BARNET Council has compared its radical blueprint for slimlining services with budget airline easyJet.

Chief executive Nick Walkley made the analogy in a meeting with the Labour group last week in reference to new cost-cutting proposals put forward to help the borough cope with diminishing Government grants.

The term "easyCouncil" was later used by a council spokesman to describe the scheme.

The idea is that residents will be able to pay more for improved services, just as easyJet has controlled its own costs by placing surcharges on certain items.

One example is that people who pay a fee will be able to jump the queue for planning applications, just as economy airlines charge extra for priority boarding passes.

The council plans to save up to £15m a year by outsourcing services and reducing the size of its 3,500-strong workforce.

Private sector organisations and charities could take on contracts for staple council services, prompting accusations that it amounts to mass privatisation.

Barnet's idea - dubbed "The Future Shape" model - is being seen as an example of a "new Conservatism" that is spreading among Tory-controlled boroughs. However, David Cameron has denied that the proposals reflect national Conservative policy.

Speaking last November, when the measures were first unveiled, Mr Freer said: “The Future Shape model has been prepared to see how we can deliver our services better.

"It’s about working in partnership with other public sector organisations, the voluntary and private sector, to deliver excellent, good-value services to our residents, which are especially important in a downturn.”

But Alison Moore, Labour Group leader, said the proposals would result in a two-tier borough, "the haves and have-nots".

She added: "The budget airline model is fine if you are providing a service with a choice. People can choose to fly budget with sandwiches, or they can choose a more comprehensive and expensive service.

"It is difficult to draw an analogy when you are dealing with council services and when the council is the only deliverer of those services.

"It isn't a market in the same way. It is fine if you have lots of money, but where does it leave poorer residents?"