A government response to requests for an urgent meeting about Liverpool's perilous financial position has been slammed as 'disgraceful and pathetic'.
Liverpool City Council is currently trying to piece together a workable budget after a decade of crushing austerity - in which it has lost £436m of its government funding.
The council will propose raising council tax and further cuts to key services like mental health support and alcohol addiction as it battles to find a further £30m in savings this year.
At a crisis budget meeting in October, the authority's head of finance revealed the worrying news that there is now just £16m in the council's reserves budget - a terrifyingly small amount.
The council has consistently asked for government support and, at the least, communication as it struggles to balance the books - but has had very little in terms of a response.
Recently, Garston and Halewood MP Maria Eagle wrote to the Conservative Secretary of State for local government, Robert Jenrick, asking for an urgent meeting about the city's worrying financial state.
She said she failed to hear back for weeks - before a letter dropped into her office this week.
The letter, sent on behalf of the minister by Luke Stephens, the department's Head of Ministerial Correspondence - and seemingly sent ahead of the election, simply states:
"Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding. Due to the rules governing communication by government departments in the pre-election period, I am afraid the Department is unable to comment on the issues raised."
"You may wish to enquire again after the election."
Ms Eagle said she was 'disgusted' by the response, describing it as an 'insult' to the city of Liverpool. She said the department should have responded again after the election.
She said: “I’m disgusted that the Tory Government couldn’t even be bothered to arrange a meeting with Liverpool MPs to help sort out the severe consequences of their 63% cut to LCC finances.
"They simply waited for the election to be called and then sent this pathetic letter. I’ll be trying again to get them to agree to meet.”
According to the Centre for Cities think tank, the cuts inflicted on Liverpool over the past decade have been harsher than on any other city.
The council is currently consulting on its budget plans which will be presented to the full council budget meeting in March.
