COUNCIL tax payers in Preston should be in for a reduction of around £4.50 to this year's bills - bringing the average Band D tax down to £144.85.

The move comes after the council managed to collect more from tax payers than expected last year.

Its success has saved the council from having to increase the tax, which would otherwise have been the case since its Revenue Support Grant from the government has been cut.

Last year £26.5 million was collected from people in the borough, 85 per cent of which went towards paying for services provided by the county council.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.