FENLAND District Council has agreed to peg next year s rise at only 3.9 per cent, which means that Fenland has the lowest average Council Tax in Cambridgeshire. And the rise would have been just 3 per cent, the same as the inflation rate, if the Governmen

FENLAND District Council has agreed to peg next year's rise at only 3.9 per cent, which means that Fenland has the lowest average Council Tax in Cambridgeshire.

And the rise would have been just 3 per cent, the same as the inflation rate, if the Government had not forced the council to carry the increased cost of changes in election law which come into force this year.

On a national level, Fenland has the 37th lowest average Council Tax out of 238 authorities across the country.

Fenland's element of the Council Tax increase for next year rose by less than that of both Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Police.

Around 85 per cent of properties in Fenland are within Bands A and C, with the average being Band B. The average increase in the Fenland element of the Council Tax for Band B homes is just £6.37 a year, or 12 pence a week. Fenland District Council's proportion of the total Council Tax bill is only 16 per cent.

Leader of the council Geoffrey Harper said: "Both officers and councillors have worked extremely hard to ensure that residents get top quality services from a friendly and approachable staff and that our services represent excellent value for money. However, we are not resting on our laurels. We will continue to look at ways of improving.