COUNCIL tax bills in the New Forest are set to rise by an average of £43.95 from April.

The average Band D bill in the district will go up from £1,179.46 to £1,223.41 - an increase of almost four per cent.

Band D householders will have to pay the district council £137.21 compared with the current figure of £130.94.

Residents will also have to pay more for the services provided by Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Police Authority, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and parish councils.

The increases will result in an overall council tax increase in the Forest of 3.73 per cent.

District councillors have had to make savings of £1.2m and increase many of its fees and charges to balance the books.

Car parking charges across the Forest will rise from April. The biggest percentage increase will take place in Burley, where the cost of parking for four hours will double - from £2 to £4.

The cost of renting a beach hut will rise by more than five per cent.

People renting a concrete beach hut at Milford on Sea will see their bill rise from £256 a year to £271. The charge at Barton on Sea will go up from £224 to £237.

The tax sum levied by the district council will rise by 4.79 per cent after the figure was agreed at last night's budget meeting.

Councillors rejected an alternative budget devised by the opposition Liberal Democrat group, which proposed a rise of just 2.18 per cent.

Council leader Mel Kendal described the 4.79 per cent increase as among the lowest rises in the country.

He said the average Band D householder would have to pay just 12p a week more for all the services provided by the authority. Cllr Kendal confirmed that the council had received a larger government grant than last year, but said it was not enough to cover increased costs, including new licensing duties.

The Band D figure will vary across the district, depending on the spending needs of each parish council.