THE authority which gets the lion’s share of April’s council tax bill today set a two per cent increase – as its handling of roads and potholes continued to dominated debate.

Buckinghamshire County Council will get £1,077.74 from an average band D property, an extra £21.13 compared to last year.

The maximum increase, for more expensive homes, is £42.26.

See the link the bottom of this story for figures from other authorities which make up the final bill.

Conservative council leader Councillor David Shakespeare said millions of savings and cuts had spared a band D home a further £55 – and he hoped for a freeze in the next two years.

Blaming low Government cash support, Cllr Shakespeare said: “The public needs to understand that there is no longer enough money to keep doing all of the things that we have been able to do in the past.”

Whichever Government is elected in May will cut public spending by up to 20 per cent, a ‘sort of Atkins Diet for the public sector’ he told today's BCC meeting in Aylesbury.

He said BCC gets the ‘blame’ from residents for cuts – though it is ‘the direct result of the totally inadequate grant settlement from central Government’.

And he warned a Labour pledge for free home care for the most vulnerable ‘could push authorities like us to breaking point’.

A worse case scenario would put up council tax by 14 per cent, he said. “This presents an enormous threat to our budget and the safety of our social services.”

New cuts include school improvement programmes, library opening hours, youth service posts and footpath maintenance. A bid to slash the pothole budget in half was dropped.

Service cuts worth £6m will be made with £8.4m ‘efficiency savings’ and an estimated £2.9m extra for charging more for services.

Cuts had been selected which ‘have the least affect on the public’ Cllr Shakespeare said – yet said ‘overall performance remains nothing of exceptional considering the circumstances’.

But Cllr Mary Baldwin, leader of the Liberal Democrat group accused Cllr Shakespeare of having ‘no strategy at all’ despite knowing well in advance how much cash BCC would get.

She said: “Unfortunately, this great liner, the county council has turned into the Titanic with the captain asleep at the wheel.”

Cllr Baldwin said: “Where has all the money gone? Not into repairing the roads and not into improving services.”

She said: “There has been no concept of repairing the roof while the sun shone.”

And she said its reputation had been ‘dented’ by ploughing £523,000 into a failed plan to share services with other councils. This was ‘an indictment of the leadership’ she said.

Yet Cllr Shakespeare told Cllr Baldwin: “You really must learn the difference between popularity and responsibility.”

A Conservative Government would review cash support to councils he said, but warned: “I can’t tell you whether we will like it or not.”

What you are set to pay other authorities:

Wycombe District Council is proposing a 1.75 per cent increase, an increase from £124.77 to £126.99 on a band D property.

Chiltern District Council is proposing a 2.5 per cent increase, £155.61 to £159.50 for band D.

South Bucks District Council wants a 2 per cent rise, from £140.15 to £143.

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has agreed a 2.5 per cent increase, £57.69 to £59.13.

Thames Valley Police Authority is proposing 2 per cent, £151.27 to £154.30.

Parish councils also take from the final council tax bill.

Click the link below to see how much you will pay to the county council.