Bolton's council tax is set to rise more than four per cent next year as the town hall attempts to come to terms with "a challenging financial position".

It comes as the council looks to make more than £4m in cuts to address issues such as the sudden rise in costs due to inflation.

The cuts in this one-year budget, announced at the end of last week, are a lot less than those announced in the last, two-year budget.

But this is thanks to the council tapping into its reserves to the tune of £10m, something it is not able to do on an annual basis.

The budget states council tax is set to rise four per cent next year, compared to 3.12 per cent this year, but this is before any increase to the "Mayoral Precept", which goes to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

It means the increase is bound to be more than four per cent at a time when residents are experiencing the impact of a sudden rise in costs themselves.

A report to be considered by the cabinet on Monday, December 12, after which a public consultation opens, reads: "The scale of the cuts needed in the wake of the past decade of reductions, and the restrictions on which parts of the budget these can be made from, mean there are now limited options available across our services which enable the council to deliver a legal budget."

The cuts are set to come from four areas of operation at the council – adult services is the most affected (£1.58m), followed by children's services (£988,000), place (£924,000), and corporate resources (£770,000).

The only area of operation to avoid these cuts is public health, but this is thanks to a one-off contribution by the NHS.

A council spokesperson said: "Bolton Council continues to face a challenging financial position, and as a result we need to make further savings. The cabinet will meet on December 12 to consider the budget proposals, including savings options. 

"The council will then hold a public consultation on the budget proposals and we encourage all residents to take part and to share their views. 

"A final report, taking consultation feedback into account, will go to the cabinet and to the full council for approval.

"The council will provide a further update when the public consultation goes live."

If approved, the budget comes into effect in April.