CHESHIRE'S Council Tax will be fixed today, Thursday, and it is set to soar by six times the level of inflation.

A massive 18 per cent rise is on the cards as councillors budget for the year ahead.

The county precept looks likely to go up by £98.90 for an average Band D Property (to £658.03).

And the final bills could be even higher. The cost of policing the county and district and parish precepts have yet to be added.

The Cheshire rise, which is not quite as high as the £100 plus being forecast earlier this month, comes despite windfall incomes amounting to millions of pounds. These include pulling in bad debts including Poll Tax and a £2.1million share of Collection Fund surpluses which has trimmed £8.43 from all bills.

Extra funds have also come from Local Government Re-organisation Transitional Relief designed to help with the enormous costs associated with the boundaries shake-up in which the Halton and and Warrington boroughs will go it alone from April 1.

But the shake-up relief has been far outweighed by the problems the proposals have caused.

The new look Cheshire is inheriting 69.6 per cent of the present council's services, but only 66 per cent of its grant allocation - a shortfall of £16million.

The Council Tax rise will only account for £11million of that gap and councillors will have to cut costs. School transport for 16 plus students and street lighting and maintenance are among the services targeted.

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