A COUNCIL leader has criticised the grant it has been handed by the Government for this year.
Gravesham Council leader Councillor Mike Snelling says the settlement is the worst deal for local authorities in 10 years and makes the council's job very difficult.
The revenue support grant for the council is set to rise by 1.6 per cent to £33.77 per average household this year, before increasing by 1.3 per cent for the following two years, making it £34.65 in 2010.
Cllr Snelling said: "The inflation rate for services was 4.2 per cent last month. But the Government expects councils to maintain, and even improve, those expensive services on less and less money."
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "By 2010 the increase in Government grants for local services since 1997 will be at 45 per cent in real terms.
"We will not hesitate to use our capping powers to protect taxpayers from excessive council increases."
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