Petersfield and East Hampshire residents are facing one of the biggest council tax hikes in the country with a whopping 15 per cent increase being tabled by the county council (HCC).

Cabinet members will decide next Tuesday whether to seek government approval for the unprecedented rise, arguing their current precept is among the lowest in the country.

The increase needed to safeguard services would add at least £230 to the average bill before other precepting authorities like Petersfield Town Council make their claim.

Cllr Jamie Matthews, the EHDC ward member for Petersfield Bell Hill, believes HCC would be “effectively bankrupt” without the move but is concerned about the financial impact the increase will have on residents.

He said: “There are really important statutory services and, since central government funding has been cut, we’ve seen a massive change over this period of austerity.”

Cllr Nick Adams-King, HCC leader, said the council did not want to raise taxes above the current five per cent government limit, but was “left with no choice”.