A politician has broken rank and criticised the lack of time to discuss ways to cut £34 million from a council budget.

Brighton and Hove City Council released its plans for the 2011/12 budget earlier this month after bypassing the usual scrutiny process.

But the Conservative administration has been criticised by one of its own backbenchers for delaying the time other members can look at the proposals.

Finance cabinet member Jan Young defended the delay stating it was to ensure the budget was drafted in the right way.

Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn said he wanted it on the record that he did not agree with the delay adding he felt it was unfair.

He added: “I want it on the record to ensure that this absurd staging never happens again.

“It is no way to run a country and no way to run a business.”

The outburst came during a meeting of the local authority’s overview and scrutiny commission.

Budget papers are normally presented to the cross-party panel of councillors before being presented to the council’s cabinet meeting.

Yet the first full breakdown of the budget bypassed this stage giving opposition councillors less than three weeks to crunch the numbers Finance cabinet member Jan Young said: “We have spent hours looking at the budget.

“It took a long time to get it to a state where we were happy with it.”

The budget will be agreed at the meeting of full council on March 3 in Brighton Town Hall.