TAXPAYERS in the south will be hit in the pocket - to bail out the so-called less well-off in the north and Midlands.
Householders are likely to face rises of up to 15 per cent in their council tax bills next April.
Those huge increases could be coupled with cuts in services as council chiefs battle to balance their budgets.
Politicians across the region had their worst fears confirmed yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced how much money each local authority would get from the government next year.
County council leader Ken Thornber, who launched the Hands Off Hampshire campaign last month in a bid to stop the flow of cash out of the county, described it as "highway robbery".
He has demanded Mr Prescott meet council leaders from the south for talks on the issue.
Hampshire received the lowest county council settlement in the UK - a 3.7 per cent increase.
Southampton City Council was handed just 3.5 per cent more than this year. City bosses say it too soon to comment on possible tax rises or job cuts.
Read the full story on page six of tonight's Daily Echo
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