VALE residents could be hard hit by Government plans to revalue their houses for council tax purposes, a county councillor has claimed.

Conservative councillor Liz Eyre, who represents Broadway on Worcestershire County Council, hit out after plans for the next revaluation - in 2005 - were announced by Local Government Minister, Nick Raynsford.

The Minister added that council tax bills based on updated property values would be issued in 2007. He also said there should be a 10-yearly cycle for revaluations in England.

Councillor Eyre claimed the 2005 review could mean "extreme hardship" for people who had seen the prices of their homes increase dramatically since the last valuation, when council tax replaced the poll tax.

"Those that have had a faster rate of price rise could be the hardest hit," said councillor Eyre.

"It is true that the local authority level could iron out some of the increases: more bands might correct some of today's anomalies but even modest changes can seriously affect some of the older people and young families in my division."

She argued for a "good proportion" of the revaluations to be tied to house sales.

Wychavon District Council's head of revenue services, Liz Dyde, said: "In one way, I had hoped the revaluation would come sooner than 14 years after the first one. However, it does mean we have the opportunity to plan ahead and that the taxpayer will see fairness in a system that works very well.

"There will, of course, be winners and losers in the revaluation but the overall revenue raised from council tax will remain the same."

As well as his statement on home revaluations, Mr Raynsford also announced that a new system of grant distribution to local authorities would not be introduced until 2003-2004 - a decision that came under fire from Bredon's member on Worcestershire County Council, Adrian Hardman.

Mr Hardman said: "It will mean residents possibly face a higher than average council tax rise next year since children, the elderly and our roads cannot wait for the Government to finalise its plans."

A Worcestershire County Council statement said that for the current financial year, Worcestershire County Council had received £30million less from the Government than the average shire authority.