A rise in Council Tax of just 9p per week for an average home in the district has been agreed by Ryedale District Council, as the local authority agreed its budget for the next year at a meeting on Thursday night (22 February).
This money will enable the Council to continue to deliver its core local services for around £191 per year for a Band D home: Band D is the average-sized property.
This comes at a time of continued pressure on council budgets across the country. At Ryedale, significant savings have already been achieved, with recent changes to the way in which the Council operates now delivering ongoing savings of £4.9m every year. Further savings have been identified in this new budget, supported by the modest rise in payments.
From 1 April, the annual cost of the District Council’s part of the charge will be £190.82 for a Band D home – this is an increase of just £4.77 over the whole year – just 9p a week – compared to current rates. This represents an increase of 2.6%, in line with inflation.
Ryedale District Council’s part of Council Tax amounts to around 11% of the total bill. The rest goes to other organisations delivering public services, including North Yorkshire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner. It’s the District Council’s name at the top of the bills because the District Council is the organisation that collects the money on behalf of all those involved.
As happened last year, this year’s bill will include funding for adult social care services for North Yorkshire County Council. This money goes to support older people and vulnerable adults, where demand for services increases.
Chair of Ryedale District Council’s Policy and Resources Committee, Cllr Luke Ives, explained, “Funding for local councils continues to be a real challenge – as it has been for a number of years. Local government has delivered the biggest savings and efficiencies out of all public services since 2010. At Ryedale, we’ve been part of this story. The positive decisions we’ve taken at the District Council, including fundamental changes to the way in which the council works, means we’re in a strong financial position and can deliver a balanced budget through this minimal increase.
“It’s important that we can strike a balance between continuing to deliver long-term savings and investing in services to ensure their long-term sustainability. Councillors agreed a budget last night that does this. Paying just £191 over an entire year for all District Council services represents great value for money.”