Knaresborough residents are set to pay 15.95% more in 2026/27 to fund the work of their town council.

The town council agreed to increase the cost of the precept for a Band D household from £36.99 to £42.89 — an uplift of £5.90 — at a meeting on Monday (November 17).

The sum will be added to the yet-to-be-determined amounts charged by North Yorkshire Council for its services and by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for police and fire services to make up final 2026/27 council tax bills.

Despite the increase, Knaresborough’s precept remains well below the £80 currently charged by Ripon City Council and lower than Boroughbridge’s £47.78.

It is above Pateley Bridge’s £34.78 and Harrogate’s £12.73. However, Harrogate’s is expected to increase significantly in 2026/27 as its town council, which was formed this year, takes on more services.

Masham Town Council does not charge a precept. It relies on market rents and car parking honesty boxes to fund its work.

How is it spent?

The precept increase means Knaresborough Town Council will generate £280,351 in 2026/27 to fund its work, compared with £237,867 this year.

Its projected spending includes £50,000 on town development, £35,000 on grants and £30,000 on Christmas lights. Staffing costs are forecast to be £107,000 and another £18,000 will be spent on the town ranger. A total of £5,600 has been set aside for new boundary signs and the same sum has been allocated to town twinning.

The 2026/27 budget estimates the town council will make a loss of £8,915 on running the weekly Wednesday market.

Negotiations with North Yorkshire Council to take control of the market are at an advanced stage. If completed, it would be a historic first for North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les’ double devolution policy of devolving control of local assets from Northallerton to local areas.

But detailed costings for the market were not revealed at Monday’s meeting. Clerk Angela Pulman said afterwards the costs were “still unclear”, adding:

‘Hard decisions’

The Lib Dem-run town council agreed to write to Tory-run North Yorkshire Council raising concerns about the volume of services it is under pressure to take on without adequate compensation.

North Yorkshire Council is preparing to make cuts, with non-statutory services such as leisure, libraries and culture expected to bear the brunt.

Knaresborough Town Council fears it, and other parish councils, will be asked to take up the slack. It hired a town ranger this year to take on cleaning duties that are no longer being done by the higher council.

Deputy mayor Andy Bell, who also chairs the finance committee, told Monday’s meeting he was “very conscious of what might be coming to us down the line”.

Cllr Matt Walker said:

“We keep putting up the precept and at some point we will have to make some hard decisions. It really does really worry me that we are having to pick up the costs of North Yorkshire Council.”

Cllr Kit Lacey suggested sending a letter to North Yorkshire Council highlighting the “unfairness”.

Cllr David Goode said: “We should remind North Yorkshire that when they made their commitment to double devolution it would not add to council tax bills. An asset or service should come to us with equal money that it costs North Yorkshire Council.”