Council tax rise is needed to help Norfolk recover from pandemic
Norfolk County Council leader says it will be reinvested in the area.
A rise in council tax had to be done to help Norfolk recover from the pandemic.
That's come from leader of the county council, Andrew Proctor, in our exclusive Leaders in Lockdown interview.
He says the 3.99% rise will be invested in helping vulnerable people in the county and help rebuild businesses that have taken a hit.
He says it wasn't an easy decision to make: "It is challenging, to say the least. Our cost pressures have gone up quite significantly.
"The demographics of Norfolk have changed as well, which means that we're in a situation where we've got to find a way to keep our services going as people want.
"We want to continue to invest in all the services we have for vulnerable people and into our communities. If we're going to think about the long-term, we couldn't be in a situation where we didn't put the council tax up.
"I appreciate for some people that will be a difficult call to make, but we have to make that difficult call in these current circumstances."
WATCH: You can see the full interview with our #LeadersinLockdown below as we put your questions to one of Norfolk's decision makers.
As well as defending the rise in council tax this year, the Leader of Norfolk County Council also pledges to do his best to help rough sleepers stay off the streets after lockdown, and talks about the importance of testing in schools.