The amount of council tax you will be paying if you live in Reading has been set this year.

At a meeting last night (Wednesday, February 23) councillors agreed to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent.

Of that, 1.99 per cent will go to funding a range of council run services, and one per cent will go into funding adult social care.

The 2.99 per cent increase was the maximum amount the council could rise it by without going to a referendum.

READ MORE: More flats and homes built in Reading than required over last three years 

Although Conservative councillors opposed the increase, the council tax rise, along with the rest of the budget, was approved by 25 votes to 15.

Councillor Clarence Mitchell, the new Conservative group leader and representative for Peppard said: "We as Conservatives welcome the below inflation council tax settlement, as we have long argued and campaigned for lower increases for our hard pressed residents.

"However, we are still asking the people of Reading to pay more for their public services than in any other local authority in Berkshire."

His points were echoed by Conservative councillors Raj Singh (Kentwood) and Helen Manghnani (Tilehurst) who argued that savings could be made to clip the council tax increase.

But the Conservatives did not propose an amendment which would have forced a vote on a different tax policy.

Council tax is raised by three different organisations in Reading, called 'precepting bodies'.

These are the borough council, Thames Valley Police and the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

You can find out how much you will be paying to each precepting body, and the total amount you will be paying in 2022/23, in the table below:

The least well of residents have the opportunity to reduce their council tax bill by making use of the council tax reduction scheme, which was agreed at a full council meeting in January.

You can find out whether you are eligible for council tax discounts, exemptions and support on the Reading Borough Council website here. 

The reduction scheme is separate to the £150 council tax rebate announced by the government to eligible band A-D taxpyayers.

The new council tax charges will come into effect on Friday, April 1, the start of the 2022/23 financial year.