COUNCIL tax on the Island is set to rise by over 14 per cent this year.

Members of the ruling "Island First" group agreed to the rise - one week before the full council's crunch budget setting meeting which is due to take place next Wednesday (February 19).

The 14.32 per cent rise would see bills for an average Band D property crash through the £1,000 barrier for the first time from £895.77 to £1,024 a leap of £128.

The bill is likely to be even higher when increased costs of policing in the Isle of Wight and Hampshire are taken into account.

Last week, the Island's council managed to claw back millions of pounds worth of extra government money following an all party delegation which met with local government minister Nick Raynsford.

The meeting followed revelations in the Daily Echo that the Island's council tax could have risen by over 17 per cent because the government had not taken account of the Island's "severance by sea."

The cash boost, which is being financed by Hampshire authorities, will mean the council will get over £1m to boost its overall grant from the government this year.

A further £4.5m over the next few years has also been allocated to the council after the government's change of heart.

Conservative group leader Councillor Andy Sutton said the Tories had not produced their own budget plans yet but were looking at a council tax rise which would be in single figures. He said: "It is an unrealistic rise because of the large amount of people on the Island on fixed incomes.

"Quite clearly, the council has got to cut its cloth according to its means and according to the will of the people and this is clearly not being done. We can't go on being a high-tax high-spending council."

Isle of Wight Council leader Councillor Shirley Smart said: "We at the executive are recommending an increase of 14.32 per cent. Nobody would start out to have that sort of increase but of course you know we were looking at one stage at a rise of about 18 to 20 percent.

"The minister decided we had a case and as you know the delegation enabled us to bring it down. We have been back to the drawing board and have reduced that by 3.2 per cent.

"This will enable social services, where the majority of pressures are, to spend £2.3m above inflation which is a real terms increase which means social services will have a budget in the region of £30.8m. A lot of it will be earmarked ensuring there is no bed-blocking.

"There are also pressures within the fostering services. We have a number of cases and always have to be aware that we have not got facilities for some cases.

"We have numerous pressures on our housing budget and we are hoping at some stage to put some additional money into housing but there is no additional money over and above what we have raised from the government."