Residents' views on spending priorities are being sought by North Yorkshire County Council ahead of decisions on council tax for the upcoming financial year.
The council says councillors face a tough decision in the coming weeks as they decide on the authority’s budget for the year ahead, including setting the level of council tax.
Residents are being encouraged to take part in a consultation to have a say on the budget, ambitions and priorities.
Cllr Gareth Dadd, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance, said: “These continue to be turbulent times. We are responding to increased pressures that the pandemic has placed on our communities and the county’s economy. At the same time, long-term challenges grow, for example the massive pressures in social care. This means we face further tough choices as we budget for the future.”
The consultation - available at northyorks.gov.uk/yourservicesyoursay - closes on Monday, 17 January.
Under Government rules, the authority can raise council tax by up to 1.99% from April, plus up to a further 2.49% for the adult social care precept.
County Council leader Cllr Carl Les said: “Increasing council tax is never an easy option for us. We have always striven to be moderate in our increases. When considering the level of council tax, we need to understand and balance the hardship families face and the pressure a council tax rise might add with the need to fund essential services to support the most vulnerable in our communities and the services our communities and residents want to see delivered, none of which are without a cost.
“We want to be able to make such decisions backed by an understanding of how residents view our ambitions and spending priorities, as well as the level of council tax. For that reason, I urge people to complete our consultation survey now.”
Budget proposals are expected to be considered by the county council’s Executive on 25 January and by the full council in February.
