Residents of Waveney look set to have their council tax frozen for 2012/13 after the move was recommended by Waveney District Council's cabinet last night. If the council tax freeze is approved next week by the full council, it will mean a Band D council tax property will pay �147.51.

The freeze comes in the wake of �909,000 budget gap being plugged in the last year with money saved by its shared partnership with Suffolk Coastal District Council and the creation of the Sentinel Leisure Trust.

But as the cabinet recommended the council tax level for the year ahead, leader Colin Law said the council faced future budget challenges. The council predicts it will face a budget gap of just over �2m by 2015/16.

The council's budget for 2012/13 is �14m with the largest chuck of funding going to the resources department, which is allocated �4m, with the next biggest department being leisure, tourism and economic development at �3.5m.

Last night's meeting also heard the chief executive officer Stephen Baker, who is also chief executive at Suffolk Coastal, had given his performance related pay bonus last year – 8pc of his annual pay – to fund an apprenticeship. Mr Baker, whose salary is �128,061, said that he planned to hand his bonus over again this year to another similar scheme.