The cost of garden waste collection is one of many charges likely to rise as a council struggles to balance its books in the face of soaring inflation.

Officers are recommending that Tonbridge and Malling council's cabinet members agree a raft of increased charges when they meet on Tuesday.

The council is expecting its own costs to rise in line with inflation – currently recorded at 10.1% – although it had budgeted for just 2.2% at the start of the financial year in April.

As a result, almost all the services where the council can make a discretionary charge will increase by at least 10% next April.

But in addition, the cabinet is being urged to make a number of "in-year" charge increases as soon as it can.

One of those is garden waste collection, which is used by almost 50% of the borough's residents. They pay £42 per year to have their bin emptied. This will rise to £44 now and then to £49.50 in April.

Some 28,270 households currently use the service – the highest take-up of any authority in Kent.

Various planning application charges could also see a mid-term rise, with the cost of pre-application advice rising by 20% immediately for small applications, and by 30% for larger schemes. Both would rise again by another 10% in April.

But the small number of households who take advantage of the council's High Hedge service to have their neighbours forced to cut back intrusive hedges will see the biggest rise of all – an immediate 52% rise in charges plus a further 10% in April, taking it to £484.

Often when short of money, councils turn to parking charges, which for most authorities is their biggest source of service income.

Tonbridge and Malling is resisting that temptation, acknowledging that town and village centres are in a precarious state and that any increase in parking fees might have an adverse impact on trade.

However, the annual season ticket for parking at Haysden Country Park will rise by £5 to £65, and it will no longer be valid in Leybourne Lakes Country Park, which is now in separate ownership.

Most other charges such as the cost of hiring the council's open spaces for events, of booking rooms at Tonbridge Castle, and the cost of burials in Tonbridge Cemetery will rise by 10% in April.

An exception will be pest control. The council – acknowledging that the control of rats, mice and bedbugs is a public health issue – is proposing no changes to fees there.

Officers said the financial position of the council was "becoming very concerning."

But they said that if all the increased charges were adopted, it would generate an additional £266,000 of income in a full year.