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Council tax to rise
HOUSEHOLDS in England will see their bills rise on April 1 as most cashstrapped local authorities announce plans to hike council tax to the maximum level to plug black holes in their finances, according to a news source.
Average council tax bills will exceed £2,000 in April with households facing a £99 hike to annual bills.
The average Band D council tax set by local au thorities in England for 2023 24 will be £2,065 a rise of £99 or 5.1 per cent on the 2022 23 figure of £1,966, according to government figures.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt allowed cashstrapped local authorities to increase council tax by up to 5 per cent without calling a referendum in the Autumn Statement to plug holes in their finances. Previously, town, city and county halls could only in crease bills by 3 per cent without a referendum.
Average council tax bills for Band D properties are already around £1,966 a rise of more than £500 a year since 2010.
Three struggling councils have been given special permission by the government to impose higher rises up to 10 per cent for Thurrock and Slough, and an eyewatering 15 per cent for Croydon.
Betty Henderson
THE President of France embraced Olivier Dubois in an emotional scene on Tuesday, March 22 as the journalist arrived back from Mali where he was held hostage. Dubois arrived back at Villacoublay military base after being held for 711 days by an AlQaeda affiliated group.
Dubois arrived on a French official Falcon
