The 5 household bills going up next Wednesday

Millions of households are set to see their bills change from next week as a series of price increases come into force at the start of April. The new financial year often brings updates to everyday costs, and this year is no different, with several bills rising from April 1.

From council tax to broadband, many people will notice higher monthly outgoings, while some changes will come slightly later in the month. There is some relief, however, as one household bill is set to fall for now. Here are seven key changes affecting household finances over the coming days.

Most councils in England will increase council tax by 4.99%, which is the highest rise allowed without special approval.

This will add an average of £111 a year to household bills.

Some councils have been given permission to raise rates even higher, with a handful increasing by up to 8.99%.

Read more about the full list of increases here.

Broadband and mobile customers will also see prices increase from April. Major providers like Sky, Virgin Media, and Vodafone are hiking prices mid-contract.

While some face 3.9% increases, others face fixed hikes. However, providers like giffgaff, Plusnet, and Community Fibre have frozen their rates. Some monthly bills will rise by as much as £4.

Millions of people are currently out of contract, meaning they could switch providers to avoid the biggest increases.

Mobile customers can text a 5-digit number to find out if they're still in contract.

Water bills are also set to go up from April, with the average household paying around £32-£33 more per year.

Some regions will see higher rises, with customers in the northwest and south among those facing the biggest increases.

Water companies say the changes are needed to fund long-term investment in infrastructure.

Click here for the full list of increases.

The TV licence fee will rise from £174.50 to £180 from April 1. This marks an increase of £5.50 a year, or around 46p a month.

The licence is required to watch or record live TV and to use BBC iPlayer.

Vehicle tax is also changing, with the standard rate for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars registered after April 2017 increasing to £200 a year.

Electric vehicles will no longer be exempt, with newer EVs also moving onto the standard rate.

At the same time, the threshold for the expensive car supplement will rise from £40,000 to £50,000 for electric cars.

Royal Mail stamp prices will increase slightly later, from April 7.

A standard first-class stamp will go up by 10p to £1.80.

Second-class stamps will also rise, increasing from 87p to 91p.

In a rare bit of good news, energy bills are set to fall from April.

Ofgem's price cap will drop to £1,641 per year for a typical dual-fuel household, over the period covering April to June.

This is around £117 lower than the previous level and equates to a fall of about 7%.

However, forecasts suggest prices could rise again later in the year.