The Labour group at Monmouthshire County Council has released its plans for an alternative budget for this year, finding space within the budget to preserve some vital activities for vulnerable people.

The council's administration however has criticised the plans saying they are not realistic and would prove impossible to achieve

The Labour group says that its budget is based on fairness and social justice, with a promise not to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable people in Monmouthshire.

A spokesman for the group said, "The Conservatives have targeted their heartless cuts on services for children with additional learning needs, children with special educational needs and to the education budgets – all at a time when the council is in special measures."

The Labour group has also spoken out against the Conservative group's decision to charge pensioners to swim during the summer, as previously reported in the Chronicle this month.

The Labour group has said it would, in December 2014, have increased the collection rate from 98 per cent to 99 percent, and would be tougher on people who do not pay their council tax.

The revenue generated from this would be used to reverse the cut to the Special Educational Needs budget for children, and reimburse schools for the teacher pay rise they were forced to pay out of their budgets.

In addition to this, the group will also be proposing on Thursday that its budget would abolish plans to charge for swimming for over 60s, and would have a reduced Council Tax increase of 3.50 per cent , not 3.95 per cent .

The group also says that its proposed budget will not switch off Monmouthshire's street lights overnight, a decision from MCC which caused much controversy at the end of last year with regards to public safety, and it also plans to reverse the cut to the Additional Learning Needs budget for children

Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, said, "Our priorities are crystal clear. We would have been tougher on our collection rate meaning there would have been no cuts to children's special education or cuts to education, especially after the Tories made us a failing authority on education."

He added that, under Labour's proposals would be no charges for pensioners swimming at the county's leisure centres.

"We need to keep people active for longer", he said.

He added, "Monmouthshire's street lights will stay on, as dark streets make people feel less secure. We will also have lower council tax than the Conservatives.

"We will also cap private consultants; cap hospitality spend; and generate revenue from Monmouthshire owned buildings, not sell them off like the Conservatives. There is a fairer way to balance the books."

But Monmouthshire County Council has expressed concern that the budget that the Labour group has offered is not realistic, and highlighted the group's lack of co-operation during the consultation period.

Cabinet member for finance, County Councillor Phil Murphy said, "It is very disappointing that the Labour group has offered a budget that is impossible to achieve.

"They had the opportunity to fully engage, as did all opposition members in the process of establishing a budget against the backdrop of the most severe cuts to Welsh Government's funding to the authority and the need to save £9m to achieve a budget for 2014/15.

"They advocate increasing our council tax collection rate from 98 per cent to 99 per cent to find alternative approaches.

"However Monmouthshire already collects in excess of 99 per cent over time. It is impossible therefore to achieve any additional receipts in this way, especially in the current economic climate.

"Their suggestions would require funding of £740,000 - equivalent to nearly two per cent on council tax. It would not be possible, given the size of the additional requirement, to take an increased draw on reserves which are already at the lower end of the level that prudence would suggest.

"The proposal to reduce the anticipated increase of 3.95 per cent to 3.5 per cent would alone add nearly £200,000 to the budget gap. Under these proposals residents would potentially be facing a six per cent rise which, in our view, would be unacceptable."

The full council meeting will take place later today at County Hall in the Rhadyr, near Usk, where the final decision will be made on the budget for 2014/15.