Waltham Forest Council is set to hike council tax in the borough for the third year in a row, blaming central Government cuts for increases.

The local authority says the reductions in government funding, alongside an ageing population and rising numbers of school children, mean it is likely to raise core council tax by 2.99 per cent.

The council will also increase the adult social care portion of council tax by two per cent in a bid to pay for the growing cost of care in the borough.

Last year, the local authority funded social care for around 3,800 local residents.

Once the Greater London Authority precept has also been taken into account, this would see overall council tax for Waltham Forest residents rise by 5.01 per cent next year.

For an average household living in a Band D property, this would equate to an extra £77 per year.

The hike is expected to be agreed at a council meeting on Thursday.

Cllr Clare Coghill, leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: “Since 2010 central Government has cut our funding by £115 million at a time of increased pressure for many of our vital services. 

“I am pleased that we remain in a good financial position but in order to safeguard the services that matter most to you and your family we have to reluctantly raise council tax.”

However, Conservative councillors will use the meeting to propose the local authority freezes its element of council tax. 

The Tories say the freeze would not affect front line services as it would be achieved by cutting spending on the council's Waltham Forest News freesheet and consultants.

Waltham Forest Conservatives leader, Cllr Alan Siggers said: “We are showing is that it is possible to freeze council tax for our residents without affecting front line services.

"Once again Labour are increasing tax with no thought given to how they could trim some more waste.

"We were able to find enough savings to propose freezing the core element of council tax this year but we do wonder how much more unneeded excess may still be hidden in their budgets.”

The Government wants local councils to be able to self-fund themselves through business rates and council tax by 2020.

To enable councils to do this, the Government has raised the amount councils are allowed to increase council tax by this year from 1.99 per cent to 2.99 per cent.

Waltham Forest Council raised council tax by £27 per year for a Band D property, in 2016, the first hike since 2010.

It also agreed another tax rise in 2017, which saw residents in a Band D property pay an extra £58 per year.

Former council leader, Cllr Chris Robbins, said at the time both tax hikes were needed due to cuts in funding from central Government.