DEVON County Council is set to keep its council tax at the same rate for the third year running.

Council leader John Hart confirmed he would be proposing a freeze at the authority's budget meeting on February 21.

Cllr Hart said: 'Everywhere you look prices are going up. But we have many pensioners living in Devon and many families trying to get by on lower incomes.

'I do not want Devon County Council to add to their burden.

'I believe we can deliver a budget that will maintain services while not asking our residents to pay a penny more.

'The Government would have allowed us to put up council tax by two per cent which would have brought in around £6 million.

'If we freeze council tax we will receive a grant of £3-million.

'Our judgement is that it is better to accept the £3-million, continue our programme of making efficiencies and saving money and not have to ask our Devon taxpayers to contribute a penny more for our services.

Cllr Hart said the authority had promised the people of Devon that they would get value for money and had been cutting costs since 2009, which maintaining essential frontline services and becoming more efficient.

Cllr Hart said: 'We believe in setting our own house in order first and cutting costs where we can before asking our residents to dip into their own pockets.

'I would much rather have been leader of Devon County Council at a time when we could expand services and do more for our residents.

'But we have all got to play our part in getting the economy back on an even keel and we have to do as much as we can with the money that is available.'

Mr Hart completed a programme of 18 consultation meetings across Devon in the autumn. More than 16,500 people responded to the consultation by attending meetings or making comments on the website.

'No-one wants to see spending reductions but it is very heartening that over three quarters of those who responded thought we had done a good job in protecting services,' said Mr Hart.