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06
Sept
How are North Yorkshire Council’s companies expected to perform this year?
North Yorkshire Council’s group of companies, known as the Brierley Group, are set to record a £2.6 million loss this year.
The council owns nine firms in the group, which range from a housebuilder to a law company.
Much of the estimated loss for 2026/27 — which is due to be reported to a shareholder committee next week — is down to Brierley Homes, the housebuilding company, which expects to post a multi-million pound financial loss.
But not each company is expected to make a loss. So how are they performing? In this article, we take a closer look.
North Yorkshire Education Services
North Yorkshire Education Services, which provides professional development courses, is projecting a profit of £426,000 for 2026/27.
A council report said the improvement in the service was partly down to investment in artificial intelligence, which had allowed for the “creation of high-quality digital learning content” which in turn has led to the reduction in costs and enable the “expansion of scalable training products”.
NYNet
NYNet, which is the council’s broadband company, is expected to report a profit of £233,000 this year.
While the company is due to make a six-figure surplus by the end of the year, it was down on its expected profit in the first quarter of 2026/27. According to a council report, it made a surplus of £5,000 compared to a budgeted £81,000.
The report said:
The variance is primarily driven by lower-than-expected revenue and the impact of interest costs associated with the new facility agreement, which were not included within the original budget.
First North Law
The council’s venture into specialist legal services, First North Law, is expected to make a profit of £137,000 this year.
According to a council report, the company is “well positioned” to meet its target this financial year and is expected to expand its commercial offering in the coming years.
Brierley Homes
As previously reported, Brierley Homes is expected to post another financial loss in 2026/27.
The company is set to report a £5.8 million loss, which the council said is largely driving the overall Brierley Group performance.
A Brierley Homes scheme in Marton-cum-Grafton.
According to a report before the council's shareholder committee on September 8, the company's forecast loss includes £3.7 million in loan interest due to the council.
It comes after the firm posted a £7.47 million loss in 2025/26.
Align Property Partners
The council’s property company is forecast to make a £2.1 million profit at the end of the financial year.
A council report added:
Full year performance is forecast to remain in line with budget. The combined businesses continue to generate strong returns and remain on target to pay a further £1m shareholder dividend in September 2026.
Yorwaste
The council’s waste company reported a pre-tax loss of £46,000 in the first quarter of this year.
An authority report expects the company to face challenging market conditions this year, including increased employment costs and inflationary pressures.
Veritau
Veirtau, the council’s auditing company, is forecasting a profit of £67,000 for the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
The company is run in partnership with City of York Council, as well as Middlesborough Council and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
The financial outlook for Brierley Group companies. Picture: NYC.
The council said the company has seen steady growth in the first quarter, including demand for data protection services and continued interest for internal audit services from academy trusts and local authorities.
NY Highways
North Yorkshire Highways, which oversees the council’s road maintenance, is expected to report a pre-tax profit of £91,000 despite concern over reduced income in some services.
A council report said the firm is focussed on recruitment and workforce development for the forthcoming year. It added:
The business is focused on filling remaining vacancies, embedding transferred services, improving operational efficiency and strengthening relationships between property, highways operations and North Yorkshire Council service teams to support future service delivery and growth.
Bracewell Homes
Bracewell Homes, the former Harrogate Borough Council housebuilding company which was transferred to North Yorkshire Council, is expected to report a pre-tax profit of £34,000.
The company expects to deliver new homes at its Yew Tree Lane site in Harrogate.
It added:
It is anticipated that a proportion of properties at the Yew Tree Lane site will be delivered but due to the nature of housing development, this is difficult to forecast and anticipate when sales will complete.
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