There were accusations from both sides of the political divide last night that Sheerness residents had been 'hoodwinked' over how much having a town council would cost residents.

The new authority is to be set up next year, with the first elections being held in May.

Swale councillors were yesterday tasked with deciding the level of increase in council tax bills to pay for it and were recommended to set the fee at £50 for Band D households.

Labour group leader on Swale Cllr Roger Truelove made a passionate case for setting a lower figure of £20.

"Our view is a lot of people in Sheerness are going to find this a serious hardship if we agree £50," he said.

He questioned why a draft budget included £36,000 for employment costs, £33,000 running costs and £16,000 reserves.

The majority of the extra council tax fee was for bureaucracy, he said, which was not what residents thought they were voting for.

"This is a day of reckoning," he added. "People in Sheerness will wake up and many will say 'We have been hoodwinked'."

Cllr Cameron Beart (Con) responded: "I seem to recall that the Town Team proposing this was quite clear and said it would probably cost £50 a year.

"A Labour leaflet said it would cost £84 a year, so who was hoodwinked?"

Cllr Gerry Lewin (Con) said he was proud that Swale had voted for the town council to exist.

He also stressed that less than 100 households out of 2,700 in Sheerness would pay £50, as the majority were in Bands A, B or C, so would be charged less.

"We're setting up this council to succeed, not fail," he said.

The £50 council tax charge was agreed by 21 votes to six, with two members abstaining.

It will be paid in addition to the other fees set by Kent County Council, Swale Council, the police and the fire service.