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“But since 2013, it’s been replaced by a new system and low income households now have to pay at least a quarter, if not a bit more of their council tax bill.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.

The Local Government…

Julia Jaegar, who left the force and is now a voluntary police chaplain with Surrey Police, told Premier: “We have seen police number cuts since 2010.

“We seem to have become a much more violent society. Many more people are carrying knifes or weapons, which they never used to do.

“They think other people are carrying a weapon, therefore they will.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick echoed that sentiment on Tuesday and acknowledged a link between violent crime and officer numbers – contradicting Theresa May.

The comments come after two 17-year-olds were killed in separate stabbings in London and Greater Manchester at the weekend.

Jaegar said she did agree with Mrs May wanting to tackle the root cause of rising violence.

She told Premier’s News Hour: “We seem to have become a much more violent society.

“Many more people are carrying knifes or weapons, which they never used to do. They think other people are carrying a weapon, therefore they will.

“We have much more violent computer games so young people are exposed to violence from an early age.”

While she said she didn’t know the solution, she stressed the importance of government, families and schools working together to help counter violence.

“I also think as a Christian, successive governments and councils have taken RE out of the school syllabus so…

The 35-year-old solicitor was expelled from the Labour Party after being found guilty in December last year.

She was jailed for three months at the Old Bailey in January and was released from prison after serving one month behind bars.

Representing herself at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Onasanya told the court: “The charge against me was perverting the course of justice.

“I said from the outset, and I still maintain my innocence, that I did not do that.”

But she was refused permission for a full appeal by three leading judges.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were told that she colluded with her brother Festus after her car was clocked speeding at 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017.

She was sent a notice of intended prosecution to fill out, but it was sent back naming the guilty driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of her brother, who was away visiting his parents in Russia.

Festus Onasanya, 34, from Cambridge, was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including the July 24 incident.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

Tell us what you think about our news service, what you want and how Premier fits into your news…

Coventry City, who play in League One, could be forced out of the area or, even worse, become extinct due to a row over where they play their games.

The team currently plays at the Ricoh Arena, owned by rugby club Wasps, but their contract runs out at the end of the season.

Owners of the football club have been told they need to confirm where they intend to play next season by league organisers.

The club has stated their intention is to remain at the stadium but Wasps are currently refusing to renegotiate as Coventry City’s owners are currently involved in legal action with the city council, who previously owned the stadium.

It’s not the first time Coventry City have faced this situation. Back in 2013 they were forced to play games in Northampton.

Following that move, the Dean of Coventry, Very Rev John Witcombe helped mediate a deal which brought the Sky Blues back to the city.

Speaking as the club face a Tuesday deadline, the Cathedral said in statement: “Coventry Cathedral continues to be very concerned for a good outcome to the long running dispute over the position of Coventry City Football Club in its home city.

“We were privileged to be involved in some of the discussions that led to a return to the Ricoh stadium in 2014, and will continue to pray for a swift resolution to this present impasse, for the good of both the club and the city.

“We would encourage all…