Why it is time to call for peace and goodwill for everyone - Carl Les

In the United States, President Trump has been re-elected in what many thought was an impossible event, the first convicted felon to hold that office. In France a government has fallen to a populist collaboration of right and left, never easy compatriots, where party political opportunism is clearly being put before the benefit of the people. In Syria a cruel regime fortunately has run away in abject fear from a popular uprising that 10 years ago it put down with much bloodshed. In Ukraine sadly the illegal invasion continues with much loss of life on both sides and great, unnecessary civil destruction in the invaded country. In the Middle East, Israel is fighting on three fronts.

If ever there was a time to call for peace and goodwill to all it must be now.

It is also an opportunity to think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves, abroad and at home, especially given all the challenges from the rising cost of living.

As a council, we are committed to ensuring that we provide support to all our communities across the vast area of North Yorkshire. We are the largest council by geographic area, but only the third largest by population. We have pledged to be England’s largest local council, and that is a commitment we are continuing to pursue to provide the very best services we can to our residents and businesses.

We are facing big challenges ourselves with record demand for our services, especially in adult social care and special educational needs for young people, but we will continue to work to provide support for the most vulnerable members of society, wherever they live in the County, as we did when we were the former County Council.

The New Year will present us with new opportunities following the launch of North Yorkshire Council in April last year, as we continue to transform our services to offer the best value for our taxpayers.

We are funded in part by Council Tax, and also government grant, and we will continue to ask for a review of local government funding – to allow for fairer funding throughout the sector – and we will challenge the government`s decision to remove rural services support monies. At a stroke this made the Council`s finances £14m worse off. That is responsible opposition to a government that doesn`t naturally understand rural issues.

I would like to recognise and thank all my colleagues at the Council who over the holidays, whilst we enjoy our turkey and time off, will be working normal shifts or be the on-call emergency duty teams from healthy living to highways, childrens’ safeguarding to carers all.

Finally I would like to take this opportunity as well to wish all readers a pleasant and peaceful Christmas time, even if partly over, and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Carl Les is the leader of North Yorkshire Council.