COUNCIL tax is set to be frozen for the fifth year running after councillors approved the 2015/2016 budget, but there are warnings of tough times ahead.

At the meeting on Tuesday night council chiefs were left having to fill a funding gap of £17m following central government cuts and an increase in demand for adult and social care.

Much of the extra money needed has been found over the course of the year, with the transfer of the town’s leisure facilities, the closure of seven children’s centres and a deal to bring a number of services back in-house.

In the end, the budget passed with little opposition as Labour abstained once the Conservative amendments were put in place following a unanimous vote.

After the meeting, Coun Russell Holland (Con, St Margaret and South Marston) said: “I am very pleased that we are freezing council tax again but we need to be realistic about the tough times ahead.

“After the election we need to see what the new political landscape is.

“What we saw was that 99 per cent of the budget was agreed and we were just debating the fringes.

“I think the Labour Party has run out of steam. They put forward amendments but there was nothing in there about reversing the green waste charge or children’s centres.”

However, the Labour Party said it was not their budget being debated, and they were trying to make amendments to a Conservative budget. They had put forward several amendments, which included more money for youth services and introducing the living wage for council workers, but these were rejected as it was argued there was not the cash available.

Labour leader Jim Grant (Lab, Rodbourne Cheney) said: “Reversing the green waste charge and keeping children’s centres open remains a key policy.

“But here we were debating the Conservative policies. I am disappointed none of the Labour amendments were accepted.

“Many of the big businesses in the town, such as Nationwide, have adopted it so I don’t see why the council should not pay its staff a dignified wage.”