ANGRY council taxpayers are facing another year of big increases, despite Government promises to give the North-East a better deal.

Local councils are due to announce their final council tax rises over the next few weeks.

A survey by The Northern Echo has shown that all but a handful are likely to levy increases more than double the rate of inflation.

And many families are looking at a double digit rise.

In North Yorkshire, householders are looking at a 9.5 per cent rise which would add £69 to the bill for a Band D property, taking it to £802.

Durham County Council revealed that it is struggling to keep the increase into single figures.

The authority last year levied the biggest increase of any shire county - 14.8 per cent - but still hoped its pleas for help would result in a larger Government handout this time around.

Instead, it received only a 6.6 per cent rise - the 25th worst settlement out of all 34 English shire counties.

Council leader Ken Manton said: "The review of local government financing conducted last year hasn't delivered the improvements that we were led to believe it would."

Middlesbrough taxpayers have been told to brace themselves for a 15 per cent jump in bills, in Newcastle the rise is likely to be 9.9 per cent and in Sunderland, seven per cent.

Only Redcar and Cleveland tax payers are likely to escape the swinging rises although Darlington has yet to decide on its increase.

The Government last night rejected the criticism.

A spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "Durham County Council received an increase of £21.5m in its 2003-4 provisional settlement.

"This represents a good increase in funding - well above inflation - and there is no reason why councils cannot continue to improve services while sticking to reasonable council tax increases.

"This year's provisional settlement is based on a fairer formula, which better reflects today's pressures on local authorities."