Your council tax contributes to the services we provide, and the services your district, borough or parish council provide as well as the police and fire and rescue.
Council tax is collected by the district or borough council. The money raised is spent by various bodies including the county, district, parish and town councils, to provide services to each local community.
You will usually receive your council tax bill in March of each year, if you’re 18 or over, and own or rent a home.
The adult social care precept
We provide adult social care services which help elderly people to live independently in their own homes, or in residential care. Adults with physical and learning disabilities are also supported and funded by adult social care along with support to carers.
We can do a social care assessment to decide what a person's care needs are, and what level of support from the council they are eligible for, depending on their savings and income.
The adult social care precept is a specific portion of council tax which is set aside to support our adult social care services.
Why has the adult social care precept increased this year?
The government has allowed councils to increase the amount of council tax that goes towards adult social care. This is called the adult social care precept. We have decided that an increase of 2% is needed in North Yorkshire, because, with an aging population, combined with financial pressures in all areas, it is important that we are able to support as many people as possible in our county.
The decision to raise the adult social care precept this year was made, following public consultation, at the 19th February 2020 County Council Meeting, of which detail can be found in the Executive Report to Council.
The adult social care precept is calculated as 2% of the total of the previous year's council tax which went to the county council, as illustrated in the example below for a band D property. It is then added to the previous year's adult social care precept amount.
| 2019-20 | |
|---|---|
| North Yorkshire County Council - Band D | £1,217.52 |
| Adult social care precept | £93.64 |
| North Yorkshire County Council total | £1,311.16 |
| 2020-21 | |
|---|---|
| North Yorkshire County Council - Band D | £1,243.61 |
| Adult social care precept | £119.86 |
| North Yorkshire County Council total | £1,363.47 |
The precept percentage increase above is calculated based on the total North Yorkshire County Council charge in 2019-20 (i.e. £1,311.16) so: £1,311.16 x 2% = £26.22
£93.64 (2019-20 cumulative adult social care precept) + £26.22 (2020-21 increase in adult social care precept) = £119.86.
How can I get help with my council tax?
In North Yorkshire, council tax is dealt with by your local district or borough council, including the parts of the council tax which are for North Yorkshire County Council services.
Your district or borough council 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. You can find out more information on the relevant website for your area.
How is my council tax calculated and spent?
We produce a summary leaflet (pdf / 51 KB) every year which explains how much council tax you will pay this year, and how council tax is calculated and spent. You can also find out information about council tax and our overall budgets below.
The combined cost of the services we provide as a county council for 2020/21 is around £1 billion. Our services include:
- schools;
- children’s centres, prevention and SEND;
- children’s social care, adoption and fostering;
- adult social care services, adult education, youth services;
- libraries;
- roads and public rights of way;
- public transport and concessionary fares;
- street lighting;
- trading standards and consumer advice;
- registration of births, deaths and marriages;
- disposal and recycling of household waste;
- emergency planning; and
- heritage and countryside management.
All homes have a property band between A and H, which depends on the value of the property. The amount you pay depends on which band your home is in.
Which council tax band is my home in?
The table below shows the charge for North Yorkshire County Council services only, so this represents only part of your overall council tax bill. It is made up of two elements - basic council tax, and the additional 2% adult social care precept explained above.
| Council Tax 2020-21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Band | Basic council tax excluding adult social care | Adult social care precept | Total for 2020-21 |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| A | 829.07 | 79.91 | 908.98 |
| B | 967.25 | 93.22 | 1,060.47 |
| C | 1,105.43 | 106.54 | 1,211.97 |
| D | 1,243.61 | 119.86 | 1,363.47 |
| E | 1,519.97 | 146.50 | 1,666.47 |
| F | 1,796.33 | 173.13 | 1,969.46 |
| G | 2,072.68 | 199.77 | 2,272.45 |
| H | 2,487.22 | 239.72 | 2,726.94 |
Contact your district or borough council for information about the full amount you will pay each year.
Demand and cost pressures mean we continue to face difficult decisions about spending over the coming years. These are some of the reasons for changes in costs we are currently facing.
| Changes in costs | £m |
|---|---|
| Inflation and effect of the living wage increase Price rises and the impact of tax changes imposed by the government increase our costs. |
18.5 |
| Other additional spending Additional spending due to an increasing demand for services and to meet our polices and priorities |
17.5 |
| Savings and cost reductions To compensate for significant reductions in government funding, together with managing inflation, tax changes and other additional spending, a comprehensive package of savings and cost reductions is being implemented. |
-5.0 |
| Other funding changes including government grants The County Council has welcomed the additional funding provided for 2020/21 but there still remains a high level of uncertainty of funding for future years. |
-24.9 |
| Contributions from county council reserves | 1.4 |
| Total net increase in spending | 7.5 |
We plan to spend £133.6m on capital projects during 2020/21. Capital spending comes from a separate 'pot', which is financed from a combination of grants and contributions, borrowing, revenue budgets and capital receipts from the sales of properties.
| Capital spending by service | 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Health and Adult Services | £1.7m |
| Business and Environmental Services | £72.9m |
| Children's and Young People's Service | £38.6m |
| Central Services | £20.4m |
| Overall County Total | £133.6m |
Frequently asked questions
The council tax bill you pay to your borough or district council contributes to the combined cost of county council, district/borough council, parish council, police and fire services.
In North Yorkshire, local government services are provided by the county council and borough/district council. The table below provides an overview of which service is provided by which council.
| County council | District council |
|---|---|
| Schools | Leisure centres |
| Births, deaths and marriages | Bin collections and street cleaning |
| Children's social care | Council tax collection |
| Libraries | Local planning |
| Roads, footpaths and street lighting | Environmental health |
| Public transport | Housing |
| Adult social care | Parking |
| Trading standards | |
| Household waste recycling centres | |
| Adult learning |
Although everyone benefits from some services such as highways and transport, only those with children will receive education support and most people would like to remain sufficiently independent and healthy so that they never need council support such as residential care. However, it is often these statutory services which benefit the smaller number of people that cost the most. You could think of council tax as an insurance premium. You hope you will never have to claim but you have the comfort of knowing that if you need to then there will be the support to help you.
The government sets out the rules on how much councils can increase council tax.
In 2015 English councils were given the power to increase council tax to pay for social care services for adults. These are services which help people with physical, learning disabilities or mental health needs to carry out their daily routines.
In 2016 the government announced that for the three years from 2017/18 to 2019/20 councils would be allowed to increase the social care precept. The Government has now extended this for a further year, with a maximum increase of 2% for 2020/21.
The government also limits increases to core council tax to 1.99%. This means the maximum a council that delivers social care can increase council tax by is 3.99% this year.
If we want to increase it by any more than these levels set by government, we must hold a local referendum.