Tom Holvey, Liberal Democrat councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for the Selby and Ainsty area said, 'In these hard times, I think it's hard to justify increasing council tax by any more than is necessary.'

Projected wage rises and the cost of maintaining a high level of service were sited at reasoning for the hike which will be added to the bills of council tax payers across the district from April.

Defending the increase North Yorkshire Fire Authority's corporate services director said, 'After the next general election, we will have to see what the Fire Authority budget is for the medium and long term to see if this affects future tax rises.'

Meanwhile, Selby District Council has announced that they have voted to increase their cut of the annual tax by 2.5%. The figure equates to an increase of £3.88 for a 'band D' property.