North Yorkshire combined authority could be launched in January

A combined authority in York and North Yorkshire could be in operation in the new year after an order was laid before parliament.

The combined authority, which will be overseen by a directly elected mayor, is expected to have powers to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

An order which would establish the organisation was laid before Parliament on Tuesday (November 7).

It paves the way for a North Yorkshire devolution deal, which is worth £540 million over 30 years, to become law.

MPs are now expected to consider the draft order before Christmas. 

James Farrar, interim director of transition for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: 

“Subject to progress, a new combined authority could be operational in January and formally launched in February. 

“A mayoral election would take place on 2nd May 2024.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, added:

“The prospect of bringing more decision-making powers and millions of pounds in additional funding from the government will bring real and tangible benefits for hundreds of thousands of people in York and North Yorkshire.”

The move to set up a combined authority comes as North Yorkshire agreed a historic devolution deal with government.

The proposed devolution deal includes a £7 million investment to drive green economic growth towards the ambition of York and North Yorkshire becoming the country’s first carbon negative region.

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There is also proposed investment of up to £2.65 million to deliver affordable low-carbon housing, and £13 million for the building of new homes on brownfield land during 2023/24 and 2024/25.

The elected mayor will make decisions on investments in strategic priorities such as for transport, housing, and adult education.

The mayor will also have responsibilities for community safety and strategic responsibility for the totality of policing, fire and crime for York and North Yorkshire.

They will appoint a deputy mayor to carry out many of the powers and duties of the role currently known as police, fire and crime commissioner.

Green grants spark concern North Yorkshire will miss out to York

Council leaders have defended funding allocations for net zero projects in York amid claims they received a disproportionate amount of money to North Yorkshire.

A joint meeting of the Conservative-run North Yorkshire and Labour-run City of York councils to discuss the expected creation of a mayoral combined authority in January heard while the councils had agreed on how to split the first significant tranche of government devolution funding, uncertainty still surrounds the transfer of powers from Westminster.

Ahead of the meeting opposition councillors in North Yorkshire claimed the proposed division of the funds for net zero schemes would see York receive 47% of £6.2m being spent on capital schemes, despite having a population of about a third the size of North Yorkshire.

A total of 23 schemes will receive a share of the funding unlocked by the region’s proposed devolution deal, subject to devolution progressing for York and North Yorkshire.

They include street and building LED lighting schemes in York as well as innovation in energy generation, including The Electric Cow Project at Askham Bryan College in the city.

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The farming scheme will fund slurry-fuelled conversion equipment for dairy farms across the region to generate electricity from cow manure.

Other projects approved aim to tackle a decline of biodiversity, such as the project at the Denton Park Estate, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, where funds will support moorland restoration.

Critics of the proposed net zero programme have claimed York residents will benefit from millions of pounds of extra funding at the expense of communities across the vast rural county.

However, York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership boss James Farrar told the meeting the schemes which were being funded represented “a good spread” across the area, including ones in York and every constituency in North Yorkshire.

Countering the criticism, leaders of both councils heralded the investment as a milestone for the region, with North Yorkshire Council leader Cllr Carl Les saying it was “a very exciting time”.

City of York Council’s leader Cllr Claire Douglas said addressing climate change was becoming increasingly important and the proposals represented the first cross-region thinking, rather than for York or for North Yorkshire as entities.

She said: 

“It’s really fantastic to see there’s such a wide coverage of the region.

“I think it’s also fantastic to see that this is the first significant investment that the combined authority is able to commit to.”

North Yorkshire double devolution ‘will not help vast majority of area’

A flagship scheme to hand extra powers to parishes following the creation of North Yorkshire Council will not benefit the vast majority of the area, it has been claimed.

Opposition groups on the Conservative-run council have expressed disappointment after it emerged just 11 town councils and one parish council had submitted bids to manage more services in their area as part of what the authority has titled “double devolution”.

The offer to hand powers to parish authorities was initially made in former North Yorkshire County Council’s submission to government for the establishment of a unitary council amid concerns that decision-making for local services would become too far removed.

An officer’s report to a meeting of the council’s executive on Tuesday emphasises how the council has pledged to place local communities at its heart while covering England’s largest county, and double devolution would be “a key platform to achieving this aim”.

However, the report states double devolution applications would need to have a solid business case and be cost neutral to the unitary council.

It states of the 12 expressions of interest submitted by town and parish councils, three did not meet the council’s criteria, including the only one from a parish council.

Knaresborough Town Council could be given powers over its market.

Knaresborough Town Council could be given powers over the town’s market.

The report states Little Ouseburn Parish Council applied to manage grass cutting outside some cottages, but the parish “did not evidence legal competence”. 

Stokesley Town Council’s bid to manage off-street parking was rejected as North Yorkshire Council stood to lose income.

Double devolution bids which are set to be approved include Filey being given the power to manage its public benches, Northallerton and Thirsk and Knaresborough town councils their markets, Richmond Town Council being handed the management of Friary Gardens and Malton Town Council its public toilets.

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Elsewhere, Skipton and Whitby town councils look set to be told their bids to manage services such as toilets and parks need “amendments”, while separate project teams will be established to work with Ripon and Selby town councils to shape their bids due to their “ambition and complexity of the expressions of interest”.

Ahead of the meeting, the authority’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said the authority was looking to “progress cautiously, learning from the experience and developing best practice”.

He said: 

“These proposed pilots are just the start of the process, and the hope is that more will be introduced throughout North Yorkshire in the future.”

However, the authority’s Labour group leader Cllr Steve Shaw Wright said for the vast majority of North Yorkshire double devolution was “just lip service” and “managing a couple of flower beds does not require a fantastic business case”.

Cllr Wright said: 

“It was a nice soundbite, but outside some of the larger towns there’s not a lot to double devolve down.

“The issue across the whole of North Yorkshire is that there is only a handful of sizeable councils that could take on and run services. The vast majority of other parishes either haven’t got the capacity to do it, are reluctant to put the precept up to fund it or there isn’t actually anything there to run.

“It was not a particularly well thought through proposal looking at the parishes and towns we have in North Yorkshire. Most parishes are very small.”

When asked if he believed double devolution was proving a success in North Yorkshire, Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Bryn Grifths said: 

“Not at this stage, it has not taken off at all. I’m very disappointed.

“I’m not sure how much engagement the towns and parishes have had or if they understood what was involved. Having said that it is up to North Yorkshire Council to equip towns and parishes to make it happen.

“I feel Stokesley put a good case forward and North Yorkshire Council’s response has been a bit of a slap in the face.”

Ripon on track to be chosen for double devolution deal

Ripon City Council has cleared an important hurdle in its double devolution bid to take control of city assets.

North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.

It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.

The council said it would choose up to six locations this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.

This afternoon Ripon City Council was notified by council assistant chief executive Rachel Joyce the evaluation board proposed to to set up individual project teams to work with Ripon and Selby.

The news is likely to come as a blow for other towns, including Knaresborough, which also expressed interest. Harrogate was unable to bid because it does not have a town council.

Ms Joyce said in correspondence with the city council:

“Two expressions of interest that were considered, submitted by Ripon Town(City) Council and Selby Town Council; were both ambitious and multi-faceted, with a number of service areas involved in the evaluation of their expressions of interest.”

Flag of Ukraine on Ripon Town Hall

Ripon Town Hall

The Ripon devolution bid sought management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.

Ms Joyce said:

“Whilst the bids were considered to be showing the level of ambition for their areas that was originally envisaged for the double devolution project they highlighted that the evaluation criteria was not sophisticated enough to manage a wide range of services within its scoring mechanisms.

“It is therefore proposed by the evaluation board that individual project teams are set up to work with Ripon City Council and Selby Town Council to bring forward double devolution proposals to be considered by the executive in these two areas recognising that these may require more support.”

The news has been welcomed by Cllr Andrew Williams, the Independent leader of Ripon City Council, who also represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We have cleared an important hurdle and that’s very good news for Ripon as we seek greater say over our own destiny.

“We put forward a very strong double devolution bid and North Yorkshire Council has shown that it is willing to listen to us and work with us — in considerable contrast to the relationship that we had over almost 50 years with Harrogate Borough Council.”

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Harrogate man to lead set-up of North Yorkshire combined authority

A former Harrogate High School student has been appointed to lead the set-up of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

James Farrar, who grew up in Huby, will take up the position as interim director for transition.

Mr Farrar is is currently chief operating officer of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, a public-private partnership that drives economic growth.

The combined authority is due to be established this year but will begin operating in May.

An order will be laid before parliament in the autumn, which will include provisions for powers and funding tied to a devolution deal as well as paving the way for the creation of the authority.

The combined authority, which will be overseen by a directly election mayor, is expected to have powers to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

Mr Farrar said:

“I am working closely with colleagues from both councils, the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. 

“We are all committed to a smooth transition into a new combined authority, ensuring that we all continue to deliver our services to the public without any interruption. Together, we will ensure it is an organisation that is ready to hit the ground running as soon as a mayor is elected.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said:

“Devolution is a long-held ambition for York and North Yorkshire, and will provide a host of benefits for hundreds of thousands of people.

“James has a great deal of experience and will be key in delivering the benefits of devolution and ensuring the combined authority runs as efficiently as possible, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with him closely at what is such an important time for York and North Yorkshire.”

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The proposed devolution deal includes a £7 million investment to drive green economic growth towards the ambition of York and North Yorkshire becoming the country’s first carbon negative region.

There is also proposed investment of up to £2.65 million to deliver affordable low-carbon housing, and £13 million for the building of new homes on brownfield land during 2023/24 and 2024/25.

The elected mayor will make decisions on investments in strategic priorities such as for transport, housing, and adult education.

The mayor will also have responsibilities for community safety and strategic responsibility for the totality of policing, fire and crime for York and North Yorkshire.

They will appoint a deputy mayor to carry out many of the powers and duties of the role currently known as police, fire and crime commissioner.

An election for the mayor will be held in May 2024. 

Claim Ripon’s bid to control town hall and market square a ‘done deal’

A Harrogate councillor has claimed Ripon City Council’s bid to take control of the city’s town hall and market square is a “done deal” despite the process not being completed yet.

At a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton today, Cllr Chris Aldred, who represents High Harrogate & Kingsley for the Liberal Democrats, asked Conservative council leader Carl Les why he was recently quoted in local media saying he “would be amazed” if Ripon wasn’t selected for the double devolution pilot — even though final recommendations are still to be brought before councillors.

Cllr Les’s comments, which were made to the Stray Ferret earlier this month. followed the decision by independent Ripon Minster & Moorside councillor Andrew Williams to join a new Independents and Conservatives group on NYC.

Cllr Williams, who is also leader of Ripon City Council, has previously denied a deal has been struck with the Tories to shore-up the party’s control in Northallerton in return for Ripon being selected in the pilot.

Cllr Aldred said: 

“Care to expand on your apparent certainty that Ripon City Council will be successful in its bid? On what criteria? Is it in fact, a done deal?”

Cllr Les responded: 

“Chris, I think you’re seeing conspiracies where there are none.”

He added:

“I can confirm Ripon City Council has a bid and an officer panel is in the process of evaluating bids and a report will be brought forward to the executive in August.

“I have not and will not be involved in evaluation of bids. My comments were in recognition of track record of delivery by Ripon City Council, its well-known ambition for the area and for being so quickly out of the traps. That’s why I said I would be amazed. I stand by that comment.”

Cllr Les said that 12 bids from town or parish councils have been received with up to six moving forward to the pilot stage, which are expected to begin next year.

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Tory mayor candidate says he has ‘vision and fight’ to make a difference

The Conservative hoping to become the first-ever Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has said he has the “vision and fight to make a difference”.

Journalist and councillor Keane Duncan was selected at a meeting of North Yorkshire Conservatives at the Bridge Hotel and Spa at Walshford, near Wetherby on Friday.

Only party members who attended were eligible to vote and the full results have not been announced.

A senior party source told the Stray Ferret six people applied for the role and the field was reduced to three on the ballot paper. Each gave a presentation then answered questions.

They said Mr Duncan received 141 votes, York tech entrepreneur Matt Freckelton polled 38 votes and Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives near Boroughbridge, received just 15.

Ms Metcalfe has not responded to questions from the Stray Ferret about the vote.

Her role will be subsumed by the mayor’s office after the election in May next year.

Whoever is chosen will also oversee the delivery of a £540m devolution deal, with responsibility for economic development, transport, housing and skills.

Mr Duncan, who is from Malton in North Yorkshire, is a deputy news editor on the Daily Star as well as the Conservative executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire Council. His councillor remit includes oversight of the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway,

He said:

“It’s an honour to win the confidence of party members to fight for my home area in this critical election.

“Our landmark £540m devolution deal represents an unprecedented chance to unlock opportunities for everyone who lives here, particularly the next generation.

“My vision for York and North Yorkshire is one that is open for business and proud of success – a greener and more productive area embracing future industries and offering highly-skilled, well-paid job opportunities.”

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He added:

“Ahead of polling day in May I hope to convince voters I have the vision and fight to make a difference for people in every corner of our diverse and vast county.”

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“Keane’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of York and North Yorkshire is impressive.

“He understands the challenges we face and the opportunities which devolution offers to address those challenges in transport, skills, housing and employment.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones’ office is he voted for Mr Duncan but was told he was in meetings all afternoon and it might not be possible to contact him.

Ripon on track to run local assets previously controlled in Harrogate

Ripon appears to be in a strong position to take control of local assets, such as the town hall and market, which were previously run by Harrogate Borough Council.

North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded Harrogate Borough Council on April 1, has invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services.

It is part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda in which more assets and services are run locally.

The approach has sparked interest in Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, where some were aggrieved for years about decisions being made in Harrogate.

Ironically Harrogate does not yet have a town council so is excluded from the process and will continue to have its assets, such as Valley Gardens and Harrogate Convention Centre, run from Northallerton.

Ripon Town Hall

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les has revealed 12 expressions of interest have been received from town and parish councils so far.

Up to six will be chosen this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.

A list of town and parish councils to have submitted expressions of interest has not been published but Ripon in known to be among them.

Cllr Les told the Stray Ferret he would be amazed if Ripon wasn’t selected to be one of the pilot areas. He told the Stray Ferret:

“Ripon was one of the first out of the blocks on double devolution. It is one of the keenest parts of the county. I’ll be amazed if Ripon isn’t in there.”

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Tory alliance

The relationship between the ruling Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council and Cllr Andrew Williams, an independent who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council has been in sharp focus this month.

Last week Cllr Williams became one of three independents who joined a political alliance with the Conservatives.

The alliance strengthens the Conservatives’ grip on the council, after a recent defection meant it had precisely half of the 90 councillors.

It followed North Yorkshire Council’s decision to select Ripon as one of five pilot areas for new community networks.

The developments have sparked concerns from independent and Liberal Democrat councillors about whether the Tories promised taxpayer-funded favours, including double devolution deals, in return for political support from the independents who joined the new Conservatives and Independents Group.

Cllr Les and Cllr Williams both denied the allegation. Cllr Les said double devolution talks had taken place for months before the new group was formed last week.

Has Ripon been undermined by Harrogate?

Cllr Williams said there had been “no seedy back room arrangements” and he remained an independent who would vote as his conscience allowed, rather than a Tory puppet.

He said he joined the alliance because there was no prospect of the 45 non-Conservative councillors of different political groups on North Yorkshire Council being able to agree a budget and form an administration. He added:

“Ripon’s best interests will be served by having an alliance with the majority group. I stand for the benefit of Ripon rather than any political party.

“There can be a perception of whatever, I don’t care quite frankly, as long as Ripon gets a double devolution deal.

“There has been woeful neglect of the city for years by Harrogate Borough Council and I’m determined Ripon will fare better under the new local government arrangements.

“I stood on a pro-Ripon ticket. That’s my job — to stand up and fight for Ripon.”

 

Stray Views: How long before there is an apology for Station Gateway? 

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

So, Sheffield City Council is sorry that its residents were “misrepresented as unrepresentative and primarily concerned with their own streets” (Sheffield Council issues apology over tree-felling scandal, The Guardian, 20 June).

How long, I wonder, before Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council apologise for ignoring the representations from Harrogate residents and business community for going ahead with the Station Gateway Project and its anticipated devastation of our beautiful spa town.

Val Michie, Low Harrogate

Trees on Empress roundabout a hazard

I’m writing a letter regarding the greenery in the middle of the Empress roundabout. How on earth are drivers supposed to see what’s coming from across the Stray with a full leaved tree (or is it two trees) blocking their view.

From experience when I was a driver, I know just how difficult and dangerous trying to get across the roundabout can be. Have the council gone mad?

Will they finally act to take away the trees in the centre if and when (God forbid) someone is seriously hurt in an accident simply because they couldn’t see what was coming from all sides of the roundabout? It is simply ludicrous?

Carole Nowell, Harrogate

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Local government a mess long before devolution

Sir,
Lord Wallace of Saltaire claims that devolution in North Yorkshire has made local government an incoherent mess and destroyed local democracy. His words must have a hollow ring in towns and villages which were placed under Harrogate’s thumb in the last local government reorganisation dreamt up by some genius in Whitehall  fifty years ago.
Where was local democracy when Harrogate’s recent Town Plan re-designated  parts of the supposedly sacrosanct Green Belt between Harrogate and Knaresborough to accommodate illicit Traveller sites despite massive opposition from the people of Calcutt and close environs ?
Where is the coherence in the massive house building around Knaresborough, and indeed Harrogate itself, with no expansion of amenities other than the odd supermarket and the corresponding increase in commuter traffic being dumped onto already congested roads ?
As for the fantasy of Maltkiln, a sustainable village, it is the environmentally damaging creation of yet more commuting built around an antiquated railway and an inadequate main road and opens the way to further destruction of North Yorkshire’s green and pleasant land.
How can North Yorkshire do worse ? Heaven help us if it can.

 Pete Dennis, Knaresborough

Local democracy in North Yorkshire ‘destroyed’ by devolution, says peer

Devolution in North Yorkshire has made local government an “incoherent mess” and “destroyed” democracy, a Liberal Democrat peer has claimed.

Harrogate Borough Council was one of seven district authorities, along with North Yorkshire County Council, abolished on March 31 to pave the way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

The single-tier system has vastly reduced the number of councillors in North Yorkshire from almost 400 to 90.

A combined authority for York and North Yorkshire is due to be created next year, led by an elected mayor, as part of the UK government’s devolution agenda.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire said in a speech in the House of Lords on Thursday the structure of local government across England was now “an incoherent mess” and accused the government of “imposing mayors on places that did not want them”.

He added:

“I find what has happened recently in North Yorkshire the most appalling, and when I heard someone assure me that no councillor in North Yorkshire would need more than two hours to drive from the ward they represent to council meetings, it showed me just how far we have gone.

“Decent places such as Harrogate, Scarborough, Richmond and Craven, which had working district authorities and which represented real places, have been dismantled and they are now trying to set up very large town councils for them.

“We have the prospect of a mayor, somehow, for North Yorkshire and, incidentally, one for East Yorkshire. That is the effective destruction of local government and I really do not understand the rationale for it.”

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He contrasted the situation with Fenland District Council, where councillors represented far fewer people, and therefore had more time to deal with their issues.

Lord Saltaire said:

“After the next election, a reform of the way in which the governance of England is conducted at all levels is a vital part of what any new government must be. If we want to regain trust in politics and re-engage some of our citizens more, that is part of how we do it.

“Let us all recognise that we face a situation of deep popular disengagement and disillusionment with the democratic politics we have in this country.”

Old system ‘confusing and expensive’

Carl Les

Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, described the old two-tier system as “confusing, inefficient and expensive”. He added:

“Over half of the country is governed by unitary local government now. Where Lord Saltaire lives has been unitary for years.

“Yes, we no longer have 390 local councillors. Some might say that’s a good thing.”

Cllr Les said the council’s plans for “double devolution”, whereby powers would be handed down to local level, would ensure it was “not only the largest geographic council in the country but also the most local as well”.