COUNCIL leader Cllr Russ Bowden has described a potential £25 million cash boost for the town as a ‘bung’.

During Monday’s full council meeting, he responded to a question from Tory councillor Kath Buckley over the Government’s #MyTown campaign.

It aims to give people a say in how a ‘new generation of town deals’ – each worth up to £25 million – should transform their areas.

Warrington has been selected as one of the areas and has received £173,000 of capacity funding to ‘kick-start’ the process.

Cllr Buckley asked: “What work is Warrington Borough Council undertaking to apply for the £25 million Town Deal fund?”

Cllr Bowden confirmed officers are working on the matter but said there is ‘relatively little time’ to do what is required.

But he described the prospect of £25 million as a ‘bung’ and said a quarter of the areas that the funds have been earmarked for are ‘knife-edge marginals’.

"What we have is 94 towns which voted Leave in the north and Midlands, and the six Remain-voting council areas are Tory marginals that are Lib Dem target seats," he said.

“Two-thirds of the 100 towns are marginals with a majority of less than 5,000, so I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to see what the Government’s motivation is.”

Cllr Bowden also slammed the ‘level of cuts’ ‘imposed by the Government.

He added: “While £25 million might sound like a lot and it probably does get some public exposure and headlines, it’s absolutely nothing compared to, for example, the £137 million that we have cut in this council since 2010.”

The announcement over the town receiving up to £25 million was hailed by Conservative Warrington South parliamentary candidate Andy Carter, who said it was ‘good news’ for the borough.

But Labour’s Warrington South parliamentary candidate Faisal Rashid, who is hoping to retain the seat, labelled it as a ‘pathetic pre-election stunt’.