Householders across Great Yarmouth have been handed a 1.9pc increase in the district slice of their council tax - the lowest for at least a decade.The budget was agreed by full council last Thursday, with members keen to maintain frontline services and make any savings from administration and changes in the way services are delivered.

Householders across Great Yarmouth have been handed a 1.9pc increase in the district slice of their council tax - the lowest for at least a decade.

The budget was agreed by full council last Thursday, with members keen to maintain frontline services and make any savings from administration and changes in the way services are delivered.

Meanwhile, up to 85pc of taxpayers' missing �2m frozen in Icelandic Heritable Bank which crashed last year will flow back to the council - �631,000 having already been returned, with another �600,000 due in July.

It means a band D property will pay �146.48 - an increase of �2.73 on last year, although when county, police and average parish levies have been added the figure will top around �1,491.64.

Resources cabinet member Steve Ames said these were challenging times, with the council focused on putting

its own house in order, scrutinising every vacant post as part of a “lean thinking” exercise looking

at things from a customer rather than council point of view.

He said: “We have not experienced any increase in Government funding so choices have to be made. There was a three-year settlement announced so we knew what challenges we faced next year and the year after.

“Reserves are where we want them to be, floating around the minimum level. It is not a growth budget - the commitment is to maintain front line services.”