South Norfolk Council announces freeze on its Council Tax

South Norfolk Council is freezing its Council Tax for 2008/09.

The news comes just nine months after the Council's new administration took office in the local government elections.

It makes South Norfolk District Council one of only a handful of councils in England to freeze Council Tax.

Council Leader John Fuller says it is excellent news for the district's over 50,000 households, which are facing increases in other household bills across the board in the coming year.

He said they would also welcome it as the clearest evidence yet of their Council delivering on its promise to be businesslike and efficient, providing the services people value the most.

The freeze means the annual band D Council Tax bill in 2008/2009 just for South Norfolk Council services, remains at last year's level of £127.52 a year.

Councillor Fuller said:

"This is about a Council that has got a grip on its projects and is putting resources into its priority areas, whilst freezing council tax.

"We are not a business, but being more business-like has meant that we have been able to get a firmer grip on the finances to get better value for money for residents.

"But that doesn't mean cuts. At the same time we're putting more resources into important areas like recycling, tackling anti-social behaviour, the arts and making life easier for the elderly and infirm.

"We have also been smart in our investments, and received more interest than expected and this means that, at a time when household bills are rising across the board, at least South Norfolk's Council Tax will buck the trend."

Councillor Fuller said the tax freeze dividend for residents was just the latest achievement among many of which the council could be justly proud. He said the Budget proposals would also:

- Eliminate the backlog of 15 months for aids and adaptations, so the elderly and infirm could remain in their own homes.

- Include a commitment to sponsor our young Olympic hopefuls to represent us all in 2012, in exchange for them helping other youngsters to fulfil their potential.

- Create a new future for arts and tourism with a major development of a South Norfolk Festival of the Arts.

- Refurbish and increase the number of mini recycling centres and make it easier for those in the towns to compost via an expanded brown bins garden waste scheme.

- Commit £1m to maintain and refurbish the council’s leisure centres to the latest standards, so that residents across the district can improve their health through more sport and activity.

- Work more closely with the police and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour, building on the success of the Council environmental crimes team that has taken its performance on fly tipping from one of the worst councils to one of the best in just 6 months.

- Boost the Council's planning enforcement as part of our commitment to preserving the special character of our market towns and villages.

The Council's Cabinet meets on Monday 11th of February to discuss the Budget, and formally recommend no increase to the Full Council meeting shortly after.

The district council is the Council Tax collecting authority in South Norfolk, so the bills it sends out will include the charges agreed by Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Police Authority and parish and town councils.

South Norfolk Council has no control over the increases that other authorities may or may not agree.

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