The average homeowner in Sussex will be asked to pay more than £1,000 in council tax for the first time as councils across the county levy big rises.

From April 1, most people will pay about 20 per cent more than before.

People living in an average Band D property will pay an average of £1,128 for basic services such as the fire brigade, police force, education and rubbish collecting.

Councillors have blamed the hikes on a lack of money from central Government. They say they are receiving less but are expected to put more money into more services.

This has been rejected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has responsibility for local authorities.

A spokesman for John Prescott's department said the money councils received had gone up by a quarter in real terms since 1997.

He called some of the increases "unjustified".

East Sussex County Council has announced the highest increase, 19.6 per cent.

Deputy leader Daphne Bagshawe said the Government was misleading the public by saying funding was adequate.

She said: "Wages in the public sector are running well above inflation, we have massive national insurance contributions and the bill for waste disposal is getting far bigger and we do not get a scrap of extra funding for that.

"Ministers are constantly giving us extra duties they do not fund and they are quite deliberately misleading the public that above-inflation increases are all a county council needs."

Her complaints fell on deaf ears at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The spokesman said: "Our argument is we are not reducing the money but actually increasing it.

"Since 1997 the grant to local authorities has gone up in real terms by 25 per cent.

"In the four years previous to that there was a seven per cent cut."

He admitted councils were being asked to do a lot but said the Government was giving them enough money.

He said: "They are being asked to do more but the budgets take that into account.

"The effect of extra national insurance contributions for all employers in April will cost local authorities approximately £230 million but we are giving them almost £4 billion extra.

"There is an element of some councils not managing finances properly.

"When you look at the picture for the whole country some councils are having a four per cent rise while others are going up 45 per cent.

"Some of these increases are unjustified and we will be asking councils why they are making them."

Residents of Brighton and Hove will enjoy the lowest increase in council tax, although it is still 16.4 per cent.

City council leader Ken Bodfish said: "We have been prudent with saving as well as making significant increases of expenditure on things such as education and social services.

"Our budget reflects what people need but is also realistic to what people can pay. It is sensible management.

"Some local authorities have taken the opportunity to blame the Government to excuse their own lack of financial thought.

"They have not looked at their expenditure and have just hiked up the tax and blamed the Government."

Out of district and borough councils in Sussex, Eastbourne Borough has announced the highest percentage increase.

Leader Beryl Healy blamed the majority of the rise on a new cleaning contract.

She said: "The one we had before was under priced so we knew it had to be a big increase.

"We also had no option but to increase the money spent on recycling as it was grossly under what the Government expected.

"We are trying to get this message out to taxpayers. We still have the second lowest tax in Sussex."

Find out exactly what you'll have to pay in our local information section.