North Yorkshire County Council
Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 7th June, 2022 commencing at 10.00 am.
County Councillors Phillip Barrett, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Richard Foster, Robert Heseltine, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, Andrew Murday, Simon Myers, David Noland, Andy Solloway, David Staveley and Andrew Williams.
Officers present: Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager.
Apologies: Margaret Atkinson and Nick Brown and Robert Windass.
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Election of a Chairman
Daniel Harry, the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager for North Yorkshire County Council welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Daniel Harry stated that as this was the first meeting of the committee in this Council, the first item of business would be the election of a Chairman.
There were two nominations for the positon of Chairman of the committee, Councillors Richard Foster and Andrew Murday. Votes were taken and on a show of hands Councillor Richard Foster was elected as Chairman of the committee to serve until the first meeting of the committee following the AGM in May 2023.
Resolved –
That Councillor Richard Foster be appointed Chairman, to serve until the first meeting of the committee following the AGM in May 2023.
County Councillor Richard Foster in the Chair
Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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Minutes of the committee meeting held on 10 March 2022
Considered –
The minutes of the meeting of the Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee held on 10 March 2022.
Resolved -
a) That the Minutes of the meeting of the Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee held on 10 March 2022, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
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Election of a Vice Chairman
Councillor Richard Foster asked for nominations for the Vice Chairman of the Committee, to serve until the first meeting of the Committee following the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2023.
Councillor Andy Solloway was nominated and seconded and a vote was taken. Councillor Andy Solloway was elected to be the Vice Chairman of the Committee.
Resolved -
That Councillor Andy Solloway be appointed Vice Chairman, to serve until the first meeting of the Committee following the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2023.
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Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Margaret Atkinson, Nick Brown and Robert Windass.
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Declarations of Interest
There were none.
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Public Questions or Statements
There were none.
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Area Constituency Committees' Ways of Working - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered -
A report by Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, North Yorkshire County Council regarding the work of the Area Constituency Committees.
Some of the key points highlighted in the report are as summarised below:
· There are six Area Constituency Committees which are coterminous with the six Parliamentary constituencies within North Yorkshire. Each committee meets formally in public four times a year · Work to develop a new way of working for the area committees is underway as part of the Local Government Review ‘Localities’ work stream · It is envisaged that a series of informal, development meetings will be held which enable councillors to build up their understanding of the constituency area and the new operating model of the area committees in the new unitary authority · The role of the committee is to improve the quality of life for people in their area by acting as a ‘critical friend’ to policy makers · The committee work programme is owned by the committee and support is provided in its development by Democratic Services. The emphasis is upon items that are: relevant; in the public interest; add value; and being scheduled in a timely and efficient way · There are opportunities for the committee to lead on local scrutiny of a matter that has been identified by one of the Council’s five thematic overview and scrutiny committees. An example of where this has worked well in the past is the local scrutiny of the redevelopment of the Castleberg Hospital at Giggleswick.
There followed a discussion with the key points as summarised below:
· There needs to be a discussion at these meetings about the shape and form of the new iteration of the Area Constituency Committees. This committee has a key role to play in determining how they will work in the future. · The new committees will need to play a lead role in economic development in the area · The geographical basis of the committees may need to be reviewed so that it is more relevant to local people and more meaningful for local organisations and stakeholders · The committee has to have more teeth and decision-making powers. If not, then it will continue to be a talking shop · The local MP is keen to see the role of the committee develop and play a more meaningful role locally · The meetings of the Area Constituency Committees that are currently scheduled as those that are ‘business as usual’. As such, there is a work programme to be delivered over the course of the next three meetings. There are other places where members can feed into the development of these committees · A member working group will be setup in July/August to engage a broad range of councillors on the development of the Area Constituency Committees · The Locality workstream will be bringing an options paper to the Executive and overview and scrutiny in the next few months · More powers around highways matters would be welcome · There is a need for all members to work with the Executive and portfolio holders on the development of the Area Constituency Committees · More devolution of decision-making would be welcome · There is a need to be careful not to overload the new committees with roles and responsibilities as the scope could become unmanageable · Planning and licensing decisions at a local level will be key to the success of the new committees · There is a need to focus upon the work of the existing committees here and now and not be diverted by discussions about the next iteration of the committees.
Councillor Simon Myers, Executive member for Planning for Growth, gave an overview of the work that was underway regarding the development of the next iteration of the Area Constituency Committees. He said that member working groups were being setup and these would provide a key forum for members to engage on the development of the committees.
Councillor Simon Myers said that it was likely that the decisions around how local planning would be delivered by the Area Constituency Committees would be made around November 2022. This would then make it clear what the likely work load of the committees would be, the frequency of meetings and what other roles and responsibilities they would have.
Resolved –
a) That the committee notes the report.
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Data profile for the Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered -
A report by Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, on the data profile for the Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee.
The committee Chairman, Councillor Richard Foster, introduced the report and said that the area profile had been produced to enable members to better understand the area covered by the committee. It also enabled members to identify issues that may be worth further consideration by the committee.
Overall, the headline statistics for Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee show that it performs in line with or better than the England average. It is recognised that the statistics may hide some very local issues, such as pockets of rural deprivation.
There followed a discussion with key points as summarised below:
· Issues of concern highlighted in the report include fuel poverty, an aging population and access to housing for people in low incomes · Concerns about the impact of the increased cost of living an how this may impact upon fuel poverty, particularly heating oil · Local, small scale generation of electricity to provide a sustainable and affordable source of energy for rural communities is important. In some areas, it is not uncommon to have ‘brown outs’ · Insulation needs to be a priority as this is the key to saving money on heating costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions · The generally good data in the report hides some concerning issues. For example, there is high employment in the area but much of the work is low wage and often without career progression · The data pack is weak on environmental issues, such as availability of electric car charging points, number of solar panels, local power generation, use of heat exchangers. There are also links between housing quality and the achievement of net zero carbon dioxide emissions. The data pack needs further work · More information is needed on second homes and the population who live in the area but then travel significant distances to work in other areas · Affordable housing remains a key issue and needs to be picked up in the new unitary authority · Some concerns about the time lags in the data and how relevant it may be, in some cases.
Resolved –
a) That the report be noted b) That the following subjects be included in the work programme for the committee: fuel poverty; affordable housing; and economic development.
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Risk and Resource Model 2022-25 Consultation (Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire) - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered -
A report by Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, North Yorkshire County Council regarding the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Risk and Resource Model 2022-25 consultation.
The committee Chairman, Councillor Richard Foster, introduced the report and said the Risk and Resource Model sets out the risk in a given area and the Fire and Rescue Service resources that are put in place to address and reduce that risk. The consultation runs from 23 May to 14 August 2022.
Councillor Richard Foster said that it had not been possible to invite anyone from the Office for the Police Fire and Commissioner to attend the meeting to go through the consultation proposals. This is an opportunity, however, to consider how to respond to the consultation.
There followed a discussion with the key points as summarised below:
· A reduction in the number of tenders can impact upon the use of the hydraulic platform, as there may not be sufficient capacity to deliver the necessary volume of water to a fire · The proposed re-focussing upon prevention was broadly supported · Some concerns about the rationale behind the proposed changes to the night cover at Scarborough and Harrogate. It was accepted that there are a lower volume of incidences at night but concerns that an incident at night would require more resources than during the day, as they tend to be more complex and the risk to life greater · When traffic accidents occur late at night, there tend to be more serious injuries and fatalities · There should be a greater focus on supporting the on-call element of the Fire and Rescue Service in rural areas · Queries as to whether the model that has been developed is based upon an urban area or a rural area · There is a need to focus upon building up the Fire and Rescue Service, rather than looking at ways in which it can be cut.
The committee Chairman, Councillor Richard Foster, summed up and concluded that the proposals were overall positive and asked that Daniel Harry draft a response to the consultation from the committee.
Resolved -
a) That Daniel Harry drafts a response to the consultation that is then circulated to the committee members for comment, prior to submission.
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Sutton Lane Road Safety Scheme - Briefing note of the Corporate Director Business and Environmental Services
Considered –
A briefing note by David Kirkpatrick, Traffic Engineering Team Leader, Business and Environmental Services, North Yorkshire County Council regarding traffic safety and calming measures on Sutton Lane.
The committee Chairman, Councillor Richard Foster, introduced the briefing and asked whether Councillor Philip Barrett would like to update the committee as the local member.
Councillor Philip Barrett said that North Yorkshire County Council and Bradford MDC were working closing together on this traffic safety scheme, following a fatal collision on Sutton Lane in September 2021. The details of a formal consultation had been agreed on proposed traffic safety improvements. Whilst improvements were proposed to traffic calming and street lighting, it was disappointing to see that there were no proposals for a footpath.
Councillor Andy Solloway said that this case highlighted the need to work closely with neighbouring authorities.
Resolved -
a) That an update be provided at the next meeting of the committee in September 2022.
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Appointments to Outside Bodies - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered -
The report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) regarding appointments to Outside Bodies.
Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, North Yorkshire County Council, introduced the report and said that following the elections, the Area Constituency Committees need to make appointments to Local Bodies. These are as detailed in Appendices A and B of the report. Committee members are asked to work through the list asking for nominations, seconders and then moving to a vote, where necessary.
The following appointments to Category 2 Outside Bodies were agreed unanimously:
The committee Chairman, Councillor Richard Foster, said that in view of the time and also the need for members to make some further inquiries regarding the appointments to Category 3 Outside Bodies that the nominations could be forwarded to Daniel Harry and then the authority delegated to the Chairman and Vice Chairman to make the final decision.
Resolved –
a) That the committee members forward nominations to the Category 3 Outside Bodies to Daniel Harry b) That the authority to make the appointments be delegated to the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the committee.
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Committee work programme - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered -
A report by Daniel Harry, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, outlining the committee work programme.
Daniel Harry introduced the report and asked that Members review the committee’s work programme, taking into account the outcome of discussions on previous agenda items and any other developments taking place across the area.
Resolved –
a) That the following items are added to the agenda for the September meeting of the committee: fuel poverty; affordable housing; and economic development.
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Other business which the Chairman agrees should be considered as a matter of urgency because of special circumstances
There was none.
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The meeting concluded at 11.45 am.