Council tax payers across the district face a 5.5 per cent increase in their bills for 2002-3, if councillors agree the new rate tomorrow.

It includes a 24.5 per cent rise in the precept for West Yorkshire Police, which takes into account the millions of pounds the force must pay for the costs of Bradford's riots and to recruit an extra 420 officers, and a ten per cent increase levied by West Yorkshire Fire Service.

The Council is proposing to increase its slice of the bill by 3.9 per cent.

The overall rise would increase the average Band D property valued at £68,001 to £88,000 by £48.39 a year to £930.64.

But Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said they had managed to keep the Council's share of the bill to one of the lowest in Britain.

She added that at the same time, the Council had managed to allocate £4.2 million to services it wanted to expand.

The Council's executive committee yesterday approved the budget proposals put forward by Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors.

But it sparked opposition from Labour group members whose alternative budget called for more education spending.

Labour group leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said they would press for more cash for schools at tomorrow's Council meeting which would be asked to approve the committee's recommendations.

The committee approved a budget which included an extra £1.3 million for education, on top of an extra £3 million already allocated for next year.

It would meet a £1 million overspend in the special educational needs budget and write off the £4.3 million cost of teachers not absorbed in schools as a result of the reorganisation.

It is the first budget to be drawn up after district-wide consultation into how the public would like their money spent.

The Tory/Lib-Dem budget - if approved by the full Council - makes efficiency savings of £2 million.

But Labour is determined to get a total of £5.6 million for education, plus the pay off of overspends.

l Calderdale Council's Cabinet Committee has voted for a 4.8 per cent increase in council tax which will give an overall rise of 6.26 per cent when police and fire precepts are added. The recommendation will be put to a Council meeting on Friday.