A CITY councillor for Littlemore fears that his area - one of the ‘most deprived’ in Oxfordshire - could also become one of the most expensive to run.

David Henwood, Oxford city councillor for the area, is concerned that a hike in next year’s budget for the parish could see it total more than £100,000 for the first time.

Parish councillors demanded a greater say in the budget-making process, at an often ill-tempered meeting of Littlemore Parish Council on Tuesday evening.

Exasperated members called for a chance to get sight of the proposed budget for next year as soon as possible, fearing a similar rise to that seen two years ago when the cost of running the council went up by £25,000.

And residents could see another sharp increase in the total, which is partly funded through the amount of council tax it receives from households.

Mr Henwood said: “This could make Littlemore one of the most expensive parish councils in the country, in one of the most deprived areas.”

Littlemore’s budget has been hiked twice in recent years. It was £61,832 in 2016/17 and increased to £86,170 in 2017/18 before a modest rise of £1,000 in the current financial year.

According to last year’s budget, the majority of the funds are spent on staffing costs with the three groundsmen employed by the council.

Clerk Richard Wilkins wage rises are planned for staff to bring them in line with the Oxford Living Wage.

Money is also used to produce the publication Littlemore Local and to pay for equipment to ensure recreation grounds are well maintained.

Last year, £500 was budgeted for grants for community groups.

The documents ahead of next year’s budget have so far been kept under wraps and only discussed by the council’s finance committee, which other councillors say they have been barred from attending.

They will need to be presented to Oxford City Council in January, meaning the December meeting of the full council is now the last chance to discuss proposals, at which point it would be too late to make substantial changes.

Mr Henwood said he had been asked to leave when he tried to attend the last meeting of the finance committee although fellow councillors refute this and said he chose to leave of his own accord.

Only a select few councillors sit on the committee. Others can attend but are not allowed to have their say. The council is trying to block the press and public from sitting in.

Chair Lynda Comber said she agreed councillors should see the budget and has promised to investigate ways to make it happen before the meeting.