SOMERSET County Council is set to limit the Council Tax increase for the 2004-05 financial year to 5.7 per cent.

That was the proposal agreed by the council's Executive Board at its budget meeting yesterday (Wednesday).

If the proposal is adopted by the full council meeting of the authority on February 18, the increase will mean an increase of around £49 a year on a Band D property amounting to a annual Council Tax bill of £907.29.

The county councillor with special responsibility for finance, Cllr Jill Shortland, said that the council had been 'acutely aware' of the need to keep the Council Tax as low as possible, in line with the feedback that had been received from the recent public consultation on the issue.

"We need to keep Council Tax as low as possible to protect residents on low and fixed incomes," she said. "However the County Council also has a responsibility to all those who receive our services and to provide those services effectively.

"Our budget must be a realistic one, that is both financially robust and deliverable within acceptable levels of risk. This recommendation balances these responsibilities out."

Cllr Shortland added, "For most people in Somerset this budget will equate to an increase of less than £44 per year or 83p a week.

"To keep the tax increase as low as possible, savings of £5 million will need to be made on top of the £9 million worth of service needs that have been denied.

"We all know that these measures will place considerable pressure on services."

Cllr Shortland said that in reaching their decision the Executive Board had taken full account to the results of their recent public consultation, which had included six focus groups across the county, attended by councillors and officers, a website survey and input from special interest groups.

She added: "We were particularly determined to protect the elderly and the vulnerable so the suggested cuts in Adult Primary Care, Disability Advocacy and in Learning Disabilities were rejected.

"Similarly, having listened to the public's dismay during the budget consultation that bus subsidies may be cut, we also ruled out cuts to this service, in the face of more reductions being announced by some bus operators.

"Finally we have maintained our support to Education, and have 'passported' in full all the money that government have recommended, however this has caused considerable pressure to other services."

Cllr Shortland added: "These are decisive actions by a county council seeking to be accountable to its residents as a modern business is to its shareholders."

The proposed resulting total budget requirement for the council will be £456,080,000 giving a Council Tax at Band D of £907.29 - an increase of £48.93 or 5.7 per cent.