COUNCIL tax in North Yorkshire will rise by 9.75pc in April - but councillors have pledged not to cut services.

The increase means an average Band D property will pay an extra £1.25 a week in council tax, up from £667.74 to £732.85 a year.

County council leader Coun John Weighell said: "We have worked hard to get a budget increase below 10pc and this will still leave the county council's tax well below the average for the English shire counties."

The rise will also boost funding for some departments. "We need to increase spending in a number of key areas," said Coun Weighell. "For example, the national funding crisis in social services has led us to write off an accumulated deficit of more than £4m in our own social services directorate and to allocate an extra £2.2m, principally to care for more children in need and for more adults with disabilities."

The council will also invest an extra £1m in its environment budget to cover the cost of winter gritting. An extra £500,000 will be spent on road repairs, and a £300,000 top-up is promised for libraries.

Further cash for education was also outlined. "We are putting an extra £1.9m into the standards fund to compensate for a Government reduction in support for literacy and numeracy, and to boost investment in new technology in schools," said Coun Weighell.

"We are also providing an additional £1.4m to make good for future years the loss to the county council involved in the transfer of sixth form funding to the Learning and Skills Council, and an extra £600,000 to meet new national requirements for early years and pupils with behaviour problems."

The social services department is pressing for more cash from the Government to support vulnerable groups.

A national survey carried out by the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Social Services, published this week, says social care services are "in serious jeopardy unless substantial, immediate and long-term financial investment is made".

Coun Shelagh Marshall, executive member for social services in North Yorkshire, said: "I share the view that local authorities are fighting the battle on behalf of vulnerable people with one arm tied behind their backs.

"The demand and need for care in North Yorkshire is outstripping our capacity to provide vital services. This survey clearly shows that the Government needs to complement the investment in the National Health Service with investment into social care.

"Local government is committed to providing high quality services for children, elderly people and people with disabilities. These services are in serious jeopardy unless substantial, immediate and long-term financial investment is made in social services."

The department already has an overspend of £1.2m, 2pc above the budgets set by County Hall last April. More than 40pc of this goes on children's services, with residential care taking the biggest slice.

A further 44pc goes on older people and the remaining 15pc on learning disability services.