People in Watford are set to pay an extra 15p per week to help services around the town including street cleaning and waste.

Watford Borough Council is raising council tax by 2.99 per cent due to the Government’s “drastic cuts” to local government, which from next year will see councils receiving no central funding.

The average Band D household will pay £262.46 a year to the council, an increase of £7.62 compared to last year.

Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill said: “Council budgets have been under sustained pressure for years, with the Government consistently cutting money for local services by reducing council budgets year on year.

“For Watford this has meant the loss of millions of pounds.

We have worked hard to protect our communities from the impact of these cuts but, as for all councils, it is getting to a point where there are no easy choices.

This increase in council tax means just an extra 15p a week for the average council tax payer.”

Council tax also goes to Hertfordshire County Council to help fund roads and libraries, the police and the county’s social care system.

Taxpayers in Dacorum are also set to see an increase of 2.99 per cent in council tax.

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the Dacorum Borough Council, said the increase will help “frontline services”.

This means that people living in Band D homes will now pay £5.68 extra per year.

Cllr Williams said: “We are committed to maintaining the high level of frontline services and additional support we provide in the face of continued reductions.

“To do this, the amount of council tax we charge will be increasing.”