BLACKPOOL home-owners should have good news when their council tax bills arrive this Spring.

For while most of Lancashire will suffer steep rises, Blackpool - which already has the county's lowest rate - hopes to stay the same or even lower.

The gap stems from the departure of Blackpool and Blackburn from Lancashire County Council control this April, boosting Government aid to the two new independent councils, but cutting it to the remaining 12 Lancashire districts.

Residents of neighbouring Wyre and Fylde, for example, face probable rises of13 per cent.

Blackpool Council leader Councillor Ivan Taylor said: "This is the advantage of having a one-tier system rather than having the costs of running two authorities.

"It's a big plus to Blackpool, but unfortunately the rest of the county has to pick up a bigger bill."

On projected budgets for mid-priced Band D properties, Wyre and Fylde residents could end up paying £100 more than their equivalents in Blackpool.

Blackpool's Band D level is currently £729, the new rate being finalised on March 6.

Wyre and Fylde councils have no control over the bulk of their tax bill - 80 per cent - which goes to Lancashire County Council. The county's projected 15 per cent increase will hit hard.

Their own projected increases of around 4.5 per cent will help cut the overall rise.

But, if confirmed at budget meetings next month, the sum total will mean Wyre Band D tax bills going up from £738 to £834, and Fylde up from £732 to £827.

Wyre borough treasurer Alan Hunter said: "It's regrettable that a move intended to benefit the residents of Blackpool and Blackburn would appear to have a significant financial backlash for the rest of Lancashire."

Fylde Council leader Councillor Paul Hayhurst said: "This is worrying to all of us.

"We are desperately trying to keep down our portion of the bill and we would have liked to see Lancashire County Council making savings and pulling back expenditure as we did last year."

Apart from making representations to the Government about the unfair situation there was little they could do, he added.

Lancashire sent a delegation on January 6 to government environment under-secretary Nick Raynsford to appeal for more resources for 1999-2000.

County council leader Councillor John West said it was a most constructive meeting - and finance chairman Councillor Chris Cheetham said he hoped the minister would redress the imbalance in the funding distribution.

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