Stage 3 – Our Big Budget Conversation – Budget Proposals

Overview

York’s Budget Proposals – Shaping Our City’s Future

We want all York residents to take part in our new budget consultation. This is your chance to have a say in how York’s money is spent. We want to make sure the services you need continue, even though we need to save approximately £30 million over the next three years. There is less money coming in and more need for services because of rising costs and an ageing population. We might not balance our budget without cutting or reducing some services.

Why your voice matters

Since May 2024, we have been talking about the budget, referred to as Our Big Budget Conversation.  This process will finish when this consultation closes on 1 January 2025, leading to more public involvement in January 2025 and a council meeting in February 2025.  This step-by-step approach helps everyone understand how budget decision might affect different people and groups. It also looks at how partners, businesses and residents can work together to achieve shared goals for the city.

This consultation builds on what you have already told us. You told us that York is a safe and fun place to live, and you care about its quality of life. But there are some issues, like traffic and how busy the city can get, which affect our city’s streets and services. We also know that some people, especially younger ones, might not know exactly what the council does. We need to work together to find a fair plan that raises money, saves where we can, and only cuts services when we really have to.

Our plan so far

Our budget plan has these goals:

• Protecting services: We want to keep important services running, like social care, housing help, waste collection, and fixing roads. We’ve tried hard to plan so these services are not affected too much.

• Raising money: We are thinking about ideas like raising council tax, adding a fee for tourists staying overnight, and charging for traffic in the city centre. We also want to look at things like green waste collection and parking fees to bring in more money.

• Saving money: We are finding ways to work better and save money, which might mean having fewer staff. We know this is hard, and it could affect some services.

We need your help

This consultation explains our 2025 to 2026 budget proposals, which still leave an unbalanced budget, based on feedback from the last budget consultation. We have worked together across all parts of the council to create these proposals. We want to know your views on our plans to raise money, save costs, and keep key services running. Your feedback will help shape the final budget. Your responses will inform decisions but are not votes to adopt or reject a measure. We’ve aimed for clear communication to ensure that everyone can understand and take part.

City of York Council wants to know your thoughts on our budget proposals.

Please take a few minutes to respond and help us plan for York’s future.

If you feel that you are unable to answer any of the questions in this survey, have no opinion or don't know, please feel free to leave your response blank and move on to the next question.