TAXPAYERS across Oxfordshire are facing the biggest council tax hike for more than a decade.

Most Band D households are set to see their bills go up by about £70, with the boss of the biggest local authority warning the trend is likely to continue.

In his overview of Oxfordshire County Council’s next budget, Ian Hudspeth said the ‘ever reducing’ sums of cash provided by the government meant more would have to be raised locally.

The authority says income from council tax now accounts for 78 per cent of its net income – compared to just 13 per cent from central government.

It is proposing to put up council tax this year by five per cent – the highest rise since 2004.

This means Band D households will pay the authority £1,345.59 a year.

But Mr Hudspeth, whose Conservative administration faces elections in May, insisted that funding cuts meant ‘hard choices’ had to be taken.

He wrote: “Since 2010, we have planned and delivered £300m of savings. With an ever reducing amount of central government funding, we rely even more on locally raised income

“l recognise the hard choices our budget proposals have meant over the last few years. I have listened to, and I accepted, the justifiable unhappiness we have heard.

“However, as I have said throughout this administration, our funding is fixed and if we shied away from some cuts, we would have needed others to replace them.

“Now we have addressed those cuts, we can move forward on a positive basis.”

The county council’s increase includes a 1.99 per cent rise in council tax – the maximum allowed without a public referendum – as well as a three per cent ‘precept’ to help fund under-pressure social care systems, allowed by the Government this year.

Councillors will vote on the authority’s proposed budget on Valentine’s Day, at a meeting starting at 10am in County Hall.

It comes as people living in Oxford, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire also face further increases.

Oxford City Council is planning on increasing its council tax rate by 1.99, meaning band D households would pay it £290.19 a year, up from £284.52.

Meanwhile, in Vale of White Horse the rate is set to increase, subject to approval, by £5, from £116.69 to £121.69, and in West Oxfordshire it could rise by £5, from £86.63 to £91.63.

The increases are allowed under government rules, which says local authorities can increase tax by either a maximum of 1.99 per cent without a referendum or £5 – whichever is higher.

The only two areas proposing council tax freezes are South Oxfordshire and Cherwell district councils.

Under draft budgets, South Oxfordshire’s rate would remain at £111.24 a year for band D households and Cherwell’s £123.50.