Scottish council tax payers are bracing for the possibility of soaring bills as the local authority debt pile nears £20billion.
Council tax was frozen for 2024/25 by the SNP government, but there was no such freeze in its December Budget.
That means councillors now have until the end of February to come to a decision on council tax rises for the 2025/26 year.
The Times reports research by the Local Government Information Unit showed approximately one in five local authorities were considering a hike of 10% or more.
The newspaper understands the majority of increases will be between 5% and 12%.
The total debt owed by Scottish councils hit £19.8billion in 2023/24 - a rise of 15.8% on the previous year.
It comes as it was announced Scottish Water bills would shoot up by 9.9% in April.
The organisation blamed climate change for the rise, citing the need to invest in infrastructure to cope with periods of both drought and intense rainfall.