Council tax bills go up by 4%

County council approves hike

Council tax payers in Scarborough are facing a hike in their bills.

North Yorkshire County Council has voted to approve an increase in general council tax from April by 1.99% along with a 2% social care precept.

The council’s financial strategy is based on a similar 3.99% increase each year up to 2020 in order to prioritise frontline services.

The cost to the average band D household will be an additional £45.64 per year (£3.80 per month or 88p per week).

The Government has offered councils the chance to front-load this year and next by increasing the social care precept by 3% in each of the next two years.

The council, however, wants to raise the social care precept by 2% in each of the next three years to balance the need for funding of critical services, including adult social care, with affordability for the local taxpayer.

“We are aware of the pressure on people’s finances,” said Cllr Carl Les, North Yorkshire’s leader. “Many families are already struggling to make ends meet and we feel we cannot add significantly to their burden.”

The council remains concerned about the increasing pressures it faces, not least in adult social care and will continue to push for a fairer Government funding deal given the current low levels of funding; the higher numbers of older people; and the higher costs of delivering in a large rural county.

Scarborough Council is set to increase its share by 2.31%, or £5 per year for a band D property. The borough council makes up 13% of the precept, compared to almost 70% for the county council.