COUNCIL tax bills in Derwentside are expected to rise by nearly £35 after the district council set its budget for the coming year.

Bills across the district will increase by 3.9 per cent in the coming financial year and with 70 per cent of the district's properties falling into Band A, most households will have to find an extra £33.59 during the next year.

The bulk of the increase is due to a 4.6 per cent rise in the amount paid to Durham County Council after Derwentside District Council voted to increase its element of the bill by 2.5 per cent.

District council leader Alex Watson pledged that the council would keep future increases in line with inflation for the next three years.

He said: "We obviously believe that it is affordable. We have already, for the next three years, factored in a tax increase of no more than 2.5 per cent - we are giving that commitment.

"Council tax is a big issue and people have no choice but to accept it - and they don't like that.

"Pensioners find it hard to understand when their own pension increase is 2.8 per cent. Anything above that increase they feel is not justified."

As well as paying for the work of the two councils, part of the bill goes to Durham Constabulary, which increased its precept by 4.9 per cent, and Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, which lowered its precept by 1.1 per cent.

Derwentside District Council expects to bring in £13.6m - £6.45m in council tax and £7.1m in Government grants.

Its main commitments are environmental services such as street cleaning, refuse collections, grass-cutting and recycling, which cost the council £4.5m annually. The council is also responsible for leisure such as sports centres, swimming pools, football pitches and theatres, costing £4.1m.

Councillor Watson said that despite keeping the rise at 2.5 per cent the council was still planning for growth and would invest further in recycling.

He said: "We intend to introduce a green waste collection service for grass-cuttings and hedge trimmings for selected areas during the spring and summer.

"We are also introducing a collection service for paper and cardboard for schools and offices from April."

The council will also be funding the installation of smoke alarms for the hard of hearing.