The public will have more say than ever over a budget of £225 million, according to council chiefs.

Brighton and Hove City Council has revealed online surveys and budget simulators could form a key part of the seven-month process to decide where its money is spent.

Central to the Green minority administration's plans to help it save £23 million in the next financial year is a promise to protect vulnerable residents while proposing a council tax increase of 3.5%.

But opposition councillors have questioned the early announcement, accusing the Greens of “unloading broken promises” of resisting Government-imposed cuts made before May's election.

The local authority has a total budget of more than £700 million.

However, after ringfenced sums for housing and education are allocated, this leaves council bosses with a pot of about £240 million to spend as they wish.

All political parties, the voluntary sector, private firms and trade unions will be included in ongoing discussion up until the spending for the 2012/13 financial year is agreed in February.

Ideas proposed to involve the public include budget simulators, focus groups and online surveys.

But Conservative councillor Ann Norman said: “I'm disturbed that the council is continuing to put across the line the former administration was going to increase council tax by 2.5%.

“It's not true, it's not true and it's not true and it does need correcting. We would have been working towards a freeze.”

She added the Greens were making this announcement “quite early” at a time when “we're all feeling the squeeze”.

Labour and Co-op councillor Gill Mitchell said it was “not good” the council had gone from a £2 million underspend to a £1 million overspend in “just a few months”.

She added: “We will not join the Greens in the deceit of the electorate when they said they would resist all cuts.

“Yet in their first budget paper they propose very significant cuts. Why are they not introducing their alternative budget?

“They are unloading broken promises onto the taxpayer.”

Coun Kitcat said: “Things have moved very quickly and by the time we came to power many of the consultation periods had moved on.

“We are now moving forward in the most sensitive way and taking our fight to national government about their approach.

“We have a responsibility to give officers a framework on which to work.”

The proposed budget will return to the cabinet for approval on December 8 before being considered by the full council on February 27.