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01
Nov 2022
Harrogate district town councils to be invited to take on more powers
Town and parish councils in the Harrogate district are to be invited to propose taking on more powers when local government undergoes its biggest shake-up for almost 50 years.
North Yorkshire Council will take charge of all local government in the county on April 1. The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished.
Under a pilot scheme, lower-tier authorities will be offered the chance to manage more local services as part of a “double devolution” approach designed to prevent too much power being centralised at Northallerton.
It could see Ripon City Council, Knaresborough Town Council, Pateley Bridge Town Council and others in North Yorkshire take on more powers over assets and services.
Harrogate currently does not have a town council.
As part of the plan, county council officials will write to parish authorities by the end of this month inviting them to submit expressions of interest.
From there, six councils will be picked to develop a business case.
In a report due before the county council’s executive on November 8, Neil Irving, assistant director of partnerships, said:
Councils will be able to propose taking on a wide range of assets and services, rather than picking from a list.
However, the county council intends to make it clear that proposals to take on decision making powers, such as planning or traffic regulation, will not be considered.
Read more:
- ‘Double devolution’ for parish councils, under county council plan
- New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities
It would also not consider “expressions of interest with regard to services and assets that generate a significant net income for the new council”.
Once invited, local councils will have until March 2023 to express an interest in taking on more services.
'More things done at a local level'
The move comes as county council officials proposed offering parish authorities more powers in August 2020.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, pledged to offer more powers for people to “get more things done at a local level”.
He said at the time:
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