Council tax expected to rise by maximum amount

Norfolk County Council's share of council tax has risen by 4.99% for several years

Council tax at Norfolk's largest authority could increase by the maximum amount again, a senior councillor warned.

A report by county council officers said that whilst it had identified almost £36m of cuts to services such as adult social care, there was still a budget gap of "approximately £25m".

Conservative deputy leader Andrew Jamieson said this gap, and "sharply" rising costs for key services, was likely to lead to a rise in council tax of 4.99%.

Liberal Democrat Brian Watkins, leader of the main opposition group, said the council needed to "get its own house in order".

The most an authority can raise its share of council tax by, without a referendum, is 4.99%. For several years, Norfolk County Council has raised it to the maximum amount.

Last year's rise meant bills for a Band D property rose by £83.52.

And earlier this year, the government's Spending Review assumed councils would raise it to the maximum level to pay for local services – such as social care and libraries.

Conservative Andrew Jamieson said the council was providing "high-quality services", despite making savings

A cabinet report said that £35.7m of savings had been identified to try and balance next year's budget.

More than half of the cuts were planned for adult social care, and there was also less funding for home-to-school transport.

Jamieson insisted the council was saving money by being more efficient, securing better contracts and increasing early interventions, with the aim "to protect essential frontline services".

He went on to warn that financial pressures on local government were "acute" with costs for adult social care and children's services continuing to rise "sharply".

Referring to the government's expectation on council tax increases, he said: "The assumption shifts the burden of maintaining essential services onto local taxpayers."

Liberal Democrat Brian Watkins said improvements still needed to be made to how services were delivered

Watkins said that whilst there was an "urgent need for government to reform the way that councils are financed", the council needed to "get its own house in order".

He said the authority had been too slow to "embrace new technology" and that it needed to do more to "work smarter and more efficiently".

"The council must give more emphasis on preventative approaches to adult social care, and it has to get to grips with the exorbitant costs of school transport," he added.

The council is due to lay out its full budget plans in January.