PARTY politics was cast aside when county councillors met a Government minister to argue the case for fairer funding for Worcestershire.

A cross-party delegation including Conservative Council Leader George Lord and Labour group leader Councillor John Buckley, met MP Jim Fitzpatrick from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister last Tuesday.

It was held to discuss the £3.5 million gap in funding for the county following a reduced subsidy from the ODPM, which could lead to service cuts.

However, the outcome will not be known for a couple of weeks.

Councillor Adrian Hardman, a member of the delegation, said: "We were treated very cordially and the minister paid a lot of attention to what we had to say as we outlined our position. Obviously, we won't know how successful we were in pleading our case until our settlement is finalised in a few weeks' time, but at the very least it was a harmonious meeting.

Mr Buckley added: "I was there, both in my capacity as Labour leader, and also as chairman of scrutiny to confirm that the figures we were presenting were genuine. There were no party politics here, this is a problem that affects everyone in Worcestershire, regardless of political affiliation and we need to try and change things."

The Government's provisional grant for Worcestershire is £69 million, however if the council is to continue to deliver its current level of services this leaves a shortfall of £8.7 million. The council has identified £5.2 million of cash in reserves, but this still leaves a gap of £3.5 million.

The delegation also included council chief executive Rob Sykes, director of finance Mike Weaver and cabinet member for finance Councillor Hardman.