Council 'disappointed' as tax rise proposals are rejected

Somerset Council proposed the increase to help close a budget deficit

Somerset Council has been told by the government that it cannot put up its share of council tax by 10%.

The local authority had asked for permission to go above a 5% cap to help it deal with a "financial emergency", but that has been denied.

It means the share people in a Band D home pay will go up by £82 a year instead of a proposed £160.

The government says it wants to "protect local taxpayers from excessive council tax increases" and councils should consider the pressures "many households" are facing.

Somerset Council leader Bill Revans says the government decision is 'short-sighted'

Council leader Bill Revans said: "The decision is disappointing as ultimately we need our council tax to be sustainable."

Somerset Council has said it needs to find £100m to close a budget deficit.

Cuts to services totalling £35m have also been proposed.

In parts of the county, bills could still go up by an average of nearly £300 from April.

Somerset Council has also asked parish and town councils to step in to pay to keep some services running, such as CCTV, public toilets and sports facilities.

Yeovil Town Council recently voted through its biggest-ever tax rise to secure the future of a number of facilities and venues, including the town's Recreation Centre.

Town and parish councils are not limited in how much they can increase their council tax by.

Yeovil Recreation Centre was facing an uncertain future due to budget pressures

Somerset Council says it can avoid going effectively bankrupt in the near future.

It thinks the government is going to let it use borrowed money, and money from selling off buildings, to pay for day-to-day services just for the next year.

Cllr Revans said: "We have been having conversations with our political equivalents in government and we are confident there will be a positive outcome."

The council's budget will be formally confirmed when it is voted on, on 20 February.