Hertsmere residents will not face a rise in council tax this year after members agreed to freeze the rates at a meeting last night.

Councillors also approved the 2011/2012 budget in a majority vote, despite staunch opposition from the Labour group leader, Councillor Ann Harrison.

Councillor Harrison said the level of cuts imposed would be counter productive, describing the budget as "appalling".

The Cowley Hill representative, for Borehamwood, called on the council to invest some of its £30million reserves to try and increase revenue.

However, councillor Paul Hodgson-Jones (Conservative, Parkfield) said the members were not elected to "gamble" with taxpayers' money, but to safeguard it.

In a recorded vote, only two of the 30 councillors present at the meeting opposed the budget - Labour representatives Councillors Ann Harrison and Ernie Butler - while Liberal Democrats Anita Gamble and Roger Kutchinsky abstained.

Liberal Democrat group leader Roger Kutchinsky (Bushey North) questioned claims that services would not be affected, despite more than 30 redundancies at the council.

He said: "I have the gravest of reservations as to whether the budget can possibly be achieved.

"If the council proves able to keep to this harsh and unremitting budget, our residents will suffer considerable inconvenience. But if, as I suspect may be the case, it fails to do so, Heavens help us all next year."

Councillor Kutchinsky also criticised the councils failure to convene a budget panel this year, something he claimed "deprived the opposition parties of the vital scrutiny role in the budget preparation process".

Finance and property portfolio holder, Councillor John Graham, fought back against the opposition leaders, questioning why their concerns were not raised earlier.

"Why was Ann Harrison so quiet when we presented this budget to her at scrutiny?" he said. "What was she doing at every personnel meeting she sat through? Was she asleep?

"Every year, the opposition try and take the budget and re-write it on the back of a fag packet at the last minute. Every year we deliver, and this year is no different, which is why I recommend this budget to the council."

The next full council meeting will take place at the civic offices, in Elstree Way, Borehamwood, on April 27.