COUNCIL taxpayers will have to fork out about an extra £100 next year as council, fire and police chiefs hit out at Government funding.

The final amount - set to be agreed in the coming weeks - will rise to about £1,370 for a band D ratepayer in South Bucks.

Buckinghamshire County Council, the three district councils and fire and police authorities have all recommended increases of between 3.2 and five per cent.

Bosses said the increases have been driven by poor Government funding, their other main source of cash.

Most of the cash from the final bill will go to Buckinghamshire County Council, which is set to take £1,018.91 from the average ratepayer - an increase of £43.91.

County council leader Councillor David Shakespeare said while the Government's settlement was "better than originally anticipated" in "real terms" it will see "a reduction in our purchasing power due to inflation". And Councillor David Rowlands, chairman of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority, said: "The Government's contribution to this year's budget was only one per cent higher than last year's.

"These tight settlements give us very little room for manoeuvre, and increase the percentage of funding we have to find from council taxpayers."

Wycombe District Council leader Lesley Clarke said the authority expected funding to "shrink and shrink and shrink".

And Chiltern District Council leader John Warder said even with a four per cent increase in council tax the authority would not have enough cash and cost cutting measures would be needed. He said: "The extra money needed to balance the council's budget above that provided from the council tax increase and the additional Government grant is being generated from savings and efficiencies."

South Bucks council leader Councillor Adrian Busby said there had been an "effective standstill" in Government grant.

However, Whitehall's Communities and Local Government department said the settlement for councils for 2008-09 had been "inflation busting".

Local Government Minister John Healey said the settlement was "fair and affordable, giving every council the resources to deliver high quality public services".

He added: "It isn't just about how much money the Government gives to councils, it is also about what they can do themselves to free up £1.5billion next year to improve services or cut council tax bills."

The recommended increases for the average band D property are: Wycombe District Council (to be set on February 21): £1,398.21, from £1,290.43 last year (using Hazlemere parish as an example); Chiltern District Council (to be set February 26): £1,368.39 from £1,260.43; South Bucks District Council (to be set March 4): £1,353.62 from £1,245.77.