The decision to postpone the revaluation of properties for council tax bands received a mixed reaction from the middle classes.

Despite Whitehall denials, sceptics believe the change of heart was brought about by concerns of a politcal backlash from middle England.

One in three homes, according to the pundits, would have been placed in a higher band, with the lion's share of the increases in property hotspots like Bucks where prices have soared since the last valuation in 1991. Forecasters calculated that families could have been faced with tax increases of up to £270 a year.

The National Association of Estate Agents was quick off the mark with a statement welcoming Tuesday's announcement. Chief executive Peter Bolton-King commented: "This has clearly been causing concern to a number of people who will feel relieved that the threat of increased council tax payments has been lifted."

However the consensus of opinion among local agents was that council tax isn't a crucial issue for housebuyers.

Only last week, South Bucks and Chiltern District Council catchment areas figured in the Halifax table of the top 20 districts in the UK with the highest number of sales of million pound properties sold in the first half of this year. Wycombe District had the distinction of being among the top 20 places in the UK with the highest number of sales of £2 million houses.

The comparative affluence of the area could explain why agents said council tax isn't a factor when people are considering a move to Bucks, although Steve Grace at the Hazlemere office of JNP admitted: "We've had quite a few phone calls from owners asking us to value their house for council tax purposes because the prospect of the revaluation was an unknown quantity."

However Mark Prior at the Wycombe office of Connells and David Milbourn, a partner in the Crendon House estate agency, both said the revaluation, if it had gone ahead, wouldn't have made a ha'pporth of difference to their sales figures. Adrian Norris at the Beaconsfield office of The Brampton Partnership agreed.

However a few miles up the M40, agents in West London were mighty relieved that the Government has decided on a delay.

Phillip Harrison at Barnard Marcus in Acton and his colleague James Gott at the Uxbridge branch said council tax was as much a consideration as education and transport links when west London families decide where to buy.

"It would have had a major effect," claimed the Acton agent on Tuesday. "If the revaluation had gone ahead as planned, we could have seen people moving from the heart of a catchment area for a popular school to a cheaper house on the furthest edge of the catchment area if it meant a significant saving in council tax. There have been steep rises in the past few years. It's a real concern."

Marlow resident Bill Purdie has always believed the present system is unfair. It annoys him that people whose houses have remained the same size since the original valuation pay the same amount as others living in similar properties which have been vastly extended and improved. "The sooner we get to the system of a local tax relative to personal incomes the better," he said this week. "As it is, those with the lowest incomes are paying a higher proportion of their incomes in relation to the tax. It's one of my hobby horses."

Least pleased about the Government's decision to delay the revaluation until ministers have digested the results of a wider inquiry into local Government funding are the civil servants. Dennis Reed, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit expressed their disappointment. "This must be the longest wait for a report ever and local authorities have been patient enough," he complained. His colleague Peter Kenway, director of the New Policy Institute, pointed out: "Council tax is a heavy burden on low income working households. Revaluation was a golden opportunity to reform it. The Government's decision is a matter of deep regret."