Last night North Lincolnshire Council set its four-year budget and priorities for 2012 to 2016 at the Civic Centre. There will be no increase in council tax for council services for the second year running and major investment is planned.

The investment includes in the capital programme:

- £5m to improve school buildings
- £1.2m to create a children’s campus to replace     existing children’s homes
- £1.3m to refurbish the Lilacs care home in Scunthorpe
- £200,000 to extend library provision in Broughton
- £150,000 to extend Winterton Community Hub

And over the next four years, revenue funding of:

- £920,000 for a brand new apprenticeship scheme to provide 120 Apprenticeship places
- £440,000 to develop a rural youth initiative
- £430,000 extra funding for youth activities
- £1.5m additional funding for rural transport and highways
- £160,000 to continue rail concessionary fares
- £875,000 on crime prevention
- Additional community grants bringing the total to £2m

The scheme for reduced cost of student travel passes will continue, as will free parking and free swimming sessions.

Savings will be made including efficiency savings, reducing corporate support functions, the senior management restructure, reduction on council-wide communication, and shared services for local taxation and benefits. The household recycling centres will be brought in-house.

A new apprenticeship scheme will be introduced from April 2012 and over the next few years, will give 120 young people the chance to learn vital skills to help them get jobs locally.

Cllr Liz Redfern, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said:

“We set out on day one to protect front line services and make necessary savings to ensure that we are operating more efficiently and effectively.

“I am pleased to say that we have kept our promise. By being prudent and more creative in the way that we deliver our services, we have been able to make the necessary savings to enable us to invest in other key areas.

“At the heart of our plans is the need to provide good quality services, the right services, and in a way that better meet the needs of the community. An example of this is adult social care - where, through personalisation, we are now seeing more people than ever in control of their own care. They are able to choose what care they need, when they need it. And the council provides a supporting role in that process. This is just one example.

“And with young people, we are doing all we can to give them a voice and help ensure they make the most of their lives. From 1st April, the council will take on 20 young people through a brand new apprenticeship scheme that will give them vital skills and experience to help them find jobs. There will be a further 20 places later in the year.

“We are bringing more services together under one roof, e.g. moving the register office to the Civic Centre from April, where people will have access to a whole range of services in one place, and a great venue with beautiful surroundings to hold weddings among other things.

“I want to ensure that we make the most of the resources we have and expand and develop expertise within the council.

“I am confident that with the new senior management structure in place to help achieve our ambitions, we will take this council forward to another level.”

Indicative council tax increases for the following three years are 1.75 per cent, 1.75 per cent and 1.4 per cent.

The (net) revenue budget is £129.9m in 2012/13.

The capital programme spend is £47.2m in 2012/13.