Homeowners will see the parish component of their council tax bills rise by up to 60 per cent from April.

The biggest increase in precept, set by Burton on the Wolds, Cotes and Prestwold Parish Council, will raise tax from £31 to £49 a year.

Clerk Clare Blain said the money was needed to improve acoustics in the village hall.

She said: "We frequently receive complaints that it is difficult to hear in the hall and in addition the doors are in need of replacement."

She said the money would also be put towards a new toilet block at the pavilion – and that the authority had apologised to parishioners for the increase.

Residents in the Blaby Parish Council area will pay the highest precept, at £105.83 – though this is an increase of 2p – while Freeby parishioners will pay the least at £10.32, up from £9.89 a year.

Anstey resident Joan Atkins, 71, has written to MP Stephen Dorrell about the rise in her parish council precept.

The increase from £74 to £89 is about 20 per cent.

Mrs Atkins said: "It's a whopping rise and I don't agree that parish council precepts are just a small amount – 20 per cent is 20 per cent.

"There is no justification for this huge rise."

The Government is considering a cap on parish taxes, which could come into force in 2013-14.

Jake Atkinson, chief officer of Leicestershire and Rutland Association of Local Councils, which advises authorities on matters relating to its policies and procedures, said: "The precept parish councils can levy for 2012-13 is not capped at the minute, so we could be in a period of change.

"It's highly possible that a cap could come in and Eric Pickles (Communities Secretary) has said he's keeping an eye on the situation and said it's possible that it may change for 2013-14." He said he did not believe parish councils were increasing their precepts now in preparation for a cap.

"They have a long history of handling their parishes very well," he said.

"They are one of very few bodies that can raise tax and they tend to do that responsibly.

"Parish councils mostly raise tax only when there's a need and, unlike district councils, they spend all the money they raise."

Members of Newbold Verdon Parish Council said the proposed cap would affect them.

However, they said they had been able to lower their precept this year, from £52.83 to £38.84, due to a healthy bank balance.

Clerk Ricky Bell said: "I was questioning the fact we held about £80,000 in our account.

"We have enough money to keep us running and we generate some revenue from sporting facilities.

"So, the council decided that for this year we'd lower the precept."