Waltham Forest town hall will be forced to carry on making "deep cuts" to services despite plans to raise council taxes this year.

Councillors will consider increasing council tax by 1.99 per cent at their annual budget meeting on Thursday (March 2).

Council Leader Chris Robbins said the proposed hike is in reaction to ongoing cuts from central Government affecting town halls up and down the country.

He added: “If we are to meet the Government’s target of being self-funded by 2020, more difficult decisions lie ahead.

"However, we remain committed, as we have been throughout this process, to safeguarding the services that you have told us matter most to you and your family."

The Local Government Association (LGA) says councils are being pushed "perilously close to the financial edge" and most will have to continue to divert funds into social care services "at breaking point".

With a lack of central funding for the growing adults social care bill, an additional element of the tax charge called the adult social care precept, will see the council propose a further 3 per cent rise.

Despite this being the maximum allowed, the council is telling the Government it is nowhere near enough to pay for the growing cost of social care in Waltham Forest.

For residents, once the GLA precept has also been taken into account, this would equate to a proposed overall council tax rise of 4.33%.

For an average household living in a Band D property this would mean an extra £1.23 per week.

The extra cash must be spent on social care, however the LGA warned that the money will be "swallowed up" by the burden on councils paying the National Living Wage.

The continued shortfall, estimated to hit £2.6 billion by 2020, means other services like bin collections, running children's centres and libraries, filling potholes and maintaining parks will miss out.

The LGA has urged the Government to provide the extra funding for social care when it comes to the Commons with its final Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.

The LGA’s Tory chairman, Lord Porter said: "Services supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities are at breaking point and many councils are increasingly unable to turn down the chance to raise desperately-needed money for social care and other local services next year.

"But extra council tax income will not bring in anywhere near enough money to alleviate the growing pressure on social care both now and in the future and the social care precept raises different amounts of money in different parts of the country.

"Social care faces a funding gap of at least £2.6 billion by 2020. It cannot be left to council taxpayers alone to try and fix this crisis.

"Without genuinely new additional Government funding for social care, vulnerable people face an ever uncertain future where they might no longer receive the dignified care and support they deserve.

"This is not only worse for our loved ones but will also heap further pressure and wasted expense on the NHS."

The Government has said it will prop up services with a £240 million adult social care grant, but the LGA argues this is simply repackaging funding originally earmarked for house building.

"All councils are being pushed perilously close to the financial edge after years of funding reductions," Lord Porter said.

"Two thirds will be forced to find millions of pounds more in savings than they were expecting next year following cuts to the New Homes Bonus.

"Councils need government to reverse these New Homes Bonus cuts next year and find genuinely new money to fund social care."