Place & Environment:

A clean, sustainable, attractive place to live, work and visit

A clean and environmentally sustainable place where the causes and impacts of climate change are reduced now and for future generations

 

Our goal is to support the region to be carbon neutral by 2034 and carbon negative by 2040. We will work with partners to make it possible and encourage residents, businesses and visitors to take climate responsible actions:

·         Mitigation: this means reducing our impact on the climate by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. We will:

o   Encourage and support sustainable living in our communities and towns as well as the transport in between, including making it easier to charge electric vehicles throughout North Yorkshire. We will do this through the North Yorkshire Council Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, as well as, promoting and encouraging active travel including walking and cycling.

o   Encourage and assist everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle waste

o   Promote renewable energy

·         Adaptation: preparing for the climate to change. We will:

o   Create a North Yorkshire Adaptation Plan to support services and residents, communities, and businesses to prepare for our climate to change.

·         Supporting nature: helping the natural world, on which we depend, to thrive. We will:

o   Promote biodiversity and support nature recovery

o   Promote sustainable land use and green spaces

o   Prioritise nature-based solutions in climate change activity

o   Develop sequestration projects and carbon capture

·         To protect the local environment and ensure our air, streets, beaches and open spaces are kept clean and attractive.

·         To reduce littering, fly-tipping and dog- fouling.

A well connected and inclusive place that is well planned and everyone can access

·         To seek improvement to transport connectivity and inclusion (especially east- west links).

·         To support and encourage an effective and efficient public transport network.

·         Promote and encourage active travel including walking and cycling.

·         To maintain safe highways.

·         To improve digital connectivity and inclusion.

·         To ensure that developments meet the needs of all and consider health and social inequality. Housing developments should also have easy access to employment and economic opportunities.

Communities are empowered to shape their own future

·         To establish around 30 Community networks across the county that will mobilise the power, resources and partner relationships that exist in our communities to deliver the most appropriate local solutions for their people and places.

·         To set up and support 6 area committees to discuss local issues, provide direction and local leadership.

·         To work closely with, and empower town and parish councils to run assets and services where they want to take on additional responsibilities and where it would be value for money for all involved.

·         Establish and maintain strong partnerships across North Yorkshire.

·         To support a vibrant and thriving voluntary and community sector in North Yorkshire.  

Good quality, affordable and sustainable housing that meets the needs of our communities

·         Maintain housing supply, both market and affordable housing, whilst increasing the quality of new homes.

·         Prevent and tackle homelessness.

·         Meet housing needs, including those of vulnerable households and those with specific needs.

·         Ensure that people have a decent home to live in that facilitates their health and wellbeing.

·         Consideration and agreement of structures to support future work around decarbonisation and the retrofit of homes.

Economy:

A strong economy that enables residents and businesses to thrive

Economically sustainable and inclusive growth across North Yorkshire

·         To support and deliver major infrastructure and regeneration projects across the county to create vibrant places.

·         To harness North Yorkshire’s natural capital and promote the green economy.

·         To invest in land and buildings to support economic growth.

·         To encourage and support an increase in good quality jobs, high value employment, wages and skills retention. 

·         To ensure that skills meet the needs of both existing and emerging industries including cyber, bioeconomy and low carbon sectors.

·         To attract and retain young people and working age adults to live and work in North Yorkshire.

·         To develop an ambitious economic strategy for North Yorkshire.

Culture, heritage, arts, and sustainable tourism all play their part in the economic growth of the county

·         To promote and improve North Yorkshire’s tourism, sporting and cultural offer, to provide greater year-round attractions, increase visitor spend, and be accessible for all.

·         To promote economically and environmentally sustainable tourism.

·         To promote culture, heritage, arts, theatres, museums and galleries.

An environment where new and existing businesses can thrive and grow

·         To support and attract new and existing businesses.

·         To ensure businesses have access to and are able to benefit from business support services.

·         To create a fair trading environment which enables businesses to thrive.

·         To invest in modern technology to create jobs.

·         To utilise improving digital infrastructure to support businesses.

North Yorkshire is well represented on the national stage

·         To champion the case for a fairer share of resources for North Yorkshire and raise the profile of North Yorkshire on the national stage.

·         To influence government policy.

·         To realise the potential of devolution.

·         To maximise access to external funding.

Health & Wellbeing:

All residents live happy, healthy, and active lives

People have a good quality of life and enjoys active and healthy lifestyles

·         To encourage people to make informed choices about their health and encourage active and healthy lifestyles.

·         To improve mental health and wellbeing.

·         To maintain and develop high quality, inclusive sport and leisure facilities. 

·         To develop new, integrated models for the delivery of leisure services that meet rural and urban needs.

·         To maximise the potential of natural assets and environment within North Yorkshire to improve physical and mental health.

·         To support a more active environment that makes it easier to move more and which prioritises opportunities for safe play, walking and cycling.

·         To develop a centre for public health excellence including in research, training, and behavioural science.

Equality in health and wellbeing outcomes across North Yorkshire

·         To reduce health and social inequalities through healthy place-shaping and targeted work with groups, communities and neighbourhoods.

·         To address the wider social, economic and environmental determinants which influence health inequalities and compromise the health, well-being and life chances of children and young people, such as child poverty, home and road safety.

In times of need, support is provided to those that require it

·         To administer support through ongoing schemes such as funds/ grants/ benefits.

·         To support those that need help including refugees: access to suitable accommodation, access to support services, access to education etc.

·         To ensure people of all ages know where to get information, advice and support when they need it.

People can access good public health services, including social prescribing and social care across our different communities

·         To support and develop care providers -, working with the NHS across the county to ensure people have the services they need.

·         To work with a range of organisations from the health, independent and voluntary sectors to develop a sustainable, diverse and innovative care market that meets the varied needs of the people of North Yorkshire and ensures quality and dignity for all.

·         To work with the NHS to develop integrated models of commissioning and service delivery in each area of North Yorkshire to ensure that the people of North Yorkshire have a cost efficient, effective and joined up health and social care provision. We will work closely with local health partners to optimise local discharge pathways, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, to make sure people make a safe and timely transition from health to social care.

People:

People can start well, live well and age well

People feel (and are) safe, protected, and free from harm

·         To keep all people safe from harm or abuse

·         To safeguard children, as well as supporting families in difficulty to ensure they receive help at the earliest opportunity and working with families to set clear outcomes to enable them to stay together.

·         Our Looked After Children’s strategy sets out how we will deliver our duties as corporate parents. Where it is unsafe for a child to remain at home, we will provide safe, stable and secure permanence arrangements and ensure that children are well supported to leave the care system.

·         To safeguard adults, with individuals, organisations, and communities all playing a part in preventing, identifying, and reporting neglect or abuse.

·         To deliver effective community safety and public protection functions, tackling crime, domestic abuse, anti- social behaviour and unsafe and unfair trading practices.

People can achieve their full potential and have equal access to economic opportunities

·         To work in partnership with school leaders to champion educational excellence so all children attend inclusive provision that is good or outstanding, have high aspirations and are supported to achieve their full potential.

·         To create a strong partnership with Teaching School Hubs (TSH) in line with national developments.

·         To ensure sufficient school places in the right locations of the right quality.

·         To promote sustainability of small schools by supporting financial management, collaboration, curriculum delivery and quality of education.

·         To focus on closing the disadvantage gap, particularly for children eligible for Free School Meals and Service Children.

·         To support schools in preparation for the Ofsted inspection framework.

·         To work with school leaders to improve the attendance of vulnerable groups.

·         To work with school leaders to reduce the use of fixed term and permanent exclusions to improve outcomes for children and young people.

·         To strengthen the early identification and the range of education provision for children with SEND.

·         To work with school leaders to raise the outcomes for children and young people including SEND, identifying schools showing significant levels of under-achievement.

·         To strengthen our work with partners and communities to improve outcomes through our Childhood Futures programme.

·         To ensure that there are clear pathways for people after education through the promotion of apprenticeships, training, work placements and further education including adult education.

Vulnerable people are supported by drawing on the family strengths or those of the most appropriate networks

·         To provide early intervention, our education providers, Early Help team and health partners will work with children and families to overcome their challenges, thrive and be able to sustain this long term.

·         To provide safe and healthy care within fostering and connected / kinship care households.

·         To tackle loneliness and isolation.

·         To embed the approach of working with people to help them draw on their strengths and assets, including what others around them, in their relationships and their communities, are, or could be, doing to support them. This is part of a programme to ensure confident and consistent practice that meets people’s needs. In particular, we will focus on improving support for carers and people with mental health issues.

People have control and choice in relation to their independence and social care support

·         To support people to live independently in their home of choice by preventing, reducing, and delaying the need for longer-term social care services.

·         To support people to access preventative services, technology and supported housing, which helps them to live more independently.

Organisation:

An innovative, inclusive, and enterprising council

Good quality, value for money services that are customer focussed and accessible to all

·         To maintain a local office in every former district area and establish around XX additional local customer access points across North Yorkshire to provide access to council and partner services.

·         To provide good customer service and understand the needs of our customers.

·         To ensure customers can access services in the most appropriate way, with customers being able to self-serve where they are able to do so.

·         To ensure services provide value for money.

A well led and managed, financially sustainable, and forward-thinking council

·         To deliver a successful transformation programme.

·         To rationalise our property including making it more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable.

·         To operate on a commercial basis where it is appropriate to do so, and invest in council owned assets to drive revenue generation opportunities to fund Corporate Plans.

·         To be ‘digital by choice’, where possible to provide services online and also provide an alternative option for those who are unable to access the internet. 

·         To use data to inform decision making.

·         To ensure technology, organisational development and the corporate estate supports innovative, enterprising and inclusive working.

·         To deliver SMART projects to provide more efficient services.

An inclusive council that demonstrates its values, behaviours, and leadership principles

·         Working together to be one new council, with visible, respectful and accountable leaders to support strong performance and innovation providing a welcoming environment for all

·         Listening to colleagues, providing open engagement, sharing ideas and acting on what we say

·         Valuing each other and committing to having an inclusive workplace culture in which everyone can thrive and reach their full potential

·         Being an employer of choice, with our ways of working, providing learning opportunities for everyone, with attractive career pathways and progression

A carbon neutral council

We are working towards our goal of the council becoming operationally net zero by 2030. To achieve this we will reduce North Yorkshire Council’s operational emissions:

  • Property and assets: we will ensure that council assets support our climate change objectives through improved energy efficiency of our properties including heating, ventilation, water use, electricity use for power and lighting
  • Fleet: transitioning our fleet vehicles to low carbon or zero carbon options
  • Business mileage: where possible reduce the amount of miles travelled in employees’ own vehicles by encouraging alternatives such as active travel, public transport and virtual meetings. 
  • Procurement and commissioning: understanding and lessening the emissions embedded in goods and services associated with our operations.
  • Waste and circular economy: ensure that wherever possible council waste is reduced, reused and recycled. Where possible we will reduce our use of single use plastics.
  • Climate Change Awareness Training for staff and members
  • Embedding in policies and decision making: embed climate change into every service and into policy and decision making so that taking climate responsible actions becomes ‘business as usual’.