At least 50 small local councils are refusing to pay higher bills for software enabling locals to apply for passports and driving licences, the Volkskrant reports on Monday.

Software company PinkRoccade is putting its prices up by up to 50% for some of its 200 local council clients, adding up to €100,000 to their annual bill, the paper says.

Lawyers have written to the company on behalf of the councils saying they are sticking to the old prices, plus a rise for inflation.

‘We are not paying more than that,’ a spokesman for Elburg council told the paper. ‘We will see what happens next.’

PinkRoccade chief executive Han Knooren told the Volkskrant prices have not suddenly gone up. Describing the increases as a ‘tariff adjustment’, he said councils were told about the changes in the summer.

The increase in prices is due to government plans to force councils to offer all of their services digitally. Although this has now been delayed, the councils say they are being forced to pay for services they do not need or want.