Buckinghamshire council tax frozen for second year running

Buckinghamshire County Council has frozen council tax levels for a second year after approving its budget for 2012/13.

At a meeting of the full council on Thursday, councillors agreed to a budget of £327.7m for the coming year.

Council leader Martin Tett said the budget anticipated savings of £21.7m which meant "tough times".

"The way we deliver services has been changing and must continue to change," he said.

Mr Tett confirmed the council would continue to protect its frontline services, increase investments in roads and make significant capital investment in school buildings.

He warned there was considerable uncertainty over future levels of government funding.

"In the coming three years revenue reductions of £42m must be found, on top of the expected £26m saved in 2011/12," he said.

The authority aimed to ensure 85% of this figure would be achieved through service efficiencies rather than cuts, reducing the impact on residents.