HOUSEHOLDS in Farnham face an inflation-busting 3.46 per cent hike to council tax this April, after Waverley council chiefs signed off the first increase to the borough’s share of the ratepayer’s bill in six years “to protect services and improve the borough’s amenities”.

Waverley Borough Council’s executive committee has agreed to recommend a 1.95 per cent increase in council tax - just below the maximum two per cent hike allowed by central government - at the next meeting of the full council on Tuesday, February 16.

If agreed by councillors, the 1.95 per cent rise would represent a £3.16 increase to the annual tax bill for a nominal Band D home in Farnham, taking Waverley’s share of council tax to £165.06 per annum for the average household.

With the overall council tax bill split between the borough council (10 per cent), Surrey County Council (74 per cent), Surrey Police (13 per cent) and town/parish councils (three per cent), Waverley’s increase adds to the:

• 3.87 per cent increase (£2.23 per annum for a Band D home) agreed by Farnham Town Council.,

• 1.99 per cent rise (£4.30 per annum for a Band D home) proposed by the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, and

• 3.9 per cent hike (£47.57 per annum for a Band D home) threatened by Surrey County Council.

Together, it means the average Band D household in Farnham can expect a 3.46 per cent, or £57.26, increase to its annual council tax bill for 2016/17, taking the total bill up to £1,712.33.

This could yet increase further however, after Waverley’s executive agreed to recommend a £5 increase to the equivalent charge for a nominal Band D home, subject to permission from the Government - potentially increasing Waverley’s share of the tax bill rise by 3.09 per cent instead of 1.95 per cent, adding another £1.84 per year to the average Band D household’s tax bill.