Tax payers in Suffolk Coastal will see their bills remain the same for the fifth year thanks to ongoing efforts to cut costs.

Councillors agreed a budget for 2015/16 of £11.969 million – a net reduction of £156,000, or 1.29%, on the current year’s spending.

It means the district’s share of the council tax for a Band D home will be £149.40, the same as in 2010/11.

Senior council officials said in the past five years Government funding had been reduced by £3m-plus, but the council had managed to find £10m of efficiency savings, including its partnership with Suffolk Coastal Norse creating £1.7m savings and the new leisure contract making £500,000 savings a year.

The move to a new HQ will also save £8m over the next 20 years.

Suffolk Coastal council leader Ray Herring said long-term planning was essential to meet the challenges ahead.

He said: “We have worked to streamline our services, driving down costs and becoming more efficient, while maintaining essential frontline services.

“Suffolk Coastal was one of the first councils in the country to provide shared services, with our partners Waveney District Council, reducing our combined workforce by about 40% since 2008.

“I remain optimistic for the future. That is not to say we are not facing challenges. We have a predicted budget gap of £2.71million to fill over the next four years.”