Battle lines have been drawn between political leaders in North Yorkshire over which route to take on local council reorganisation with both sides lobbying in opposite directions for support.
County council bosses want a single council to serve the county and its 610,000 residents and sit alongside City of York Council as part of a devolution bid.
But, in the other camp, the districts, led by Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper, are seeking support for an alternative proposal to put to government.
Simon Clarke, local government minister, made local government reorganisation a requirement ahead of a York and North Yorkshire devolution bid.
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- 5 lessons to learn from devolution in Tees Valley
- Districts to launch alternative council reorganisation bid
- County to draw up plans for single North Yorkshire council
In a reflection of the political divide over the future of the county, both sides have started to pump out public statements in an effort to drum up support for their visions.
County council sets out its stall
Recently, the county council has put out statements showing support for its plan from other local authorities and one from the local government minister which said a unitary authority would be “within scope”.
On Tuesday, county council bosses released their latest effort to drum up support for their proposal with an endorsement from Durham County Council chief executive, Terry Collins.
North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.
Durham became a single council after scrapping its districts 12 years ago. Mr Collins said such a move for North Yorkshire would work as there is “no other way of operating”.
He added that the council has been able to have “strong and effective localism” through its parish and town councils, who have their own plans and deal with their own priorities.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the endorsement shows that the county council plan would be local and not a remote authority from parts of the county.
He said:
“It will be a far cry from the remote ‘mega council’ portrayed by detractors.
“We welcome Durham’s endorsement of our plan at this time. We know our people and our places, we deliver some of the best services in the country right into people’s homes and on the roads outside their front door and you don’t get more local than that.”
The district’s alternative proposal
But, on the other side of the fence sits the districts who have described the proposal for one council as “unworkable”.
The seven district council leaders launched their own campaign on Yorkshire Day for an alternative plan to the county council and are currently seeking comments from the public.
Read more:
- County council bids for £2bn spending in devolution deal
- 5 reasons why we should care about devolution in North Yorkshire
In a letter to businesses in the Harrogate district seen by the Stray Ferret, Cllr Cooper said the proposal for one council would be “bad for business and bad for the economy”.
He added that the move to scrap the borough council would lose the connections with the authority and local business.
The leader of Harrogate Borough Council Richard Cooper.
Cllr Cooper said to business leaders:
“The council has been at the heart of the coronavirus response, working to support business recovery and releasing c£50 million in business grant aid.
“We were only able to do this quickly and at scale because of our knowledge of our local economy, our close links with local businesses, and our long experience of delivering grass-roots services.
“It is essential that we do not lose these valuable qualities in the coming local government reorganisation, as I hope you agree.”
The battle being fought in public by the two camps will heat up as authority leaders edge closer to the deadline for proposals to be submitted to government in September.
As the devolution “asks, which propose a £2 billion deal for York and North Yorkshire, are also submitted, attention will turn to government which is expected to outline its devolution white paper next month.
