EAST Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet will next week be asked to agree new council investments, which it says have been made possible by savings of around £17.2 million at the authority.

The proposals include a £300,000 fund to regenerate high streets across the county, £1 million for roads maintenance and flood prevention, and £1.19m to go in reserves to manage future service pressures in social care budgets.

Council leader Stephen Parnaby said: “For a number of years, this council has been carrying out robust financial planning as we continue to respond to the significant cuts in funding from the government which affect us exactly as they do all other local authorities. We now expect these cuts to continue until at least 2017 or 2018.

“I am proud to say that, Despite these challenging circumstances, we have been able to spend over £80m in the last financial year on improving our roads, schools and leisure facilities, as well as on building new homes.

"Our robust financial management during the past year, and planning ahead for savings in the future, has enabled us to make further investments of around £10m in the coming financial year while still protecting key services.”