WHEN it came the crunch, the inevitable happened.
Labour city councillors lined up to vote through a budget which, in many ways, was completely alien to them.
Proposals to axe up to 600 jobs at the authority, cut services, close a library, introduce day centre charges and reduce funding to grassroots voluntary and community groups do not sit easily with the party's traditions.
And they proved too much for three Labour councillors to stomach.
In the first open rebellion seen at the Guildhall for more than a decade, three backbenchers voted against their own group's budget.
Gary Wareing, Gill Kennett and Dean Kirk now face almost certain disciplinary action for defying the Labour whip, although they also voted against alternative budget proposals put forward by the opposition Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.
Expulsion from the Labour group is likely, although they will remain as councillors.
Speaking afterwards, Councillor Wareing said: "I hope the Labour Party is big enough to accept people have different views.
"We have only expressed the views of what many people are feeling about having to implement cuts which are not of our making."
Councillor Kirk said: "We are still Labour Party members and, even if we are expelled by the group, we will continue to be Labour councillors.
"I thought long and hard about what I should do and I am entirely comfortable about what I did.
"It's wrong for councils to be in the firing line when all of this is the result of vicious funding cuts by the Government, which are just not fair to cities like Hull."
Councillor Kennett said: "I got elected on a platform of opposing cuts and I don't think it would have been right to have voted in favour of more cuts.
"I needed to make a stand, however small and insignificant it is in the grand scheme of things."
During a recorded vote on the budget proposals, Labour colleagues voiced their disapproval as the trio voiced their opposition by shouting "disgraceful".
Hull East MP Karl Turner, watching from the sidelines, looked far from impressed.
However, Cllr Wareing's speech during the budget debate did trigger the loudest applause of the day from the packed public gallery.
Railing first against bankers and then the Government, he urged his party colleagues to vote against the Labour budget and send it back to the council's cabinet.
"Austerity measures put Labour councillors on the spot. We are not the messengers for the Tories in this Government.
"We must not give in to (Communities Secretary) Eric Pickles. We have no alternative but to resist," he said to loud cheers.
The gallery remained full throughout the meeting, with proceedings being disputed only once when protestors unfurled a banner.
Deputy Labour leader Daren Hale, who moved the Labour budget, struck a less confrontational tone.
He also blamed unprecedented funding reductions from the Government but claimed Labour in Hull had still managed to protect core services, even though jobs would inevitably be lost.
He also highlighted financial backing for the emerging City Plan as the council's response to the prospect of further Whitehall funding cuts ion the future.
Cllr Hale said: "The budget cannot just be about doom and gloom.
"The cuts are painful but we have got to invest our way out of this.
"The City Plan is looking to build training opportunities on the back of Siemens, hopefully, making a decision to invest here as well as bringing cultural and leisure spending into the city.
"We are providing a fighting fund to stimulate the economy because if the Government isn't going to do anything, we will."
Despite the mini-rebellion, Labour Councillor Chris Sumpton summed up the feelings of many in his group.
He said: "No one in out group wants to make cuts. We would like to keep all our services open but it's impossible because we are being cut as a city by the likes of Cameron, Clegg and Osborne.
"We are passing a legal budget and a transparent budget. People in Hull are not idiots and they will see beyond the Lib Dem leaflets and they will hold them to account for their role in this Government."
Labour Councillor Pete Allen suggested the latest round of job losses at the Guildhall were "compassionate cuts".
He said: "Yes, we stood as a party against cuts and I am proud of that but, with the best will in the world, we just can't continue doing the same things with less money.
"At least we are not sending out notices to 1,000 staff, giving them a fortnight to clear their desks."
Councillor Mary Glew claimed the council was being forced to do the "dirty work" of ministers by implementing cuts to services which no-one actually agreed with.
Lib Dem deputy leader Councillor Mike Ross claimed his party's alternative budget proposals would mean fewer job losses and more services being retained, including Anlaby Park Library.
He said: "If Labour were in opposition and we presented their budget, would they vote in favour of it? I doubt it very much."
The Lib Dems' budget also included a continued council tax freeze and a 5 per cent cut in allowances for cabinet members.
Lib Dem Councillor Steve Baker accused Labour of ignoring strong public opposition to the closure of Anlaby Park Library.
He also claimed the ongoing review of school transport was a sham because the funding decisions behind it were already embedded in Labour's budget plans.
When it came to voting, the Lib Dem budget was defeated by 43 votes to 13.
The two-man Conservative group's alternative budget was also defeated despite leader Councillor John Fareham claiming it to be the most left-wing of all three budget proposals tabled at the meeting.
He said: "Logically, you can only cut where you are spending and, if Hull expenditure is being cut, we are entitled to ask how successful the previous Labour Government's credit expansion really was if we are still reliant on the current Government for so much."
