Households in south Norfolk will enjoy a freeze in their council tax bills for the fifth time in six years.

In praising the council's overall financial performance, South Norfolk Council leader John Fuller also announced plans to invest £20m in services and the local economy over three years, including providing new office space and commercial property for businesses and a new market town initiative to increase the economic activity in the area's market towns.

Mr Fuller said: 'There is so much going on in south Norfolk and all this effort by the council means that the authority is recognised in national media and by government as one of the highest performing in the country.'

Other projects planned for the forthcoming year included maximising council assets at Poringland and Long Stratton, spending £85,000 on new ride-on street sweepers, where cleaners can ride on the vehicle, to keep towns tidy and £350,000 on improving public toilets and other improvements to market towns.

A further £1m will be spent on bin lorries and new vehicles, £250,000 on mobile working technology and £175,000 on keeping desktop and server software up-to-date.

In replying to Mr Fuller's speech, Liberal Democrat councillor Murray Gray, leader of the opposition, criticised the council's performance on recyling in 2011-12 which put in 194th in the national league table and well into the bottom half and said the council's overall environmental performance was 'not good,' adding the words climate change were rarely seen in council documents.