COUNCIL TAX is set to increase once again for Gwynedd residents.

Gwynedd council is set to approve an increase of 4.8 per cent for the next financial year.

A report that will be discussed by Gwynedd’s cabinet on February 13 recommends that members approve a 4.8 per cent council tax increase from April, meaning the average “Band D” household will have to fork out an extra £59.57 a year, or £1.15 a week.

The report notes: “The key to all of this is to strike an appropriate balance between the need to spend on services for the most vulnerable in our society, and the appropriate increase to be levied on the residents of Gwynedd.

“This year, it is recommended to increase the tax 4.8 per cent, which would produce tax of £67.74m.

“The choice between maintaining services and taxation is always difficult, of course, and it is a matter for all members to weigh up and arrive at the balance they consider to be appropriate.”

Last year, the council was expected to raise council tax by 3.97 percent but this was later revised to 2.8 per cent after the local authority found savings elsewhere.

Between 2008 and 2017, Gwynedd Council tax-payers have seen their bills rise by 37.1 per cent - four per cent higher than the Welsh average.

The final decision will be made during a full council meeting on St David’s Day.