Eastbourne Borough Council has set the lowest local tax in the county, with its share of the bill rising by 4.5 per cent.

Councillors approved the increase yesterday night.

It means tax payers can expect to pay an extra £5 for the borough council's slice of the bill.

When the county council and police authority's shares are added in, the overall rise is 5.7 per cent.

The bill for a Band D property rises from £926.02 to £978.67, compared with £1,025.83 in Wealden.

Council leader Graham Marsden said: "While many councils across the county are reporting double figure increases, both Eastbourne and the county council are bucking that trend."

Members of the Lib Dem group criticised the council's budget for being unimaginative and ignoring the voluntary sector.

Leader of the Lib Dems Beryl Healy said: "I believe the voluntary sector is struggling. I seem to get a letter daily from voluntary organisations complaining about the lack of funding."