Whitby Town Councillors have slashed items from their proposed budget for next year in an effort to limit council tax increases.
Less money will be spent on things like Christmas lights and the Christmas Festival and the fee to use the town's public toilets will be increased.
The council had previously rejected a proposed budget which would have seen a 46 percent increase in the local precept.
This week councillors debated 14 proposed amendments to bring that figure down.
Town Clerk - Michael King - summarised the new figures.
As part of the package of budget amendments approved by councillors this week, Whitby Town Council will spend five thousand pounds less on Christmas lights next year.
It's also shelved a £12,000 fund to help with any costs of taking on devolved services from North Yorkshire Council and agreed to increase the fee for using public toilets in the town from 40p to 50p.
Savings will also be made by axing the firework display from next year's Christmas festival.
Councillor Sandra Turner backed that proposal but said the Christmas Festival itself needs to continue.
Other budget savings included a £2127 reduction in the council's administration budget, the shelving of a £2.500 plan to redesign the council's website, ending a £2000 per year HR support contract, removing £400 from the Mayors Allowance, reducing the budget to pay for Town Polls by £3000 and ending a £10,000 contract for security patrols.
At the meeting, Cllr Asa Jones proposed that the Town Council increase the amount charged for using public toilets up to 50p. This will raise a projected extra £25,000.
Cllr Jones said
“Raising the amount we charge for using the toilets is the only method this council has of transferring some of the financial burden for next years budget away from local residents and onto tourists.”
Town councillors voted to keep a £20,000 budget item to be spent on auditor’s fees. This comes due to a multitude of objections about the council's accounts which it's understood have been submitted by a single local elector.
Speaking about the auditor’s fees, Cllr Jones said
“Whilst I really don’t want the council to spend such a large amount of money on these frivolous objections, the fact is that as councillors we have no ability to prevent objections like this and are effectively forced to commit to spending £20,000 regardless of how much this increases people’s tax bills.”
After the savings the council's projected annual costs are £514,898 with a projected income of £189,300 leaving £325,598 to be funded through the council tax precept.
This week's council meeting recommended a 14.83 percent increase in Whitby's local precept which will see bills for a band D property rise by £8.18 per year or 15 pence per week.
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