Senior officers are bracing themselves for a roasting by city councillors about their budget proposals.

The officers will line up for a grilling as all four political groups on the authority jockey for position ahead of the budget-making process, which will ultimately decide the level of next year's council tax increase.

The "members panel", as it is being dubbed, is the idea of the city council's strategic director Mark Luntly and has been welcomed by council leader Alex Hollingsworth as the ideal chance to make senior managers "squirm and feel uncomfortable."

Senior officers will be grilled on their future spending and saving proposals.

And it comes at a time when councillors are exploring ways to control the budget -- and find ways of financing a series of "aspirational projects" which add up to millions of pounds.

Mr Hollingsworth said: "It is absolutely essential if we are going to do more exciting things.

"We need to have money from not doing -- or doing differently -- other things. Officers don't have infinite amounts of time to work out all the bright ideas on the list."

Councillors have already been warned of pressures like the rising cost of pensions, which will increase the city council staff wage bill by 20 per cent over the next three years.

Mr Luntly said: "Next year is looking a year where our spending and income should be broadly in line -- looking further ahead there are greater budget challenges."

Rolling out concessionary fares to give pensioners free travel would cost £800,000 while extending the street warden scheme to Wood Farm and Barton could cost more than £1m.

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