Council tax: Hertfordshire County Council

Hertfordshire County Council will increase their share of the council tax by 4.95 per cent. This rise equates to an additional £46.48 a year for a Band D household. For the second year running we have been able to propose an increase of less than five pe

Hertfordshire County Council will increase their share of the council tax by 4.95 per cent.

This rise equates to an additional £46.48 a year for a Band D household.

"For the second year running we have been able to propose an increase of less than five per cent, and put some additional money into services," said David Beatty, executive member for resources.

"We will invest an extra £10 million in highways maintenance, to improve the condition of Hertfordshire's roads and pavements."

He said libraries in the county will also receive investment to allow them to refurbish their buildings.

He added: "Service levels in all other areas will be maintained - there are no service cuts in our proposed budget spending plans."

Hertfordshire Police Authority has agreed to raise council tax by 4.99 per cent, putting less than 12p a week on the bills of Band D properties, with the promise of more uniformed police presence on our streets in the coming year.

"The Government penalised Hertfordshire this year with a grant settlement of just 1.4 per cent - far below even the cost of inflation," said chairman of Hertfordshire Police Authority, Ian Laidlaw-Dickson.

"It left us with a shortfall of over £4m in the money needed to provide the level of policing services that people have come to expect in the county.