A BOROUGH councillor who quit her seat said bickering over the budget was one of the reasons for her decision.

Adele Brunton sat as the Liberal Democrat member for Beeston North on Broxtowe Borough Council.

But she described the full council's budget meeting as a "shambles" that she was embarrassed to be part of.

The council was left with a budget shortfall of £2m this financial year and a working group is still trying to find savings.

Mrs Brunton said: "I'm very disappointed about the situation we are in, I believe it could have been prevented by having many more budget meetings at an earlier stage.

"Nobody expected the credit crunch to come on like it did." Mrs Brunton said she was stepping down mainly for personal reasons after illness and bereavement in her family.

But it was the "chaotic" way the budget meeting had been conducted, on March 4, that had proved the final straw.

"I think it was the icing on the cake to be honest, it just tipped me over the edge," she said. "The conduct of the budget meeting was a shambles, it made me feel so embarrassed to be there, it was so chaotic.

"Everyone was bickering, it was not very constructive, it was tit for tat." Mrs Brunton says she will remain a member of the Liberal Democrat party.

Coun Mel Crow, member for Kimberley and Cossall, quit the party for the Conservatives last October.

Coun Richard Jackson, Conservative leader, said: "I share her concerns about the way the budget was handled, we spoke out at the time saying there was no proper consultation. It had the feel of a budget that was put together at the last minute."

Leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Coun Michael Rich, insisted work had begun on the budget "as early as possible".