Two out of every five pounds spent by Herefordshire Council now goes on providing social services for older people and vulnerable children and adults.
This is now the biggest area of net expenditure for the council, which also devotes 23 per cent to environmental services like waste collection and recycling, street cleansing and planning; 14 per cent to education; 12 per cent on highways and transportation and 5 per cent on housing needs and homelessness. One per cent of the council's net expenditure goes on central services.
The figures are included in a new easy-to-read summary of the council's financial accounts, which has been issued to give residents an insight into where the money for local services comes from and where it is spent. The pocket-sized leaflet can be picked up from council offices, Info shops and libraries across the county, and is available on the council's web site.
During the 2006/07 financial year, 22 per cent of the council's revenue income was provided through council tax and 12 per cent from business rates. Over half of the money comes from government grants and further smaller sums from fees and charges.
Councillor Harry Bramer, cabinet member for finance, said: "Herefordshire Council maintains one of the very lowest council tax rates of any unitary council in the country, and we receive a much lower than average government grant per head of the population.
"Yet Herefordshire is under enormous pressure to meet the needs of a rapidly growing older population, which naturally need specific care services, which are expensive. There is the further challenge of making funds stretch across a large predominantly rural and sparsely populated area, where services are also more expensive to provide due to high transport costs".