Householders in West Oxfordshire will be paying an extra £1 a week in their council tax bills during the coming year.

The above inflation increase follows a 4.9 per cent rise in the district council's share of the total bill - making a total increase of nearly four per cent.

The district council's cabinet approved its share of the 2008-9 tax at £74.88 for the average band D property. The figure is set to be rubber-stamped by the full meeting of the Conservative-dominated council tomorrow.

All other components of the tax bill are now fixed. The lion's share goes to the major provider of local services Oxfordshire County Council, £1.089.75, while Thames Valley Police hives off £144.76.

In Witney, the average band D council tax arriving through letter boxes in the next month will be £1,399.40 - £52.77 more than last year.

In Carterton it is £1,368.83 and in Chipping Norton £1,361.91, the differences entirely due to the amounts being levied by town councils.

The current Bank of England figure for inflation is 2.2 per cent, which does not include mortgage interest rates.

District council leader Barry Norton said: "From our perspective, the increase is an average £3.56, a 4.9 per cent increase.

"What we ask from our taxpayers is still the second lowest amount for the 238 shire districts in the country.

"No frontline services are being cut, even though the Government is giving us only a one per cent increase in funding and we are having to pay an extra £200,000 a year for our employees' pension scheme."

Nearly one in 10 householders will not be paying the full amount of their council tax because they receive help through benefits, which come out of central Government taxes.

Out of the 44,300 homes in the district registered for council tax, a total of 4,128 get some benefit to help pay the bills.

But the number who are eligible, particularly pensioners and those on low incomes, could be much higher, according to the Citizens' Advice Bureau, which offers free advice on checking and making claims.

Mr Norton urged people to check if they were eligible for help.