More than £100 could be added to yearly council tax bills for hundreds of thousands of Norfolk people, after council leaders mooted a potential rise in line with inflation.

Norfolk County Council is wrestling with how to make £60m of cuts and savings in 2023/24, as part of efforts to plug a £116m gap by 2027.

And one way Conservative-controlled County Hall could raise money is through a 10.1pc increase in the share of council tax paid to the authority.

That would need a yes vote in a public referendum to allow it to happen as it exceeds the threshold the government would usually permit.

The 10.1pc hike is the most extreme of council tax proposals the public is being consulted on, along with lower 2.99pc or 4.1pc rises.

The council has identified £32.5m of potential savings, including part-closing recycling centres and cutting the opening hours of Norfolk Record Office, which also form part of the consultation.

But it still has £27.5m yet to find, of which £16m could come from a strategic review which will include job losses.

As part of the consultation, council leaders have put forward possible council tax increases, including a portion ring-fenced to pay for adult social care.

One is a proposed total increase of 2.99pc - which would be 1.99pc on the general council tax and one per cent for the adult social care.

That is what, up to now, the council's budget planning for next year has been predicated on.

It would add between £30.24 and £43.36 to homes in bands A to D - which the bulk of homes in Norfolk are.

But people are also being asked for views on a 4.1pc increase and a 10.1pc increase.

The latter - a hike in line with inflation - would trigger a local referendum and the public would have to vote yes to allow such an increase to be introduced.

That would add about £102 to the annual bill for Band A homes, just under £120 for those in Band B, a little over £136 for those in Band C and about £153 for those in Band D.

The 4.1pc increase would add between £41.46 to £62.20 for homes in bands A to D.

Andrew Jamieson, cabinet member for finance, said: “We all know the cost of living is rising sharply and that has made our efforts to bridge the £60m gap much more challenging.

“That’s why I’m so keen to hear people’s views on our council tax and key savings proposals."

The county council increased its share of the council tax by 2.99pc in April this year, lower than the 4pc which would have triggered a referendum.

Just this week, when asked about council tax increases at a meeting of the authority's scrutiny committee, Mr Jamieson said he was going to "take all steps to keep it within the bounds of what we already set out in our medium term financial strategy of 2.99pc".

But Simon George, the council's finance director, had said he would be recommending higher council tax rises if the local government settlement - the money authorities get from Whitehall to pay for services and due in December - is "materially worse" than expected.

Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group at the county council said: "Norfolk faces a sham consultation asking strapped families if they want to pick up the bill for this shambles through unaffordable council tax increases or intolerable cuts in services. I think they can expect some unflattering responses."

Liberal Democrat county councillor Steffan Aquarone said: "They have not dealt with the causes of their overspending, they have not done enough to improve economic growth in Norfolk, and they're struggling with huge interest payments on all the council's debt, which has doubled since they took over to nearly £1bn."

Green group leader Ben Price said: "It is appalling that the county council's Conservative administration is attempting to push even more of the burden of financing local services onto local residents when everybody is really feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills."

The consultation, now open, will run until December 16.

Findings will be considered by the cabinet in January, before full council finalises the budget in February.

People can have their say at norfolk.gov.uk/budget.