North Yorkshire’s future; broadband matters as much as council shake-up – The Yorkshire Post says

An independent commission was already considering the future provision of services, and how best to serve the remote rural communities, before the Government signalled its desire to create a single council which would also be headed by a metro mayor.

Now the challenge is pulling both pieces of work together to ensure that North Yorkshire can become one of the pre-eminent places to live and work once the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

This involves attracting more families to move to the countryside, and the provision of sufficient affordable homes, without compromising the area’s breathtaking beauty – the reason why the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors have such enduring appeal.

It also requires rural communities to be served by high-speed broadband – a recurring nightmare for those whose connection was so intermittent, or non-existent, that it was simply impractical for them to work from home during the lockdown.

But this also requires North Yorkshire County Council, City of York Council and the area’s network of district councils using the devolution debate to decide how best to enhance the quality of life of residents. At the moment, their near-obsession with political structures, presumably out of self-interest, risks taking precedence over services such as the upgrade of critical infrastructure like broadband. This mindset now needs to change.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson

Editor