People living in Mid Suffolk will now pay about 5p a week more in their council tax bills.

The increase was approved at a full council meeting, where representatives of the district voted in favour of the budget for 2015/16.

As part of the budget, residents in a Band D property will pay an extra 5p a week on their council tax bills – equating to an increase of 1.7%.

An increase of 2.8% in council house and garage rents was also approved, equating to an average increase of £2.30 a week.

There is also no change to the council tax reduction scheme for eligible residents, who only pay 5% of their bill. The discount is based on areas including needs income and savings. Derrick Haley, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said increasing council tax was a “tough financial” decision, but was needed to meet the challenges of the future.

He added: “While we are mindful of not increasing the burden of residents and businesses, we have to be aware core funding from government is decreasing, and in order to protect the services our communities most need, increases have to be made.

“The savings already made, through our integration with Babergh and our single-staffing structure, means we are constantly aiming to achieve more with less. We are also constantly exploring alternative ways of income generation to ensure future financial sustainability while protecting services important to everyone in this district.”