This week, Liberal Democrat-controlled Harrogate Town Council agreed to more than double the amount households pay to fund its work.

The amount a Band D household pays will go up from £12.73 in 2025/26 to £25.78 in 2026/27 in April.

The charge, known as a precept, will be added to the sums charged by North Yorkshire Council and the emergency services to make up overall council tax bills.

The 105% increase means the amount households generate for the town council will increase from £362,000 to £740,639.

Councillor Paula Stott, the Liberal Democrat chair of the council’s finance and general purposes committee, described the budget as “both thoughtful and prudent and will deliver positive outcomes for Harrogate citizens”. But Conservative Cllr Michael Harrison said there was “fat in the budget” and Reform UK has also questioned whether it provides value for money.

How will the money be spent? Here’s a breakdown of the main budgeted costs.

1 £263,093 on staffing

The town council already employs Iona Taylor as chief officer / clerk and Emma Preston as administrative officer. It has allocated £49,111 for a new events officer plus £50,000 for project management, although it has not yet decided if the latter sum will be spent on a new employee or project costs. These combined costs come to £225,740. Other costs, such as staff training and recruitment, bring the total to £263,093. Cllr Mark Warr, a Liberal Democrat who represents Pannal, said the unpaid efforts of town councillors also had to be taken into account. He said: “There are also 19 people working for nothing behind the scenes.”

2 £110,226 on new premises

Community House on East Parade has been the council’s base since it was set up a year ago. It also uses North Yorkshire Council’s Civic Centre for meetings. It wants to secure long-term premises where residents can visit, just as Ripon City Council is based at Ripon Town Hall and Knaresborough Town Council is based at Knaresborough House. A working group has been set up to consider the options, which could include vacant units in the Royal Baths and the former municipal building at Crescent Gardens, where the old council chamber has been retained as part of its redevelopment. Another possibility is to have a permanent office but move meeting locations around the town to places such as Jennyfields and Starbeck. The £110,226 set aside includes any renovation costs, plus maintenance and service charges.

3 £50,000 reserves

The amount set aside for reserves has increased from £30,000 to £50,000. Cllr Paula Stott, a Liberal Democrat who chairs the finance and general purposes committee, said councils were expected to have at least three months’ running costs in reserve by their third year of existence so although it might look like £50,000 was “over-egging the pudding” it was legally required to build reserves.

4 £50,000 Partnership funding

This will be used to set up a fund to facilitate new initiatives, or the support and development of existing services, in collaboration with community partners.

5 £35,921 Election costs

This provides for the cost of the 2027 elections. North Yorkshire Council recharges local councils the cost of holding elections and has indicated the town council needs to be prepared to pay £65,000 for the elections in May 2027. The sum could also be used to fund any mid-term councillor vacancies that may arise. A total of £65,000 has been built up over two years for election costs. 

6 £50,000 Community events

This will fund a calendar of events for both residents and to encourage visitors to the town. Events may be delivered by the town council, or in partnership with other organisations.

7 £20,000 New signs

This covers the cost of providing new ‘Welcome to Harrogate’ signs at eight locations around the perimeter of the town, with costs based on an estimate provided North Yorkshire Council.

8 £18,000 Youth services

This covers the cost of the second year of the children and young people network being delivered by the community group HADCA and of providing ‘on the ground’ youth sessions, such as a mobile youth club.

9 £10,000 Allotments

This is for any necessary improvements identified after surveying the allotment sites once they have been transferred to town council ownership. Costs could include removal of hazardous waste, making plots capable of cultivation by new plotholders or boundary repairs such as new fences.