3.9pc council tax rise likely

The north Norfolk slice of council tax looks set to be increased by 3.9pc this year, meaning people living in a Band D house can expect to pay around £130 a year for the services provided by North Norfolk District Council.

A meeting of the council's cabinet on Monday switched the probable rise from an expected 4pc down to 3.9pc, although this will have to be ratified by full council on February 20.

The meeting provided senior councillors with the opportunity to set down their grievances about what they regard as a poor central government handout, which meant they were forced to abandon a proposed 2.5pc council tax rise.

The £8.7m government grant, which represents 60pc of the district council's budget, included an annual increase of just 1.1pc, the lowest in Norfolk.

“Quite frankly it was an insult”, said the council's resources portfolio holder Peter Moore yesterday as he presented the new budget to cabinet.

“It doesn't even cover inflationary increases.”

Mr Moore said that with hard work the council's level of services had been protected, although difficult decisions had been made in recent weeks.

Council leader Simon Partridge called the 1.1pc increase a “kick in the teeth”, accused central government of “sucking blood out of the district” and said the blame for service cuts had to be laid “fairly and squarely at the door of central government”.

He also said Norfolk County Council's settlement in comparison to the district's was “fantastic”.

Brian Hannah said the district was being “squeezed tight” by the government, while the debate heard concerns from other members expressing their fears for art and culture and services for young people.

Mr Moore said that in the longer run the council should approach the county council and the government, with the help of North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb, expressing their concerns at the poor funding for north Norfolk.