THE Government has been accused of trying to cover up hefty council tax rises by ordering local authorities to issue "misleading" bills.

Authorities have been told by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to calculate their council tax rises by comparing two unrelated figures. Councils have been told to compare the amount of their council tax last year - which included a fire authority precept - with this year's figure - which doesn't.

Fire authorities begin levying their own precepts from this year whereas last year the amount they received was included in the council's overall figure.

Hence, in Darlington, the true council tax rise for this year is 7.9 per cent.

But householders in the borough received a bill telling them the increase is only 1.1. per cent.

This year the charge for the borough council's cheapest Band A property is £621.83. Last year it was £614.82, which included the fire precept.

This year householders will pay an extra £49.49 for the fire precept on top of the council's own charges.

Other unitary and county councils in the region have also included the "misleading" figures on their bills.

Councillor Charles Johnson, from Darlington's Conservative group, said: "There appears to be a deliberate attempt to cover up the tax increase of 7.9 per cent." The town's Tory leader, Councillor Tony Richmond, said: "It gives a misleading impression on the council tax bill. If you look at the small print in the accompanying leaflet it does make reference to the real increase.

"But most people just read the bill and don't bother reading the small print."

Dave Hall, Darlington's assistant director of corporate services, said councils had been instructed by the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister to put the figures on the bills in a certain way.

He said: "It's not a direct comparison but it will have been used by any unitary authority.

"What we are saying is that the 1.1 per cent is not a direct comparison.

"What we have shown on the accompanying leaflet is that on a like for like basis the borough council's council tax has increased by 7.9 per cent.

"We are not hiding the fact that the council tax has gone up by 7.9 per cent. For all that's not popular it's not something we are seeking to hide."

A spokesman for John Prescott's office said councils had been instructed to work out the rises like that because legislation demanded it.

He said: "We put increases on bills every year so it is more transparent for bill payers.

"This year we altered the legislation slightly to allow for the fire precepts to be put on the bills, but it would have been too complicated to work out a like-for-like figure because each council could have worked the increase out differently.

"We are not seeking to mislead people. The reason for quoting the figures like that is given on every council tax bill."