RESIDENTS living in Inverclyde are paying more council tax than those living in forty five million pound homes in the UK's richest districts.

The jaw dropping new findings have been exposed by former councillor Chris McEleny, now a senior figure in the Alba Party, as he calls for reforms to the system.

He has uncovered figures showing that those living in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea - where the average price for a flat is £1.9 million - are charged less every month than those living in Inverclyde for every single band, despite the disproportionate difference in house prices and standards of living.

Billionaires living in the most prosperous streets of London pay £1,937 in the top band while those living here are charged £3,326 for the same band.

Mr McEleny's party want a freeze on council tax to help fight the cost of living crisis, describing the current system as 'flawed'.

He said: "I have long campaigned to keep Inverclyde’s council tax levels down as they are already unaffordable for many families and households across the area.

"However, this new research today shows just how inherently unjust the system is - by no standards of fairness can it be acceptable that someone that lives in a £45 million home in Belgravia should be paying less in council tax than thousands of families across Inverclyde pay.

“The council faces tough choices to balance its books this year but it must not take the option of passing hefty increases onto Inverclyde households in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

"Taking more money out of the pockets of families will be counter-productive, as it’ll see more people having to rely on council services going forwards.

"Keeping money in people’s pockets is the simplest means to tackle many issues Inverclyde faces and I would urge Inverclyde Council to bear this in mind when it comes to a decision on whether or not to increase council tax next month.”

In Inverclyde the average price for a house last year was £132,000 while in Kensington and Chelsea, the average cost of a terraced home is £4 million.

A house is on the market in the London district of Belgravia for £45 million at band H while the highest priced home on the market in Inverclyde is around £795,000, in Kilmacolm.

Further down the band brackets, a household living in a fairly modest Band E property, where many households in three bedroom homes would find themselves, are shelling out £1,784 compared £1,184.

Band D - often used as a comparable when setting council tax - for the affluent Kensington area costs £968, while in Inverclyde, which has some of the poorest postcodes in the UK, they are paying a staggering 40 per cent more at £1,357.

It is expected that council tax will rise once again this year, with the decision due to be taken in March.