Essex County Council is set to increase its council tax bill by about £50 for the average household.

It means council tax bills for a Band D householder will increase from £1,270 to £1,321, raising County Hall’s funding to £707.9million.

District and parish councils set their bills separately.

It means Essex County Council’s element of council tax bills is to be increased by 1.99 per cent, along with a 2 per cent social care precept, leaving the county element of the council tax charge for a Band D property in 2020/21 at £1,321.

The recommendations still have to be rubber-stamped by the full council.

The council says key messages from a public consultation last year are that 55 per cent of participants feel well informed about public services and 84 per cent recognise the financial challenges facing the county council and the impact that these are likely to have on future spending.

Almost two-thirds said they have felt the impact of service changes arising from Government funding cuts.

The consultation results also revealed that the strongest support is for strategies that seek to prioritise spending to protect the most vulnerable and reduce dependency on public services, as well as streamlining services.

The council says residents are unlikely to support reducing or stopping services and claims the majority would be prepared to either pay more, or give their time to support local services that are under financial pressure.

It says 43 per cent would be prepared to pay more through a one-off donation or a higher charge when using the service.

More than 80 per cent identified care and support for vulnerable older people and those with mental health needs, and the maintenance of roads, footways and bridges, as services which should be protected.

A report to cabinet next week says: “Taken together, these results suggest that Essex residents recognise the continuing financial pressures facing the council and the need to prioritise and make efficiencies.

“They also recognise the need to balance spending on protecting the most vulnerable and on providing good universal services that most residents use.

“In response to the key messages, the most significant part of the budget is spent on social care services.

“The council is also continuing to invest in the maintenance of roads and footways, with an additional £4million per annum for roads maintenance.

Among the proposals is an extra £5 million for highways, another £5 million to tackle climate change and more money for school transport and adults and children’s social care.

County council leader David Finch said: “Our budget proposals strike the right balance between an affordable increase, and investing and protecting in the services residents told us are the most important to them in our budget consultation.

“Our proposals reflect the people’s priorities – so caring for vulnerable people and investing in roads and infrastructure, for example, are high on the list.”