Residents in a block of flats are furious that council cuts will delay improvements to their homes.

Brighton and Hove City Council has put a scheme to reclad blocks of flats on an East Brighton housing estate on hold until after April next year.

The council planned to reclad the flats in Kingfisher Court, Albourne Close, Whitehawk, as part of a multi-million pound scheme to improve five tower blocks.

Work started five years ago and four blocks have been completed, at an average cost of £500,000 per block.

But the council has halted plans to re-clad the flats in Kingfisher Court because there is not enough money in the budget from April 2002 to April 2003.

Eddie Cope, who has lived in Kingfisher Court for 12 years, said: "That's typical. We thought it was supposed to start in March.

"The council has repaired the railings around the flats and repainted them but now it says it isn't going to put the cladding up. Our block is always the last."

Whitehawk is part of the Government's New Deal for Communities scheme, under which more than £40 million will be pumped into East Brighton during the next ten years.

Eric Harmer, the chairman of the area's New Deal partnership board that decides how the money is used, said it would not be paying for the work.

He said: "It's not good leaving a job half done and I'm disappointed in the council.

"To leave an area unfinished doesn't make sense and it detracts from the part they have done.

"This will further undermine residents' confidence in the council.

"New Deal will not replace council funding and that is in our criteria set by the Government."

Phil Doyle, secretary of the North Whitehawk Tenants' and Residents' Association, which represents the people from the block of flats, said: "It's a bit of a setback. It's unfortunate it is not going to be done this year but we have been told it will be done."

A council spokesman said: "This was a project which was scheduled to be carried out over a few years. Kingfisher Court is the one outstanding.

"We are not going to be able to do it in the next financial year, from this April to April 2003. We won't be able to do it until the next financial year.

"The scheme has not been dropped and we will be talking to residents."

The council has proposed a 10.9 per cent increase in council tax for city dwellers.

Tory opposition leader Councillor Brian Oxley said Labour had failed to deal with its finances properly and people were paying the price.