SIMMERING political tensions regarding Inverclyde Council’s proposed £10 million spending cuts appear ready to boil over — with even the choice of venues for public meetings being called into question.

A spat between the local authority’s Labour leader Stephen McCabe and his SNP counterpart Chris McEleny has already broken out over how the council should approach the daunting budget process in three months time.

Now plans to stage ‘community presentations’ at a number of schools throughout the district as part of a wider public consultation has become the latest bone of contention between the Municipal Buildings heavyweights.

Officials have organised evening events at Greenock’s Notre Dame High, Port Glasgow Community Campus, Clydeview Academy in Gourock, Wemyss Bay Primary and the Cargill Centre in Kilmacolm.

But Cllr McEleny — who leads a six-strong SNP group in opposition to Mr McCabe’s minority Labour administration of nine on the 20-seat council — argued that these will be difficult for people to get to.

He said: “I’d like to ask about the rationale regarding the selection of venues.

“It seems that people who don’t have cars will have to travel a fair distance at night to get to these meetings, at times when public transport is reduced.” He added: “I’d have liked to have seen a wider range of meeting places in order to engage fully with communities.” Cllr McEleny called for the council to ‘actually go an talk to people’ and visit community organisations such as mother and toddler groups to garner opinions.

The council is currently wrestling with an unprecedented projected spending shortfall of £15.3 million and finance chiefs say £7 million must be slashed from services in 2016/17 alone.

Proposals such as cutting teacher numbers, reducing free school transport and shutting Whinhill Golf Course are among a raft stark options outlined by senior officials.

Council chief executive John Mundell indicated that the places chosen for the public gatherings were all that were available.

He told the policy and resources committee: “It was quite a task to get venues which were not already booked for community events.” Asked by Cllr McCabe if he was ‘happy’ with that response, Cllr McEleny replied: “Not really, no.” Chief executive Mr Mundell said that the council would write to individual people within community groups inviting them to the series of public events, which are planned to get underway on 1 December.

Councillor McCabe said in response to the SNP leader’s comments: “Third sector groups will have an oportunity to attend and make direct representation.

“There will also be an online system, so there’s plenty of opportunity for people to have input into the process.” The Telegraph told yesterday how Mr McCabe said he would ‘take no lectures’ from Mr McEleny — who accused him of doing a ‘disservice’ to the budget process.

The row was sparked after the pair traded public blows over Mr McCabe’s preference to defer tough budget decisions for a year, and Mr McEleny’s declaration that the ‘Clyde would dry up’ before he contemplated some of the cuts proposed.

*Details for the council’s budget community presentations are:- Monday, 1 December, the Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm — 7pm-9pm; Thursday, 4 December, Notre Dame High School, Greenock — 6.30pm-8.30pm; Monday, 8 December, Port Glasgow Community Campus — 6.30pm-8.30pm; Tuesday, 9 December, Clydeview Academy, Gourock — 6.30pm-8.30pm; Wednesday, 10 December, Wemyss Bay Primary School — 6.30pm-8.30pm.