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Feb 2022

Last Updated: 10/02/2022

Politics

Harrogate council approves council tax hike

by Calvin Robinson

| 10 Feb, 2022

One councillor warns some people will be faced with the choice of either 'eat or heat' due to the rising costs of energy, food and National Insurance contributions.

A 1.99% council tax rise has been approved by Harrogate Borough Council as part of its final budget before the authority is swallowed up into a new North Yorkshire Council.

The increase equates to an extra £5 per year for average Band D households and will come into force from April.

It was approved at a full council meeting last night which marked the last time that the Conservative-run council will set its own budget before it is scrapped and replaced with a unitary authority covering the whole of North Yorkshire from April 2023.

The county’s other six district councils will also be scrapped, as well as North Yorkshire County Council which has proposed a 3.99% council tax rise for Harrogate district residents in its final budget.

There are further tax rises expected from police and services which if all approved could see council tax bills for average Band D households rise to a total of £2,079.

This comes at a time when families are facing a cost of living crisis and opposition councillors have warned many will have to choose between heating and eating to cover their bills.

'Residents will be faced with eat or heat choice'

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, told last night’s meeting that the authority should be using more of its cash reserves to ease the pressure on residents.

She said:

“It is such a pity that we could not have a 0% increase in council tax to help our residents who are faced with soaring energy costs, fuel and food bills, and 1.25 percentage point in National Insurance contributions from April.

“Many residents will be faced with the eat or heat choice in 2022 – that is disgraceful.

“This is also why we should have kept our fees and charges at a 0% rise and not at least 2.5% as mentioned in many of the cabinet budget papers.

“Using our reserves would take the pressure off our residents to some small degree.”

Cllr Pauline McHardy, leader of the Ripon Independents group, also said she would have supported no increase in council tax and described the 1.99% rise as “another blow to the community”.

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Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, responded to say that not increasing council tax would be “nonsense” as the authority is also facing increasing costs and has to keep services running and its staff paid.

He also argued that no alternative budget proposals were put forward by the opposition parties and that the council’s cash reserves had been earmarked for projects.

Cllr Swift said:

“We have to pay our staff… and we will also be squeezed by energy prices and as a result of this giving a zero council tax increase to all of our residents is nonsense.

“Despite the hardships that we will all face over the next year or so, I think most rational people recognise that global energy prices are the principal driver of the heating and electricity costs – not Harrogate Borough Council.”

'Proud of the council's work'

Cllr Swift added:

“£5 a week is the council tax. For that people get their bins emptied, their leaves swept, their provisions of leisure facilities and all the programmes that go with helping our most needy.

“The list is almost endless of what district councils do and I’m very proud of the work that many people in this council do to ensure that we can provide not only a balanced budget, but a controlled modest expenditure increase.”

The 1.99% rise will increase Harrogate Borough Council’s tax bills for the average Band D property up to £255.92.

The council makes up just under 13% of bills, while North Yorkshire County Council makes up 70% and police and fire services the remainder.

Parish and town councils also charge a small levy.

All 24 Conservative councillors present at last night’s Harrogate Borough Council meeting voted in favour of the 1.99% rise, while seven Liberal Democrats abstained and two Ripon Independents voted against.

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Harrogate council approves council tax hike

'Residents will be faced with eat or heat choice'

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'Proud of the council's work'