That works out at a rise of just over 41p per month for a Band D household and was agreed at Full Council on March 5. It means that a Band D household will now pay £169.09 to the council or 9% of the total bill.

East Herts Council is facing increasing budget pressures, due to the reduction in the government grant. This key funding source fell by £2.8m in 2014/15 and will have dropped to zero by the end of this financial year on March 31. The government is also encouraging local authorities to be more financially self-sufficient.

We've made considerable savings in recent years in anticipation of the reduction in our government grant so we find ourselves in a relatively healthy position and so we have been able to avoid a large rise in the council tax.

For more details of how your Council Tax is used, please see our Council Tax Amounts 2019/20 page