DESPITE a 'hugely successful effort' to reduce costs, West Devon ratepayers face an eight per cent rise in the borough's tax demand this year.

Councillors at Tuesday's policy meeting were told it was good housekeeping which meant the borough could keep its budget increase below ten per cent.

The rise means a band D tax payer will pay £117.96 per year for the services provided by West Devon, an increase of 17p per week or £8.74 a year. These services include environmental health, street cleaning and waste management.

Last year's rise was 2.75 per cent.

Lesley Halton, borough treasurer, said: 'Clearly, restricting the budget increase to 3.5 percent represents a hugely successful effort on the part of the council to reduce costs to the minimum necessary to maintain services and meet legislative demands imposed by central government.'

The borough lost £61,000 in benefit subsidy because of the rise in parish council precepts — most notably Tavistock Town Council's demand.

This 'clawback' plus withdrawal of central government's revenue support grant is the reason why council tax has increased disproportionately to the authority's budget.

Miss Halton said it was 'clearly unfair' the borough's budget should suffer such a 'catastrophic' cut due to the actions of another authority over which it had no control.

'Representations have been made and will continue to be made to government to this effect,' she said.

As part of a cost-cutting exercise, councillors were also asked to consider reports which reviewed the borough's discretionary services.

These included pest control, public toilet provision, recycling services and swimming pool provision.

Mark Hall, head of commercial services at the borough, told councillors a decision was needed urgently regarding the swimming pools at Tavistock and Okehampton.

'The contract ends on March 31 — if we don't renew it we would effectively have to go through the tendering process,' he said.

He told members this would effectively mean 'mothballing' the pools for a year.

Mr Hall said the offer from Cannons, which runs the pools, would buy the council three years' breathing space in which to consider the best way to manage them in the future.

'My concern is that they will take it off the table if we delay — they need to know now,' said Mr Hall.

Members agreed to accept what Cllr Nicholas Waterhouse described as 'a remarkably good deal'.

The council tax rate is due to be ratified at next week's meeting of the full council.