Communities secretary Eric Pickles is set to offer local authorities cash to freeze council tax levels for a fifth successive year, it has emerged.

The pre-announcement made in the aftermath of last week's Autumn Statement could avoid a repetition of last year's delay and indecision among the Coalition ‘ Quad' – which constitutes prime minister, the deputy prime minister, chancellor and chief secretary to the Treasury - over whether to accept Mr Pickles' plans to lower the threshold for sparking referendums from 2% to 1% tax increases.