City of York Council approves challenging council budget to maintain services in 2026/27
Amid an ongoing and challenging financial outlook for councils across the country, City of York Council has approved a council tax increase of 4.99% for 2026/27 [Thursday 12 February].
The uplift will cover the increased cost of delivering services due to inflation.
Whilst the annual budget setting process has been extremely challenging for the city, York has major long-term opportunities ahead, with an ambition to both grow the economy and improve the efficiency of public services.
The council is working closely with the Government, the region’s Mayor and private sector partners to generate major public and private investment to transform the city and deliver homes, jobs and long-term opportunities for all residents and businesses.
Attracting investment from outside the council means the authority can focus limited funding on important resident priorities like adult social care services, roads maintenance and keeping the city’s streets clean.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, explained:
“This budget is about prioritising the key services our residents value and rely on, something we’re proud to have achieved.
“We know that many residents are facing pressure on their household budgets. Fairly balancing the needs of everyone in the city has been at the heart of this budget-setting process that adds £1.47 per week to the council tax charge of York’s average Band C property. This increase is in no way taken lightly.
“Following a strong message previously from residents on how we set the council’s budget, we’ve taken tough decisions to raise extra income in order to protect services, while continuing to work hard to deliver efficiencies and stabilise services.
“As well as focussing on services supporting those most in need, including children’s and adult social care, we’ve also put investment into street level services. This includes boosting pride in our communities through additional work by the Neighbourhood Caretakers Team and changing how the city’s weed control service functions to improve the look of our roads and pavements.
“Our essential day-to-day services continue to be supported, from keeping the city clean and moving, while our investment decisions are delivering new jobs and new homes.
“It’s tough, but I remain optimistic about what we can achieve for the city and the opportunities we can create for our residents by remaining consistent in a responsible approach to setting the council’s budget”.