COLCHESTER Council will reveal next Tuesday whether they plan to introduce a council tax hike.

Last month the authority revealed it hoped to increase its portion of the council tax bill by 1.95 per cent.

However, at the time it was unclear whether a government ruling that any increase of 2 per cent or more would need a referendum to before it could go ahead would be reduced to 1.5 per cent.

As a result, the Lib Dem, Labour and independent administration voted at a cabinet meeting to hedge its bets by also proposing a council tax freeze.

On Wednesday, communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles announced the limit would remain at 2 per cent.

In a statement, the authority said a final proposal would be revealed next Tuesday, ahead of a full council vote on Wednesday, February 19.