UNIONS have branded the current budget process a “sham” with council staff and service users left in the dark on how cuts will affect them with just days to go.

The GMB has claimed that half of the proposed £23million cuts to Brighton and Hove City Council’s 2017/18 budget are short of specific details on how they will be achieved.

Branch secretary Mark Turner said the lack of details was stifling debate on cuts that could have a devastating impact on the city’s most vulnerable.

Council leader Warren Morgan said the union should direct its attacks at the Conservative government for its savage cuts to council finances and failure to address the national social care crisis.

The union is stepping up their campaign to avert £640,000 cuts to the early help services which works with troubled families with less than a week to go to Thursday’s crunch budget meeting.

Mr Turner said it was a false economy to make cuts to the preventative service keeping children from troubled families “on the straight and narrow” with the council’s equality impact assessment warning of dire consequences.

Staff only learned last week that up to 20 jobs within the department were at risk.

Mr Turner said: “There is no detail on at least 50 per cent of the savings, there’s no details in terms of what it means for staff and service delivery.

“Usually there would have been a lot of consultation meetings running up to the council budget, there would be the opportunity for us to influence some of the outcomes, but not this year.

“The lack of details stifles proper engagement with stakeholders, we are not having a healthy debate, there is no meaningful consultation. It’s a sham.”

Green councillor Ollie Sykes said cuts to back office services, particularly finance, were behind the shortage of information available in some areas.

He said: “I think it’s a lazy budget, Labour has done absolutely nothing to mitigate these harsh cuts and their impact on the community.

“There are large amounts of savings, like £300,000 in housing, where it says details are to be decided. It would be great if we could table amendments saying we’ll save X, Y and Z service but we’ll tell you how we will get the money later on.”

Cllr Morgan said: “It is right that the GMB represent their members who will be hit by the £23 million of cuts in the budget next week, that is their job.

“If they want to act in the political arena though they should be focusing their criticism on the Government who are cutting tens of millions from the council’s funding for local services, and who are failing to address the crisis in social care funding.

“We are very aware as councillors and as residents of the impact of Government cuts on the people who use our services, but in our budget we are protecting as many jobs as we can, protecting our nurseries and children’s centres, our libraries and our front line street cleaning and refuse collection services, which is what people want.”

For the petition visit gmb-southern.org.uk and search Against Brighton and Hove Council children’s services.