Council tax could rise by almost five per cent this year, a document has revealed.

In a meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council later this week, councillors will discuss plans to increase the tax by 4.99 per cent, which would mean some households forced to pay an extra £179 a year amid a cost-of-living crisis.

The proposed hike, which includes a two per cent increase allocated for adult social care, is estimated to generate £173.289 million in the next financial year.

Conservative finance spokesman Alistair McNair slammed the move and said: “Brighton and Hove has some of the highest taxes, permits, fees and charges in the country.

“Labour and the Greens will always increase taxes, permits and charges when given the chance - last budget, they increased taxes by almost three per cent.

“As a result of their failure to stop the waste, residents are paying more for fewer services. At a time of rising cost of living, we need the council to step up and get better value for money.

“We will cut the waste and end the Labour and Green tax increases that are hitting families in the pocket.”

How much might you pay for council tax next year?

Based on the current plans, this is how much each band will pay in council tax for 2023/24.

  • Band A - £1,255.73 (up £59.71)
  • Band B - £1,465.01 (up £69.65)
  • Band C - £1,674.30 (up £79.61)
  • Band D - £1,883.59 (up £89.56)
  • Band E - £2,302.17 (up £109.47)
  • Band F - £2,720.74 (up £129.36)
  • Band G - £3,139.32 (up £149.27)
  • Band H - £3,767.18 (up £179.12)

It comes as the council prepare to discuss plans to cut the city’s public toilet budget by around a third, with 18 sites set to be closed from April 1.

The city council faces a projected multi-million budget shortfall for the year ahead, with warnings from council leaders that "difficult decisions" will need to be made to services.

Councillors will discuss the proposed increase in council tax at a meeting of the policy and resources committee on Thursday.

A council spokesman said: "It is incredibly upsetting that we are having to consider such a wide range of potential budget savings this year, but the council is facing a funding shortfall of more than £20 million for next year.

"This has seen our overall funding reduce by more than £100 million in real terms.

"Council tax provides for only around £1 in every £5 we spend on delivering 700 city services.

"We are therefore looking to increase council tax by the maximum allowed by the government.

"We have a legal duty to set a balanced budget. This means we have no alternative but to reduce some of the 700 services we provide in order to protect the most vital ones.

"Given our very difficult financial situation, every part of the council has been told to look at their service areas and identify potential savings.

"We will be debating and quite possibly amending our proposed savings measures at a number of committee meetings leading up to our budget-setting full council meeting on 23 February.

"We will be interested to hear what other proposals may help us balance the books, but any proposals aimed at protecting a specific service would need to clarify which other services should be cut instead."