DEVON County Council has pledged to spend more money on roads and old people's homes despite opting to freeze council tax.

Council leader John Hart said the authority has added an extra £10.3m to the target budget it revealed in December.

It will mean £5m more for highway maintenance on minor roads and almost £4m on housing initiatives for the vulnerable.

The youth service will benefit from an additional £500,000 investment after Devon became one of four areas nationally to host a Youth Innovation Zone.

There will also be £150,000 for the Rural Growth Network, aimed at boosting employment opportunities, and £150,000 for animal welfare testing, the authority has revealed.

Devon's share of the council tax will be frozen for the second year running if the budget is approved by the full council later this month.

The money for the extra spending is coming from an £8.2m grant from the Government and a higher-than-expected rate of council tax collection by Devon's district councils.

Devon's Cabinet approved a target budget of £507.5 million for 2012/13, which meant cuts of £20.6 million in spending across the authority.

Mr Hart said: "This is a budget for investment in the future of Devon."