The Oxford Mail can today reveal your final council tax bill for 2009/10 – depending on where you live in the county and the size of your home.

How much will you be paying in council tax this year? Click here to find out

Residents in Oxford again face some of the country’s largest increases in council tax, with an average band D householder in Blackbird Leys paying £57.87 more this year than in 2008/09.

An average band D council taxpayer in England will only pay £41 more for their bills from April, according to a Local Government Association survey of councils.

Nationally, council tax has risen by an average of three per cent – its lowest increase in 15 years. However, three authorities in Oxfordshire are among those making the biggest increases.

West Oxfordshire District Council increased its share of the bill by 4.9 per cent and the Vale of the White Horse agreed a 4.8 per cent rise. However, these authorities still charge among the lowest levels of council tax in England.

Oxford City Council will again levy one of the highest tax charges in the country with band D householders in Old Marston paying £153.57 more than the owner of a similar property in Chipping Norton.

The council’s ruling Labour administration had originally proposed to increase council tax by 4.9 per cent, but councillors cut the rise to 4.5 per cent after the Government warned it could cap authorities which failed to keep increases significantly lower than five per cent.

Council leaders in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell both settled on 2.9 per cent increases.

The rise in council tax bills comes after it was announced in February that the key Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation had fallen to three per cent.

However, the RPI – which also takes into account a household’s mortgage costs – showed inflation had fallen from 0.9 per cent to 0.1 per cent.

Campaign director of the Taxpayers Alliance Mark Wallace said: “It’s totally unacceptable for councils to be increasing this tax at all in the current economic circumstances.

“Increasing council tax bills close to the capping limit, as many Oxfordshire councils have, is wrong and is going to place an unfair burden on local taxpayers.”

Oxford pensioners’ spokesman Bill Jupp said: “I think a lot of pensioners are going to be struggling to pay their council tax this year.

“The capping figure on councils should be lower.”

But Jean Davies, 80, of Grandpont, Oxford, said: “I think we get good value for money from our council services and the city council has set a fair tax considering the current economic circumstances.”

The total council tax bill is made up of four charges rolled into one, with the amount paid shared between the main providers of local services.

Oxfordshire County Council accounts for the lion’s share of the bill to pay for services like libraries, schools and social services.

It agreed a 3.75 per cent council tax hike.

The remainder of the bill is made up of charges from district councils, Thames Valley Police and local town or parish councils.

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk