Harrogate Borough Council have announced district will not see a rise in the Harrogate borough element of their council tax bills for the firth year running.
The decision was ratified by full Council on Thursday 13th February.
It is good news for council tax payers and has been achieved through prudent financial management and by creating a number of efficiencies, despite large cuts in government grants.
The balanced budget has also ensured that the council will be able to operate without having to make any cuts in services.
Councillor Jim Clark, the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said that in times of economic uncertainty it is important for the council to do all it can to ease the pressures on its residents.
Councillor Clark added: We have produced a sound, balanced budget with no cuts in service, and without having to pass on a rise in council tax to our residents, which is pretty remarkable considering the challenging climate we are operating in.
It is important that we are able to provide a strong, reliable service for the people of the district. We are slowly recovering from the economic downturn of the last few years, and will still face austerity in the future, but the council is in a strong position to deal with the challenges which lie ahead.
We will continue to review our services and will look at how we might be able to make further improvements, whilst cutting costs. For instance, the introduction of the alternate weekly wheeled bin/recycling service, has had a significant impact. This is benefitting the environment through increased recycling, while also helped the council achieve savings of over £724,000 per year. As a consequence of such measures, we have been able to agree the zero rise in council tax for another year, and invest the savings in other integral services.
