The council's annual reports reveal it spent $1.3million on legal expenses this financial year, up from $822,000 the previous year and $391,000 in 2006-07.

The increase is due mainly to two lengthy court cases: the council's fight to stop the Western Bulldogs new social club, which includes poker machines, in Edgewater estate, Maribyrnong; and a Supreme Court case in which Felsink Pty Ltd is suing the council for negligence. Decisions in both cases are pending.

Alan Ross, secretary of the Maribyrnong Residents Association, was shocked by the sharp rise in council legal costs. "Residents will be concerned that council's legal expenses have escalated from $391,000 three years ago to $1.3million for the past year and will wonder how council has incurred litigation which warrants this level of expense."

The Mail requested details of the council's legal expenses earlier this year and was directed to find the information in the annual reports, but the '08-09 edition was not released until last week.

The council has declined to provide further details.

At the time, then acting CEO John Luppino said: "The figure spent through the current financial year are incomplete as we are still retaining legal services and will continue to do so through the month of June.

"Council cannot provide any details on legal issues or legal cases undertaken by council's legal experts; this would be a clear breach of confidentiality that would compromise the integrity of the issues being managed."