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28
Dec 2022
Last Updated: 27/12/2022
Revealed: the Harrogate areas set for new council tax charge
The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.
Large parts of Harrogate, including Bilton, Starbeck and Jennyfields as well as central areas, look set to be hit by a new council tax charge.
North Yorkshire County Council said last week it would press ahead with plans to create a Harrogate town council after the results of an initial consultation revealed 75% in favour of the idea.
Areas covered by the new council, which will have 19 councillors, will face an additional charge on their council tax bills to pay for its services.
The sum is not yet known but Ripon City Council and Knaresborough Town Council currently charge £70.77 and £24.27 respectively for a band D property.
The areas facing new charges are:
- Bilton and Nidd Gorge
- Bilton Grange and New Park
- Coppice Valley and Duchy
- Fairfax and Starbeck
- Harlow and St Georges
- High Harrogate and Kingsley
- Oatlands (including the unparished parts of Pannal)
- Saltergate (including the unparished parts of Killinghall and Hampsthwaite)
- Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone
- Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate
A report on the consultation gave short shrift to calls by three respondents for Starbeck to get its own parish council. It said:
"No justification or detail was provided.
"It is considered that due to the small size of the area considered to be Starbeck, less than 6,000 electors, any parish council would not be in a position to provide services or amenities on the scale that could be provided by a much larger neighbouring Harrogate town council, potentially leading the the residents of Starbeck missing out on the opportunities to be provided by a larger town council."
Read more:
- Harrogate set to get town council after 75% back the idea
- Harrogate district town councils to be invited to take on more powers
How is council tax calculated?
Council tax bills in the Harrogate district are calculated by adding the sums charged for services by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, plus any parish precepts.
Harrogate residents do not currently pay a parish precept because it does not have a town council.
This year's Harrogate district Band D bill, minus any parish precept charges, rose by £72 to £2,079.59. This is how it was broken down.
- North Yorkshire County Council – £1,467
- Harrogate Borough Council – £255.92
- North Yorkshire Police – £281.06
- North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue – £75.61
The abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council on April 1 means the charge for their services will no longer exist.
However, the new North Yorkshire Council, which will replace them, has indicated it will charge Harrogate district households £23.47 less than the amount currently paid to the two councils.
The new Harrogate town council charge could mean devolution, hailed as a cost-saving exercise, could actually result in higher council tax bills.
However, a Harrogate town council is unlikely to be formed until May 2024 so any precept it charges will not feature in the calculations for council tax bills in 2022/23, which will be finalised in the new year.
Harrogate town residents have been spared a parish precept because they do not have their own town council, unlike other towns in the Harrogate district and the city of Ripon.
So the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and likely creation of a Harrogate town council will affect them more than residents in places such as Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, which already pay a parish precept.
In a report to the Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire County Council's executive, Barry Khan, assistant chief executive (legal and democratic services) has recommended opening a second, eight-week consultation on creating a Harrogate town council on February 20.
The executive will meet on January 10 to decide whether to accept the recommendation.
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