WARRINGTON Borough Council insists slashing its revenue reserves by more than £13 million will 'not put the borough at any greater risk'.

Last March the authority confirmed it had a total of £35,412,207 in revenue reserves.

But the figure is anticipated to drop to £21,981,038 by the end of this month – a reduction of more than £13 million.

However, reserves to 'cover emergency events such as unforeseen financial liabilities or natural disasters' will remain the same at £5,824,268.

A council spokesman said: "A reduction in council reserves is normal and does not put the borough at any greater risk.

"We carefully plan the allocation of our revenue reserves and earmark a proportion for specific, important projects.

"This helps meet the needs and priorities of the authority."

Warrington South MP David Mowat also weighed in on the topic.

He said: "There are minimum limits, set down by law, which govern the amount of reserves a local authority is required to keep to cover itself in the event of something unforeseen occurring.

"Councils do have some flexibility to vary the amount of reserves they keep from year to year, particularly when they are used to fund immediate spending priorities."