The Council Tax bill for 2015/2016 that thudded onto my doormat the other day contained an eye-watering price hike from the previous year that worked out to an increase of 8.71 per cent, which is well above the current rates of cost of living increase and other standard measurements.

This followed five years of what could only be called minimal increases which ranged from +4.5 per cent to –2.53 per cent and I must admit were very welcome.

I have looked back over the 14 years that I have lived in my present home and the figures show a Band F average annual cash cost increase of £66.09 or a 3.6 per cent raise each year.

It would be interesting to know what has been going on with local authority funding as there is no clear picture to be gained from my figures at all, especially the latest very large increase.

I do not recall reading any explanation as to what is going on and I expect that a lot of us are asking the same question.

Michael Wolfenden

Underbarrow