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03
Mar
Council paid £498,000 to organisations which councillor had an interest in
North Yorkshire Council paid £498,000 to organisations which a single councillor had interests in.
According to the authority’s statement of accounts for 2023/24, the unnamed councillor had interests in a business, a community group and was a governor at a school federation which received thousands in cash.
The council said elected members of the authority were not involved in any discussions or decisions over funding to organisations which councillors had an interest in.
The payments, which are recorded as related party transactions in the accounts, included £41,000 to a business which the councillor was a partner at for services.
It also included £441,000 in funding to a community group which the councillor had an interest in and £16,000 to a school federation which they were a governor at.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council who the organisations were and which councillor had an interest in them.
A spokesperson said:
Payments to organisations that councillors have declared an interest with are published in the annual statement of accounts.
The information is published according to the national code of practice for local government accounting. Any information that is not required to be published is treated in the strictest confidence.
That is why the elected member and the name of the organisation have not been published in the statement of accounts.
Councillors have to declare organisations which they have an interest in and include them in the register of members' interests.
In the accounts, the council said it also paid £33,000 to one organisation in which a member’s spouse had an interest. The same organisation occupies a building on a peppercorn rent from the authority.
It adds that the same members’ spouse also has an interest in a community library which is leased from the council.
In its statement of accounts, the council said:
In these instances, the payments were made with proper consideration of declarations of interest.
The relevant members did not take any part in any discussion or decision relating to the funding.
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