Conservatives at Essex County Council have today approved a further above inflation hike in the Council Tax paid to the County Council for the financial year 2007/2008.

Residents will see a County Council increase of 4.5% combined with increases from Harlow District Council and Essex Police and Fire Authorities.

The level of Council Tax for Essex County Council has been set by the Conservatives since 1998/1999. Over that period of ten years Essex's Council Tax, on a typical Band D property, has risen from under £500 to over £1,000 - an increase of 117% compared to a rise of only 30% in the general rate of inflation. Councillor Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrat Leader on Essex County Council, said:

"This latest increase, on top of previous increases, will hurt large numbers of people across Essex, but we are particularly concerned about the financial burden on those people on pensions and fixed low incomes. The Council Tax is a particularly unfair tax, not linked to the ability to pay, which hits elderly, vulnerable and disadvantaged people the hardest; it should be scrapped."

In addition to criticising the effects of the Council Tax rise, the Liberal Democrat Group sought to put more money into under-funded services, rather than into over generous reserves. Said Councillor Tom Smith-Hughes:

"Two thirds of the additional money to be taken from the Council Tax payer is being diverted into the Council's reserves on a scale which cannot be justified. It is regrettable that the Council was unwilling to support our amendment to the Budget. This proposed that some of the money being stuffed into reserves should be used on services which the Council's own surveys indicated residents wanted more money to be spent on, such as footway repairs, young people and addressing anti-social behaviour."