Grassroots campaigners have marked the 50th anniversary of the abolition of the historic Ridings of Yorkshire by calling for the establishment of a regional assembly with budgetary control and tax-raising powers. One hundred “citizens of the ancient kingdom and...
Council defends car park charges rise
North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les has defended a move to introduce inflation-busting charges at car parks. Cllr Les said the 20 per cent increase in car parking charges from April 19 was “not just about raising money”, but also about traffic management. The...
Many North Yorkshire residents ‘unaware about incoming mayoral combined authority’
With just five weeks to go until York and North Yorkshire’s first elected mayor is installed, the top officer of the region’s incoming combined authority says he believes most residents remain unaware of the election or the role of the mayor. In a wide-ranging...
20mph limit campaigners told matter is settled in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire’s roads boss and Conservative mayoral candidate Keane Duncan has dismissed the 20s Plenty campaign’s claims to have widespread public support to introduce default 20mph zones across the county. Following years of calls from road safety campaigners to...
Ripon and Pateley Lib Dems urge Tory council to press Chancellor to maintain taxes
Liberal Democrats in Ripon and Pateley Bridge are calling for Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council to write to the government calling for next month’s Budget to feature significant extra funding for council services. Cllr Andrew Murday, who represents Pateley...
Gritting boss heralds Lofthouse heroes after becoming stricken on ungritted road
The Conservative politician responsible for North Yorkshire’s highways who is also challenging to become the area’s first elected mayor has hailed residents’ “heroic efforts” to rescue him after his election battlebus got stuck on an apparently ungritted snow-covered...
Average council tax bills set to soar by more than £100 in North Yorkshire
Average council tax bills across North Yorkshire look set to increase by more than £100, despite the organisations levying the lion’s share of the rise being in relatively strong financial positions. Two meetings at County Hall in Northallerton this week heard that...
North Yorkshire fire service buys ‘pre-loved’ fire engines to cut costs
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has started buying “pre-loved fire engines” to replace its decades old appliances as a means of balancing the books. A meeting of the North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel heard yesterday the service was “very...
North Yorkshire residents shoulder high proportion of police force bills
North Yorkshire residents look set to be charged millions of pounds extra for the area’s police service from April. The increase will leaving average council taxpayers more than £100 worse off than their counterparts in other parts of the country. Zoe Metcalfe, the...
‘Flatlining’ North Yorkshire stop smoking service blamed on lack of medicines
Efforts to help people stop smoking are being undermined by the unavailability of key medicines, North Yorkshire councillors have heard. North Yorkshire Council’s executive heard while the authority’s public health team had seen improvements in the numbers of people...
North Yorkshire gateway schemes branded ‘risky’ for taxpayers
Council finance bosses have warned long-awaited transport schemes in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton will put taxpayers' money at risk. A meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s executive on Tuesday saw the Tory-led authority push forward an £11.2m project for Harrogate,...