CITY bosses want to put an extra £330,000 of taxpayers’ money towards “Liverpool Day” at the Shanghai Expo.

It would be used to ensure the finale of the six-month exhibition was a big success with a celebrity-packed line-up.

The move would double Liverpool Council’s contribution to the cost of the Expo.

Opposition figures said it was an outrageous proposal while projects for deprived communities were facing major cuts to their Government funding.

They said they would be calling in the decision to scrutinise whether it was a proper use of resources.

Councillors are set to approve the extra money at a cabinet meeting on Friday.

A report said a further £50,000 should be committed “to seize any other opportunities presenting themselves between now and the close of the Expo at the end of October.”

ŠScaffold, OMD, Pagoda Youth Orchestra and The Wombats are expected to perform at Liverpool Day, while the cost of sending the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to the event is anticipated to be around £160,000.

Council leader Joe Anderson said: “At the end of the Expo, 750,000 people will have visited the Liverpool pavilion. It was decided well before the elections that we would support the Expo and try to bring investment here.

“It would be absolute madness to march to the top of the hill and then roll down again.

“We cannot put the city on hold. This is about portraying to the rest of the world that our city is open for business and we want you to invest and visit.”