A total of 62 per cent of respondents said they would support a council tax rise - with 27 per cent favouring an increase of under 4.99 per cent (the highest increase normally allowed without triggering a referendum), 21 per cent favouring an increase of 4.99 per cent, and 15 per cent supporting a larger rise. Around 36 per cent of residents said council tax bills should not rise at all, and the remaining two per cent called for bills to be reduced. Only 42 per cent of respondents said they supported increasing council tax to bring Somerset Council in line with its unitary counterparts in the south west (such as Cornwall, Dorset and Wiltshire) - down from 53 per cent last year. However, only 38 per cent of residents said councils should have "more power to set council tax locally" - down from 49 per cent last year. "At the same time, people strongly value key council services - notably roads, public transport, waste services, and essential social care.