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13
May
Mayor defends roads funding decision after 'attack on North Yorkshire' claim
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has defended his funding decision about road repairs amid claims the move was an “attack on rural North Yorkshire”.
Members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee branded a decision by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to reallocate funding from the Department for Transport as “frankly outrageous” and “disgraceful” yesterday (May 12).
Mayor David Skaith, who leads the combined authority, says the council will receive a record £268 million over the next four years to fix roads.
But councillors in North Yorkshire say the authority will nevertheless receive around £20 million less over four years from 2026 to 2030 due to changes made by the mayor, who has altered the funding formula that determines how the money is divided between North Yorkshire Council to City of York Council.
Cllrs Carl Les (left) and Gareth Dadd.
North Yorkshire Council deputy leader Gareth Dadd told yesterday's meeting that he was “subject to gagging by the mayor of York” when the combined authority discussed the issue last month.
He added:
I call him the mayor of York because his actions seem to be the mayor of York rather than the mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
Frankly, I’ve never seen anything so disgraceful. It’s an attack on rural North Yorkshire by a York mayor.
'Frankly outragoeus'
Councillor Mark Crane, executive member for open to business, said:
What he’s doing is frankly outrageous and he needs to be told.
It’s just simply not acceptable to take money from North Yorkshire and give it to York.
There is a clear formula set out by the Department for Transport. He’s written roughshod over the rule book and he’s costing this county millions of pounds.
Councillor Simon Myers, executive member for culture, arts and housing, said devolution in the region would not work if the combined authority was “York-centric”.
He added:
I’m afraid this is the first indication of it failing to work. A decision is taken that is York-biased, using a majority that in any democratic world they wouldn’t have.
David Skaith
The executive committee agreed to ask the full council to urge the mayor to reconsider the allocations when it meets later this month.
In response, the Labour mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that North Yorkshire Conservatives had let the region down.
He added:
If they’d put as much effort into fighting the actual cuts to highways funding imposed by their government as they do into criticising the biggest investment they’ve ever had to fix our roads, maybe the state of those roads would be in a better place.
This funding package is not about me or them; it’s about residents who are sick of broken roads and being ignored when they ask for them to be made safer.
This is record investment into fixing our roads and making them safer for everyone who uses them, that’s the reality, however it’s spun.
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