HAMBLETON and Richmondshire councils have both approved council tax rises which amount to an extra £5 a year for Band D properties.

Richmondshire District Councillors voted to increase council taxes by 2.4 per cent at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday.

It brings the district council’s precept for a Band D property to £211.40.

On Tuesday, councillors at Hambleton District Council also voted for a £5 increase on the average Band D property, which takes the annual charge for a Band D property in Hambleton to £104 from April this year.

The local authority says this means it retains its status as one of the lowest charging councils in the country.

Councillors also set a revenue budget of £8m for 2018/19.

The district council tax rises apply only to their portion of households’ annual council tax bill.

Charges from North Yorkshire County Council, North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and parish councils will also be added to the figure.

This month, North Yorkshire County Council approved a 4.99 per cent council tax increase, which equates to about £60 more for the average band D property.

The county council is having to cut its spending by nearly £170m in a decade and has a steeply rising adult social care bill, due in part to an increasingly ageing population.

North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner also increased the police precept by £11.50 a year.

North Yorkshire’s district councils are responsible for the billing and collection of council tax on behalf of all the authorities.