THREE local authorities have announced their part of County Durham's council tax bill and all claim they have kept rises to a minimum.

At Durham City Council, a spokesman confirmed that the proposed increase would be 2.75 per cent - which will mean residents of Band D properties will be faced with a £4.75 a year increase in the part of the bill set by the local authority, a total of £1,271.76.

Councillor Carole Woods, of the ruling Lib Dems group, said the figure had been reached after consultation with all householders in the city council's area. Nine hundred people responded to the consultation, which asked residents to say what services were important.

At Easington District Council, there is a proposed increase of 2.9 per cent, which will mean residents in Band D properties pay an extra £4.68 a year -or £1,259.19 excluding parish precepts.

But with eight out of ten residents in Band A, the increase for most people will be just over £3 a year.

The leader of the Labour-dominated authority, Councillor Alan Napier, said: "We have all worked hard to stabilise the budget, and this is the third successive year we have held the increase at or below three per cent."

In the Chester-le-Street District Council area, there will be a larger rise of 4.4 per cent, which represents an increase of £6.81 a year on a Band D property for the local authority part of the bill - or £1,271.76 a year excluding parish precepts.

Councillor Linda Ebbatson, leader of the Labour-ruled council, said: "Our whole budget process has been a prudent one, which has set foundations for sounder long-term planning and long-term use of increasingly scarce resources.''