Single council for North Yorkshire ‘could cost £38 million to set up’

North Yorkshire County Council has outlined its case for a single council for the county in a move which officials say could cost up to £38 million to set up.

Consultants Pricewaterhouse Cooper reported to NYCC on the plans, revealing that setting up a single authority will cost a minimum of £18m and as much as £38m.

However, the authority also predicts savings of up to £252 million over five years, equivalent to £50.4m per year.

Outlining the county’s bid, Cllr Carl Les, leader of NYCC, said the proposal would cut waste and empower communities. As part of the plan, the model proposes 25 community networks with further devolved powers for parish councils.

It would see the single council sit alongside the City of York Council, which backed the model last week and would remain unaffected.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Cllr Les said:

“We propose a revolution in empowering residents and businesses with the voice and resources they need to secure what matters to them. Our bid sets out how 25 community networks would enable this change. We are also working in partnership with town and parish councils to further devolve power and resources to some community services and assets, to better suit local people.

“To ensure the public can access local advice and services in person and online, our proposal includes providing offices in every district alongside more than 30 access points. It also preserves the very many local delivery hubs we already have in place.”

The plan is one of two put forward for North Yorkshire as the government prepares to scrap both county and district councils, and replace them with one or more single-tier authorities in the area.

Alternative plans

Against NYCC’s plans for one unitary authority, the seven district councils – including Harrogate Borough Council – have put forward plans for an east-west model with two authorities, effectively splitting the county in two down the middle. York City Council would be dissolved and the city would become part of the eastern side of the split.

According to documents delivered by consultants KPMG, the east-west proposal could cost up to £39.4m. The minimum cost would be £29.1m, though the model could deliver savings of between £32.5m and £55.8m each year – equivalent to between £162.5m and £279m over a five year period.

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The district councils’ plans also say they would offer parish councils “the potential to take on additional responsibilities based on a two-way conversation”.

Although the number of elected councillors has yet to be agreed for the model, proposals say it is likely to be a reduction from the 348 posts currently filled across city, county and district authorities in North Yorkshire.

Under the county-wide model, NYCC said current boundaries suggest there would be 144 councillors, but a review of wards would be needed after the new authority came into effect. It proposes six area committees, each with around 15 councillors, in line with the constituencies of North Yorkshire’s MPs.

Election delay

Ahead of the submission, NYCC bosses are also expected to request that county council elections in May 2021 are delayed until the following year.

This would allow any councillors to be elected to the new authority, should it be approved.

The proposal comes after Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Local Government, invited councils to submit plans for a shake up of local councils ahead of a potential devolution bid.

Councils have until November 9 to submit an outline proposal to government, with a December 9 submission deadline for full plans.

Both North Yorkshire County Council’s executive and Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will meet next week to discuss their proposals and vote on whether to put them before their full councils. If they agree to do so, all councillors will have the opportunity to vote on the respective plans at separate full council meetings next Wednesday, November 4.

High Court battle begins into plan for thousands of homes at Green Hammerton

A crunch judicial review looms for Harrogate Borough Council this week as Flaxby Park Ltd calls into questions the authority’s local plan.

This morning at the High Court in London, a review will be opened into the decision to choose Green Hammerton ahead of Flaxby for a 3,000 home settlement in the local plan.

After months of bitter debate, a judge will decide whether the decision was lawful or not.

The developer maintains that the council’s decision was based on “flawed information of a scant, conflicting and contradictory nature”.

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It also caused backlash in Green Hammerton with residents embarking on a long campaign against the proposal.

Green Hammerton campaigners deliver 600 objections to Harrogate Borough Council back in February 2018.

Further tensions were raised when Flaxby urged the council to delay a decision on its application for 2,750 homes at the site.

However, the council said the planning committee and the review were two separate procedural process and refused the application.

What is a judicial review?

Flaxby was granted the review earlier this month and will now embark upon a three-day hearing at the High Court.

The purpose of the hearing is to look at the process that the council took to arrive at the decision to pick Green Hammerton over Flaxby.

The review looks at whether or not the decision made was lawful and followed the right procedure.

It is not a re-run of the merits of the decision.

If it is found to be unlawful, it could mean the decision has to be made again.

Harrogate district’s coronavirus cases since March pass 2,000

A further 60 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate District, according to Public Health England figures today.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 2,049.

It’s the second highest daily number of cases confirmed in the district so far in October.

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The highest figure came on October 4 when 67 cases tested positive. However, the number came after an IT error left many cases unreported.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital today recorded another coronavirus death.

According to NHS England figures, it takes the number of deaths at the hospital from patients who tested positive for coronavirus to 85.

The hospital recorded its first covid death in three weeks on October 22.

Don’t hold Bonfire parties at home, urge public health bosses

People in North Yorkshire have been urged not to hold Bonfire Night parties at home this year.

Officials from North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of organisations that respond to emergencies, have made the plea and called for residents to consider alternative plans.

The group has published guidance for event organisers, including villages and parish bodies, who may want to hold an event this year.

It comes as events such as the annual Stray bonfire have been cancelled due to coronavirus.

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Dr Lincoln Sargaent, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said the forum would “strongly discourage” people from holding events in their gardens.

He said:

“The collective effort of people in North Yorkshire has meant that previously surging infection rates appear to be slowing recently and local outbreaks are being managed. This is excellent work and reflects the significant efforts being made individually and as communities; but we are not out of the woods.

“We need people to remain vigilant and follow the rules on social distancing, hand washing, use of face coverings and limiting the number of people with whom they socialise that apply where they live.

“For Bonfire Night, we would strongly discourage people from holding events in their gardens. Instead, they should look for well-organised events that are covid-secure or consider alternatives to enjoy the night in a safe way.

“We know that the most difficult area for us to tackle is the spread of infection within households and through social interactions, as that is responsible for the majority of the spread of the virus in North Yorkshire.”

Public health bosses in the county have said previously that the may cause of spread of covid is between households.

Dr Sargaent said there had been “very, very few” cases of outbreaks in the hospitality sector.

A further 52 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Harrogate district

A further 52 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 1,887. Figures also show a further 156 cases county-wide.

Meanwhile, latest weekly rate figures up to October 19 show Harrogate had 164 cases per 100,000 population.

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The district is third highest in the county behind Craven which has 175 and Selby with 196.

It comes after the first coronavirus death in three weeks was reported at Harrogate District Hospital yesterday.

A total of 84 people who tested positive for covid have died at the hospital since the start of the pandemic, according to NHS England figures.

Police: Stay away from North Yorkshire during half term

North Yorkshire Police has urged people in tier three areas not to travel to the county during this October half term.

Amid concerns that people from the “very high” tier will venture into the county, police have asked people not to travel unless it is for work, education or caring responsibilities.

It comes as the county currently sits in the lowest tier, meaning it follows the national guidance with no additional restrictions.

Those areas in tier three, such as Lancashire and Greater Manchester, cannot socialise indoors with other households and have seen pubs closed.

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People under “very high” restrictions are advised not to travel outside of the area.

Superintendent Mike Walker, gold commander for the force’s response to coronavirus, urged people from those areas to stay away this half term.

He said:

“North Yorkshire is notorious for providing a warm welcome to visitors. But at the moment, we would ask residents from tier three locations to please stay in their own area and help us with the containment of this virus.

“If we can maintain a united approach and stop the spread, I can assure you that when it’s safe to do so – North Yorkshire will welcome you with open arms.”

He also urged young people in the county to follow social distancing guidance and to stick to the rule of six during the break.

“I would appeal to parents and carers to have those conversations with their children, to ensure they are aware of the possible consequences of their actions and encourage them to adhere to the regulations.”

Earlier this week, Superintendent Walker added that there would be a visible presence across the county amid concern that people would also travel from tier two areas, such as York and West Yorkshire.

He said, while the force could not enforce travel restrictions, there would be officers out enforcing the national rules.

“For the public of North Yorkshire and the City of York who are worried what I can say is that officers will be patrolling, they will be visible and they will absolutely be enforcing face coverings and the rule of six as they have been doing throughout the pandemic.”

It comes as the force has handed out 1,151 coronavirus penalties, the most of any police force in the country.

The vast majority were issued for non-essential journeys at the start of lockdown.

The force is also considering introducing “covid cars” as part of £291,897 worth of funding from government to help with enforcement of covid restrictions.

Battle lines drawn as councils to vote on local government shake-up

Battle lines have been drawn over the future of local government in North Yorkshire as political leaders reveal plans for a shake-up in the number of councils.

Both North Yorkshire County Council and the seven districts are to vote on their proposals in a few weeks, which would see proposals submitted to government to scrap the two-tier system.

Armed with accountancy firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG, both camps claim their models could save the county millions.

Today, district council leaders published their plans ahead of a submission to government.

The model, which the districts brought in KPMG to help devise, would see the county split in half with a council in the east and west.

The district councils’ proposal for an east/west model as outlined in the KPMG report.

The KPMG report, which the district councils have contributed £175,000 so far to pay for, outlines the case for two councils in the county.

It would see Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton in the west, and Selby, City of York, Ryedale and Scarborough in the east.

The report shows district leaders compared 11 different options, one of which included a north/south divide and another with three unitary councils.

It also includes the gross value added, which is the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, for each region. The figures are based on data from the Office for National Statistics.

However, officials settled on an east/west model with 363,297 people in the west area and 465,375 in the east. Council leaders argue the model could save the county up to £56 million a year.

County council’s single authority plan

Meanwhile, the county council wants a model which would see a single unitary council for the entire county alongside the City of York Council.

Its plan is due to be published next week ahead of a meeting on November 4 when the proposal is expected to be agreed and submitted to Secretary of State for Local Government, Robert Jenrick.

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County council officials said the model could deliver up to £252 million in savings over five years to support crucial frontline services.

The county has drafted in PwC to estimate the savings, which authority bosses say could amount to an initial £30 million a year.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader and executive councillor for finance, said the council had an “unique” opportunity with the model.

“We are presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity at a key moment in our history, as we battle to emerge from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.

“A unique chance to deliver very significant savings that will be ploughed back into frontline services, support enhanced local democracy and end unnecessary waste. Our bid maximises all the benefits and delivers those benefits more quickly. It is also the least disruptive.

“Our proposal represents a saving of up to £185 a year for every household in North Yorkshire which would be put back into service delivery. It would be negligent of us to not to chase down such an opportunity.

“No other bid can deliver the scale of savings in such a timeframe, while protecting nationally recognised services for the county’s most frail and vulnerable residents.”

The district councils will now vote to submit their model to government, while the county council will also vote on its proposal.

The government has set a deadline of November 9 for outline proposals to be submitted. A deadline of December 9 has been set for full proposals.

30 coronavirus cases confirmed in Harrogate district today

A further 30 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 1,835, according to Public Health England figures.

Meanwhile, a further 122 cases have been reported in the whole of North Yorkshire.

The number of coronavirus infections in the Harrogate district has increased sharply since the second wave of infections.

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The latest rolling seven-day average to October 18 shows the district has a rate of 160 per 100,000 people.

The figure is the third highest of the seven North Yorkshire district council areas, behind Craven on 172 and Selby on 177.

The first coronavirus death in three weeks was reported at Harrogate District Hospital today.

 

North Yorkshire MP: Don’t send county into tier two

A North Yorkshire MP has urged the government to “scotch rumours” that North Yorkshire is heading for tier two restrictions.

Kevin Hollinrake told the Stray Ferret it was only fair on businesses to impose tighter measures when there was an “absolute need”.

The MP, whose Thirsk and Malton constituency has relatively low infection rates, said district-wide rather than county-wide measures could be introduced if necessary to reflect the variable rates in North Yorkshire. He said:

“I have made the case for a more localised, evidenced-based approach regularly to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary, including twice last week on the floor of the House and will continue to do so.”

Public health officials earlier this week said there were “ongoing discussions” about moving the county and the wider Yorkshire region up a tier.

Dr Lincoln Sargaent, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, said there was a national desire to “simplify” the system.

But in a Commons debate last night, Mr Hollinrake asked Edward Argar, minister of state for health, to “scotch rumours” about North Yorkshire moving to tier two.

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He said:

“If there is any need to put us in a higher tier, will he look to do that on a district-wide level, where there is significant variation across North Yorkshire, rather than purely at county-wide level?”

Mr Argar said the position remained that same as last week when Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was considering that option.

North Yorkshire is in tier one but is surrounded by tier two areas, including York and West Yorkshire.

 

First covid death at Harrogate hospital in three weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has today reported its first coronavirus death in over three weeks.

It is the first covid death at the hospital since September 29 and only the second since July.

It takes the total number of coronavirus deaths at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 84, according to NHS England figures.

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Yesterday Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said the hospital had 10 covid patients, with one in intensive care.

Ms Bloor added there were 116 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the county, which was well below the level in the early days of the pandemic in spring.

She said:

“We are seeing the number of inpatient admissions with covid increasing, but we are not yet at the levels of hospitalisations that we were back at the beginning and in the middle of April.

“We have currently got 116 people in hospital beds; we had in excess of 300 in early April.

“It is a relatively stable position, although we are seeing a slight upward trend in terms of those numbers.”

Harrogate District Hospital set aside 100 beds for covid patients in preparation for the second wave.

Hospital bosses said last month that they were more confident of coping this time.