The Local Government Association say they have been left no choice because the government have cut their funding.
Council tax in the North East will increase by an average of £86 and £71 in London.
Rachel Gregory from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) told Premier: “Last year we saw a 5.1 per cent rise on average in 2018/19 and then 4.5 per cent this year so it is now reaching quite a pinnacle – the council tax rates that people will be paying in the next financial year.”
She said that the additional money to pay will be a “real concern for many people”.
“Many families across the UK are feeling the pressure of rising food prices and stagnating incomes,” she explained.
“For those on really low incomes, council tax bills are a particular challenge because up to 2013, council tax benefit meant they weren’t required to pay anything and they received 100 per cent benefit.
“But since 2013, it’s been replaced by a new system and low income households now have to pay at least a quarter, if not a bit more of their council tax bill. At CAP, one in two of the people we help have fallen behind with the council tax – it’s one of the top debts that we help people with.”
The rise is the second highest rise in a decade, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) said.
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