City of York Council budget includes council tax rise, garden waste collection charge and parking prices increase

A basic council tax increase of 2.99 per cent has been proposed for 2024/25 in the council’s budget, despite Labour campaigning on a pledge to freeze it before being elected into administration in May. A further 2.0 per cent social care precept has also been proposed, effectively making the rise 4.99 per cent.

It is intended that the total council tax increase including the parish, police and fire authority precepts, will be agreed at the full council meeting on February 22.

Members will also be asked to approve the 100 per cent increase in council tax on second homes with effect from April 1, 2025, to charge a 100 per cent premium on homes that have been empty for one year with effectfrom April 1, 2024, and to approve the average rent increase of 7.7 per cent to be applied to all rents for 2024/25.

Increases in parking charges across the city and a ‘subscription service’ charge for waste collection are also included in the budget. The Liberal Democrats calculate all increases as a 7.4 per cent rise in council tax, adding the 4.99 per cent rate with the waste collection charge together.

The City of York Council leader, Coun Claire Douglas, acknowledged the decisions would be unpopular and initially described the budget as “heartbreaking” – although this was later retracted.

The initial statement from Coun Douglas read: “We’ve been clear from day one that the budget we inherited after thirteen years of central government cuts meant making very hard decisions. We said already there would have to be cuts, a root and branch challenge to all council expenditure and a hard look at levels of capital investment.

“As the full scale of the challenge has become clear, so too has the need to make what we know will be some very unpopular decisions. It is heartbreaking that council budgets across the UK have been brought to this, and we are deeply troubled by what these changes might mean here in York.”

A new statement changed the language to say the council’s executive team feel “deeply uncomfortable about the harrowing impact of the budgetary position we find the council in.”

It went on to read: “I can assure residents we’ll work tirelessly to limit the impact of these service reductions and work closely with our partners to continue delivering our council plan priorities, retaining our focus on equalities, affordability, climate and health.”

The council says the financial strategy delivers a balanced budget for 2024/25 – as legally required of all local authorities – with savings proposals totalling £14.3m, equivalent to 9.0 per cent of the net budget.

It will be put to the council’s executive team – which is made up of senior Labour councillors – on January 25 and then to all councillors on February 22.

The Liberal Democrat opposition group leader, Coun Nigel Ayre, described it as “the most austere budget in the council’s history.”

He said: “Over 2,000 of York’s residents have signed our petition to stop the green bin tax, which would be an effective £43 increase in their council tax and would hit those on low incomes the hardest.

“As well as hitting residents in their pockets, it will be bad for the environment, with more car trips to the tip and an increase in flytipping and burning likely.”

Coun Ayre also accused Coun Douglas of breaking promises on raising council tax, adding: “Residents will be asking if there is anything Labour wouldn’t have said if they had thought it would help them gain votes.”

He said: “There has been almost no public consultation on the budget proposals, and we will be looking for evidence of an equalities impact assessment having been undertaken for each of the proposed savings.”