CASH-strapped Trafford council is being "shafted" by central government when it comes to funding children’s and adult services, according to a town hall boss.

The outburst by Labour’s finance chief Cllr Mike Cordingley was made in response to a comment by Tory councillor Patrick Myers, who accused him of being complacent.

The spat broke out during the latest executive meeting when members were discussing the current state of the council’s finances.

A council report revealed that key sectors, such as children’s services, are overspent by £3 million in total due to the soaring costs of care.

Children’s services was overspent by £1.7 million, with a similar picture in adult social care where finances are stretched with an overspend of £500,000.

The public health sector is also above its finances limit by £329,000.

However, Cllr Cordingley explained that by the end of the financial year, overall the council will have an underspend on its budget of about £20,000.

“Having said that, below the surface there are still considerable financial pressures,” he added.

“Similar to councils across the country, we are experiencing issues funding children’s and adult social services.”

However, Cllr Myers argued that there was, in fact,  an overspend in all the key services of almost £3 million.

“And talking just now you sounded quite complacent about the depth of the problem,” he added.

“I don’t want to upset you by saying that, but the fact is we’re facing a £3 million overspend and that is a serious issue.”

Cllr Cordingley denied he was being complacent.

“In fact, you probably wrote that comment before I gave my speech,” he added.

“What I actually said was despite the overall underspend there are significant budget pressures bubbling away underneath.

“The financial issues in children’s and adult services are a national problem ­— and a result of councils being shafted by central government.”

Meanwhile, council leader Andrew Western branded the lack of funding for the demand-led services ‘a national disgrace’.

“This council is facing unprecedented financial pressures as a result of national government policy,” he argued.

“We are unable to mitigate for demand-led pressures without knowing what we are dealing with on a daily basis.

“There is no complacency here.

“We understand the scale of the problem and we are doing our best in the face of a national crisis in the sectors, which quite frankly is a national disgrace.”