IN announcing a "freeze" in council tax for the next year, Forest of Dean district councillors have taken a stab at the amount of income they will receive from charging for car parking.

The agreed budget, to be introduced from April, includes an estimate that parking charges will bring in £94,500.

That figure, says the council, will allow a reduction in the proposed cost of parking from 40p to 20p for the first hour and 70p to 50p for up to two hours.

In a statement the council says this has been made possible because of a small surplus in the collection fund and has been introduced as a result of the consultation responses received on both the budget and car parking.

The statement says: "In response to reductions in Government funding, the council has already reduced costs by £2.3m and has plans to save a further £1.5m over the next three years. This totals £3.8m between 2009/2010 and 2014/2015 through measures including efficiency savings, recruitment freezes and some reduction in services. At the same time the number of senior managers at the council have been reduced by a third."

It continues: "Savings have also been made by the sharing of services such as accountancy, human resources and land and property with other local councils to give projected savings of £119,000 in 2012/2013, rising to £311,000 in future years. The council is planning to reduce the running costs of its Coleford offices by sharing its accommodation with other public services including Gloucestershire Police."

Cllr Brian Robinson, cabinet member for Efficient Council and Planning Policy, said: "We are very pleased to be able to freeze our part of the council tax for another year, recognising the tough economic circumstances that many local residents are facing.

"This budget protects vital services at what is a difficult financial time for local authorities. It builds on the work of previous years and shows good value for money and sound financial management."

•The final decision on car parking charges will be taken by Cabinet members at a meeting in April when the consultation responses will be considered.