Britain’s only Green council has passed its budget only with the help of Labour after Green rebels refused to accept £20 million in cuts.

Four councillors from Brighton’s ruling Green group voted against the budget on Tuesday, down from the six dissenters at an inconclusive marathon six-hour session last Thursday.

Labour councillors helped the Green administration pass the budget by 26 to 19, just seven days before the legal deadline, on the condition that threatened children’s centres were saved.

Labour group leader Warren Morgan accused “militant Greens” of “pushing us to the brink of handing control of our local services to government-appointed commissioners, who would have inflicted cuts even deeper and faster than already imposed by this Conservative government.”

Rebel Green councillor Alexandre Phillips said: “Let’s be clear about this — a Labour government would not change austerity — they want it too.”