Council tax has risen by 91pc in the Blair years

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The average bill across Britain went up by 91 per cent since 1997, while the Retail Price Index has increased by just 31 per cent, said the breakdown by the Halifax bank.

The tax bills have also been rising at double the pace of average earnings, up 51 per cent since 1997.

Ten years ago, an average family paid £564 in council tax. This year, the bill is £1,078.

The researchers also said the burden of council tax has become harsher in some parts of the country than in others.

Two in three of the areas which pay the highest bills are now in London and the South East, compared with just over half a decade ago.

But no local authority in the North, where many councils are dominated by Labour, remains among the 30 councils charging the highest bills.

Tories said Gordon Brown should take the blame.

Local government spokesman Caroline Spelman said: "Bills have gone up by the equivalent of 4p on income tax thanks to fiddled funding from Whitehall, yet Labour ministers seek to blame councillors when bills hit the doorstep."