Balancing the books will be an easier task this year, Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott has said.

A saving of £32.6m will need to be made in the next financial year – a percentage of last year’s severe cuts handed down by the Government.

Council tax will be frozen for another year and fees, such as swimming at leisure centres, will remain the same, while millions of pounds will be invested in protecting Wiltshire’s most vulnerable adults and children.

Coun Scott said: “We are investing in some key frontline services and we are not having to take the tough decisions that some other councils are having to make right now.”

Youth centres and libraries will remain open, despite budget cutbacks, but council buildings such as Bradley Road, in Trowbridge, and Browfort, in Devizes, will be sold off quicker than previously anticipated to raise the millions needed this year.

The budget plans were being discussed by Wiltshire Council’s cabinet members at a meeting in Salisbury on Wednesday before a final decision is made by a meeting of Full Council on February 28 at 10.30am at Trowbridge Civic Centre.

In November the council had a deficit of £1.539m which has now come down to a projected £279,000 as of December meaning that by the start of the new financial year in April the deficit should have been cleared.

Coun John Brady, cabinet member for finance, said: “Our open and transparent budget monitoring ensures we are continually identifying any potential overspends. We have been working hard with our managers to address potential overspends.”

Wiltshire Council’s chief finance officer Michael Hudson said: “The freeze in council tax again this year will be good news. Wiltshire has one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.”

However, it was revealed that capital funding for Wiltshire’s schools was cut by £3m by the Government and the council will make more redundancies.

Local authorities are not out of the woods yet, with Coun Scott predicting a tough year beyond 2012. Higher than expected inflation, the rising cost of care for older people and uncertainty over Government funding could all lead to a fresh headache for the council’s accountants.