West Oxfordshire District Council is preparing to back down in the face of Government threats over its council tax rise of "little more than a packet of crisps a week".

The council's cabinet voted unanimously not to go ahead with a planned 33 per cent increase, raising the average Band D tax from the current £60 to £80.

After a meeting with local government minister Nick Raynsford, who pledged to cap them, the recommendation now going forward to next Wednesday's full council meeting is a five per cent increase, to £63.

Cabinet leader Barry Norton said: "The message is that we are on his radar screen.

"The Government is in a real fix over council tax rises and is trying to shift the blame on to local authorities like us."