HERTSMERE residents will not face a rise in council tax after members agreed to freeze the rates.

Hertsmere Borough Council collects the council tax every year, but 11 per cent goes to the council, with Hertfordshire County Council getting 77 per cent and Hertfordshire Police Authority getting 10 per cent with two per cent going to parish councils.

The decision was made at a full council meeting on Wednesday evening at the borough council's Civic Offices in Borehamwood.

Council leader Morris Bright said at the meeting: "Budget setting in most years is never easy and this year it has been difficult. It's worth pointing out that the amount of money councils now receive from the government by way of grants continues to decline.

"It used to be 75 per cent from central government and 25 per cent from local taxation. That ratio is 55 per cent and 45 per cent and it is anticipated we will soon receive less than half of our funding from central government.

"That's a huge shift. Residents understand we don't want to them to pay more in taxes than they have to so we continue to freeze the council tax meaning that even though our costs have to take an inflationary hit we don't pass that on through council tax to our residents.”