No increase in council tax this year

Council tax will be frozen for Devon County Council taxpayers this year.

The authority is being recommended to set a 0 per cent increase for 2011/12 at its budget meeting on Thursday (February17).

It follows the lowest ever council tax rise of 1.98 per cent in the current financial year.

County council deputy leader John Clatworthy said: “We have been forced into making some £54 million of cuts in our spending this year.

“The Government is tackling the unprecedented national deficit they inherited and Devon County Council’s financial support has been reduced by 28 per cent over four years.

“We were left with no choice but to reduce the services that we are able to provide for the people of Devon.

“However, to put up council tax at the same time as we were reducing services would have been completely wrong.

“It would have also taken a council tax increase in double figures to mitigate the bulk of the savings we are making.

“As it is, the Government will give us £8.1 million to compensate for the revenue we would have gained from a two and a half per cent council tax rise.

“I and my colleagues believe that is the best way forward. We did not feel that we could ask the hard-pressed working families, pensioners and householders of Devon to pay any more council tax in this time of austerity.”