CORNWALL Council has agreed to raise its share of council tax bills by 3.99% for the coming year.

The council agreed its budget for 2019/20 this afternoon as well as approving a four-year medium term financial plan.

Under the agreement there will be a general council tax rise of 1.99% and an additional 2% precept which will be used to fund social care.

There had been three separate amendments put forward to the budget proposals ahead of today’s full council meeting. A fourth amendment from the Conservative group was withdrawn before the meeting.

The first, from Labour councillor Cornelius Olivier, had suggested raising council tax by 4.99% – an extra 1%.

Cllr Olivier said that this could raise an additional £11million over four years for the council. But the proposal was voted down.

A second amendment from the Conservative group looked to take funding from the council’s investment programme and use it to fund children’s mental health services and the countryside access team. This was also voted out.

The third amendment, from Labour councillor Jayne Kirkham, looked to reduce the amount of money that the council puts into reserves and use it to fund school nurses and counsellors to help children with mental health issues.

This amendment found support among councillors across the chamber but it was a close vote with 54 in favour and 53 against.

In presenting the budget plans council deputy leader Julian German said that the council had faced a challenge to set a budget plan which was balanced and continued to provide services.

He said: “We are focusing on priorities that matter most for the people of Cornwall.”

Cllr German said that cuts in government funding for local councillors had made it difficult to continue providing frontline services.

He said: “Despite the challenges of austerity we continue to deliver over 800 services.”

Cllr German paid tribute to staff, contractors and partners who had ensured that the council continued to deliver good quality services.

He highlighted that funding from the Government had gone from £150m in 2013 to just £14m in 2019.

But he said that good financial planning by the council had ensured that it had not faced problems like other authorities which were having to make massive cuts or faced bankruptcy.

The independent councillor said that in setting a council tax rise of 3.99% the council was listening to what residents had said during consultation on the budget. He said there was a need to balance the delivery of services with what people can afford.

Council leader Adam Paynter (Lib Dem) supported the budget plans and said that it showed the need to continue with a campaign to get fairer funding for Cornwall.

Conservative group leader Linda Taylor said that the council could not continue blaming its woes on central government.

She highlighted areas where she said funding had increased from the government, including money for road projects and an increase in funding for policing.

Cllr Taylor was critical of expenditure on salaries at the council and also raised the decision by the council last year to spend £46,000 on a trip to a developers’ conference in Cannes.

Liberal Democrat councillor Rob Nolan was critical of the Conservatives’ amendment to the budget.

He said: “I don’t recognise this Cornwall that is awash with cash. Our Cornish MPs voted for more cuts to our grant.

“Rather than coming here with a half-baked amendment they (Conservative councillors) could do something useful and lobby our MPs to support our call for fairer funding.”

The council voted in favour of the budget proposals for 2019/20 and the medium term financial plan.

It means that a Band D property in Cornwall will pay £1,739.37 in 2019/20 – not including precept for town and parish councils.

The Band D rates for key towns in Cornwall will be:

Bodmin – £2,064.66

Camborne – £1,928

Falmouth – £2,018.27

Hayle – £1,912.56

Helston – £1,872.55

Liskeard – £1,880.45

Newquay – £1,954.86

Penzance – £1,940.79

Redruth – £1,888.70

St Austell – £1,849.15

St Ives – £1,848.55

Truro – £1,989.67

Wadebridge – £1,940.81