Windsor and Maidenhead councils face ‘slash and burn’ cuts.

Council leader Stephen Evans told a meeting last week that the authority was facing an “existential crisis”.

He said issuing a Section 114 notice would result in councilors “losing control” and “(government) commissioners coming in and making slash and burn decisions.”

Elizabeth Griffiths, executive director of resources at the council, said: “These will be people who don’t know the area, don’t know the services, don’t know the residents, don’t know the councilors, don’t know the staff, come in and quickly make more distant decisions.

“The really key thing is the idea that we will have to increase council tax.

“We cannot continue to make cuts – where we are is a consequence of cuts made in the past.

“Without a significant injection of financial resources, there is simply no way out.”

Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Communities Minister Matthew Pennycook said: “The Government certainly recognizes the pressures on local authorities and the burdens placed on households as a result of 14 years of local government decline.

“We are determined to turn this situation around.”