KENT county councillors are due to vote today for a 5.2 per cent council tax hike, putting an extra £42 on to average bills or the equivalent of 82 pence a week.

Kent County Council’s ruling Conservative administration will unveil spending plans for 2004-2005 which will see a far more modest increase than in previous years.

The 5.2 per cent increase will mean that householders in Band D homes will have to find £858 for KCC’s share of the bill although the final sum could well top the £1,000 mark once the bills for the district council, police authority and parish councils are added.

The opposition Labour group will outline its own budget plans which would outdo the Tories with a plan to keep the council tax increase to just 2.8 per cent – the equivalent of £23 a year or 45 pence a week.

Labour was due to propose an alternative budget which would see nearly £9million cut from what it regards as inessential areas and less money being put into the council’s reserves.

The KCC budget will see major increases in capital education spending, with large sums being ploughed into modernising and repairing school buildings.

However, cuts in administration costs will mean that 75 more staff will lose their jobs. These will be in addition to the next wave of the 300 redundancies, which the council announced last year.

The budget will also see £16m of savings although County Hall will argue that it has safeguarded key public services.