A CONSERVATIVE councillor has accused South Lakes District Council of 'stashing away' millions of pounds in reserves.

Following a freedom of information request it has emerged SLDC have close to £7m in unallocated reserves.

While it is commonplace for local authorities to hold money back for unexpected expenditures, Cllr Ben Berry, SLDC member for Windermere Applethwaite & Troutbeck, said the council had gone too far.

He said: "This year, South Lakeland’s Liberal Democrat district council pleaded poverty when it put up council tax by the maximum legal limit.

“These figures show that far from being cash-strapped, the authority is sat on almost £7 million which has not been earmarked for any future projects.

“Councils should of course maintain a healthy cushion to balance the books, but the practise of stashing away more than half the council’s annual revenue budget is going too far at a time when significant projects are waiting months and months for a decision.”

The overall reserves held by the council total £14,556,000. This is split into allocated reserves of £7,833,000 and unallocated reserves of £6,723,000.

A spokesman for Westmorland Conservatives also criticised the council for stalling on major local projects in spite of the amount of money held in reserves.

These projects included the long-promised redevelopment of the Grange Lido or reintroducing parking provision in New Road, Kendal.

The Mail has contacted SLDC for comment.