'We need to get it right' - no decision on Whitby precept increase as budget postponed
The approval of Whitby’s annual budget has been delayed after members said they were ‘not comfortable’ with proposals.
Councillors were set to approve an annual budget for Whitby Town Council at a meeting on Tuesday January 20, but a decision has been postponed over an apparent dissatisfaction with the financial plans.
The draft budget for 2026/27 proposes a precept increase of between 3.2 per cent and 5 per cent.
Cllr Sandra Turner, the Mayor of Whitby, said: “We do need to look at it a little bit closer before members feel comfortable to pass it.
“There were areas that just needed a little bit more looking into.”
A precept increase of 3.2 per cent would raise £588,300, a 3.9 per cent increase would raise £590,800, and a 5 per cent increase would raise £595,300, according to the draft budget.
The lowest proposed precept increase was inflation-matched at the time, but the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday January 21 that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.4 per cent in the 12 months to December 2025, up from 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to November.
Asked what concerns other councillors had raised, the mayor stated: “They didn’t really say it, they just didn’t want to accept the budget as it was.”
She said: “It would have been nice to have it done last night, but if members aren’t happy, then we’ve got to get it right.”
Overall ‘revised’ income for the town council for 2026/27 is set to be around £621,000, while the projected ‘revised’ expenditure of the authority would be around £569,000.
Last year, a 4.87 precept increase was approved after councillors rejected plans for a higher increase to tackle finance challenges.
A decision on the budget has been postponed until the next full meeting of the authority, which will likely take place in February.
Cllr Turner said: “Then we will have to make a decision, but we need to get it right – we’re there to make sure we get it right for the residents.”