PEOPLE in Ealing can look forward to their council tax bills being frozen for the seventh year running – keeping bills at April 2008 levels.

The freeze will mean the average weekly council tax bill for a band D household will continue to cost about £26 a week.

Councillors this week agreed the freeze, despite a £22.7m cut in central funding. Because of its financial pressures, the council has set a budget reduction target of £96m by April 2019, forcing it to change or stop some services.

This amount was set in anticipation of ongoing cuts in central funding. In addition, it reflects increasing demands on council services, in particular adult social care, a shortage of housing and rising costs.

Ealing has agreed £67.1m of net savings to date. It still needs to identify £28.9m of further cuts if it is to reach its target in the next four years.

Council leader Julian Bell said: “We know many local people have experienced tough times and many will have had low or no wage rises over the same period. This is why the freeze is both fair and sensible.”

Ealing has a programme of investment to meet the demands of the borough’s growing population.

These longer-term projects are funded in a number of ways including borrowing, using council reserves, grants and money secured from developers during the planning process.

As part of the budget setting, a further £75.4m of new projects were approved. These include:

• £45m to expand secondary schools, to create additional places. This includes £12m to replace the main building at Northolt High School

• £8.3m towards transforming Gunnersbury Park’s sports areas over the next five years

• £3.6m on disabled facilities and other improvement grants

• £4m to improve roads and pavements • £480,000 to start work on Dine In Southall restaurant and hospitality training school at Southall Manor House.