North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) has frozen its portion of the council tax bill for a 13th consecutive year - saying it recognises the financial challenges many have faced in a tough year.

It was confirmed at the full council meeting last night (Thursday 24 February), that a Band D property will pay £158.58 to NWLDC in the next year – exactly the same as a household in this band paid back in 2009 for the services the district council provides.

The decision comes as the council acknowledges the financial pressure many local residents are continuing to feel as the cost of living increases.

Councillor Richard Blunt, Leader of NWLDC, said: "We've been committed to freezing our portion of council tax for many years.

"So we're keen to ensure we keep our finances healthy so we can support our residents in this way and continue to offer value for money.

"Following the impact of the pandemic, we know some of our residents are continuing to face financial difficulties.

"We're proud to continue to deliver high quality services to the people of North West Leicestershire while providing exceptional value for money."

The council's budget also set out plans to keep the collection of one standard garden waste bin per home free, but to introduce a charge of £45 for any additional bins from June 1, 2022.

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The charge will not impact homes who have two small bins, but will allow the council to simplify charging after a number of changes to the service since 2013.

Requests for two small bins are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are only allocated if there is a particular mobility or access issue.

Confirmation of the changes to the service will be sent to households within the next few months.

Councillor Blunt added: "We're the only Leicestershire authority that collections at least one garden waste bin for free, and we know this is something that the government is looking to introduce for all.

"Last year we asked residents asking for extra garden bins to pay for them, but we know around 60 per cent of homes across the district already have additional bins that we're collecting for free, and this isn't fair or sustainable.

Other highlights in the 2022/23 budget include:

• Investing £20.5 million over five years to reduce the carbon footprint of council homes

• Spending a further £11.6 million on projects to regenerate Coalville over the next five years

• Increasing rents to council tenants by up to 4.1% (average £3.46 per week) to pay for planned improvement work to homes