HOUSEHOLDERS in York face a Council Tax hike of 6.8 per cent, according to the Conservatives.

This would add £54 to the bill for an average Band D property - taking the total to £851.

Other rises predicted by the Tories are £54 for a band D property in Hambleton, taking the total to £852; £60 in Harrogate to give a total of £938; £60 in Selby to take the total to £935 and £60 in Ryedale to £944.

The claim is based on "small print" included in Chancellor Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget review.

The Tories said this showed Council Tax receipts were projected to rise by 6.8 per cent in 2002 compared with projected inflation of two per cent.

Theresa May, shadow secretary for local government, said: "Ahead of Tuesday's Local Government Finance Settlement, the cat is out of the bag.

"Local residents can expect yet another year of council tax rising by more than three times the rate of inflation.

"Since they were elected, Labour has raised an extra £5bn in council tax - equivalent to almost two pence on income tax.

"The average household is paying £212 a year more on Band D properties. Labour has turned Council Tax into another stealth tax.

"Gordon Brown has engineered massive increases, but councillors take the blame when bills hit the doorstep."

Updated: 11:33 Thursday, November 29, 2001