South Gloucestershire councillors meeting in Kingswood tonight to set our council tax

At a budget meeting in Kingswood tonight, South Gloucestershire councillors will be asked to freeze our council tax bills from April for a second year in a row.

The council's ruling Tory cabinet has agreed the freeze and their recommendation will be debated at the meeting of all councillors at Kingswood Civic Centre, which starts at 7pm.

The council will quality for a £2.8 million Government grant for freezing council tax.

If agreed, it will mean that an average bill for a Band D home would remain unchanged at £1,245.20.

Around 3,000 people responded to the council's budget consultation, with just over half supporting proposals for a council tax freeze in 2012/13 followed by a 2.5 per cent increase the year after.

Cabinet councillor for corporate affairs John Goddard (Con, Hanham) said: "We have consulted with residents and the business community for their views and they have told us they want to see frontline services protected and at the same time, deliver value for money."

The council says it is committed to saving £43 million by 2014/15, of which £24 million has already been cut by shedding jobs including senior management posts, efficiency savings, contracting out services and a raft of other cost-cutting measures.

Council borrowing next year is set to double to £20 million to help balance the books. The council's revenue budget will total £176.6 million and it plans to keep nearly £9 million in reserves in case of unforeseen costs.