Trimming the fat from its budget has saved one Lincolnshire district council more than half-a-million pounds.

Cuts for North Kesteven include getting rid of bottle banks, eliminating the parish partnership fund and doing away with cheap train fares.

Deputy chief executive of North Kesteven District Council Alan Thomas said these savings would keep the district's council tax precept as low as possible.

He said: "We started this process back in July and have been looking for ways to limit the rise in council tax.

"Our income has dropped as planning applications have fallen off recently and that has had a knock-on effect to the rest of the council's budget.

"The fund we are looking at here is directly related to council tax and it is taxpayers it would have an impact on.

"When we consulted with taxpayers in the district,76 per cent of people thought we were taking the right approach."

The proposed precept increase for the district is 1.76 per cent.

Mr Thomas said: "We've set similar levels for the coming years, but if we assume things are going to get better and they don't, we will have to make harder decisions.

"Those levels will be reviewed as time goes on."

Overall, £549,300 was cut from next year's budget.

Eliminating the recycling banks scattered around the district saved £44,000.

A massive £190,000 drop in consultancy fees has contributed to the savings programme.

Other savings include abolishing a £44,400 fund for a concessionary train fare scheme, which was set up by the council, and a £27,000 parish partnership cluster project.