THE leader of Christchurch Council has blamed the rise in this year's borough council tax firmly upon the government's concessionary bus travel scheme.

Speaking at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday, Cllr Alan Griffiths said the above inflation rise in council tax was caused by efforts to meet funding needs for the over-60s travel scheme, which is due to be extended even further in April.

He added that pensioners using the free scheme do not realise how much the borough's tax-payers are having to fork out, due to severe under-funding from central government.

According to Cllr Griffiths, £20 from the 2007/08 borough tax demand of £156.18 for a Band D property, went to fund the travel scheme, which currently allows anyone over 60 to travel free on bus services which stop in Christchurch.

He said: "It is entirely unfair and wrong. The Government has stolen £20 out of their (tax-payers) pockets in the council tax.

"This year council tax could have been reduced by 7 per cent if it was not for concessionary travel costs."

Cllr Griffiths was supported by Cllr Mike Duckworth, head of the resources committee, who branded the current arrangements for funding as "totally unsatisfactory."

In reporting this year's budget to the council, he said: "I must acknowledge that this is an above inflation rise which members, particularly those on fixed pensions, will appreciate is difficult to afford for a large number of our residents.

"The blame must be laid fairly and squarely at the feet of this Government, that not only requires us to undertake additional tasks without adequate funding, for example Concessionary Travel but also persists in the well documented and politically motivated unfairness in directing increased funding to its supporters in the North to the detriment of the South."

He added: "It remains the ambition of this Council to revert to inflation only increases as soon as it becomes reasonably practical. Realistically, however, this may not be achieved until there is a change of Government."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "In April 2006 the minimum statutory entitlement was improved from half-fare to free off-peak bus travel within local authority areas. £350m in 2006-7 and £367.5m for 2007-8, was provided to fund the extra costs to local authorities.

"The Government is confident this was sufficient in total for the improvement to statutory concessionary fares."