A COUNCIL tax rise of 3.5% has today been revealed by Forest Heath District Council for the coming financial year.

Laurence Cawley

A COUNCIL tax rise of 3.5% has today been revealed by Forest Heath District Council for the coming financial year.

The proposed increase will mean those living in a Band D property will pay �133.46 to the council, which is the lowest amount of all the district councils in Suffolk.

Council leader Geoffrey Jaggard said: "The current recession has hit Forest Heath District Council and we face the long term loss of over �1 million from falling interest rates plus loss of income from our planning and building control services.

“However, because Forest Heath District Council has always practiced good financial management, we are able to set a Council Tax lower than last year and significantly lower than the government's ceiling of 4.99%.”

Of all the council tax collected by Forest Heath District Council less than 10% is kept by the authority. Most of the money goes to Suffolk County Council and the county's Police Authority.