Mega-council proposal for North Yorkshire is unworkable - Yorkshire Post Letters

On AUGUST 1, Yorkshire Day, we launched Working together to get change right – a campaign for a more local and common sense approach to local government reorganisation in York and North Yorkshire.

It is fitting we chose this date. Yorkshire Day is when we come together to celebrate our unique people, places and culture. But it originated in 1975, as a protest against local government reorganisation and a statement of political identity. Our campaign marks a new chapter in that story.

On July 7, Simon Clarke, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, spoke to the leaders of North Yorkshire’s seven district and borough councils.

He made it clear that the Government was open to granting devolved powers and billions in investment – if local government in York and North Yorkshire is reorganised.

The question then is not will reorganisation will happen – but how?

A mega-council covering all of North Yorkshire – the largest county area in England – has been mooted. This sounds seductively simple.

But just a glance at the map shows it is unworkable and our citizens deserve better.

As council leaders we have come together to create a fresh bid, based on workable geographies and a deep-rooted understanding of our local communities.

Yorkshire folk are famous for their pragmatism and good old-fashioned common sense.

Forty-five years on from the original Yorkshire Day, we say let common sense prevail. Let’s call a halt to talk of a mega-council. We need to get this change right.

From: Dave Ellis, Magdalen Lane, Hedon.

Is THE North Yorkshire County Council leader Carl Les trying to pull the wool over the eyes of taxpayers in North Yorkshire by proposing one single authority (except the City of York)?

After over 10 years of austerity, district councils should have formed central purchasing groups, which is what happens in South Yorkshire.

Local democracy will go if the single authority is introduced in North Yorkshire, as senior councillors will be making all the decisions at cabinet or full council meetings and local representatives will be outvoted. This is not to mention high ‘democratic services’ costs and the eye-watering salaries of the chief executive officer and senior management team. In the East Riding of Yorkshire the senior management team combined salaries tops £1.1m.

A good example on how it doesn’t work for local residents is East Riding of Yorkshire Council, which introduced reverse parking in the Market Square in the town of Hedon, where I reside.

Local town councillors did not have a say, but took all the criticism from motorists and pedestrians when there were near misses. The senior officer who introduced the reverse parking was miles away in County Hall, Beverley.

Residents in Selby or Scarborough who have a local issue are unlikely to travel to Northallerton to put their opinion to the relevant councillor on a committee.

From: Coun Andy Brown, leader of the Green Party Group, Craven District Council.

In the middle of a global pandemic with much of Yorkshire still in serious lockdown, there are many competing priorities for our leaders of local government. Yet they are being forced by central government to focus far too much of their time and energy on a re-organisation of local government.

Carl Les tells us that “We estimate the savings at £25 million a year” (The Yorkshire Post, August 8). That is a truly impressive amount of money. So impressive we have the right to see how the calculations that back up that wonderful promise.

Could I therefore challenge Carl to produce the figures on which his claims are based? Because just about the only way to save that amount of money is to close a large number of local offices and services and centralise in Northallerton.

If that is the plan then the people of North Yorkshire should see the detail of what savings are proposed and given a chance to vote on whether they like the realities behind the fine words, before they are saddled with yet another costly re-organisation of public services which promises the earth and delivers precious few practical gains.

From: Geoff Wilson, Harrogate.

Anyone who believes that creating a Single Authority for North Yorkshire would save £25 million probably believes in Father Christmas.

From: Jarvis Browning, Fadmoor, York.

I CAN’T see a large single unified county as North Yorkshire County Council representing all residents, as they certainly did not listen to us nor did we have a representative on the council during the planning application for fracking from Ryedale and surrounding areas, and I think it will happen again on other matters.

Bigger is not always the best.