A review of proposed sweeping changes to local government in North Yorkshire and York has concluded having an elected mayor and a combined authority “will promote local democracy”.
The claim, in a report to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive on Tuesday, comes ahead of an eight-week public consultation over the devolution deal that local authorities have struck with the government alongside local government reorganisation.
Concerns have been raised repeatedly by councillors in North Yorkshire that the substitution of the county’s district, borough and county councils for a single unitary council and a mayor-led combined authority will erode residents’ ability to shape key decisions.
Earlier this month, Independent Cllr John McCartney said many residents engaged in local democracy felt “irked and discombobulated” as their local councils were being swapped for a remote one in what he described as “a power grab” by county hall in Northallerton.
Independent group leader Cllr Stuart Parsons described the potential substitution of hundreds of district and borough representatives for two North Yorkshire and two City of York councillors on a combined authority as a blow for democratic representation and decision-making.
Green Party group coordinator Cllr Andy Brown said devolution “did not appear to be a great exercise in democracy” in the county.
However, the officer’s report to the executive highlights how local government reorganisation was a prerequisite of devolution, which under the proposed deal would bring £540m of new government investment to spend on local priorities.
The report states:
“The deal means that decisions previously taken centrally would now be taken closer to the people affected and the region is not disadvantaged as other regions acquire their own devolution deals.
“The proposed mayoral combined authority will promote local democracy through direct democratic accountability. The introduction of a directly-elected mayor will enable a greater focus for change that will seek to enhance economic growth.”
Read More:
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The county council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said the consultation would see the authority argue very strongly that the devolution deal would see more decision-making by locally elected politicians, rather than civil servants and ministers in Whitehall.
He said while much of the structure of local government in North Yorkshire would not change, the most notable differences would be having an elected mayor to act as a strong voice for the county and city and a combined authority to provide strategic decision-making.
Addressing concerns over local democracy, Cllr Les said while all residents would continue to a locally elected councillor to represent them, the council was in talks with a number of parish and town councils about what services they would like to have jurisdiction over.
He said there was “nothing on or off the table” in terms of the powers towns and parishes could take on.
