Ripon households will pay more than half a million pounds to fund the work of their city council in 2026/27.

The £501,506 sum was finalised at an extraordinary Ripon City Council meeting at the town hall on Monday (February 2) when the budget for the year ahead was agreed.

The funds are raised through a portion of council tax bills known as the precept. Band D households will be charged £81.78, compared with £79.70 in 2025/26, for the city council’s work. That represents a below inflation increase of 2.61%.

By comparison, Knaresborough Town Council has increased its Band D charge by 15.95% to £42.89 and Harrogate Town Council, which was only set up a year ago, more than doubled its charge to £25.78 for 2026/27.

Total council tax bills, which will be finalised this month, will also include payments to North Yorkshire Council and to fund police and fire services.

Here are the five main areas of spending by Ripon City Council.

1 Salaries – £187,443

More than a third of the overall budget will be spent on salaries. The £187,443 allocated is £30,786 more than the £156,657 in 2025/26. The 12 elected councillors are not paid but the council employs five people when fully staffed. However it has been rocked by departures and absences over the last year, which contributed to an underspend of £20,000 in 2025/26. The council’s staffing committee is expected to appoint a chief officer / clerk and deputy town clerk on salaries in the range of between £57,867 and £60,208 and £42,839 and £46,142 respectively in the next few weeks. Pension and National Insurance costs are budgeted to add £32,907 and £23,826 to personnel costs in the year ahead. Staff training accounts for a further £4,500.

2 Events — £69,000

Few places put on more entertainment than Ripon. The Market Square hosts free-to-attend family events and rides throughout the year. A sum of £69,000 has been budgeted for events, including £20,000 for August events, £20,000 for New Year’s Eve and £20,000 for the Christmas lights switch-on.

3 Grants — £53,500

The city council has allocated £15,000 on its small grants programme, which is £7,000 more than the current year, and £31,000 on partnership funding, which is £5,000 more than this year. Both funds benefit local community groups, which can apply for support. A further £7,500 will go towards what is termed ‘strategic investment’.

4 Christmas Lights — £45,000

The 2026/27 budget allocates £45,000 to Christmas lights, an increase of £3,500 on this year’s £41,500 figure. The lit Ripon sign that appeared on the Market Square before Christmas is still in place, and will be adapted to ‘I love Ripon’ for Valentine’s Day. The Instagrammable sign is also funded from the Christmas lights budget,

5 Hugh Ripley Hall — £34,845

The hall incurs multiple costs, including business rates, gas, electricity, water, upkeep, security alarm, trade waste, maintenance, PAT testing, Legionella testing, music licence, cleaning supplies and renovation. To offset this, hall hire is expected to generate £22,500.