PUBLIC services in Wrexham are to receive a funding increase from the Welsh Assembly.

The council will receive £130.9m to fund schools, roads and personal social services in the revenue support grant for 2005-6.

The increased settlement is 3.5% more than last year and is the equivalent of £1,009 for every man, woman and child living in the County Borough.

The money will finance extra support to schools, allowing teachers to spend more time in classrooms and provide increases in social care for older people in their homes and communities.

In addition, the council is set to receive a further £1.2m as a reward for the performance targets it has agreed with the Assembly Government.

There is also £300,000 being invested into tackling problems of deprivation in the poorer areas of the County Borough.

Karen Sinclair AM said: 'This is good news for people living in Wrexham. This ensures our community has the funding in place to ensure the continued improvement of public services in the area.

'I have asked all councils to act reasonably in setting its budget with its council tax payers in mind.

'There are efficiency gains that the council can make an order to develop their services and I am taking particular steps to work with the council to reduce the administrative requirements placed on them.

'If the council works within this reasonable limit it is estimated that there need be little change in council tax for households that stay within the same band and the effect of a band movement in most cases would be moderate.

'I recognise the particular difficulty for those people on a low fixed income. I am particularly concerned that two out of every three elderly people who are eligible for council tax benefit are not claiming it.

'I want to work with Wrexham Council and the local media to make it as easy as possible for people to receive this right to have their council tax burden reduced or eliminated.'

The Assembly Government has also already awarded Wrexham Council approximately £6.5m in grants for specified purposes including learning disability strategies, extra support for care, education and health of young children, sustainable waste management and community regeneration.

Further specific grants will be announced in the near future.