BURNLEY Council last night agreed to recommend a council tax rise of 4.75 per cent from April 1.

At a meeting of The Executive at Burnley Town Hall, director of resources Nick Aves said the budget plans were reasonable.

The figure will now go before a meeting of the full council next week.

However, Coun Peter Kenyon asked the council to consider reducing its cash reserves from its £300,000 contingency budget to enable the council tax rise to be reduced to 2.5 per cent which would have been one of the lowest rates on record.

A 4.75 per cent increase in the Burnley element of the council tax will increase the Band D figure from £218.35 to £228.72. This represents an increase of £10.37 or 20p per week.

Mr Aves said: "The overall increase will depend on the decisions of Lancashire County Council, the police authority and the fire authority.

"They meet next week and will decide on their budgets and set their taxes accordingly.

"There will be more certainty next week for the people of Burnley about what they will have to pay in overall council tax payments."

The average annual increase in the Burnley element of the council tax since 1997 had been five per cent.