One of the most visible changes they are making will be a reduction in grass cutting.
North West Leicestershire District Council are not increasing their portion of council tax but this means they are changing some services they provide.
One of the most visible changes they are making will be a reduction in grass cutting, this will take the annual cost down from almost £50,000 to nearly £27,000.
As well as this, formal flower beds that would traditionally hold bedding plants will instead be seeded with wildflowers; a cheaper option that also adds to the biodiversity in the area. This reduces the spend from almost £20,000 to just over £4,000.
Councillor Richard Blunt, Leader of NWLDC, said: “As a council we are committed to limiting the financial burden on local people as much as possible, which is why we’ve frozen council tax for so long. Whilst we don’t have control over whether town and parish councils increase their portion of the bill, we do control what happens in Coalville, and we don’t feel it’s right to increase tax in this area, especially right now, when everyone is feeling the pinch.
“That decision means we have some difficult choices to be able to make the budget balance. We feel that the measures we’ve agreed, including reduced grass cutting in some areas, a different approach to flower planting and removing some underused facilities, are the most sensible ways to do this.”
Other changes include funding Coalville in Bloom through sponsorship, reducing the number of times litter bins are emptied and three buildings – the pavilions at Greenhill and Melrose recreation grounds and the cemetery hut at Broomleys Cemetery will be closed.