LIVERPOOL’S council tax payers will be charged an extra 3.7% a year after the budget was set last night.

Councillors passed plans to increase bills by £51, taking the total for an average band D home up to £1,379.

The Lib-Dems increased the city council element by 2.9%, in line with the current rate of inflation, with the rest of the increase made up from Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire Authority charges.

Labour group councillors criticised the budget, branding it irresponsible but both the Liberal Democrats and the Liberal group attacked the opposition for failing to produce its own budget for the fifth year running.

Council leader Warren Bradley said: “The budget, which will see a rise of 2.9% for city council services, will not over-burden the residents of the city and takes into account the appalling settlement from Government, which again left the city council £7m short of the average settlement.

“It will drive the economy of the city with a continued upturn in performance. Liverpool is now one of the top performing economic hubs within the UK.

“This budget is presented to council with no political blustering, no scaremongering, with openness and honesty.”

The Lib-Dem budget includes extending the pilot scheme to give free leisure passes to under-17s and includes the opening of two new sports centres.

Around £1.8m will be invested in tackling crime through CCTV and community safety schemes.

Cllr Steve Radford’s Liberal group put forward an amendment calling for the council to raise money through surplus land to use for traffic and community safety but it was rejected.

Labour accused the Lib-Dems of using smoke and mirrors to cover up the £29m hole in its coffers by waiting until June, once the local elections are over, to produce its financial strategy for the next few years. Group leader Joe Anderson said: “ If ever there was a case and evidence needed of financial irresponsibility, here we have it.

“The tale we get told by the Fib Dems is that the city is thriving, we have cranes on the city’s skyline, we have Capital of Culture.

“The picture painted is like a fairytale but there is no happy ending to this tale. The facts are that there will be more redundancies, more cuts and services worsening for residents.”