Cornwall Council’s cabinet yesterday approved a revised council tax level for 2018/19 at 4.99% - meaning a £1.04 a week rise for a Band B property.

This followed the final settlement received from central government where additional one-off funding of £2.5m was allocated to Cornwall.

Cornwall Council’s leader Adam Paynter said that the additional funding, made up of £1.7m for adult social care and £0.7m for delivering services in a rural area, has enabled the cabinet to propose a 2% increase in the adult social care precept, rather than the 3% rise originally proposed in November.

This will mean general council tax will be set at 2.99% for 2018/19 – a rise of 63p per week for a Band B property.

But this is in addition to a revised proposal 2% increase on council tax for adult social care, which is line with the Government’s policy of asking local taxpayers to help fund social care demands.

The total increase will be 4.99%.

Councillor Paynter said: “Yesterday’s announcement from central Government on additional funding, though welcome, does not go far enough to drive real long term changes and sustainable funding for the benefit of Cornwall.

“A fairer funding model could deliver an extra £39million for Cornwall every year – that’s an extra £71 for every resident. It would mean rather than having to make decisions to reduce services, we could look at opportunities to boost road maintenance, support for children and families and create more jobs – the things residents tell us are most important to them.”

The revised budget will now be submitted to full Council on 20 February.