Across our country, it’s not just Members of Parliament who are having to take difficult decisions in order to reduce the national deficit, but thousands of local councillors too.

With a direct impact on rubbish collections, street lighting, pothole repairs, the upkeep of local parks, and countless other areas of daily importance, the decisions that local councillors take in their respective local authority areas have a substantial impact on the quality of life experienced by local residents.

The same is true here in York where our own council, like all others, has had to make difficult choices in order to reduce spending.

It would be extremely easy to sit here whilst writing this column and simply attack the council because my own political party does not control it. In reality, such political point-scoring quite rightly achieves little apart from alienating a great number of voters who have little time for such bickering.

My purpose in writing a column on a number of local issues relating to the City of York Council’s own budget, therefore, is not to launch a party-political broadside but rather to draw readers’ attention to the big choices that local councillors have recently made, as well as highlight some issues which remain under active consideration.

For instance, over the past couple of weeks, local authorities up and down the country have been voting on whether to raise their council tax. Alongside York’s Conservative councillors, my own campaign for council tax to be frozen in York, aided by a Government grant of £763,000, is widely known.

On the contrary, however, the City of York Council has now confirmed its decision to reject the grant and rather raise our council tax by 1.9 per cent – a prime example of the sort of choice that local residents should be keeping a close eye on.

Likewise, an increase in parking charges for both residents and tourists has been agreed by the council.

Of course, it is for local councillors to weigh up the potential impact that such increases will now have on local businesses and the economic growth in York. I’m sure that local residents will carefully reflect upon this choice as they cough up yet more money on each and every visit to the shops in York.

Other choices that the City of York Council has decided to take relate to spending decisions affecting those who reside predominately in the suburbs of York, in the many small villages that make up my own parliamentary constituency of York Outer.

In such areas, many residents are genuinely concerned that the council may be acting in a targeted political manner, seemingly making cuts to green waste collections and salt bins.

Needless to say that many residents will also be worried the proposed changes to the Towthorpe recycling unit, including the suggestion that it should be closed on weekdays. In reaching this decision, I just hope that sufficient thought has been given to potential consequences such as the increased likelihood of fly-tipping to take just one example.

Ultimately, we politicians have to make tough decisions and reducing spending is rarely an easy or enjoyable task.

Nevertheless, MPs and councillors alike will be judged on the decisions they make, and I sincerely hope that all York residents will join me in monitoring the choices made by City of York Council recently and the impact that these choices will have over the weeks and months ahead.