Outrage greeted the passing of County Hall’s budget this morning, with council tax increased for the first time in more than five years.

The average band D council taxpayer will have to pay 43 pence extra a week, which equates to a rise of £22.26 a year.

The 1.99 per cent council tax rise is the first increase Hertfordshire County Council has made in five years.

The authority said it is necessary to plug a gap in its budget, with the added cash to be used to fund future investment.

The Lib Dems and Labour groups opposed the inflation-busting tax hike, and presented separate amendments.

Neither gained approval, but leading opposition councillors made their feelings known.

Councillor Derrick Ashley, cabinet member for resources at the county council, said: “We haven’t asked residents to pay a penny more council tax since 2009 because we know that many have struggled following the recession.

“However, with the economy showing signs of sustained recovery, we believe it’s time to ask for a modest increase in the amount residents pay to help prepare for the looming gap in funding we face over the next few years.

"Increasing pressures on our essential statutory services mean we must act to protect them; for example, we have more older people requiring care.

“If we want to continue to provide these services without seeing reductions in the amount of money we have to spend elsewhere – for example to invest in Hertfordshire’s infrastructure – it’s vital we look to the future and act prudently.”

The council said it made the decision in the face of a deficit which will rise to £66m by 2017/18, having axed £172m from its annual budget since 2010.

The savings include reducing staff numbers, cutting £2m from libraries and controversial plans to axe many subsidised bus services. The bus proposals are currently out to consultation.

As part of the failed Labour scheme, libraries would have been protected from the axe, as would buses, and full night lighting would have been re-introduced in the county.

The Lib Dems also want to see library cuts reversed, night lighting reversed on a discretional basis and a renewed commitment to the living wage for staff and contractors.

Chris White, who represents St Albans Central for the Lib Dems, said the group were "outraged". He said: "The budget this year could have balanced without a council tax increase - as our amendments, costed by council officers, showed.

"The council will lose substantial government grant so the amounts raised will amount to very little - except to those who have to pay the increase after many years without a pay rise.

"The Conservatives and Labour groups also opposed our proposals to reverse the cuts in buses and the abolition of the mobile library service."

Councillor Ashley added: “In taking this decision, we've listened to residents who have told us they're prepared to see a small increase in council tax to protect these services.

“The rise is equivalent to an average 43 pence per week for a band D household and will help us to continue to provide essential services – from social care and education to fire and rescue and maintenance of the county’s 3,000 miles of road.

“We are always looking for ways to get the best value for money for residents and we will carry on finding innovative ways to be more efficient.”

The budget was passed 44 for and 28 against.