HEREFORDSHIRE households’ council tax bills from next month have been set after councillors unanimously backed across-the-board rises, that will see a typical Band D household pay nearly £100 more.

They had agreed last month that the main chunk of council tax, which goes to the county council, would rise by the maximum 4.99 per cent, or £89.15 for a typical band D property.

But the final amount county householders - who include people living just over the border from Abergavenny and Monmouth in the likes of Pontrilas, Ewyas Harold, Garway, Welsh Newton and Llangrove – will be charged will also includes precepts, funding services provided by parish and town councils and by police and fire services.

These were passed at a full meeting of councillors this morning (March 8), with no dissenting voices.

The Office of the PCC for West Mercia had set its increase at 4.91% across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, putting its precept at £277.50 for band D.

Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority had meanwhile set an increase of 2.99%, to £97.22 at band D.

Across Herefordshire a typical band D property will pay £1,954.79 for 2024/25, or £162.90 a month, including an average annual parish precept of £79.03.

But the approved local precepts vary across the county, from just £2.22 for the Aconbury “parish meeting” south of Hereford, to £190.25 in Leominster, up 4.7 per cent.

Hereford city earlier voted to hold its precept at £56.86, and 50 of the county’s 140 parishes will cut theirs.

A much bigger factor in how much you pay is the valuation band of your property.

For Hereford, this can range from £1,288.42 plus police and fire precepts for band A (valued at under £40,000 in 1991), to £1,932.62 for the “typical” band D, up to £3,865.24 for a band H property.

The final bill represents a rise of 4.8% for a typical Band D bill on 2023/24, up £90.12 from £1,862.50, which was in itself a rise of £87 on the previous year.

The largest bill in the county will be for a band H house in Leominster, which will pay £4,132.02 plus emergency service precepts.