Additional reporting by Jordan Ifield

It is the bill that rarely brings much good news and it looks like this year will be no different.

As councils emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic that has meant an unprecedented period of uncertainty and turbulence, householders in Kent are contemplating another hike in their bills.

As councils juggle with the increasing demand in certain areas, have we reached a point at which the strain on services has become so great that the financial elastic has finally snapped?

At first glance, the figures might not appear too terrifying: most district and borough councils claim to be balancing the books with only modest council tax rises.

A financial meltdown seems as distant a possibility as President Putin accepting defeat and retreating from Ukraine.

To avert the possibility of residents becoming alarmed by disproportionate increases, the commonest strategy is to present the figures by illustrating how much they mean on a monthly basis.

In Kent, the picture is mixed, as it usually is.

The bragging rights in terms of the lowest charge being set goes to Ashford, where the average bill for its services - excluding other levies - comes in at £177.50. That is the equivalent of 10 pence a week more on last year’s average bill.

It is followed by Dartford, where the charge is £181, the second year in a row that it has frozen bills.

Dover stakes a claim for being the lowest increase in east Kent, which strictly speaking does not exist. At the other end of the scale, Maidstone at an average of £276.30 a month tops the table, followed by Folkestone at £264.24.

But this is just one element of our overall bills and you can expect to pay much more.

So, the charge for services provided by Kent County Council, which are the most costly, will see average bills for Band D homes increase by about £28 to £1,287. Using the approach by most town halls, this increase is the equivalent of an additional 82 pence a week.

Throw into the mix the tax we pay for the Kent police crime commissioner, which will rise from £218 to £228 a year. Then add in the amount we pay for the fire service and if applicable, a parish council charge, and you have the ingredients for a bill which in the highest property bands is edging over the £2,000 mark.

The question is whether there is an alternative. To which the answer is not really: the political appetite for a reform or switch to another system is not shared by the main parties and whenever proposals do come forward, they are hastily kicked into the long grass.

Politicians have long memories and many will recall that when Margaret Thatcher endeavored to come up with an alternative to the council tax, known as the poll tax, it led to riots in London and other cities and effectively ended her time as PM.

There will come a time when change is inevitable: the current system is regressive and brings more pain to the less well off, particularly pensioners.

There are flaws in the way evaluations are made about houses, which are based on how much they would be valued at more than two decades ago.

If you want an illustration of just how bills have increased, look back to 1993, when it was introduced. The national average then was £568; last year, it was £1,898 - more than three times as much.

In the short term, the current government looks unlikely to want to embark on a radical shake-up of the system, which it knows will bring only more accusations of higher taxes and unhelpful headlines.

Here is a rundown of the tax increases for each town

Ashford

£5 monthly rise for Band D equivalent (£177.50)

Canterbury

£4.95 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.24% (£226.17)

Dartford

Council tax freeze for second year in row (£181)

Dover

£4.95 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.6% (£202.14)

Folkestone & Hythe

£5 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 1.94% (£264.24)

Gravesham

£4.95 monthly rise for Band D equivalent (£217.98)

Medway (unitary authority so does not include KCC precept)

£3.52 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.994% (£159.54)

Maidstone

£5.31 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2% (£276.30)

Sevenoaks

£4.95 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.2% (£229.86)

Swale

£4.95 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.69% (£189.27)

Thanet

£5 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.06% (248.13)

Tonbridge & Malling

£5 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.3% (£224.50)

Tunbridge Wells

£5 monthly rise for Band D equivalent 2.65% (£193.75)