Cornwall Council is attempting to increase council tax by 3.99 per cent.

The council is citing huge cuts from the central government and the need to protect vulnerable people and deliver vital services as their reasoning behind the proposed increase.

Helen Mason, from Cornwall Council's media team, said that the council's budget from the central government was slashed from £150 million in 2014 to £14 million in 2019. According to the Cornwall Council website, they will have to cut their spending by £70 million in the next four years.

The website states: "Although meeting this target will be challenging, we are in a sound financial position and are not in the financial situation that a number of councils are reporting."

The announcement comes as part of the council's draft budget proposals for the 2019/20 financial year.

The council hopes to be financially self-sufficient from April 2022, raising funds through council tax, business rates and charging for services.

They have also opened a survey for the public to have their say on the proposed tax increase, which can be taken here.

Julian German, deputy leader of Cornwall Council, said: "We don’t take the proposal to increase council tax lightly because we understand the impact austerity has had on households across Cornwall. However, to ensure we can continue to protect those residents in need, and provide critical services for the people of Cornwall, we are asking residents to pay a little more.”

Councillor German went on to say: "Next year will mark 10 years since the formation of Cornwall Council. Despite a bleak outlook in other parts of the country, we are in a solid financial position to weather inevitable further funding cuts from central government and an ever increasing demand for services.

“We are not in this position by chance. It is down to a decade of prudent financial planning, a programme of savings equating to £350 million, and an early recognition that we needed to find different ways to provide services for less money.

“However, there is still work to be done. We need to find savings of £31m next financial year and further savings totalling £67 million by 2022/23. These must be achieved whilst ensuring we continue to protect vulnerable children and adults in our communities, maintain and improve our roads, ensure affordable homes are built for local people, help our schools thrive, and provide a green and prosperous Cornwall for residents both now and in the future.”