TORIES launched another bitter attack on cuts in services as Eastleigh councillors grappled with a reduced budget for next financial year.

The Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury local area committee has seen its current spending slashed from £542,308 this financial year to £526,079 for the following 12 months in the wake of the council's need to save more than £1million over the next four years.

Low interest rates have been blamed for hitting the cash the authority can claw back from investments.

But Tory Colin Davidovitz claimed the cuts were due to the "mismanagement" of a Liberal Democrat administration that would rather spend money on bureaucracy.

"We now see there is a further change in the structure of our local government in which there will be six executive councillors who will be sitting in judgement over the borough. It is the clearest rule of divide and conquer."

Tory group leader Godfrey Olson said Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury - as one of the highest council tax-paying areas - was not receiving a fair share of the council's total budget.

"We could look at saving something like £1 million in administration costs if we were to reorganise ourselves more efficiently."

Committee chairman Grahame Smith, Lib-Dem, blamed the county authority: "They have cut the budget and what we were doing was topping it up - but we cannot go on subbing out Hampshire County Council."

He added "best value" legislation was costing thousands and the government was also saying local councils had to turn to elected mayor or cabinet style set-ups.

But he said: "It is not all cuts. It is not all gloom and doom, a lot of good is being done. We shouldn't be sitting there making completely negative comments."

Councillor Margaret Kyrle Lib-Dem, savaged the Tories saying they constantly talked Eastleigh down with their "perpetual, constant whingeing."

She added: "We are acknowledged in local government circles as a far-sighted advancing council."

The budget proposals were passed 5-4.

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