PROTESTERS will be welcoming guests at a civic dinner and dance with placards and angry slogans.

Residents of Trowbridge are planning to turn up outside the town's civic hall at the council's annual dinner and dance next Friday to protest at the rise in their council tax bills. Campaigner Ray Horan said: "It is not protesting at the dinner it is protesting at the council tax. We want them to know people are very angry at what has happened and we don't want this to go away."

The angry taxpayers plan to hold a silent protest as civic dignitaries from around the county arrive at the dinner, which will raise funds for this year's mayoral charities, Carers Support West Wilts and The Monday/Wednesday Club for disabled people.

Trowbridge Town Council agreed a one-off rise in the council tax precept for next year of 48 per cent to part-fund the refurbishment of the town hall. The council voted 13-7 in favour of the rise after a public outcry forced it to rethink an original rise of 87 per cent.

This means a bill for the average band D property of £136.07 for the town council part of the tax, a rise of £44.22 a year, or 85p a week. The town council hopes to take over the town hall, which formerly housed the magistrates' court, from current owners, Wiltshire County Council, for a nominal fee of £1.

Initial surveys indicate bringing the hall back into use, possibly housing offices for the council, along with a register office, function room and tourist information centre, would cost £3 million.

The council had hoped to bring in £750,000 of that through the council tax, with the rest being raised through grants. The reduced rise means only £375,000 will be raised through tax, leaving the council to find the remaining £2.6m.

The issue has split the council, with those opposed to the rise arguing the council does not have the right to authorise such a massive increase against the wishes of the majority of the electorate. The council has not yet secured any other funding for the project and, it emerged last week, a report produced by the county council states gaining a full grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the main source in the picture, is unlikely.

Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday Cllr Jeff Osborn said: "We have taken this money from the town on the terms that we need it in order to proceed with the Heritage Lottery Fund. If we don't get it people are going to want this money back."

The council held a series of open days at the Grade II listed hall early last year and over 500 people filled out questionnaires on its future.

Of those that filled out the forms 29 per cent said they would be willing to pay extra council tax to fund the project, but only four per cent were willing to stretch to £1.50 a week.