Great Dunmow Town Council is expected to increase its portion of Council Tax for 2014-15, with ­residents paying an extra £2.47 a year.

At a meeting last Thursday, councillors agreed to a precept of £435,999, which will be put towards looking after CCTV, play areas and facilities such as the Dourdan Pavilion, for example.

And help was given to the town with a grant of £44,501 from Uttlesford District Council, ­payable because of new Local Council Tax Support discounts reducing the number of households which pay full Council Tax.

The increase means Band D properties will be paying an extra 1.99 per cent this year for town council services, bringing its portion to £126.86.

But not all councillors voted in favour of the proposal, with Cllr Trudi Hughes and Cllr Milan Milovanovic abstaining.

Cllr Hughes refused to vote because she disagreed with a previous decision to spend £15,000 a year on a green waste collection service for the town.

She asked members to consider reducing what the council paid for the service because “it is a hell of a lot of money”.

Members voted for the proposals, although deputy mayor Jonathan Cadwallader suggested finding more quotations for the green waste collection service next year.

The town council’s share of the bill accounts for only a small percentage of the overall total.

Essex County Council, which takes about 75 per cent, is ­proposing a 1.4 per cent rise, up to £1,102.94 for a Band D property.

And police and crime ­commissioner Nick Alston has proposed an increase of 3.5 per cent for Essex Police, which equates to £5 a year extra.

He said: “I realise that families and ordinary people are ­struggling to make ends meet, and facing their own particular ­financial challenges.

“However, I firmly believe that increasing the portion of council tax to fund policing by just under £5 a year will reduce the risks to the effective delivery of policing services in Essex.”

Meanwhile, Uttlesford District Council plans to cut its Council Tax share by two per cent from April – from £145.95 in 2013-14 down to £143.03 this year – with a spokesman saying the authority could reduce its share as a “direct result of sound financial management, cost efficiencies and an increase of spending power”.

It is understood that Essex County Fire & Rescue Service is set to either freeze or increase its precept by one per cent.

All five organisations are yet to ratify their proposals.