Some English councils are "dodging democracy" by not holding referendums on council tax rises, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.Those not freezing council tax this year should "man up" and consult the public, he told the Daily Telegraph.

Ministers want a third year of council tax freezes, and have said those councils in England raising taxes above 2% should hold a public vote.The Local Government Association said councils were under strain due to cuts.Mr Pickles told the Telegraph some local authorities were "cheating their taxpayers" and pledged to introduce new laws to stop abuse of the system.

"The days of the knee-jerk tax and spend hike are over," he said.He raised the prospect of lowering the threshold for a referendum in future and said he would legislate to close any other loopholes which enable councils to avoid such votes.He revealed that only about a third of councils had committed to freezing local taxes in the next financial year, despite government calls for restraint as households faced difficult economic times.

The government cannot force councils to freeze bills, but it has demanded local authorities do so rather than raising them in line with inflation.Continue reading the main storyIf the public believes you've got a sensible case they might well listen. But councils should also stop treating residents with contempt”

Ministers have said any local authority increasing levies by more than 2% must hold a referendum and an authority which loses such a vote should have to revert to a lower increase in bills.But according to the Daily Telegraph, some councils have taken legal advice to put up taxes by 1.99% - a practice denounced by the communities and local government secretary as "dodging democracy".

Those putting up "their stealth tax" in this way "need a reality check", said Mr Pickles.He added he was not opposed to tax rises, but that authorities must win over the public before implementing them."If the public believes you've got a sensible case they might well listen. But councils should also stop treating residents with contempt."Responding to the comments, the Local Government Association said councils had faced bigger cuts than almost any other part of the public sector and these are taking a toll on services.

About 115 councils out of 351 in England have said they will freeze council tax as of April.In 2011, Chancellor George Osborne offered to give money to councils to limiting spending rises to 2.5% for 2012-13