North Yorkshire still has to find £14m savings

Budget proposals to be considered by senior councillors tomorrow will include £36 million of savings over the next four years.

However, the latest funding settlement from the Government leaves the county needing to find a further £14 million of budget cuts.

Council officers are proposing to use reserves to fill the budget hole in the short term to avoid “kneejerk” decisions being taken.

But councillors have been told formal proposals to find the savings will be presented to them later this year.

The county council was one of the major benficiaries of the Government’s decision earlier this month to revise its plans for council funding for the coming years with more money going to rural authorities.

However, while the county will receive £15 million more than it expected in the coming two financial years, the budget report tells councillors it is only “transitional funding” and that the overall savings needed before the end of the decade will remain the same.

The budget report confirms plans to increase the county council share of the council tax bill by 3.99 per cent which includes the authority’s new power to raise ring-fenced cash to pay for adult social care.

Families in band D properties would see their bills rise by £43.88 a year if the budget is agreed on top of any rises from district councils, parish councils and the police and crime commissioner.

The county council’s executive will consider the budget tomorrow before the full authority has its say on Feb 24.