Wirral Council's controversial cuts plans were slated by all parties last night, as councillors feared they could do serious damage to the borough.

The authority's budget consultation, which ends at midnight tonight, includes the options of closing the Williamson Art Gallery, Europa Pools and three of the borough's four public golf courses.

Slashing support for the Hive Youth Zone in Birkenhead from £400,000 to £200,000 per year is also on the consultation paper.

The cuts have been proposed as Wirral Council needs to address its budget deficit of £16.5m in the next financial year.

Of all the savings options, the possible closure of Oxton's Williamson Art Gallery has drawn the most responses from the public and drew irate reactions from councillors across the board last night.

Lib Dem Allan Brame said he has had more letters and emails on this subject than any other in his time as a councillor. He said the Williamson was not just about art.

For Cllr Brame, it was a place in which people found solace and relaxation, it had a popular cafe service and a broader offering beyond its function as an art gallery and a museum. He concluded that "we must defend the Williamson".

Bebington councillor Jerry Williams agreed.

He said the gallery was a "focal point" of the Liverpool City Region's tourist offering and was something which could raise income for the City Region economy.

The Labour councillor pointed out that the council had spent "a fortune" upgrading the Williamson's lighting earlier in the year, only to now be considering closing the "jewel in the crown" of local culture.

Council officers said closing the Williamson would save the authority £212,000.

Members of the committee also debated a plan to save £640,000 by closing Europa Pools in Birkenhead.

Cllr Tom Anderson asked if it would be possible to only close the fun pool and keep the competition facilities open, as the consultation had shown this is what people cared about most.

A council officer said such a proposal would save just £250,000, rather than the £640,000 the full closure of the facility would bring.

Officers also pointed out that there were competitive swimming facilities at The Oval in Bebington, which were an alternative to Europa Pools.

Cllr Williams seemed unhappy with the proposal, saying he had been involved in sporting activity for decades and that it was important for people's mental health.

In the consultation sent out to the public, the council has listed a review of the borough's four public golf courses as one option which could result in a full closure of each facility with a saving of £273,000 to the authority.

However, Hoylake Municipal must remain open in order to secure the Royal Liverpool Golf Club's hosting of the 2023 Open Championship, meaning The Warren in Wallasey, Brackenwood in Bebington and Arrowe Park are still under threat.

But the potential saving to the council is now only £180,000.

Cllr Cherry Povall, a Tory member for Clatterbridge, said people must be "horrified" at this proposal, as in 2019 the council finalised a plan to invest in the golf courses and keep them open.

Cllr Anderson agreed that it seemed "disingenuous" to consult the public on their possible closure so soon after proposing a completely different plan.

Several other councillors agreed.

One theme of the meeting was the numbers for how much each proposal could save changing several times depending on alterations to proposed cuts, or a realisation that certain savings could not be made.

This uncertainty infuriated councillors.

Cllr Williams asked how can we ever make a decision in these circumstances? He thought it was "crazy" and "so difficult" to do.

Defending Wirral Council's officers, David Armstrong, the authority's assistant chief executive, said there is a simple reason the cuts have been proposed.

It was the pandemic, which first made the news in Wirral when a coach full of coronavirus evacuees from Wuhan arrived in the borough almost an entire year ago.

The virus had "crippled" the council's budget and changed everything, he said officers did not need to be convinced of the importance of services under threat, but that they had to set a balanced budget.

With a deficit of £16.5m to make up, this meant tough decisions for the council.

Cllr Jenny Johnson, a Conservative, said the council's mismanagement of money over years was also to blame and that the authority had been given over £200m by the government to manage pandemic losses.

However, Labour councillor Paul Stuart said that fell far short of what the council had actually lost due to the virus.