HIT IN THE POCKET TWICE?

The 4.89 per cent rise would mean the cost of council tax on an average Band D property would rise from £1,016.77 to £1,066.52.

Any increase has to be agreed by city chiefs later this month.

The rise would not take into account the amount charged by Hampshire's fire and police services, which are billed separately.

But some residents face being hit in the pocket twice, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Commuters using the free district car parks in Shirley, Bitterne, Swaythling and Woolston could face charges for the first time.

City chiefs are planning to charge drivers £5 to park if they stay more than five hours, in a bid to cut down the number of drivers using them as informal park-and-rides.

Controversial proposals to increase off-street car parking charges by five per cent are also on the table.

There also plans to force drivers to pay for parking in city car parks until 6.30pm - an hour longer than they pay for at present.

At the moment typical city centre car parks charge between 40p and 80p an hour, rising to £12 for more than seven hours at The Mall Marlands shopping centre.

If the rises went ahead, parking charges would rise by about 10p for two hours at car parks such as College Street and Compton Street.

Charges for a seven-hour stay at The Mall Marlands would rise by 60p.

The measures will raise £116,000 in 2005/6 and £250,000 in 2007 and 2008 for city coffers.

Elderly people who use the council's meals on wheels service will also have to pay more.

The cost of a hot dinner will rise from £2.65 to £2.95 if the Liberal Democrats' budget proposals are given the green light.

Last year's total bill rose by 8.4 per cent when the costs of fire and policing were taken into account, meaning city householders in a Band D property are paying an overall bill of £1,176.43 this financial year.

City bosses plan to save around £6.4m from the council's £254.6m budget this year.

Early casualties in the ruling Liberal Democrats' pre-budget setting proposals look to be the city's parks, where leisure chiefs are proposing to slash £8,000 a year over the next three years from the 'shrubs' budget. Other savings proposed include £18,000 by cutting back maintenance of 'fine-turf' grass areas and converting the croquet and bowling green in the city's Central Park into a general lawn.

City Council leader Councillor Adrian Vinson said: "This budget reflects the determination of our administration to deliver value for money and efficiency in council services for the council tax payer.

"We have searched rigorously for savings right across the council. Inevitably, this involves some tough decisions."

Labour group leader Councillor June Bridle said: "There is a lot of paring down of different levels of service - and yet there is still going to be around a five per cent increase in council tax. There are some things in there that all parties could agree to but they have got quite a lot of costs associated with waste and waste management, which we will be looking at extremely carefully."

Conservative group deputy leader Councillor Royston Smith said his party would be looking for a zero per cent increase in council tax - and to maintain front-line services.

He said: "People are tired of it all. The Liberal Democrat budget is yet another example of how they are increasing charges and at the same time cutting services. The Lib Dems look at services which are non-statutory and slash them."

HOW OTHER COUNCILS ARE FARING:

OTHER authorities across Hampshire are revealing their council tax plans for the next financial year. Final figures will be agreed later this month.

Hampshire County Council - 4.6% (likely to be revised by the end of this week).

Eastleigh Borough Council - 1.5%.

Winchester City Council - 3.3%.

Fareham Borough Council - 2.7%.

New Forest District Council - 4.8%.

Test Valley Borough Council - 4.9%.

Isle of Wight Council - below 5%.