A COUNCIL leader has warned a fellow councillor to ‘back off’ in a bizarre budget ‘spat’ during a civic chamber exchange.

Liberal Democrat leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Kevin Guy, gave Labour opposition Cllr Chris Dando the warning during a cabinet meeting.

The response followed a comment over the low number of people who responded to the authority’s budget consultation.

Just 59 people had their say on the £193 million budget and proposals to raise council tax by the maximum 4.99 per cent.

Cllr Dando told his fellow councillors he thought the ‘tiny number’ of responses must have been a typo.

He said: “That is something like 0.03 per cent of eligible adults.”

But Cllr Guy told him: “It is probably 49 more people than Rachel Reeves got in the national Budget to reply to hers, so I would back off I were you, Chris, on that one.”

Cllr Dando replied: “This is a serious matter and I do not appreciate the tone.”

Liberal Democrat councillor for Lansdown and cabinet member for resources, Cllr Mark Elliott, said: “We have to have a consultation, we cannot force people to respond to it.”

Cllr Elliott said in a statement later: “The council is committed to listening to residents and I want to thank everybody who took part in the budget consultation.

“As a result of your feedback, we will keep the same opening hours for our waste and recycling centres and will not be changing the terms of the residents’ discovery card.”

Plans to save £200,000 a year by reducing the hours at Bath Recycling Centre and Old Welton Recycling Centre, in Midsomer Norton, and to make £50,000 a year by introducing a ‘small charge’ for the council’s discovery cards were both cancelled due to the public reaction in the consultation.