More for road and footpath resurfacing

The York Council has revealed its budget for 2017/18. Taxpayers face an increase of around £14 a year in their bill for local public services.

The proposals include a welcome increase in the amount that will be spent resurfacing local roads and footpaths. An additional £1 million a year will be invested although the Council will borrow money to fund the improvement. The increase returns investment to the levels last seen in 2011 (after which a Labour administration slashed road maintenance budgets).

The coalition led authority say that they have heeded views of residents who responded to a consultation on the budget.  Residents gave the highest priority for improvements to road maintenance (in line the last survey undertaken in the Westfield Ward) as well as care for the elderly. An extra £1.8 million will be spent on social care.

The government is reducing the grant that they pay to the City by £6.3 million.

Cuts of £8.9m have been identified with around 40 job losses forecast.

Figures release by the Council today reveal that

• The failure to negotiate a new park and ride contract will cost taxpayers £666,000
• £230,000 is needed to address increase waste disposal costs
• £345,000 will fund more changes to the emerging Local Plan
• Parking charges will rise by around 5%

As many motorists have not reclaimed the fines that they were entitled to, following the Lendal Bridge/Coppergate fiasco in 2013, the money allocated for refunds will be allocate to other transport schemes including road repairs. Ironically some is earmarked for a cycle hire scheme (despite such schemes having failed when tried previously in the City)

Council house rents will be reduced by 1% in line with central government instructions. Despite this, a year end surplus of £24 million on the housing account is forecast.

The average York Council taxpayer will pay around £1540 a year for local services when Police and Fire costs are added in.

The Council’s capital budget reveals a large increase in expenditure on Museums. A £18 million upgrade project for the Castle museum is getting start-up funding as a way of making it more self-sufficient in the future.

Overall the Council will increase its capital budget by £36 million.

£1,7 million is being spent on replacing concrete lampposts and £1.77 million on the City Walls.