North Yorkshire Council
Executive
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 19 August 2025 commencing at 11.00 am.
Councillor Carl Les OBE in the Chair. Councillors Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Richard Foster, Michael Harrison, Simon Myers, Heather Phillips, Janet Sanderson, Malcolm Taylor and Annabel Wilkinson.
In attendance: Councillors Alyson Baker, Barbara Brodigan, Caroline Dickinson, Sam Gibbs, Andrew Lee, Karin Sedgwick, David Staveley, David Hugill, Chris Aldred, Peter Lacey, Cliff Lunn and Paul Haslam (remote).
Officers present: Richard Flinton, Karl Battersby, Stuart Carlton, Gary Fielding, Nic Harne, Richard Webb, Jennifer Norton, Daniel Harry, Elizabeth Jackson, Tony Law and Steve Brown (remote).
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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725 |
Apologies for Absence
There were no apologies from members of the Executive. An apology had been received from Councillor Andrew Williams.
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726 |
Minutes of the Meeting held on 15 July 2025
Resolved
That the public Minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2025, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed by the Chair as a correct record.
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727 |
Declarations of Interest
Councillor Michael Harrison declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Minute 729 as his employer was listed within the Treasury Management Quarter 1 report. As he had previously been granted a dispensation by the Standards Committee he remained in the meeting room and took part in the debate and vote on the item.
Councillor Gareth Dadd declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Minute 729 in relation to second homes. As he had previously been granted a dispensation by the Standards Committee he remained in the meeting room and took part in the debate and vote on the item.
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728 |
Public Participation
There were no public questions or statements.
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729 |
Q1 Performance Monitoring and Budget Report
Considered – A joint report of the Chief Executive and Corporate Director Resources bringing together key aspects of the Council’s performance on a quarterly basis.
The Executive Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Heather Phillips, introduced the report which covered the period 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025 and drew Members’ attention to the following:
· This was a new Council Plan for 2025 to 2029 with a new format and five new Council ambitions, which were: o Thriving Places and Empowered Communities o Sustainable and Connected Places o Safe, Healthy and Living Well o Maximise the Potential o One Council.
· A new feature included monthly reporting on the Landlord Service, reflecting its ongoing development · Key performance highlights for the quarter included: Increase in museum and cultural hub visits, following resolution of issues at certain venues. Strong performance in highways services. Lowest level of referrals to children’s social care in two years. Growth in reablement packages, providing more support to individuals. Improved timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). · Areas of concern noted included homelessness, child protection plans, short-term bed-based placements and an increase in permanent school exclusions
The Leader welcomed Members of Scrutiny Board to the meeting, including Councillor Sam Gibbs who was attending his first meeting as Chair of the Housing and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee. In response to questions to Executive Members from Scrutiny Chairs and Member Champions the following was confirmed:
Thriving Places and Empowered Communities · It was confirmed that improved cultural venues had contributed to increased town centre footfall, although a slight dip in visitor numbers during the quarter was attributed to warm weather. · Homelessness challenges were reported to be consistent across the county, with a new strategy due in September. Actions underway included partnership working, data use, and investment in temporary and supported accommodation. · The integration of the Young Person’s Pathway had improved planning and support for care leavers through closer collaboration between children’s and adult services. · Planning performance had exceeded national targets despite staffing shortages. Future reports were expected to include enforcement metrics, with improvements already underway in previously underperforming areas. · Average re-let times for council housing remained high due to refurbishment needs, but the number of voids was decreasing and the Executive Member reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to not letting substandard properties. Sustainable and Connected Places · Issues were reported with the implementation of new waste collection rounds, particularly in the Harrogate area, though staff had adapted well to the four-day week and lessons had been learned to improve future rollouts. Additional operational changes had been introduced across the waste service, including the end of task-and-finish, standardised start/finish times, depot-based working, and strengthened management practices, all aimed at delivering a consistent service countywide. · A significant increase in fly-tipping incidents was noted, with no clear local cause identified. A new fixed penalty notice policy and enforcement strategy were being developed to address the issue more robustly. · It was confirmed that national trends and seasonal factors, such as lighter evenings and dry weather, may have contributed to the rise in fly-tipping, and additional resources were being considered to support enforcement. · Performance against the two-hour response target for dangerous highway defects had been affected by data entry issues, adverse weather, and fluctuating demand, though corrective measures and proactive inspections were in place. · The target to repudiate 80% of highway claims was explained as a performance benchmark rather than a financial goal, with ongoing work to improve analysis of claim outcomes to understand why claims had been conceded to and reduce network defects. Safe, Healthy and Living Well · Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST) contacts had increased while referrals to children’s social care had declined, suggesting increased public awareness was leading to a rise in reports of concerns. · The assessment timeliness had worsened, however this was unusual and was being monitored. · The number of child protection plans had continued to rise and remained above national and statistical neighbour averages; work was underway to ensure thresholds were applied appropriately and to reduce reliance on child protection interventions where possible. A variety of outcomes were reported for MAST contacts not resulting in referrals, including advice, signposting, and early help, with a significant proportion driven by increased police reporting. · The Growing Up in North Yorkshire survey revealed that 12% of pupils reported being victims of violence and 8% had carried weapons; while concerning, the local incidence of knife crime remained low and the data was used to inform targeted school interventions. · Increased hospital discharge rates since COVID had placed significant pressure on social care services, requiring careful balancing of support between discharged patients and those already in the community, with reablement playing a key role in maintaining independence. It was noted that current discharge volumes were now treated as the norm, despite the lack of corresponding funding, creating financial strain on services. · Concerns were raised about high summer temperatures in care homes; the issue was acknowledged and had been referred to the quality team for monitoring and future reporting. Maximise Potential · The timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments had significantly improved, with June showing the best performance in four years and a notable reduction in the backlog, now exceeding 70% completion, which was well above the national average. The increase in in-house educational psychologists had enabled the Council to begin targeted preventative work with schools, particularly in areas previously affected by high exclusion rates. · The rise in permanent exclusions among primary school children was noted as a concern, though numbers remained relatively low and spread across schools. Targeted support and preventative interventions were being developed to assist schools in managing complex behaviours. Officers confirmed that exclusion patterns varied year to year, with no consistent clustering, and that schools with high exclusion rates were being challenged and supported to improve practices. The overall strong performance and proactive measures being taken in areas requiring improvement were noted.
Revenue Budget, Treasury Management and Capital Plan
The Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Gareth Dadd, introduced each section of the report, and reported an overspend of £5m at the end of Quarter 1. There was a forecasted overspend of £10.4m in Children and Young People’s Service, which reflected national issues. Without action the Council would use £57m of reserves by March 2028. It was noted that North Yorkshire Highways had delivered some efficiencies and rebates, which was welcomed. Executive were also requested to agree a recommendation in relation to moving funding to support projects on the coast.
Resolved
That the Executive
(i) notes the forecast outturn position against the 2025/26 Revenue Budget, as summarised in paragraph 2.2.1.
(ii) notes the position on reserves in Section 2.5
(iii) notes the position on the Council’s Treasury Management activities during the second quarter of 2025/26
(iv) refers this report to the Audit Committee for their consideration as part of the overall monitoring arrangements for Treasury Management
(v) approves the refreshed Capital Plan summarised at paragraph 4.2.3
(Unanimous)
(vi) approve virement of Capital Development Reserve funding from the Borough Wide Public Realm legacy scheme to (i) Whitby Old Town Hall (£177k) and (ii) Sprucing Up Scarborough (£150k) summarised at paragraph 4.4.2
(Unanimous)
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730 |
Yorwaste Teckal Agreement
Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Environment seeking approval to enter into a new contract with Yorwaste Ltd. The contract term is for a maximum of 10 years with an initial five-year period, with options to extend up to a maximum of a further five years.
The Executive Member for Managing our Environment introduced the report and advised that the current contract with Yorwaste was coming to an end. The previous contract had been agreed when the former district and borough councils had been the waste collection authorities and NYCC was the waste disposal authority. Now that North Yorkshire Council was a unitary council responsible for both collection and disposal of waste it was considered that a new contract would better reflect the new powers and duties and enable the Council to respond to changes in national legislation.
Resolved (unanimously)
It is recommended that:
1) the Executive approve the award of a ten-year waste contract to Yorwaste Limited with an initial Term of 5 years with options to extend for a further five years, with effect from 18 September 2025; and
2) The Executive delegate negotiating and agreeing the terms of the new contract and any other actions required to facilitate the Council entering into the new contract with Yorwaste Limited to the Assistant Director Environment and Transport in consultation with the Corporate Director Resources, the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) and the Executive Member for Managing our Environment.
Reasons for recommendations
The recommendations allow for the Council to continue to benefit from the services provided by Yorwaste Limited but with a more modern, fit for purpose contract in place.
Alternative options considered
No other options are put forward for consideration. Before making the decision not to extend the existing contract, options to provide the services through third party contracts were considered and discounted due to the Council’s ability to directly award the contract to provide waste Services to its own company (vertical exemption) under Schedule 2 of the Procurement Act 2023.
The contract duration has been considered. Given the likelihood of changes in legislation, ways of working and infrastructure, an initial term of five years with the ability to vary the service agreement and individual Schedules, plus further options to extend by up to a further five years, affords the council maximum flexibility.
(Councillor Gareth Dadd was not present in the meeting room for this item)
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731 |
Parking Principles
Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Environment presenting the draft Strategic Parking Principles which would provide an overall framework for how the council would approach parking strategy and management throughout North Yorkshire.
The Executive Member for Highways and Transportation introduced the report advising that these principles would replace the range of policies inherited from the former district councils which were currently in place. Key themes of the principles included providing a value for money and customer focussed service reflecting local need and linking to other transport options and providing fairness across 170 car parks. The principles would support town centres, reduce congestion, improve air quality and make communities more accessible and attractive. The council was committed to working with residents, businesses and other stakeholders as the principles were implemented.
The Corporate Director Environment, Karl Battersby, advised that local variations would be dealt with through local action plans, although there were some elements which would be applied across the whole county. Conversations in relation to local action plans would commence in the autumn involving local Members and town and parish councils.
Councillor Chris Aldred spoke to welcome the report and requested further information on timelines, blue badge parking and disc parking schemes. The Head of Parking Services, Steve Brown, provided further information in relation to multi-storey car parks in Harrogate in response to questions from Councillor Paul Haslam, and confirmed that in due course an app which would enable users to extend parking time in pay and display car parks would be re-introduced. The Executive Member agreed to provide further information to Councillors Aldred and Haslam.
Resolved
That the Executive agrees to adopt the Parking Principles document.
Reasons for recommendations
The reason for adoption is to enable the planning and authoring of countywide policy where applicable and to create the necessary conditions to begin the local area action planning as already described.
Alternative options considered
The alternative to retain the existing approaches and not adopt a new policy is not feasible.
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732 |
Connect to Work (Get Britain Working Trailblazer) Grant Acceptance
Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Health and Adult Services in relation to grant funding of £3,175,800.00 from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to support the Government’s Connect to Work Scheme, also known as the Get Britian Working Trailblazer programme. Approval was sought for the application for the funding, and for acceptance of the grant to be delegated to the Corporate Director Resources in consultation with the Executive Member for Health and Adult Services.
The Executive Member for Health and Adult Services introduced the report which described the Council’s proposals to deliver support to economically inactive groups facing barriers to employment. The Corporate Director confirmed that the proposals built on pre-existing work carried out by the council helping people with mental health issues, learning and physical difficulties and advised that as Department of Work and Pensions terms and conditions still needed to be finalised delegated authority was sought to enter into the final agreement.
Resolved (unanimously)
1) The Executive agrees to the application of grant funding of three million one hundred and seventy-five thousand and eight hundred pounds (£3,175,800.00) to support the Government’s Connect to Work Scheme (Get Britain Working Trailblazer programme) and in the event that the application is successful:
2) That the acceptance of the Grant be delegated to the Corporate Director - Resources in consultation with the Executive Member for Health and Adult Services.
3) To delegate authority to agree and enter into any associated agreements, including but not limited to the Grant Agreement with the YNYCA to access and deliver these funds, to the Corporate Director - Resources in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services.
Reasons for recommendations
The Executive is asked to approve the acceptance of the grant funding subject to the Grant Agreement being acceptable to allow the proposed activities to proceed. These are intended to support people to find and maintain meaningful employment, providing better outcomes for people and supporting North Yorkshire’s economy.
Alternative options considered
Not to bid for and accept the funding: this was rejected as the funding scheme provides external funding which provides the opportunity for the Council to deliver on multiple objectives, as above.
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733 |
Brierley Homes Affordable Homes Funding Urgent Decision
Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Resources providing details of the urgent decision taken by the Executive Member for Finance and Resources to approve additional loan facility to Brierley Homes of £1.4m to enable the provision of affordable homes. The decision was urgent in order to allow cashflow headroom in advance of sales being made over the next few months to enable payments to be made to suppliers.
The Corporate Director Resources, Gary Fielding, reported that whilst Brierley Homes had originally been established to deliver market housing it was now delivering more affordable and social housing and as a consequence its loan facility was inadequate. The company paid the council interest above the Bank of England base rate, so delivered significant shareholder value to the council, whilst also delivering affordable housing in excess of policy requirements, so providing additional benefit. It was confirmed that the additional £1.4m loan was at base rate without interest, thus enabling the policy value of the affordable homes to be realised. The urgency had arisen due to a number of sales having fallen through in the preceding weeks, leading to a risk that suppliers wouldn’t get paid. A further report would be brought to the next meeting of the Executive following a review of funding arrangements and cash flow management.
Resolved
That the Executive note the urgent decision taken by the Executive Member for Finance on 21 July 2025 and note that the decision was urgent in order to allow cashflow headroom and allow the company time for sales to be received over the next few months. Additional loan headroom was required to ensure Brierley Homes could make all payments due in the event of some delayed sales.
Reasons for Recommendation
To report the urgent decision taken on the 21 July 2025 to Executive in line with the Council’s governance process.
Alternative options considered
There are no other options as this report is informing Executive of an urgent decision that has been taken.
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734 |
Appointments to Committees
Considered – A report of the Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services in relation to a change of substitute Member for the Shareholder Committee. The Shareholder Committee is a committee of the Executive and appointments to it are made by and from the Executive. Following recent changes to Executive a vacancy had arisen for a substitute member of the Shareholder Committee.
Resolved
That the Executive appoints Councillor Annabel Wilkinson as a substitute for the Shareholder Committee in place of Councillor Greg White.
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735 |
Forward Plan
Considered – The Forward Plan for the period 8 August 2025 to 31 August 2026 was presented.
Resolved
That the Forward Plan be noted.
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736 |
Date of Next Meeting - 16 September 2025 - Civic Centre, Selby
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The meeting concluded at 12.46 pm.