A RANGE of service fees charged by Richmondshire District Council are to be frozen for 12-months.

There will be no rises in charges for services such as car parks, garden waste collections and pest control for the year from April 1, 2021.

Members of the council’s Corporate Board, agreed that the £40,000 funding gap left in the Medium Term Financial Strategy as a result of this decision, will be considered as part of the budget considerations in February 2021

Council leader, Councillor Angie Dale, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has left a lot of people struggling financially and we feel that the council should not be adding to that worry by increasing its charges.

“This is good news for our taxpayers at a time when things are difficult for us all.”

Councillors had been told that as a result of costs associated with Covid-19 - along with lost income and uncertainty over future grant funding - the authority could already be looking to plug a £500,000 a year deficit.

“Covid19 has seen a drop in income in car parks and licensing for example and we expect that the collection of council tax and rates will be an issue for some people next year,” added Cllr Dale.

“However, we have a sound financial base and we are preparing for this now to ensure we can continue with projects in our council plan.”

The price freeze will cover services such as car parks, garden waste services, pest control, cemeteries, toilets, land charges, planning services, and licences.

Taxi licence charges are being referred to licensing committee for a decision.