THE county council have recommended an increase of just 1.98 per cent to their share of the council tax.
THE county council have recommended an increase of just 1.98 per cent to their share of the council tax.
It comes ahead of next week's budget-setting meeting and if approved would raise an extra �1.2 billion.
This would ask a Band D council taxpayer to pay an extra �21.69 a year, just over �2 a month, more this year to fund county services.
However this does not include any increases by the district council, which was finalised last night, and from the Police Authority, Fire Authority and Town Council.
Council leader John Hart said: "This recommendation means that the first budget of our new administration requires a council tax rise that is one per cent lower than last year's and the lowest since this council came into operation in 1998."
Among the spending increases is an extra �2.92m to support children in care, �2.7m more for adult and social care and an extra �2.25m for highways following Devon's worst winter for 30 years which inflicted huge damage on roads.
Education spending will be protected with over �378m going direct to Devon's schools with �2.8m extra supporting the most deprived pupils and �2m spent on supporting small rural schools facing high Broadband charges.
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