Aberdeenshire residents face a four per cent rise in their council tax next year.
Councillors met on Thursday to agree to the rates, ahead of setting their annual budget next month.
The move will raise almost £1.6 million for the local authority, as members struggle to balance the books in light of “astronomical” inflation.
Council tax accounts for around a fifth of Aberdeenshire Council’s entire budget, alongside Scottish Government funding and income from services.
A four per cent rise will set council tax band D in Aberdeenshire at £1,393.42.
That works out at a rise of £1.03 a week, more than £50 a year, for households in that middle banding before any other charges are added.
Aberdeenshire council tax rise: ‘We need to balance the books and what residents can afford’
Council leader Mark Findlater acknowledged the rise would not be “universally welcomed” as it would be felt “strongly” in household budgets.
The Conservative said: “As a council, we are facing massive challenges with rising costs affecting all our services.
“We are facing high inflation directly affecting the cost of everything we buy: from bitumen for road repairs, construction costs and food for school meals.
“Every day we hear stories of people struggling to find enough to cover rent, food, heating and other costs.”
Mr Findlater, a councillor for Troup, warned readers of The Press And Journal of the looming council tax rise earlier this week.
He told us councils were being expected to “do more with less” funding.
At Thursday’s meeting, he added: “Our budgets are under pressure and we need to balance the books, the needs of residents and what they can afford.
“The Scottish Government has not imposed any cap this year on how much we can raise local taxes. But ministers have given us the unenviable task of passing any shortfall in central funding on to our residents.
“We do not take the decision lightly but our situation requires us to balance our books.”
Looming council cuts ‘unpalatable’
Criticism of the SNP Scottish Government was fiercely rejected by Aberdeenshire leader Gwyneth Petrie, who blamed limited cash coming north from Westminster.
Her SNP group “reluctantly” proposed a six per cent, to raise nearly £4.7m for council coffers.
At band D, that would cost an extra £1.55 a week on what residents have paid this year. Their total bill would have cost £1,420.22.
Ms Petrie said: “We have seen the savings proposals before us. None of them are palatable, none of us want to take them.
“We hope the small monthly increase will see our most vulnerable protected, ensuring we don’t have to make some of the worst suggested cuts before us.
“Under our proposal, those who can will contribute a small increase to help services run for the benefit of many.
“Overall the council will receive more than £4.5m more in income, meaning £4.5m less in savings we have to find in the services we provide in four weeks.”
Calls for an even greater council tax hike in Aberdeenshire voted down
Ms Petrie also revealed plans to offer more relief to those in need in the face of her planned six per cent rise.
Around a third of Aberdeenshire households already have an exemption or single person’s discount applied to their council tax bill.
But her proposals were voted down, as the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and independents voted through the four per cent increase.
Around £8,000 generated through the increase will be added to a fund to improve Aberdeenshire infrastructure which Mr Findlater said was “so badly needed”.
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