Households across Craven are facing a £72 council tax rise from April after the district’s councils and police and fire services all approved increases.
The latest authority to confirm a tax hike was Craven District Council which last night approved a 1.99% rise in its final budget before the authority is scrapped and replaced with a new North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.
The rise equates to an extra £5 per year and takes the council’s proportion of bills for average Band D households up to £187.21 to fund services including bin collections and planning.
Councillor Patrick Mulligan, lead member for finance at the council, told a meeting that the authority had done well to present a balanced budget after years of austerity and Covid.
He also said while some councils had proposed no increases in council tax, he believed this was “not responsible”.
Councillor Mulligan said: “We are asking for another £5 per annum – I think that is very reasonable.
“We are also heading into a new unitary authority next year and it is important we do that in a very sensible way.
“There are some district councils which are not charging any more council tax, but I believe that is not responsible as we need to prepare for the new unitary authority.”
Last Wednesday, North Yorkshire County Council approved a 3.99% tax rise in its final budget before it is also replaced by the new unitary authority.
The increase includes a 1.99% rise to fund services including highways and education, and a further 2% increase for social care.
It means the council’s proportion of bills will go up by £56 to £1,467.35 for average Band D households.
The council’s deputy leader and finance boss, councillor Gareth Dadd, told a meeting that the extra funds would protect services for vulnerable people, while also leaving “a legacy” for the new North Yorkshire Council to inherit.
He also said the increase struck a balance between protecting services and tax-payers, and that the council had “gone some way to reducing the burden on the tax-paying public of North Yorkshire” by not levying the maximum 4.49% allowed.
Contributions towards police and fire services are also going up after North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe’s budget proposals received the backing of councillors earlier this month.
The policing precept will rise by £10 up to £281.06 for average Band D properties, while the charge for fire services will go up £1.47 to £75.61 for the same households.
Town and parish councils also charge a proportion of council tax, with the average amount in Craven set to cost £63.90 for Band D properties.
In total, average households will pay an extra £72.29 during 2022/23 once all the increases from councils and police and fire services are added together.
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