A CUTTING budget has been passed to decide spending in Oxfordshire for the next year with adult and children's social care hit the hardest.

Councillors at Oxfordshire County Council approved the budget after hours of discussions at a full council meeting today (Tuesday February 17).

The budget includes £20 million worth of cuts and a council tax increase of 1.99 per cent.

An increase in members' allowances was voted through, at a cost of £160,000. The 63 councillors will be entitled to claim £10,000, up from £8,376.

The leader of the council would be entitled to £29,000, up from £25,131. It is up to the individual members whether they accept the rise.

Conservative leader Ian Hudspeth said: "I suspect this is a budget that no group would really want to put through as it's a cutting budget."

He said the increase in council tax, the maximum allowed by the government before a local referendum would need to be held, would allow the council to put money back in to reserves.

According to the council, by 2018 the money received from central government will have reduced by 40 per cent since 2010.

The council began reducing the budget in 2010 and three years later was asked to find another £64 million in savings.

Mr Hudspeth said: "By the end of this year we will have achieved £204 million of savings.

"With the added pressures from adult and children's services this takes the total savings from £265 million to £292 million."

Adult and children's social care accounts for 47 per cent of the budget and cuts are to hit this department the hardest, with a £9 million reduction.

Care for disabled people, children's centres and subsidised transport will also feel the effects of a reduction in spending.

The cost of car parking permits is to rise from £10 to £60 a year.

The position of chief executive at the council is to be scrapped and overall staff levels have been reduced by 30 per cent. It is now yet known what severance pay will be paid though councillors say losing the post will save £250,000.

In total just over half of the council's funds come from council tax and a rise means Band D would stand at £1,232.46.