The council administration says it has put money aside for the most vulnerable in the borough despite opposition claiming a cut in funds.

The comments come after the opposition Labour group attacked the Conservative administration for apparently cutting money it had set aside to help people forced to use food banks.

In response cabinet member for finance Tony Ferrari said: "We have put over £1million into this budget to help some of Harrow's most vulnerable residents.

"This includes £600,000 for social care and £500,000 for social workers for children in need.

“The contingency Labour talk about was there for people who might be affected by planned changes to welfare, but this need didn't materialise.

“We have prioritised funding actual services for vulnerable residents, instead of keeping taxpayers' money in a contingency when it wasn't needed.

“It should be noted that Labour were going to massively reduce this contingency themselves anyway, only they cynically planned to do it after next year's elections."