A last-ditch attempt to put the Workington stadium plans on hold – and freeze council tax – has been defeated.

Allerdale Conservatives wanted to revisit the £25m in a year’s time amid claims the plans were being “rushed” through ahead of May’s elections and the Rugby League World Cup in 2021.

The Tories wanted to claw back £153,000 from the budget, including £100,000 for the new stadium’s 3G pitch and £50,000 for improvements for Derwent Park – on the premise that big decisions “should not be made in haste”.

They also wanted to earmark £97,000 from the strategic priorities fund to be allocated to parish and town councils for upgrading community facilities across Allerdale as a whole.

But the Labour executive rubbished the amendment as “pure folly” and “laughable”, with one Labour councillor describing it as a “recommendation on the back of a fag packet”

The budget – which will see council tax hiked up by £5 – was passed after the motion was voted down at a meeting of the full council.

Council leader Alan Smith said: “What you’ve come here with tonight is a big hole in our budget in the future.

“£150,000 comes in through council tax which is a £5 rise – 10p per week. It’s dwarfed by the county council. It’s dwarfed by the police and crime commissioner.

A £5 rise in council tax is not going to be a big burden on the people out there – it’s 10p a week but it gives us part of our base budget. If you do not put that base budget in this year you can’t get it back next year or the year after – it’s gone.”

Deputy Leader Mark Fryer accused the Allerdale Conservatives of trying to scupper the stadium plans and insisted that the final business case would be “fully costed”.

“All you are trying to do is stop political will and ambition by £150,000 reduction in the budget,” he said.

However, Tony Annison said that the Conservatives were not anti-stadium and were merely being “prudent”.

The Conservatives have concerns over the scale of the borrowing proposed and want to revisit the plans in a year’s time “subject to the financial case for the stadium being brought back to full council.”

Mr Annison said: “Our taxpayers demand that this stadium is looked at. The borrowing hole in the next four years is unbelievable.

"How on earth can you start borrowing money for the next 25 to 30 years, saddling our council tax payers with interest repayments when you decry what we are saying about £150,000?”

The council learned at the end of last month that they will host games for the Rugby League World Cup 2021, with the creation of the stadium a cornerstone of their bid.

But proposals for an 8,000-capacity community stadium for Workington Reds and Workington Town have divided opinion across Allerdale since the scale of the project was revealed.