York city council agrees tax, rents and parking charge increases

The council proposes parking fee increases alongside hikes in council tax and rents

A near 5% increase in council tax has been agreed by senior councillors in York.

The Labour-run authority is also proposing to increase rents and parking charges as part of plans to cut £14m from its budget for 2024 to 2025.

The council's executive agreed to raise council tax by 2.99% , with a further 2% rise for adult social care.

The council said it had to do things "more cheaply" or "do less" to balance the books.

In addition to the council tax increase, rents will go up by an average of 7.7% and motorists will have to pay an extra £2 for a day's parking in the city's council-run car parks - taking the cost to £20.

Officials said over the next four years the authority would see some of the "most significant financial challenges" it had ever experienced.

The council intends to make cuts of about £14m in the next financial year

The council's total budget for 2024/25 is about £150m and the authority had previously said it was one of the lowest-funded local councils in England.

That budget is a reduction of about £14m, with adult and children's social care being told to make savings of £4m.

Other proposals include switching the council's home care service to a private company and reducing the number of children being looked after in external placements.

Katie Lomas, executive member for finance, said the biggest part of the budget related to things they were required to deliver by law.

"Social services for adults and children are the biggest areas of expenditure," she said.

"We have to look at everything else we do and find ways to do it more cheaply or to do less of it in order to balance the books."

Nigel Ayre, leader of the council's Liberal Democrat opposition, accused Labour of breaking the election promises it made in May.

Final approval of the proposals is expected at a full council meeting on 22 February.