COUNCIL tax bills are unlikely to go up as much as last year's £84 increase after local authorities and fire chiefs kept down demands for extra cash.

Early figures show district residents with a band D property will have to find an extra £44 for 2005/06 although that does not take into account West Mercia Police Authority's part of the final bill.

The police authority last year took an extra £17.89 and a similar increase would still be far less than the overall £84 extra on the average 2004/05 bill.

Fire, county and district council have now all put forward provisional figures of how much they want from taxpayers in the coming year. The police authority will decide its part of the bill on February 15.

Members of the cabinet at Wyre Forest District Council have put forward an increase of 3.94 per cent, or an extra £6.62, for 2005/06.

John Campion, the council's cabinet member for finance and corporate affairs, said it was the lowest increase ever proposed by the council.

Mr Campion said: "We pledged during recent district elections to curb the irresponsible increases from the past and that is exactly what we are delivering - council tax increases roughly in line with inflation."

Conservatives make up the cabinet after the Tories overtook Health Concern at June's district elections. The Health Concern administration instigated a 4.94 per cent rise, or £7.91 extra for the district council last February.

Worcestershire County Council takes most of the money from the final bill.

It has set a provisional increase of 4.25 per cent - an extra £35 - on top of its present £824 share.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority has set a provisional increase of 4.9 per cent, to £59.26 per household.

The authority last year had to re-bill taxpayers after having £1 million stripped from its budget by the Government.

Whitehall warned the authority to keep this year's increase under five per cent after its initial 29.4 per cent increase in 2004/05.

The final figure for the council tax bill will be set on February 23. Bills will vary slightly throughout the district as parish and town councils also take a small amount from the final bill.