COUNCIL tax bills in Torfaen are to rise by nearly five per cent, above the average for Wales.

Councillors approved the 4.9 per cent hike, which will come in from April 1, as part of the budget for the next financial year. Welsh Local Government Association figures today show the average rise across Wales will be 4.4 per cent.

The Torfaen increase, which includes the police authority and community council charges, means residents of average Band D homes in Torfaen will pay £986.12.

This is an increase of £46.53 on last year's Band D payment of £939.59, and equates to a weekly increase of approximately 70p a week. The rise is below last year's increase, which was 5.3 per cent.

Torfaen's total budget requirement for 2006/07 is £140,825,488. This includes a £4,571,123 precept for Gwent Police Authority and £1,050,603 for the six community councils.

The biggest spending departments will be education, which has a budget of £68,172,000, and social services, which accounts for £36,134,000.

Director of finance Philip Nash said financial constraints meant the council could "have anything but not everything".

Last year's budget requirement was £131,295,928.

Council leader Bob Wellington said the budget and council tax rise was a good deal for people in Torfaen. We are not a rich authority and it's always been a difficult job to steer us through. But this budget is good news."

The council will receive £116,853,800 from government, and other grants, accounting for 83 per cent of the total budget.

The remaining money will come from council tax revenue of £23,971,688.

The exact amounts of tax that individual areas of Torfaen will pay differ because of a variation in charges set by community councils.

Newport taxpayers face the highest rise in Wales, at 5.5 per cent while, elsewhere in Gwent, Blaenau Gwent's increase will be five per cent, Caerphilly 4.9 per cent and Monmouthshire 3.4 per cent.