HYNDBURN residents are to see a 5.75 per cent rise in their council tax - costing the average household an extra £45 a year.

Hyndburn Council agreed a rise in its share of bills of 4.8 per cent, just under the government capped rate of five per cent, and has a budget of £14,643,227 for the next financial year.

But the overall rise comes after precepts from the county council, police and fire brigade are added in.

Tax payers' money will be spent on improving community safety, recycling services, street cleansing and funding subsidised bus travel for the elderly.

Leader of the council, Coun Peter Britcliffe said: "There is something for everyone in this budget. It is a budget that shows each and every one of our residents matters and that we listen to their concerns."

One of the council's biggest outlays is £106,000, which will be used to fund 18 police community support officers and the introduction of 20 new cameras on the current CCTV network.

A controversial £23,000 scheme, labelled the Floral Market Town Initiative, will see cash being spent on flower beds and hanging baskets in the borough's town centres.

But opposition councillors branded it a waste of money and urged area councils to fund the project instead.

Coun Pam Barton, Labour, presented the alternative budget - which the party said would only create a three per cent rise in council tax.

She said that the Tory budget held nothing new for residents and added: "How thoroughly disappointing that the Conservatives think it is okay to treat people like fools.

"Reannouncing, regurgitating and relaunching the same initiatives that it claimed to be putting in place last year."