On-demand rural transport service Yorbus to be expanded in North Yorkshire

The first meeting of the North Yorkshire Rural Task Force was staged yesterday to discuss a host of recommendations that were put forward by a landmark Rural Commission to try to solve deeply entrenched issues, including a lack of affordable housing and poor internet and mobile phone coverage.

The task force’s membership includes senior figures from leading organisations in the county including officers from the county and district councils, the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

North Yorkshire County Council’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, who is the chairman of the task force, said that one of the key priorities was to work alongside the Government to secure a “meaningful” devolution deal for the county.

Establishing the task force was one of the main recommendations in the North Yorkshire Rural Commission’s final report, which was published in July.

Mr Flinton said: “The Rural Commission set us a series of challenges and we wish to thank them for all their hard work on this and for their insight.

“Our job is now to move these forward so that North Yorkshire is at the forefront of the rural levelling up agenda, and we will work with partners and Government on this.

“The work of the task force will step up our ability to influence and lobby on the key issues affecting the future sustainability and prosperity of our communities.”

The Rural Commission, the first of its kind nationally, was established as an independent body in the autumn of 2019 by the county council to tackle a host of issues affecting the countryside. It met 20 times, taking evidence from more than 70 participants and visiting rural communities.

An overriding theme in the commission’s findings was the need for the Government to provide a multi-billion pound devolution deal for North Yorkshire.

Among the commission’s most radical proposals were a levy on the owners of second homes and an overhaul of the Government’s funding formula for both education and housing. A mutual bank has also been suggested to drive forward investment, while the county’s economy needs to be focused on the green energy sector, according to the commission.

The task force’s first meeting yesterday recognised that progress is already being made in some areas set out by the commission. Yorbus, the demand responsive rural bus service pilot which aims to plug the gaps between the public transport needs of rural residents and existing scheduled services, is being expanded.

North Yorkshire’s bid to the Government’s Community Renewal Fund, which secured more than £760,000 for plans to slash carbon emissions, is also helping the county’s ambitions to thrive economically as England’s first carbon-negative region.

Other members of the taskforce include representatives from agricultural colleges, the National Farmers’ Union, Community First Yorkshire and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.