Liverpool City Council puts £50m cuts talks online

The council said it wanted to give people an insight into the decision making process

Council discussions on how to save £50m in Liverpool will be streamed online for the first time later.

Liverpool City Council has to make the cuts this year, in addition to the £91m of savings it found last year.

Senior councillors and managers are meeting from 13:30 to 15:00 BST to discuss a range of options ahead of the budget being set next March.

People can watch it on the council's website. They can also email questions to [e-mail].

It follows a successful trial in August, the council said, when a budget meeting outlining the council's finances was recorded and then put online afterwards.

'Protect vulnerable'

Friday's discussions will also be recorded so it can be accessed by people who cannot watch them live.

Council leader Joe Anderson said: "We are determined to be as open and honest as we can about how we go about implementing the cuts.

"Our decision to broadcast the budget discussions will give the people who pay for council services a real insight into the decision-making process, and the tough and challenging options we are considering.

"The decisions we are making affect people's lives so it is only right that they are able to see the discussions taking place and how we arrive at decisions.

"I hope this will lead to a greater understanding of the difficulties we face, and how we are trying to set a budget which is fair and protects services to the most vulnerable as far as we possibly can."