Motorists are set to bear the brunt of proposals to save Brighton and Hove City Council almost £4 million.

The authority is planning savings of £3.8 million, with cuts in social services, regeneration and the environment, to balance its books.

Liberal Democrats blasted cuts as "crippling" to frontline services. They blame them on this year's "artificially low" 10.9 per cent council tax increase.

Proposals, which will go before the council's policy and resources committee later this month, include:

A ten per cent increase in parking revenue by increasing charges and introducing new pay-and-display points. Increased charges would be expected to net an extra £363,000, although the £80 residents' permit would not be affected.

Cuts of £1.2 million to the social care and health budgets, including £200,000 from the learning disability unit.

Cuts of £1.1 million from environment and housing, including reducing repairs to council assets by £25,000; a £50,000 cut in the seafront lights maintenance budget; and closing two bowling greens, in Preston Park and Kingsway, to save £15,000.

Cuts of £298,000 to culture and regeneration, including £30,000 by not increasing regeneration grants to match inflation; £20,000 from the civic hospitality budget; cuts of £50,000 to the library book fund; and a £47,000 cut in council publicity.

Nine redundancies. About 450 posts are currently vacant to save cash.

Talk of increasing parking charges has infuriated Liberal Democrat councillors, who today branded them a stealth tax on motorists.

Council leader Ken Bodfish said: "I completely refute the charge frontline services will be put at risk.

"We are cutting the cost of bureaucracy and our organisation costs will actually reduce by nearly two per cent next year."