COUNTY council bosses are set to approve a near six per cent rise in council tax after a raft of cutbacks.

Earlier this month, Lancashire County Council revealed that if it was to meet all the demands of the cabinet members to continue and improve on services, its share of council tax would have to rise by 7.5per cent, to £855 for a Band D Property.

But after a round of cutbacks -- which has seen the education department shave £3.4million from its original £547million request and the environment department lose £1.5million from its original £85million request -- council bosses are now predicting a 5.8 per cent rise.

But it means that, since 1997, the county council's portion of council tax has risen by around 43 per cent from £587.84 for a Band D property. Last year the rise was three per cent.

Social Services has not been able to find any cuts to services, while the environment department says it has had to make massive cut in some areas to compensate for unavoidable expenditure in others.

But a report to the cabinet committee, which meets on Thursday, warns that the 5.8 per cent council tax rise -- or up to £841 for a Band D property -- may not be the final figure, with pay demands from the teaching unions still to be made.

The figures account for a three per cent pay rise. For every extra 0.5per cent they request, an extra £1.6million will need to be added to the overall budget.

Councillors will have to decide whether to raise taxes higher should they be hit by such a demand -- or find cutbacks elsewhere.

The report details of several meetings to gauge reaction from people towards certain issues. Most people at the meetings called for cuts in libraries and regeneration ahead of a council tax rise.

Councillor in charge of finance, Coun Tony Martin, warned residents would have to pay extra if they wanted better services. Lancashire charges the third-highest shire county tax, and the report says county council tax nationally is expected to rise by between six and nine per cent.

The police authority and local councils will then add their requests for tax on top of the county base, although the county council makes up the largest share of the demand.