SNP councillors lined up to blast the Labour administration’s budget, branding them as displaying “arrogance and contempt" for voters.

The minority party in West Dunbartonshire Council tabled a last-minute bid during Wednesday’s meeting to prevent any immediate cuts by asking for a public consultation.

The amendment was rejected as the Labour budget was passed, a move slammed by the SNP as one that will impact "every one of West Dunbartonshire’s 88,000 residents".

And, speaking after the meeting, SNP councillors worried the £6.88 million in cuts will target the most vulnerable in the community.

Opposition finance spokesperson Councillor Ian Dickson said: “The arrogance on display from Labour Party councillors at a time when we need compromise and cooperation to protect public services is unforgivable. 

“These draconian cuts impact every service area of the council including education, employability services, community facilities, roads, footpaths and so many more. 

“To cause such devastation without consulting the public is undemocratic and the public will not forget what Labour did here tonight.”

Opposition leader Councillor Karen Conaghan added: “This budget is going to have an adverse impact on everyone in West Dunbartonshire, young and old, and I can’t help but worry about how these service cuts will affect those most vulnerable in our communities; we can’t know what will happen because the Labour administration did not ask.

“Not one person was consulted on what services were most important to them or how proposed cuts would impact their lives.

"This will live long in the memory of local people and SNP councillors will now focus on doing everything we can to support people hurt by Labour’s uncaring budget.”

Council leader Martin Rooney said: "It's a matter of public record that the last public consultation on the budget options took place in 2015 in Clydebank Town Hall which I chaired.

"Also, under the SNP no budget consultation took place in the last three years of their administration - including last year when they squandered all the reserves, failed to address the cost pressures and left our council with a massive budget gap.

"The truth of the matter is that the SNP were too feart to make any decisions and abdicated their responsibility to hide their feeble excuse that there was no consultation.

"The simple truth is that the council conducted regular engagement and consultations with local resident in a variety of ways over the past year.

"Consultations took place on the council's strategic priorities for the five tear strategic plan. A consultation was undertaken as part of the development of the strategic plan which went to chief officers and elected members, our strategic partners including via schools, housing, community team and to community groups, equality and diversity groups, and also promoted via social media, the website site, intranet and a release issued to the local media and paper copies available from libraries and leisure centres.

"The council engaged with residents throughout the year and 16 separate consultations were undertaken to date and this included statutory and non-statutory. In addition the council gathers feedback from residents via the Citizens Panel and monthly telephone satisfaction surveys of 100 residents.

"There is also service specific engagement such as via the housing service with tenants associations and groups, from the communities team with community groups including as part of community budgeting and community councils, and from education with parents/carers and pupils.

"The last council budget consultation in 2019 was to ascertain resident's priorities and as such the results remain relevant for this and future years. The priorities at that time of primary education, secondary education and roads have been reflected and reinforced by more recent citizens panel survey and the consultation on the 2022-2017 strategic plan.

"In relation to this year, all impacted groups were directly informed of the potential options on February 16 and directed to the council website to view these in detail alongside the council report. This provided an opportunity to raise questions or contact members in advance of the budget meeting.

"Equality Impact Assessments have been undertaken and these prompt consideration of groups with protected characteristics as well as detailing all engagement activity undertaken by services as part of the preparation of the options. All the savings options are informed by data and developed by officers with a view to ensuring elected members had the required details available to make an informed decision."

Mr Rooney added: "The SNP councillors are an embarrassment, they have shown they have absolutely nothing to offer the residents of West Dunbartonshire other than petty politics and snivelling excuses. They need to grow up and do the job they are there for, rather than mealy mouthed excuses and trying to use the public as a human shield."