THOUSANDS of households face a surprise extra increase in council tax to pay for care for the old, disabled and vulnerable.

Residents of Blackburn with Darwen had been told their bill would rise by 3.99 per cent from April 1.

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But in papers published later today, the authority finance boss, Cllr Andy Kay, will reveal he proposes to increase the rise by a quarter to 4.99 per cent.

This will add between £1 a month and £1.50 a month to 94 per cent of council tax bills for 2017/18.

Cllr Kay said: “We have decided on this because the rise in need is happening now.

“This is because of growing numbers of elderly residents with complex needs and the rise in those leaving children’s services to come into adult social care.”

Last year, he had predicted the council tax would rise by 3.99 per cent, 1.99 per cent for general borough services with the extra two per cent then allowed by the government for adult care.

This year ministers decided to change the rules allowing councils to spread a total of six per cent for adult social services over three years.

Cllr Kay said: “We have decided to opt for three per cent this year and 1.5 per cent for each of the following two years to meet the immediate needs of elderly and other adult residents with complex needs the government is not prepared to pay for.”

This will add £60 instead of the planned £48, an extra £1 a month, to the council tax bill of the average ‘Band A’ terrace homes making up 58 per cent of the borough’s houses.

The extra one per cent will mean a £90 increase in the annual bill of a Band D semi-detached or small detached home, a top up of £1.50 a month.

Only six per cent of properties in the borough are more highly-rated.

Lancashire County Council, which proves adult social care services to Ribble Valley and Hyndburn, chose to stick with a 3.99 per cent rise including two per cent for adult social care.

Cllr Kay will propose the extra increase to the Labour group this week with it due to be confirmed by the full Blackburn with Darwen Council budget meeting a week tonight.

Borough Tory group leader, Cllr John Slater, said: “I would not have front-loaded the increase in this way.

“Labour are doing this because they want the money. They should have waited until the budget in the Spring.”

He added: “I hope Chancellor Philip Hammond will offer extra grants to councils.”

The new increased rise means that before extra precepts for the police and fire service and town and parish councils, the borough’s portion of the council tax in 2017/2018 will be as follows: Band A property £922.12; Band B £1.075.81; Band C £1,229.49; Band D £1,383.18; Band E £1,690.55; Band F £1,997.93; Band G £2,305.30 and Band H £2,766.36.