Kingston’s 2.4 per cent council tax rise has been confirmed as the highest in London, and nearly double that of Bromley, which posted the second highest increase in the capital of 1.24 per cent.

Weeks from local elections across London, Kingston was one of just four local authorities to increase its element of the tax, with 24 freezing bills at least year’s level and five cutting them by as much as 3 per cent.

Most band D households in the borough will pay £1,662.03, which represents a £32 increase on last year, while those living within three-quarters of a mile of Wimbledon and Putney commons will be charged £1,685.88.

The overall bill Kingston residents will pay from April will go up by 1.9 per cent, after Mayor of London Boris Johnson froze his element of council tax, which funds the Greater London Authority, for the second year running.