COUNCIL taxpayers in Bury can expect to pay an extra five per cent on their bill from April.

The hike coincides with rising service costs and inflation-busting demands from police and fire services.

Bills for people living in Band A homes are set to rise by around £36 to £758, with those for Band D properties to go up by £54 to £1,138.

Councillors at Wednesday's (Feb 18) executive meeting passed the figures for approval at a full council meeting next week.

The move follows a consultation exercise in which borough residents were asked to accept service cuts or pay more. Responses will be passed to members ahead of the budget meeting on Wednesday (Feb 25).

The expected figure will include an additional 6.8 per cent levied on the council by fire services, and an extra 7.5 per cent by Greater Manchester Police.

Each one per cent increase in the total charge will allow the council to spend an extra £635,000 on services.