COUNCIL tax in South Gloucestershire is to be frozen for a fifth consecutive year.

Three-party revenue budget proposals were agreed at a meeting of the full council yesterday (Wednesday, February 18).

This means that the average council tax for a Ban D property will remain unchanged at £1,245.20.

The freeze in 2015/16, will be followed by a planned two per cent increase in 2016/17 and in the following years.

The council has been able to freeze council tax for a fifth year due to its current savings programme, and a one per cent central government grant.

The budget was finalised following consultation with residents, with 1,500 people responding to a number of consultation exercises.

Respondents were asked to consider which services the council should prioritise, with maintaining safe and clean communities (91 per cent) and safeguarding vulnerable children and adults (85 per cent) receiving the highest level of agreement

Council leader Matthew Riddle said: “It is with great pleasure I can say that Conservatives have managed to freeze council tax for the fifth year in a row, which will be a great help for local people’s finances.

“We have seen off any idea of a tip tax at our Sort-It Centres, taking definitive action to protect our rural shops and found money for highway drainage to prevent potholes.

“I also welcome our investment in schools, roads and broadband, which are essential infrastructure for our thriving communities.”

In addition to the council tax freeze, the budget also includes details of the Council Savings Programme (CSP), which began in 2014/15, with the aim of delivering an additional £36m of savings by 2019/20, which is in addition to the £43m saved so far.

The agreed budget includes arrangements that will allow existing Independent Living Fund recipients to continue to receive the same amount of funding until March 2016, to enable them to make any necessary personal arrangements to move to the new assessment method.