WORD reaches Spectator of an interesting drama being played out in the corridors of power at Hambleton Council.

I have it on good authority that the council’s leadership is concerned that next year’s grant settlement from central government may be particularly harsh.

The partial dismantling of the shared services experiment with Richmondshire is not without its costs too – among them the departure of one P Simpson (former chief executive). The prospect is that the authority may be faced with filling a rather large hole in its finances.

The big idea to deal with this is, I understand, a dramatic increase in the level of car parking changes across the district from July 2013. Apparently, the charges, introduced amid much acrimony back in October 2009 generate about £500,000 a year. The target is to increase this to £1m. It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that means doubling the current charging rate.

If this is so, those anti-charging campaigners who warned that the relatively low level of charges set initially were just the thin end of the charging wedge will be vindicated.

However, the idea is not being met with universal acclaim by all the senior councillors. They fully understand the political sensitivities surrounding the issue. Opposition is mounting.

One alternative being looked at is the council’s fabled reserves amounting to about £20m. At one time, when interest rates were high, they generated enough cash for the council, in one year, not to levy council tax at all. Golden days.

However, with the base rate today at 0.5 per cent and with no prospect of it increasing dramatically in the near future (thankfully, for the rest of us with mortgages and other borrowings), they generate relatively little revenue to help meet the council’s day-to-day spending.

Next month’s Hambleton council cabinet meeting could be interesting.