COUNCIL taxpayers have been warned to brace themselves for another year of inflation-busting bills and possible cuts in frontline services by Kent council chiefs.

Kent County Council said the Government’s three-year spending plans would leave it needing to save £40million to balance its books next year, raising the prospect of higher council taxes and cuts in services.

Opposition parties rejected the claims and accused the Conservative administration of a "pathetic whinge."

Cllr Paul Carter (Con), KCC leader said: "The outlook looks bleak for local government and council taxpayers. Senior finance officers at the council have indicated that, once again, real savings of £40 million will have to be made to balance the budget next year."

He added: "There is a limit to what we can achieve before front line services are threatened."

Chancellor Alistair Darling said councils would have enough money to limit council tax increases.

"We have provided sufficient resources to ensure that local authorities can keep overall council tax rises substantially below five per cent."

The Government, which provides the bulk of money to councils each year, promised to increase spending by one per cent on top of inflation.

This was the minimum increase councils had called for but council chiefs say new demands to cut red tape and improve services, particularly for the elderly will put them under pressure.

An announcement on how much each council can expect is expected in a few weeks' time.

KCC opposition Labour leader Cllr Mike Eddy said: "It is the usual pathetic whinge we expect from KCC. No matter how much it gets, it is never enough. There have been year-on-year increases on public spending for people in Kent. Even before the Chancellor’s statement, KCC was claiming a £40million black hole."