LIBERAL Democrat councillors across the country are increasingly critical of the Government’s cuts programme – even before their impact is felt.

Ninety leading Lib Dem councillors, including the party’s leaders on Worcestershire County Council and Wychavon and Wyre Forest district councils, signed a letter to the Times newspaper yesterday criticising the scale and pace of the cuts.

In doing so, of course, they exposed further the growing split between many grassroots Lib Dems and their party colleagues in Government.

The Lib Dem minister given the job of commenting on the letter did little to heal rifts when he urged his party not to “fall out” over “pointless debate”.

Such comments will really make the party faithful feel valued.

There is concern among some members of the party that its leadership has given away more than it has gained in return for Cabinet posts.

And it is clear a sizeable number of Lib Dem councillors fear the party will feel a backlash at this year’s local government elections.

There are, of course, plenty of Lib Dems who support the Government’s policies and plenty who feel they are better off trying to make changes from within Whitehall than simply protesting outside.

It will be the electorate who decide whether the likes of Nick Clegg have exchanged principles for power.

If the Lib Dems perform badly at the polls Mr Clegg will find himself under intense pressure.