SOCIAL housing rent is to go up, public toilets are set to close and the price to dig a new grave will cost more than £1,000 if Ashford Borough Council agrees a raft of budget changes for the next financial year.

Senior officers at the authority have described the finances for 2012/13 as "not a budget without risk" in a report due to be discussed at a cabinet meeting.

As ABC bids to balance its books following severe funding cuts by central government, it proposes to increase social housing rent on average by 6.73 per cent in line with the national average.

Public toilets at Bybrook Cemetery, Victoria Park and three automatic cubicles in Ashford town centre are set to go while three facilities in Tenterden and six in rural locations could be closed.

The move comes after finance chiefs at the Civic Centre worked out ABC will have £12,423,230 to spend from April 1 for the following 12 months – £2.3 million less than it had in its 2010/11 budget.

But despite social housing rent going up, there will be some reprieve for Band D households across the borough with ABC planning to freeze council tax for another year.

Around £35,000 is also set to be pumped into the council's reserves in case of problems with delivering saving proposals.

Hardest hit in the budget plans will be those who want to set up new dog breeding establishments and pet shops after the cost of obtaining an initial licence soared by 155 per cent to £511.

New riding centres will also see a similar rise to £511.

At Bybrook and Willesborough cemeteries the fees incurred to dig a new grave at a single depth have risen to more than £1,000 for the first time. The original charge in 2011/12 totalled £971 but if next year's budget is approved the cost will be £1,026.

In spite of heavy cuts, ABC says it hopes to push on with a handful of major projects in and around Ashford.

The £70,000 repair bill to replace a combined heat and power unit at the Tenterden Leisure Centre looks set to be paid while plans to install solar panels on a number of council-owned properties at a cost of £150,000 is set to go ahead.

Other projects include improving public access to council services and information and completing a feasibility study at Conningbrook Lakes.

The impact of cuts to services appears to be less heavy compared to the last two budgets in previous years but in the report to go before cabinet members, the team behind the budget, led by deputy chief executive Paul Naylor, warns there are risks.

It reads: "This is not a budget without risk, indeed in the current economic climate there are some upside risks but these should be manageable.

"The council's reserves are reasonably healthy and provide the means to cushion unexpected shocks."

Portfolio holder for core services Councillor Robert Taylor added: "Members and officers have worked well together to achieve a strong, balanced budget for 2012/13, especially given the financial constraints.

"There are several real challenges in the next year or two but this budget lays a firm foundation on which to tackle them.

"It also offers a positive financial future for us for the first time for some years and is a good outcome for residents and taxpayers."

After the meeting, on Thursday night, the budget is due to be adopted by full council in the coming weeks.