COUNCIL Tax is set to rise by an average of 70p per week.

In announcing the borough's budget proposals for 2000/1, Wigan Council Leader Peter Smith quoted an average increase of 6.6% - one of the region's lowest figures although twice the rate of inflation.

Cllr Smith: "The Council Tax increase has been kept at its very lowest with rises of between 60-70p per week, an increase of 6.6%.

"This has been achieved by all the good work that has been done to keep our spending to the very minimum.

"We are a good provider of services at a very low cost."

Land and asset sales have helped offset costs and the Council's capital expenditure programme is the highest for years.

Savings of £Um have been made but, although some vacant posts will not be filled unless absolutely necessary, the promise is there will be no job losses within the authority.

And an extra £3.5m is earmarked for improvements with education, social services and leisure having priority. Finance chairman Cllr Brian Strett said: "We have tried to look at priorities and education is top of the list."

He praised the authority's efforts in getting a better deal for the disabled. As a result 500 locals who live in Band A property and many thousands nationally would save around £1 a week in a new Band A- category.

Education chief Cllr Brian Wilson welcomed additional funding of more than £1Um for schools and said Wigan was in the top 10% of authorities as regarding directing funds for education.

Cllr Wilson said a declining birth rate would bring problems in coming years for primary schools whose funding level is based on numbers.

He hoped the £300,000 targeted for them would help offset this.

Cllr Strett said the social services department would get a £900,000 boost. Plus an additional £400,000 is pinpointed for aids and home adaptations so people with disabilities could enjoy independence as part of the Care in the Community programme.

And an extra £150,000 is zoned for leisure.

The Government has given the authority a budget guideline of £266.3 million against an authority forecast of £273.7m.

And the feeling is that if the forecast proves right then the coming year's books will balance, but already there is warning of a £7.5m gap between available funds and proposed schemes for the year after.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.