Council tax bills in York could rise by 4.99%
It's as York City Council bosses look to save £8 million from their budgets
York residents face a council tax hike of 4.99 per cent, while bosses look to save £8 million from their budgets – as the council faces “unprecedented” pressures on its finances.
Council rents will also rise by seven per cent – almost £6 per week on average – under City of York Council’s budget proposals for 2023/24, which are set to be discussed at a public meeting next week.
Record inflation combined with an increased demand for its services – particularly for adult and children’s social care – on top of the pandemic and years of austerity, mean the council faces “tough decisions”, finance chief Councillor Nigel Ayre said.
But thanks to “prudent financial management”, York is in a better position than many other UK councils, several of which had declared bankruptcy over the past few years.
While the council said it would plough an extra £5 million into adult social care and children’s services, because this area accounts for around two thirds of its overall spending, it also faces cuts in some areas.
The proposals show that nearly £300,000 will be cut from day support and short stays for carers, more than half-a-million slashed from learning disability budgets and £25,000 from school catering services.
Elsewhere, fees and charges for services like burials and parking are also set to rise.
Jobs are also on the line as the council seeks to reduce its number of chief officers and stop the use of interim and agency staff for senior roles – though bosses have also told staff “every opportunity will be explored to mitigate any compulsory redundancies”.
Overall, cuts and savings of £8.2 million between 2023-2025 have been identified.
Coun Ayre said: “The impacts of the pandemic, rising costs and increasing demand for services, as well as the Government’s failure to provide what councils need to respond to these challenges, has meant that, as other councils across the country, we are left facing tough decisions.”
He pointed out that City of York Council receives significantly less national funding compared to other councils.
But despite the council tax rise of 2.99 per cent and the additional adult social care precept of two per cent, York still has lower council tax bills than most other places in the country.
The council is also setting aside £1 million of targeted support for residents in a range of areas, including those struggling with the cost of living, cash for anti-social behaviour hotspots, services which promote better mental health and money to get people back onto the bus network.
Coun Ayre added: “This budget looks to stabilise our financial position in what is an extremely uncertain and turbulent financial time, whilst continuing to provide essential services to our local communities.
“Despite the national financial challenges we are increasing spending on adult social care to support the most vulnerable, investing to support children and young people, protecting frontline services and supporting those facing the most dire financial difficulties during this cost of living crisis.”
The budget proposals for 2023/24 will be presented to Coun Ayre at a meeting on January 12 and to the council’s executive committee in February.
The budget will finally be debated and voted on at full council on February 23.