COUNCIL Tax bills are likely to rise by just under three per cent across Huntingdonshire from April, bringing some Huntingdonshire bills above �3,000 for the first time. The precise increase will depend on where people live, with town and parish councils

COUNCIL Tax bills are likely to rise by just under three per cent across Huntingdonshire from April, bringing some Huntingdonshire bills above �3,000 for the first time.

The precise increase will depend on where people live, with town and parish councils allowed to set their precepts at whatever level they choose.

The lion's share of Council Tax funds Cambridgeshire County Council, where bills are likely to go up by three per cent, as are precepts for the police and fire authorities.

Huntingdonshire District Council - which accounts for less than 10 per cent of non-parish Council Tax bills - is expected to recommend a rise of just under 2.5 per cent for 2010/11.

Last year's parish precepts varied from nothing for tiny parishes without their own parish councils to Bluntisham, which charged nearly as much as HDC. The east Huntingdonshire village's bill is overwhelmingly to pay for its new village hall. Although historically high, Bluntisham's precept was frozen last year and the previous year and will remain unchanged for the coming year.

Huntingdon Town Council is planning a rise of 4.9 per cent, half last year's increase, St Ives will levy 7.86 per cent more to help fund a variety of projects, but in St Neots a four per cent cut is planned.

The increases mean a few homes in the district will see �3,000-plus bills landing on their doorsteps in April. But it is only the handful of Band H properties in Bluntisham that will cross that threshold. The average Council Tax bill will be less than half of that.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has not yet produced a recommendation for next year's precept, though the current rate is even lower than HDC's.

Final decisions will be taken at council meetings later this month.