A CASH-STRAPPED council is preparing to cut its ties with a body that represents their interests in Whitehall.

Cotswold District Council claims the Local Government Association's £12,500 subscription fee is not value for money.

The news came after the district claimed it received the worst financial settlement of any council in the country.

Council leader Lynden Stowe (C, Campden-Vale) said the council could no longer justify spending about £12,500 on annual membership of the LGA after cuts in funding to the council.

He said: "Given this extremely disappointing outcome, I am proposing that we serve notice on the LGA because we can no longer justify spending about £12,500 on annual membership fees.

"The membership fees for the LGA may not amount to much when stacked up against those figures, but every little helps and it's hard to justify that our membership is providing value for money for Cotswold taxpayers."

He said the council needed to make cuts of £2.3 million over the next two years.

That is comprised of planned savings of £1.1 million and an extra £1.2 million following the recent settlement announcement that has devastated councils across the UK.

And as a result, the council is looking to make cuts in many areas, with non-essential services likely to become casualties.

The Westminster-based LGA was created in 1997 to act as a voice in the national arena. It lobbies for changes in policy and legislation on behalf of its members and recently spoke out against the cuts to council grants. Cabinet members will discuss whether to leave the group on February 17. Their recommendation will be decided upon by a full council meeting five days later.

LGA spokeswoman Alison Purdy said: "Every council will make their own decision about whether they want to stay in membership of the LGA.

"The LGA has recognised the tough financial situation facing all councils and we are reducing our subscriptions to councils by roughly the same amount that their funding is being cut by the government.

"This is money that can instead be spent by councils to help them deal with the severe spending cuts they now face. We are determined to continue representing councils effectively so they can get on with the job of protecting frontline services."

There are 433 councils in the UK, of which 371 are members of the LGA. Both Tewkesbury and Cheltenham borough councils remain members.