COUNCIL tax bills in Hyndburn look set to rise by between 7.5 and 8 per cent.

Forecasts are that people living in band D properties could be forking out an extra £60 with the charge going up from £806 to £868.

But Hyndburn looks set to fare better than other local authorities in Lancashire which face hikes of up to 15 per cent.

Early figures indicate that the following bills will be dropping through letter boxes in the borough.

The current year's figures are in brackets.

Band A £578 (£537); band B £675 (£627); band C £771 (£717); band D £868 (£806); band E £1,061 (£985); band F £1,254 (£1,165); band G £1,447 (£1,344); band H £1,736 (£1,613).

The projections are based on the assumption that the borough council, Lancashire County County and Lancashire police authority spend up to their capping levels.

Hyndburn director of finance Dan Sherry said there were sweeping differences between the three council tax elements. The borough council element looks set to drop by 14.4 per cent, while the county element looks poised to rise by 14.5 per cent and the policy by 0.3 per cent.

Coun Sheelagh Delaney said: "Our constituents need to realise we are providing best value for money. That has been supported by our auditors reports and the figures for council tax," she told Hyndburn policy and resources committee last night.

Coun Delaney added: "We are providing services at this council on a lean machine and that's providing extremely good value."

Hyndburn council's spending level has been cash limited for the seventh year in succession. This means that in order for it to maintain services the authority has to come up with £345,700 worth of savings to avoid setting a budget above the £9.52 million capping level.

Councillors are now looking at a combination of savings, increasing fees and charges, and dipping into balances.

The council tax will be formally set at a full meeting of Hyndburn Council next month.

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