Council tax set to soar for Scarborough residents

Council tax payers in Scarborough are facing another hike in their bills.
Bills are set to riseBills are set to rise
Bills are set to rise

North Yorkshire County Council, which makes up almost 70% of a taxpayers bill in Scarborough, is likely to increase council tax by 4.99%, which includes the 2% allowed by the Government to pay for adult social care, a rise equivalent to just under £5 a month for the average household.

Scarborough Council's cabinet voted on Tuesday to recommend that the authority increase its share of the bill (13% of the overall figure) by 2.99%, an extra £6.62 a year for a Band D property.

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This is an increase on the previously proposed figure of 2.26%.

In the report that went before the council's cabinet, director Nick Edwards writes: "Over the financial years 2010/11 to 2017/18 the Council has had to identify ongoing savings of circa £17m from its annual revenue budget.

"As staffing resources reduce and savings become harder to identify it is becoming apparent that the length of time needed to deliver savings is increasing."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is looking to increase its share by 3%, or £2.01 extra a year.

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North Yorkshire Police is also consulting on whether to increase its share of the precept. As part of the consultation, Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan warned that if the public wanted police to freeze its share of the council tax then it would need to find an extra £1.3 million in savings.

Before Christmas, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid revealed that local councils, which have seen their central government funding dramatically reduced, would be able to raise council tax by an extra 1%without triggering a costly referendum.

Gareth Dadd, North Yorkshire’s deputy leader and executive member for finance welcomed the move “in light of the very difficult decisions we face in continuing to meet the increasing demands on our services”.He said in a statement at the time: “However, at best it can be nothing more than a temporary fix. In itsel, a decision to raise council tax is also difficult, given the impact that this will have on residents.”