Household Bills
90% of local authorities to increase council tax from April
Nine out of 10 local authorities in England are increasing council tax from April, according to a survey by the Press Association.
Residents in some areas will see their bills rise by as much as 5%.
Only 22 out of 353 councils are freezing council tax in 2017/18, while just one – East Hampshire – is cutting the amount.
The figures are a stark contrast to 2012/13 when nine out of 10 authorities froze or cut council tax and just 35 raised it.
This is the first time that certain councils have been able to add 3% to bills for social care – last year the maximum was 2%.
The survey found that of the 152 local authorities able to raise bills by up to an extra 3% to fund social care, more than two thirds are implementing the full amount.
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A total of 73 of these councils are also raising basic council tax by a maximum of 1.99%, making a total increase of 4.99%.
Breckland council in Norfolk reported the highest percentage rise (6.6%), but said it had the lowest level of tax in England.