YORK'S council tax is set to rise by 4.99 per cent as City of York Council faces up to 'unprecedented' financial pressures.

Fees and charges for everything from parking to use of the crematorium are also set to soar by up to the rate of inflation, 10 per cent. 

Some jobs will also be at risk as the authority seeks to deliver more than £5 million of savings in 2023/24 and another £2.7 million in 2024/25, although officials say every effort will be made to avoid compulsory redundancies.

The council's draft budget proposals for the coming financial year were published today following a public consultation, at a time when energy, fuel and food are all rising in price.

A spokesperson said that following an increase by the Government in council tax flexibility, York was proposing a basic council tax increase of 2.99 per cent in 2023/24 to ensure crucial services could continue to be delivered. 

"In addition, an increase of 2 per cent in line with the government’s social care precept is also proposed, which will provide critical financial support for increasing adult social care responsibilities," they said.

"This would still leave the average York council tax bill over £100 cheaper for residents each year compared to the national average."

Council tax rose last year by three per cent.

The spokesperson said that a total of £19 million in additional revenue funding would be invested to maintain and protect key services, including adult social care and children’s services, partly funded by the council tax rise.

Executive member for finance and performance, Cllr Nigel Ayre, who will consider the proposals next week, said that thanks to 'prudent financial management' of the council’s finances over the last few years, York was in a better position than many other councils which faced significantly worse financial troubles.

However, the city council was left facing tough decisions thanks to the impacts of the pandemic, rising costs and increasing demand for services, as well as the Government’s failure to provide what councils needed to respond to these challenges.

“The recent national crises are compounded by the ongoing pressures in meeting the demands of growing social care responsibilities and providing the support and services that our communities need now more than ever," he said.

“This budget looks to stabilise our financial position in what is an extremely uncertain and turbulent financial time, whilst continuing to provide essential services to our local communities."

He said there would be an investment totalling £1 million in supporting local communities, including £250,000 to provide additional support to financially vulnerable residents facing the current cost of living crisis, £250,000 to allow local wards to invest directly in improvements from installing new benches to repairing local roads, £150,000 to improve community safety and tackle anti-social behaviour hotspots, and £100,000 to support the recovery of residents facing substance misuse problems.