Harrogate Lib Dems campaign to abandon plans for devolution

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have launched a petition today calling for plans of a mega council and executive mayor to be abandonded.

The “Hands Off Harrogate” campaign argues that the district should make its own decisions and run its own services.

It also says that councillors as far away as Scarborough would be “out of touch” with concerns in the Harrogate district.

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Councillors from the local Lib Dems have urged residents to sign the petition on their website.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Harrogate Conservatives are too busy fighting one another to stand up for residents in our district, with council leader Richard Cooper writing articles in the press, criticising his Tory colleagues. At such a difficult time, with many residents really suffering from the effects of coronavirus, do we really need to be going through a massive local government reorganisation that could cost taxpayers millions and disrupt vital local services?”

Cllr Marsh also called for Andrew Jones to “stand up for our area” on devolution. The MP has yet to comment publicly on the proposals.

Judith Rogerson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, added:

“Nobody in Harrogate and Knaresborough will think a huge new council is acceptable. If we have to have local government reorganisation the most sensible solution would be to create a unitary council covering just the present Harrogate district. There are similar sized authorities in other parts of Yorkshire & the Humber.”

5 lessons to learn from devolution in Tees Valley

Amid the debate around devolution for North Yorkshire and whether the county should have an elected mayor, one area that is frequently brought up is the Tees Valley.

The region is the closest example of a devolved authority to North Yorkshire and serves a population of 701,818.

Since 2017, the area has operated with elected Conservative Mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, and combined authority to make big decisions on areas such as transport, employment and housing.

So what lessons can North Yorkshire political leaders learn from neighbouring Tees Valley over devolution?

Turnout for Mayoral election was poor

Just 21.3% of voters turned out for the election – a mere 1% more than had turned up to vote for the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner the year prior.

The result suggests a lack of engagement and understanding of the newly created mayor position, despite the governments insistence that devolved powers require one.

Mayor Houchen was elected to serve a three year term, but coronavirus has pushed back elections until 2021.

From there, mayoral elections will take place every four years.

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Houchen declines mayoral tax

The introduction of directly elected mayors to local government comes with a need to fund them.

As a result, mayors can introduce a precept to council taxpayers known as a “mayoral tax” which funds the office and what it does.

However, the move has proved to be controversial and a number of new mayors, including Andy Street in Birmingham and Dan Jarvis in Sheffield, have ruled out introducing the precept in their areas.

Ben Houchen has done the same in the Tees Valley and pledged not to charge ratepayers any extra for his work.

Mayoral development corporations

Most of the powers given to devolved authorities are around areas which create jobs and boost the economy.

Among the biggest powers that a mayor has is to create a mayoral development corporation which can buy, sell and hold land in a defined area.

Mayor Houchen made creating the South Tees Development Corporation one of his decisions while in office.

It became the first of its kind outside of London and has already purchased land at the former Redcar steelworks, which was closed by former owner Thai-based SSI in 2015.

While there are only four corporations currently operating in England, more can be expected and may prove to be vital for areas in need of economic growth and regeneration.

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Buying back an airport

Devolved authorities have a single pot used to invest in skills, transport and other investments.

Whatever a Mayor wants to invest in has to have the agreement of his cabinet and this was best demonstrated when Mayor Houchen made bringing back Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership his key manifesto pledge.

The airport was losing £2 million a year and Mayor Houchen bid £40 million for the airport in what proved to be a tricky decision for his cabinet.

The cabinet, five of which were Labour council leaders, found the investment difficult to back in what they described as a “vanity project”.

However, the deal was eventually agreed last year and the Tees Valley Combined Authority purchased a 75% stake in the airport and rebranded it Teesside International Airport.

More powers

Securing a devolution deal for the Tees Valley was the first step in reclaiming budgets and key decisions from Westminster.

Now that it has powers over transport and regeneration, Mayor Houchen wants more and has set his sights on health and social care budgets as his next target.

Mayor Houchen told Teesside Live in January that he wanted powers similar to Greater Manchester where the combined authority has control over its £6 billion health and social care budget.

5 reasons why we should care about devolution in North Yorkshire

Whichever way you look at it, a devolution deal for North Yorkshire will include a mayor.

Below the mayor, there is an ongoing debate over whether the county should have one single unitary council or a few large authorities.

But what does devolution actually mean and why should we care? Here are the reasons why.

What is a mayor?

The devolved authority would have a mayor which is directly elected by the public.

They would be elected in 2022 and would normally serve for four years as part of an election cycle.

The mayor would hold significant power and influence over areas such as bus services, transport and setting up development corporations to buy and sell land.

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A new mayoral tax

When the government introduced more directly-elected mayors in 2016, it also gave them powers to introduce precepts to pay for the functions of the office.

Different mayors have different powers, but all of them can charge extra on top of council tax bills to fund what they do.

What about council tax?

Council tax would still be paid to the local authority, which would continue to run daily services such as bins and filling potholes.

However, some powers would be taken on by the elected mayor, such as public transport and buying land for employment developments.

The powers of the devolved mayor are focused on employment and boosting the economy.

Why should I care?

A mayor of North Yorkshire would be accountable to residents across the entire county.

Any changes of services in their remit or use of public money would be answerable to those who elected them.

For example, the mayor would have new powers over bus routes, timetables and fares in Harrogate and elsewhere.

Mayors also have the power to set up development corporations to buy and sell land, as demonstrated in the Tees Valley where the former Redcar steelworks has been bought by the authority’s corporation.

How close are we to a deal?

It is early days, but government has already set its sights on resolving the issue of devolution by 2022 to coincide with mayoral elections.

At the moment, the county council and its seven districts are voting on a list of “asks” which outline their proposal for devolved powers. Government will take those requests and propose a devolution deal to the county which will then be voted and consulted on.

Districts to launch alternative council reorganisation bid

Harrogate Borough Council has united with other district authorities in North Yorkshire to launch a fightback against county council proposals for a single authority ahead of a potential devolution bid.

Leaders from the county’s seven district and borough authorities have today begun a “working together to get change right campaign” as part of an alternative proposal to reorganise local councils.

They argue North Yorkshire County Council’s vision of a single authority for the whole county is not right and the 800,000 residents “deserve better”.

It comes as the government has told council leaders that local government has to be reorganised in the county if any future devolution bid is to be agreed. As a result, North Yorkshire County Council has started to draw up plans for a single council to serve the entire county – which would mean the seven districts would be scrapped.

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But now, district leaders are to work on tabling their own proposal to government. They chose Yorkshire Day, August 1, to begin their campaign.

Speaking on behalf of the leaders group, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said a single council would be “unworkable”.

He said:

“We were in discussions with the minister earlier this month, and it is clear that the government is open to granting devolved powers and potentially billions in investment to our area, but only if local government is reorganised first. It’s really not a question of “if” reorganisation will happen. It’s more a question of ‘how’.

“A mega council, covering the entire North Yorkshire area – the biggest county area in the whole country – has been mooted. But we don’t believe that’s workable, or in the best interests of our people, places and economy.

“Our citizens deserve better, which is why we’re campaigning to create an alternative bid that gets reorganisation right.

“Reorganising local government will affect the lives of 800,000 people, so we’ve got to get it right. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to communities, businesses, councillors, parish councils and other local organisations, to find out how we can build on what we already do well, and where things could improve.

“We’ll be doing a lot of listening. We want any bid that goes before government to have local support, and we hope that government will respect that grass-roots approach.”

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County to draw up plans for single North Yorkshire council

North Yorkshire County Council will draw up plans for a single authority to serve the county in a move which would see Harrogate Borough Council scrapped.

It comes as part of local council reorganisation plans requested by the government in order to reach a devolution deal. Earlier this week, NYCC said it would bid for more than £2 billion of investment as part of the shake-up of local government.

Simon Clark, local government minister, told council leaders across the county earlier this month that a change in the number of councils will be required for any devolved powers to be agreed.

It would mean that the county council and its seven districts, including Harrogate Borough Council, would be scrapped and replaced with a single authority which would provide services for the entire county.

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The move would see the new council work alongside City of York Council in a proposed devolution deal. 

A final decision on whether to submit the bid to government for a unitary authority will be made by the council’s executive at a later date. Councils have until September to submit any proposal.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“The timing is critical as we drive post-pandemic recovery and York and North Yorkshire need to act now to ensure we are not left behind.

“We have therefore today instructed officers to put together a business case for a single strong, sustainable council for everyone in North Yorkshire, based on the current map and population.

“Not only will a single council based on the county’s current identity, simplify things for people and businesses – renewing our economic fortunes following the shock delivered by the pandemic – it will protect and strengthen high-quality frontline services.

“It will also unleash the county’s potential and deliver very significant financial savings by ending duplication, improving efficiency and driving innovation.

“We estimate savings in excess of £25m every year, offering the best value for money for everyone. No other bid would be able to match these benefits. Equally importantly it will protect a global and recognised brand which is crucial for our visitor economy.”

Devolution bid

Meanwhile, county councillors pressed ahead with proposals for a devolution deal earlier this week when the executive agreed a list of “asks” worth £2.4 billion.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy are included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

All councils across the county have to agree to the submission before it can be put on the table to government.

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County council bids for £2bn spending in devolution deal

New transport powers, a carbon negative economy and £2 billion worth of spending are among the proposals agreed by North Yorkshire County Council to put to the government as part of a county-wide devolution bid.

The authority’s executive voted through the list of requests, known as “asks”, which outline what the county wants from devolved powers. 

It comes as council leaders across the county are pressing ahead with plans for a York and North Yorkshire devolution deal with a directly elected mayor.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy are included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

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Further funding proposals include a five-year transport settlement worth £250 million, £520 million of devolved funding for fibre connectivity and a £230 million fund for the new mayor to share between the county’s towns.

Each authority across the region has to agree to the proposals before they can be submitted. North Yorkshire’s seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, are each expected to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the plan put forward by NYCC.

Once all councils have agreed, the requests are tabled to government and ministers will produce a formal devolution deal for authorities to vote on.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said he was pleased to get the submission on the table.

He said:

“This seems to have been on the go for a long time and has had many false starts.

“We have finally got to where we are today with a set of requests that we want to agree so that we can put them on the table with government.”

Ministers and council leaders have set a target of May 2022 for any devolution plan to coincide with the mayoral elections.

Local government shake-up

Following a meeting between Simon Clark, local government minister, and the county’s council leaders, any devolution bid is expected to come with a reorganisation of councils in the county.

This could mean that the county’s seven district councils are scrapped and replaced with a unitary authority for the county.

Councils have until September to submit proposals to the government for a reorganisation of local authorities.

A further report on a proposal for a new authority as part of the reorganisation is expected to come to the county council executive at a later date.

Council leaders prepare for North Yorkshire devolution

Discussions over a devolution deal for North Yorkshire took a step further this week after leaders of district authorities met with government ministers.

Simon Clarke, the local government minister, held further talks with authority leaders on Tuesday as local authorities look to continue to thrash out a deal for the county.

It comes as council leaders are considering options for devolution which may include a combined authority with an elected mayor, but are yet to agree on what proposals to put to government.

The list of requests will need to be agreed by the county council, York and the district authorities before any negotiations can begin with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

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Such a deal could see further powers over transport, skills and housing handed over to North Yorkshire from Westminster.

Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, told The Stray Ferret that Mr Clarke told authority leaders to “get on with it”.

He said:

“There is a very clear message coming out of government that devolution is a key part of recovery.

“They are very keen now that they have got Sheffield signed up and they want to see solutions for Yorkshire.

“He is giving us that encouragement to progress on this.”

Meanwhile, Unison Harrogate Local Government branch said it has requested a meeting with the chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council over potential proposals to reorganise local authorities in the county.

Unison said it has already received concerns from staff over the risk to jobs under any reorganisation. Branch secretary, David Houlgate, said the union would ask for full engagement if any proposal develops.

What is a combined authority?

A combined authority is when a group of councils come together to make joint decisions on such things as transport. It does not replace existing local councils.

The directly elected mayor is seen as the precondition for devolution. They chair the combined authority and form a cabinet made up of the leaders of the authorities in the region.

An example of this is in the Tees Valley Combined Authority, where Ben Houchen was elected mayor in 2017. The leaders of the five districts, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, and Middlesborough all sit on Mr Houchen’s cabinet.

The government has given the Mayor of Tees Valley and its combined authority new powers over transport, housing and planning.