SHIRE Hall has been accused of squandering taxpayers' money by the district council finance chief after hiking its council tax share by 3.9 per cent.

Council tax on an average home will rise to almost £1,300 this year after Ebley Mill voted in a 3.7 per cent total rise on Thursday, February 24.

But Ebley Mill's finance cabinet member Cllr Stephen Glanfield (Cons, Amberley and W'chester) delivered a scathing attack on Labour and Liberal Democrat-run county council for its part in the hike.

He claimed county council debt had risen to £273 million, or £1,300 for every household in the county - figures Shire Hall verified yesterday.

"Stroud people are paying the cost for financial mismanagement at the county council," said Cllr Glanfield.

"Since it came to power the Conservative administration at Stroud District Council has increased council tax in line with or below inflation.

"But since 1997 the county council has increased council tax with rises of as much as 13 per cent."

"Each household in the county now forks out in excess of £140 per annum in interest payments alone," he claimed.

"Debt has reached record levels. I am not sure I am happy with them at all." The district council share of the council tax rose by 2.5 per cent, roughly in line with inflation.

Shire Hall quickly moved to rebuff Cllr Glanfield's remarks, claiming the cash was needed for improvements to schools, libraries and roads.

Cllr Liz Boait, deputy leader at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "The reason why the county council has such high levels of debt is the immense size of our capital programme.

"We regard borrowing as an investment in the future and we have inherited some very bad roads and school buildings from years of Conservative neglect in the previous administration.

"We are very much in line with county councils up and down the country. District councils simply do not have the same level of responsibility."

Cllr Boait pointed to projects such as the £6.5 million regeneration of Archway School as evidence the cash was being well-spent.

"The money is not going down the plughole," she said.

A county spokesman added that debt restructuring had saved the council £4.2 million over the last four years.

This year the council tax on an average home will rise from £1,246 to £1,293. The police share went up by 3.95 per cent and the average parish council precept rose by 4.1 per cent.

Cllr Hilary Fowles (Labour, Dursley) said: "It is a reasonable increase which makes a change from the huge increases we have had in the past. The county council is is a difficult position because they have to pay for things such as education and social services and if people want educating and the elderly looking after it needs paying for.

"It is more difficult for people on a fixed income but I do think it is quite reasonable."