones in Tory-controlled areas.

In this year’s budget, Wirral Council must make £32m worth of cuts.

To avoid major service reductions, the council has proposed a range of technical savings such as repaying long-term debts more slowly, to provide more money in the here and now.

Wirral Council's cabinet member for finance, Cllr Janette Willaimson, said: "savage and unfair cuts" will put the council in difficulty.

Cllr Williamson thinks the upcoming cuts destroy the myth of meritocracy – the idea that if you are clever and hard-working you will succeed no matter what.

In her view, meritocracy is tough to believe in when pupils living on the "wrong" side of the borough are held back by government cuts.

Cllr Williamson said: "This perpetuates a system which rewards and promotes privileged sociopaths."

She added that “you only have to look across the water at Liverpool City Council” to see what’s going on there.

This referred to its council leader, Mayor Joe Anderson, who said he will refuse to carry out any more cuts as doing so would see vital services close.

But Cllr Williamson said she will always set a balanced budget and avoid the problems of Northampton Borough Council, which went bankrupt in 2018.

A full council meeting will see Wirral Council’s budget debated and voted on.

That meeting takes place on Monday, March 2 in Wallasey Town Hall at 6pm.