COUNCIL TAX could be frozen for the sixth year running under district council budget proposals for the coming financial year.

Cherwell District councillors have agreed the final draft budget for April 2015 to March 2016, which includes a £500,000 savings target pledge as well as a council tax freeze on their part.

The council is required to put forward a budget in order to calculate its council tax for the following financial year.

This year's draft budget, which was presented to the executive on Monday, February 2, is £792,667 up on last year, bringing the total to a required £15,183,211.

Cherwell District Council's lead member for financial management Ken Atack said: "We are operating in austerity. The revenue support grant will be reduced down from £7.2m to just £6.1m.

"We really have to be looking to help ourselves. The general election could have an impact but we are taking the view that it will be reduced and in three years we will have to fend for ourselves."

The first draft put forward in December saw a deficit of £186,000, but a second draft addressed this, including £109,000 savings through shared legal services with South Northamptonshire and Stratford-on-Avon district councils.

Mr Atack added: "By sharing management and some services (with South Northamptonshire council) we have saved over £3m."

Cherwell District and South Northamptonshire councils have already started sharing work, with a joint management team introduced in 2011.

The services that would be shared have not been decided but speaking to the Oxford Mail in December, Cherwell District Council leader Barry Wood said these could be "any and all".

The draft budget proposals will be presented to the full council at a meeting on Monday, February 23, at the Bodicote House offices in Banbury.

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