A RANGE of top-secret proposals for next year’s Newport council budget have been sent by mistake to an opposition councillor.

Tory group leader Cllr Matthew Evans says the gaffe will prove embarrassing for the ruling administration of Newport council, with “extremely unpalatable proposals” contained within the document.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Bob Bright has said Newport council expects to have to save slightly less than the £12 million originally estimated for 2014/15.

Cllr Evans said: “I was quite surprised to receive this confidential document with every single budget proposal which the cabinet had considered informally, not just ones they agreed to put forward but ones they agreed not to put forward.”

He said the mistake was “going to be deeply embarrassing for the Labour leadership”.

The package, he said, was addressed to the “Leader of the Council Matthew Evans” – a position he hasn’t held since May 2012.

Cabinet is due to discuss proposals for the 2014/15 budget in public next month. Neither Cllr Evans nor Newport council would show the Argus what the early versions of those proposals are.

A Newport council spokeswoman said the draft proposals were sent to Cllr Evans “due to an administrative error” and would be subject to review at scrutiny, approval by cabinet and public consultation.

Cllr Bright, council leader, said the proposals give an “early flavour of just what Newport City Council is facing as it has to save around £10 million next year”.

That is less than the council’s previous estimate of £12 million for 2014/15 and comes after the Welsh Government announced Newport is likely to have the lowest funding cut of any local authority.

Cllr Bright continued: “We know that not everyone is going to agree with some of the proposals and that is why the public can have their say when the consultation goes live following the cabinet meeting on December 12.”

Meanwhile, a report to senior cabinet councillors said that the council is currently forecasting it will spend £1.3 million less than planned.

However, the report says there are significant pressures on the education budget due to schools restructuring, pension costs and home-to-school transport, as well as in children’s social care because of foster care fees.

The report says that if the council is successful in avoiding the use of cash set aside in case of contingency it should have an underspend of £2.8 million, which will be used to implement budget measures in future years.

Comments and suggestions for how the council can provide services can be sent to changing.services@newport.gov.uk