Powys council is meeting today to agree its budget which includes a last minute change to the proposed council tax increase.

The independent-controlled council is proposing to cut services and make savings worth £26 million over the next three years, including slashing spending by £9.636m in the coming financial year.

Protesters - opposed to elements of a planning policy currently being drawn up by the council - are also due to stage a protest outside of the meeting at County Hall, Llandrindod Wells. However the policy isn’t on the agenda for today’s meeting.

The ruling cabinet had agreed to include a 4.5% increase in the council tax in the budget last month but earlier this week revised its figures and is now proposing to only raise the council tax by 3.9%.

Council deputy leader Wynne Jones, the cabinet member for finance, said significant savings in the adult social care budget during the past two months, had allowed the administration to look again at the proposed increase. The council is also having to make a lower than expected contribution to the fire service and savings in costs associated with planning inquiries for windfarms.

Watch today’s council meeting from 10.30am by clicking the link http://powys.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

Adult social care had previously over spent but Cllr Jones said saving made in the past two months eased the pressure on next year’s budget and he is confident the £2m savings for the service planned this year will be achieved.

He said: "In a really tough budget we’ve found £6m for our schools, saved the day centres and have gone someway to perhaps saving the household waste and recycling centres. I think it’s a pretty good job to get all that in one budget.

"The council tax proposal is in line with other local councils and below some.

"An increase of 3.9% in council tax would see the cost of an average Band D property rise from £1,090.06 to £1,132.57 – a rise of 82p per week. The figure does not include the precepts charged by Dyfed-Powys Police and town and community councils."

The £6m extra for schools is based over the council’s three year medium term economic plan, which includes a £1m increase in this year’s budget.

It is also proposed to use £300,000 from reserves to keep open all of the council’s household waste recycling centres, though the number of days they are open could be cut.

The council also has a three year £164.287m capital budget that includes spending on highways and byways, maintaining County Hall, installing self service terminals at libraries and £22.50m for new school buildings. The council has however removed £17.60m from the capital budget that had been allocated for a new Mid Powys School.

The council tax increase will be formally passed by the council on March 7 when charges from the police and local councils will also be known.