Your council tax contributes to the services we provide, your district, borough or parish council, Police Authority and Fire and Rescue Service.
Visit your local district or borough council for this service
In North Yorkshire this service is delivered by your local district or borough council. They handle account queries, annual notifications, appeals, backdated claims, band reductions, discounts, exemptions, overpayments, new benefit claims and benefit renewals. They also deal with any changes in personal or financial circumstances that may affect benefit claims, and discretionary housing payments.
Why does my council tax bill include a separate line for adult social care?
The government has recently identified that councils that provide social care services are under increasing pressure for services at a time of reducing funding.
Therefore, the Chancellor of the Exchequer presented authorities across the country that deliver adult social care with the flexibility to raise an additional precept of up to two per cent without breaching the council tax referendum threshold. This must be used entirely for adult social care.
Adult social care services include helping people to live independently in their own homes or in residential care where necessary. Adults with physical and learning disabilities are also supported and funded by adult social care. A person's care needs are determined by an assessment by a social care assessor. Once a person has been deemed eligible, a care and support package is agreed with the person and their family. Some people are required to contribute towards the cost of their care if they meet set criteria (e.g. their level of savings and income).
This extra two per cent on the council tax is called the adult social care precept and can only be used to fund extra costs of adult social care. Demand for adult social care is increasing; the costs of care packages are increasing; and the government's announcement to introduce the National Living Wage alone is estimated to cost almost all of the extra income due to be raised from the precept.
That is why North Yorkshire County Council, along with almost every eligible authority nationally, has taken up the government's offer to raise this additional precept. Without this precept, the county council would need to find additional savings of around £21m over the next four years on top of the £50m that is already being implemented.
Budget leaflet 2017-18
We produce a summary leaflet (pdf / 276 KB) every year which explains how council tax is calculated and how it is spent. You can also find out more about how we set and spend our overall budgets.