![](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Politics/Pix/pictures/2008/02/28/counciltaxbilla978.jpg)
The government is to press ahead with its plans to freeze council tax in England next year despite the budget deficit according to the BBC.
The move is expected to be confirmed in Tuesday's Budget in an attempt to soften the blow of the anticipated spending cuts and tax rises. The full story can be found here.
The BBC's deputy political editor, James Landale, claims that the Chancellor will promise to work with local authorities in England to freeze council tax for one year from next April. It is not entirely clear yet how he will do this or how much it will cost but the expectation is that councils which keep their planned tax rises low would be compensated from central government funds.
The Tory manifesto promised a two-year freeze, and the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said it would be frozen "for at least one year" with aspirations to extend this into a second year.
There is going to be a lot of speculation over the next 24 hours ahead of the Emergency Budget and we will endeavor to bring the most credible announcements to your attention, such as this one. So remember to keep an eye on our Emergency Budget Predictions post which will be updated throughout the day.