North Yorkshire Council Archives - Page 154 of 162

More detail needed on Harrogate district parish council devolved powers, says councillor

More detail is needed on plans to give Harrogate district parish councils more powers, says a Knaresborough town councillor.

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 in 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.

However, Cllr David Goode, a town councillor in Knaresborough, has said the devil will be in the detail on the proposals.

He pointed out that the country faces another round of austerity measures in the coming years, which may impact on what services could be given to lower-tier councils.

He said:

“At this stage, the opportunity is to participate in a number of pilot projects in 2023, but a more substantial programme of discussions on transfers will not start until 2024 and the reality is that the development of opportunities for assets management and service delivery will take many years to evolve.

“What is not discussed in detail at this time is the potential impact of another round of austerity cuts from central government and what impact these may have on the delivery of services by the new North Yorkshire Council.

“A key future role for town and parish councils may be to offer alternative solutions to local residents for potential service solutions that could replace those being withdrawn.

“For such a programme to be successful it will be very important for a town council like Knaresborough’s to truly engage with the community, such that local residents are fully engaged in decision making about the town council developing new and innovative service solutions that could replace disappearing services, that residents value, but may not be part of any transfer deal from North Yorkshire Council.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council, said:

“We very much welcome the move by North Yorkshire County Council’s executive to establish a policy on double devolution to town and parish councils.

“The report that will be considered on Tuesday is exactly what were told it would be, so it is very much full steam ahead and I have high hopes that Ripon will be leading the way on this issue.”

‘Double devolution’

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.

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.

In a report due before the county council’s executive on November 8, Neil Irving, assistant director of partnerships, said:

“Double devolution is entirely separate from the proposed devolution deal between the government and the local authorities in York and North Yorkshire.

“Double devolution has operated for over 10 years in some other parts of the country, including Cornwall and Wiltshire.

“There is also significant experience of existing councils in North Yorkshire successfully transferring services and assets to community groups and to town and parish councils.”

Council appoints London consultants to draw up North Yorkshire growth strategy

An £89,537 contract to draw up a strategy to grow the economy in North Yorkshire has been handed to a London company.

North Yorkshire County Council has commissioned Steer-ED to carry out the work on behalf of the upcoming North Yorkshire Council.

The new authority will come into force on April 1, 2023.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council whether it had considered local companies for the work and if the strategy could have been drawn up by its own staff.

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

“The advent of the new North Yorkshire Council provides us with an opportunity to create a county-wide strategy to drive forward economic growth and support existing businesses while attracting new enterprise.

“Working with council officers, Steer-ED will produce a new county-wide economic growth strategy which will be guided by extensive consultations and engagement with a number of key organisations. This will help us maximise North Yorkshire’s economic potential and drive inward investment across the county.

“Steer-ED was appointed following a competitive procurement process, and the contract was awarded in accordance with the procurement framework requirements. The framework consists of 41 consultants from across the country, and all were invited to tender for the contract.

“Our economic development teams will work very closely with Steer-ED. The decision was taken to recruit consultants to provide an important external perspective as well as ensuring there is additional capacity so the work is completed soon after the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1 next year.”

The move is the latest contract to be awarded to a national firm as the county council transitions towards the new North Yorkshire Council.

In July, the Stray Ferret revealed that four consultancy companies were awarded £5 million for “reorganisation support for North Yorkshire Council”.

The contract was awarded to KPMG, Price Waterhouse Cooper, PA Consulting Ltd and Capita Business Service Ltd.

However, councillors on the authority criticised the move as a “waste of money” and questioned whether it could have been better spent elsewhere.

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.

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:

“Double devolution is entirely separate from the proposed devolution deal between the government and the local authorities in York and North Yorkshire.

“Double devolution has operated for over 10 years in some other parts of the country, including Cornwall and Wiltshire.

“There is also significant experience of existing councils in North Yorkshire successfully transferring services and assets to community groups and to town and parish councils.”

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.

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:

“We believe this double devolution which passports powers from Whitehall to the town hall and the town hall to the village hall is an exciting prospect.

“We are seeking more powers from the government, but we want more powers to be devolved to the very local area as well. We want to bring people together to get more things done at a local level.”

New council plans single taxi licensing for North Yorkshire

Taxi drivers in the Harrogate district could be able to operate in other areas of North Yorkshire, under plans being considered by county council officials.

A consultation is being held into vehicle licensing for the entire of the county ahead of North Yorkshire Council being set up.

As of April 1 next year, the new authority will be responsible for licensing vehicles in the Harrogate district. Harrogate Borough Council, which currently fulfils the role locally, will no longer exist.

County council officials have proposed North Yorkshire operates as one hackney carriage zone in order to offer drivers “flexibility to operate across the county”.

A review of fare rates across the county will be carried out at a later date.

The council said in a statement:

“In accordance with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance, it is proposed that the new council will operate one hackney carriage ‘zone’ for North Yorkshire.

“Thereby providing drivers with the flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“There are no plans to impose hackney carriage quantity restrictions on the creation of a new single zone. Hackney carriage fares and fees will also be reviewed at a later date.”

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and end on January 19, 2023.

You can take part in the survey here.

New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities

A consultation is being launched today on what the new North Yorkshire Council’s funding priorities should be, amid stark warnings about its economic situation.

North Yorkshire Council will come into existence on April 1 when the seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, are abolished.

The postponement of the Chancellor’s autumn statement means the new local authority still doesn’t know how much funding it will be allocated by national government.

In addition, the new authority is expected to start life by inheriting a £27 million deficit from the eight councils it is replacing. Rising inflation is also believed to have added an additional £70 million in costs.

Against this backdrop, county council leader Carl Les said the budget for the new authority will be the most challenging he has witnessed.

Cllr Les, who will become the leader of the new North Yorkshire Council, said:

“These challenges for the forthcoming financial year are the greatest I have ever known, caused by a succession of issues that, taken in isolation, would present significant problems to overcome in themselves.

“We have launched the consultation to give the public the chance to highlight what they believe are the financial priorities which the new North Yorkshire Council should be focused on, and it is so important that we hear those views to help us form the budget for the authority.”

Cllr Les added that the restructuring of local government in North Yorkshire “could not have come at a more prescient time amid all the challenges we are facing” because merging eight councils and streamlining services “will be invaluable in ensuring that budgets can be balanced”.

He believes the restructure could lead to savings of up to £70 million a year.

North Yorkshire County Council alone has had to make savings of £200 million since 2010 from an original net budget of £520 million, excluding funding for schools – equating to a 40 per cent reduction in spending.

North Yorkshire Council will serve the greatest geographical area of any local authority in the country, and it will have an overall spend of about £1.4 billion, including £343 million on schools.

The Let’s Talk Money conversation begins today and runs until December 23. Details are available here.

Harrogate BID appoints Simon Kent as interim manager

Simon Kent, who helped to establish Harrogate Business Improvement District in 2018, has been appointed interim manager for a second time.

The news was confirmed today after current manager Matthew Chapman announced he was leaving in November to take up a new position at North Yorkshire Council.

Businesses within Harrogate’s town centre pay the BID 1.5 per cent of their rateable value a year on top of their usual business rates.

Matthew Chapman

This generates around £500,000, which the BID spends on projects to improve the town and increase the number of visitors.

Mr Kent, a former director of the Harrogate Convention Centre, was previously appointed interim manager in April 2020.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“Whilst we continue the process of seeking a new BID manager, we have appointed Simon Kent in an interim role.

“Simon was instrumental in helping to launch Harrogate BID back in 2018, and in April 2020 we asked him to take on the role of interim manager, which he did until May the following year.

“Simon’s experience and knowledge of Harrogate BID are second to none, and I’m delighted that he has agreed to come back in a part-time-basis until a successor to outgoing BID manager, Matthew Chapman, is found.

“I look forward to rekindling my working relationship with Simon, particularly as we head towards the festive season, which with the BID’s involvement will see Harrogate once again become ‘Destination Christmas’.”

Harrogate’s floral reputation looks set to continue

The president of Harrogate in Bloom has said she is confident the town will maintain its floral reputation after spring’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department has played a major role in maintaining the district’s green spaces over the last 50 years.

It has worked closely with Harrogate in Bloom and other volunteer groups on landscaping and creating attractive flower displays that are a major part of the town’s tourist appeal.

But the council will be abolished on April 1, triggering fears the new North Yorkshire Council, which will be based in Northallerton, might not value Harrogate’s appearance as highly and might not collaborate with local groups.

Harrogate Borough Council parks and gardens flowers

Harrogate Borough Council maintaining summer flower beds.

Pam Grant, president of Harrogate in Bloom, said she was “reassured” after talks with a representative of the new local authority about future plans. She said:

“The new council wants Harrogate in Bloom to continue and it wants Harrogate to maintain its floral reputation.

“I’m assured nothing will change overnight on April 1 and no drastic changes are planned.

“Nobody likes uncertainty but I feel reassured.”

Harrogate in Bloom is a volunteer-run group, which works with other community groups on town centre schemes.

It has also forged close relationships with Harrogate Borough Council and, more recently, Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has funded barrier baskets, hanging baskets and shop planters.

One of the BID’s floral schemes.

Harrogate was awarded a gold medal and named a winner in the small city category at this month’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards.

Ms Grant said:

“Harrogate doesn’t have a cathedral to attract visitors but it does have a reputation for being a nice town with lots of flowers and clean, fresh air.”

Cost of North Yorkshire unitary authority’s new council tax system soars

Council bosses in North Yorkshire are facing calls to explain why a new council tax system will cost taxpayers millions of pounds a year more to run than the current system.

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed the cost of administering the unitary authority’s council tax scheme is expected to be £37m, £2.4m more than the current structure run by North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils.

A cross-party group of councillors has proposed unifying council tax bills across the seven districts over the next two financial years as some areas are paying higher rates than others.

Yesterday the Stray Ferret reported on how the Harrogate has the highest council tax in North Yorkshire.

The move would mean Harrogate’s average bills for a band D property would fall by £23.47 during each of the two years on a current bill of £1,723.27 whilst other areas might see a rise.

The proposed increases and cuts in council tax charges do not include what increases the new unitary authority, police and fire services and parish councils may levy from April 1.

The county council’s executive member for finance, Councillor Gareth Dadd said the authority was acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under with rising inflation and the cost of energy and food soaring.

He said:

“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”

As part of the proposals, the executive committee will consider providing up to 100 per cent reductions on council tax bills for households on the lowest incomes.

However, opposition politicians said the rising cost of administering the new council tax system raised a red flag, particularly after as the county council had estimated savings brought about by creating abolishing the district and county councils and establishing a unitary authority should reach £252m over its first five years.

Councillor Andy Brown, the authority’s Green Party group coordinator said:

“We were assured that combining into one council would be simple and would reduce costs. We are already seeing how complicated it is and how hard it is to achieve the cost savings.”

Leader of the council’s Independent group, Councillor Stuart Parsons added:

“Big is supposed to be better. One is supposed to be cheaper than eight and this is an area where one is certainly not cheaper. How many other areas will there be.

“This is against all the logic of the massive savings that they claim would result from unification. What other extra costs are envisaged as a result of local government reorganisation and what savings are envisaged to come up with the magnificent £50m a year they have claimed would be found.”

Cllr Parsons said it would take many years for the new authority to iron out inequalities between services in the seven boroughs.

He added:

“I would like a full explanation of how the council has come to this £2.4m figure and how they are going to make it cost neutral. Eventually they should be able to make savings on staff as they establish a single team, but it’s going to take a long, long time.”

Harrogate district council tax set to fall by £23 under devolution

Council tax bills for a Band D property in Harrogate are set to fall by £23.47 for the next two years as part of the transition to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate Borough Council currently charges the highest council tax of the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.

An average band D property in the district is currently £1,723.27, compared with £1,586.83 in Hambleton, which has the lowest level of council tax in the county.

The seven councils will be abolished on April 1 as part of the government’s devolution agenda and North Yorkshire County Council is to meet next week to discuss ways to harmonise the level of payment across the county.

Under plans being drawn up, Band D bills in the Harrogate district would fall by £23.47 a year for two years while Hambleton’s bills would increase by £89.49.

However, the rises and falls due to harmonisation do not take into account the annual increase in council tax bills, which is set to be approved by county councillors in February. The figures also relate to just the precept for county and district authorities, and do not include money for North Yorkshire Police, the county’s fire brigade and parish or town councils.

If a Harrogate town council is formed, the precept for people living in the town council area would increase.

Decision on Tuesday

The advent of a new council covering the whole of the county in April means there is a legal requirement to ensure all council taxpayers in North Yorkshire are charged the same amount.

The proposals to phase this in over the next two years will be considered by members of North Yorkshire County Council’s decision-making executive when they meet on Tuesday next week. They are based on recommendations by a cross-party working group of councillors.

The working group, which was established by the county council’s executive in June, considered a range of proposals, including harmonising council tax bills over a period of up to eight years.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who is also the authority’s deputy leader, said:

“The challenge to harmonise council tax bills across the county is obviously a significant one, but it is an issue we have to address before the new North Yorkshire Council is launched in April next year.

“We are acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under not just in North Yorkshire, but across the whole country, as we see inflation rising and the cost of energy soar along with the price of food and drink and other essential items.

“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”

There would be huge variations in the amount of funding generated if the decision was taken to opt for moving council tax levels to the lowest amount seen in Hambleton or choosing to adopt the highest level in Harrogate.

If council tax bills were brought in line with Hambleton, there would be an annual reduction of funding in the region of £21 million, falling from the current level of £401.8 million to £380.4 million.

By comparison, an extra £11.3 million would be generated by increasing council tax bills to the level currently paid in the Harrogate district, with the average across North Yorkshire for owners of a Band D property paying £1,723.27 instead of £1,676.32.

Funding from council tax is used to finance services ranging from waste collection and recycling to highways maintenance and adult social care.

Harrogate BID manager to leave role

Harrogate Business Improvement District manager Matthew Chapman will leave the organisation in November to take up a new position at North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Chapman, who took up the role in May last year, was previously Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.

Businesses within Harrogate’s town centre pay the BID 1.5% of their rateable value a year on top of their usual business rates.

Harrogate BID brings in around £500,000 from local firms, which it spends on projects to improve the town and increase the number of visitors.

During Mr Chapman’s 18 months in Harrogate, BID campaigns include power washing 80,000 square metres of the town centre, painting drab walls with colourful murals and buying over 500 pieces of outdoor furniture for businesses to use.

He is set to take up a managerial role within North Yorkshire Council, which is the new council that will replace Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council from April.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson paid tribute to Mr Chapman in a statement and said the search for his replacement had begun.

“Since joining us in May 2021, Matt has been a highly effective, dedicated and extremely popular BID manager. I have certainly enjoyed our working relationship, and that is echoed by all my fellow directors.

“During his time with us, he has become one of the most recognised faces in the town centre. He’s built terrific relationships with the district and county councils, business organisations and business owners and their employees.

“We will be extremely sorry to see Matt go, but the good news for us, and the town centre, is that he will continue to play a role within the organisation, offering guidance and support to the board and BID team, within a part-time role to aid the recruitment process and ensure a smooth transition and handover.

“The BID team is now primed to continue delivering the high impact projects which benefit the town as a whole, and the job of finding Matt’s replacement has now begun.”

‘Double devolution’

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‘More things done at a local level’

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Decision on Tuesday

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