COUNCIL tax in Royston is going up 3.82 per cent. It means that residents living in a band D property will be paying �1,488.55 in 2009/10, an increase of �54.82 on the 2008/09 rate. The new rates were confirmed at the full meeting of North Herts Distric

COUNCIL tax in Royston is going up 3.82 per cent.

It means that residents living in a band D property will be paying �1,488.55 in 2009/10, an increase of �54.82 on the 2008/09 rate.

The new rates were confirmed at the full meeting of North Herts District Council last night (Thursday).

Deputy leader of the district council, and portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Terry Hone, said he believes the increase represents "good value for money".

He added: "Like many individuals, the council is having to tighten its belt in these difficult times and we have done our best to keep the overall rise down in order to help our residents."

The district council will take �193.68 of the total for a band D property, meaning its share has gone up �7.27 since last year.

Royston Town Council will receive �33.22 while the bulk of the money will be going to Hertfordshire County Council, which will get �1,118.83. The remaining �142.82 will go to Hertfordshire Police.

This year's figure represents a lower increase than last year, when council tax rose 4.5 per cent in Royston.

Meanwhile South Cambridgeshire District Council has confirmed that its share of council tax is to rise 4.5 per cent.

The district council will now claim �112.10 of a band D household's bill, which represents an increase of �4.83 compared to 2008/09. It has pledged to set aside 2.4 per cent of this rise to help local businesses through the recession.

Portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Tony Orgee, said the district council is "constantly underfunded" by central government.

He added: "We recognise that times are hard for all our residents and have been conscious of the need to be prudent when setting our council tax. We've been faced with a difficult task; balancing the need for high quality services with the difficult economic circumstances.

"We are consistently under-funded from central government with an increase of just 0.5 per cent in grant for the coming year, following a 0.4 per cent increase in 2008/9.