Council tax rates in England have risen by more than half in real terms over the past 20 years, a new study has said.

Research by the TaxPayers' Alliance found the levy had increased by 57% during that time period.

The group said the number of councils increasing the tax had risen from 124 in 2013-14 to 331 in 2017-18.

The findings come just days after the Telegraph & Argus reported on Bradford Council’s proposal to raise council tax by 5.99 per cent.

Only six out of 354 local authorities cut council tax in 2017-18, while 17 froze it, the study said.

The review stated: "In 1997-98, the average band D council tax bill in England was £688.

"Today the figure is £1,591, a real terms increase of 57%"

Chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance John O'Connell said: "Councillors should remember that council tax is a major burden on residents and a huge contributor to the cost of living.

"Councils should look to reduce spending before hitting taxpayers with yet another round of painful tax hikes."

The Local Government Association's Councillor Claire Kober said councils has to deal with major funding cuts.

"Councils do all they can to keep council tax as low as possible, but faced with unprecedented funding cuts are increasingly being left with no choice but to increase it to help fund vital services.

"Since 2010, council tax bills have risen less than the rate of inflation, and other key household bills, such as rent and utilities.

"Local government in England faces a £5.8 billion funding gap by 2020.

"Even if councils stopped filling potholes, maintaining parks and open spaces, closed all children's centres, libraries, museums, leisure centres, turned off every street light and shut all discretionary bus routes they still would not have saved enough money to plug this gap in just two years."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We are committed to ensuring that council tax-payers can veto excessive increases via a local referendum."