PETER Luff is stepping up demands for the Govern-ment to drop its planned revaluation of homes and council tax bands.

The move is expected to cost householders in Wor-cestershire hundreds of pounds extra as their homes are moved up a band to take account of massive price rises.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has argued that the changes will be "revenue neutral" and urged people to wait for the fine detail.

But mid-Worcestershire MP Mr Luff has wasted no time in the new Parliament to call for the revaluation to be scrapped amid fears that many council tax payers will face yet more rises.

A similar shake-up of council tax bands in Wales resulted in one in three households paying more.

Mr Luff has backed a Commons Early Day Motion calling for the abolition of the revaluation.

It expresses "concern council taxes look set to increase further as a result of revaluation in England, re-banding, including the creation of new top-level bands and the continued imposition of unfunded cost-burdens on local authorities".

The motion goes on to call on the Government to "abort plans for a council tax revaluation in England".

The Government has refused to unveil its plans for the future of council tax until the Lyons Review of local government finance reports later this year.

Mr Blair said recently: "We are aware of the fact that council tax is a big problem and we are looking very carefully at what can be done on a long-term basis."