It was surreal listening to Conservative councillors clamour to criticise the proposed budget seemingly unable to join the dots between their administration's budget black holes and the austerity policies that their national party has implemented over the past decade which has decimated funding for local councils and our services.

Then decrying Rishi Sunak's rise in council tax, which none of us want to do but is effectively forced on Councils by the chancellor's December economic statement.

These scenes were only trumped by two Conservative councillors proposing an amendment to the budget which they then withdrew after the council's chief financial officer explained would have made the budget unlawful.

If genuine I welcome the Cheshire East Conservatives' seemingly new-found compassion and concern but would suggest they direct their energy to the root cause, their colleagues in parliament to fund councils properly perhaps redirect the money they hand out on dodgy contracts, rather than bickering over the scraps they've left the council to work with to deliver a balanced budget for our borough for the next four years that will also review the council tax support scheme to help our poorest residents.

Perhaps they would like to join in campaigns with the Labour group in the future.