At last night’s Cabinet meeting Conservative Councillors welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement offering a council tax grant that equates to an average 2.5% Council tax increase provided that Reading’s Labour administration choose to freeze Council Tax. George Osborne’s offer is to help families and pensioners struggling with the daily cost of living.The plans will cost the Treasury £800m and save the average family £72 a year. Cllr David Stevens ( the Conservative Group’s spokesman on finance ) says, “We recognise that next year's budget will be very difficult but if the minority Labour administration confirm that they will accept the chancellor's offer and so freeze Council Tax, we will support the budget. These are tough times for Reading residents so we support freezing council tax and want hard pressed families to know they won’t be forced to find even more money to pay their Council Tax bill next year. We hope that Reading’s Labour council will not revel in politically motivated and cynical cuts to frontline services. “