Residents across North Yorkshire are being urged to have their say on ways to protect council services for the county’s households and businesses.
North Yorkshire Council is in its second year of delivering many essential local services from waste collection and recycling to social care, education, roads, and more. Bringing eight councils together through local government reorganisation has already delivered millions of pounds worth of savings for the county’s taxpayers.
But there are still major financial challenges ahead including the growing demand for services like adult social care and support for children with special needs.
A countywide consultation is being launched this week (October 21) to glean the public’s views and pinpoint the key priorities for North Yorkshire Council’s budget for the next financial year. Residents are being encouraged to take part in the Let’s Talk Money survey, which will help inform decisions on the 2025/26 budget and the Council Plan to 2029.
Residents are being asked to comment on how the council spends its budget of £1.3 billion. Currently 50 per cent of the council’s overall budget goes to help vulnerable people – with the largest amount at 32 per cent going on adult social care and health. Highways and transport get nine per cent, housing five per cent and education six per cent.
North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “Like most councils we continue to face major financial challenges and a huge demand for support for our critical services including those for children and young people with special educational needs and adult social care.
“We are inviting our residents and businesses to give us their views on how we should allocate our resources, we urge them to take part and have a say in a very important consultation for the county.”
The council’s deputy leader and spokesperson on finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said that the authority is still facing significant demands despite the first tranche of planned savings of just under £40 million as a result of local government reorganisation which is reducing the deficit for future years.
He said: “Our finances are managed well but we cannot rule out tough decisions going forward. We start next year with a £28 million shortfall and that will rise to £48 million within a year, despite reorganisation savings.
“We have significant pressure in adult and children’s services where demand is increasing and prices are rocketing in some areas. Our current forecast is an overspend of £9 million impacted by the rise in Education Health and Care Plans, transport costs and complex cases.”
The survey also asks people to say how important the council’s key priorities of good affordable homes, promoting health and wellbeing, providing education and social care support, reducing the impact of climate change, supporting the local economy and transport are to them.
The public will also be asked if they are prepared to support an increase in council tax.
Eight out of 10 people who responded to last year’s survey said that they would support a rise to help deliver critical services. Some 22 per cent of responses supported a one per cent rise in council tax, with the same proportion of responses backing a two per cent increase. However, 20 per cent of people who responded said they did not want to see any increase.
The online survey is available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/LetsTalk
A paper copy can be collected from local libraries or council offices and returned in the envelope provided. Residents can also email letstalk@northyorks.gov.uk or call 0300 131 2 131 and say ‘Let’s Talk’ when prompted to request a survey.
Surveys are also available by post by writing to Let’s Talk, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AD.
Accessible formats of the survey are available on request. The survey closes on December 9.
More information about the current Council Plan is available at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/councilplan
