North Yorkshire County Council

Executive

26 January 2021

Council Plan 2021 - 2025

Report of Assistant Director - Policy, Partnerships and Communities

1.0	Purpose of report
1.1	To seek agreement of the Executive to submit the refreshed Council Plan to the County Council for adoption.

2.0       Background 

2.1       The Council Plan is a key component of the County Council’s policy framework, setting out the Council’s objectives and how its resources are to be used to deliver those objectives. Ensuring the Plan is developed in a timely and robust manner is essential in order to drive forward the business of the Council and improve performance.

2.2       The process is closely allied to the budget setting process as this clearly demonstrates the golden thread running through the Council's objectives, priorities and allocation of resources. For this reason, the Council Plan will be submitted to the County Council on 17 February 2021 in tandem with the budget report.

2.3       The Council Plan is intended to be the public expression of the County Council’s vision and a longer-term strategic document designed to plot the Council’s course over the next four years. But also used by staff to understand the Councils priorities and how they fit within them.

2.4       There were significant changes to last year’s plan including the addition of a new ambition; therefore, a light refresh has been undertaken rather than a full rewrite. Ambitions, priorities, our approach and principles remain relevant and appropriate, and the current format provides an effective structure to articulate the Council’s intentions. Important changes to highlight are:

· The foreword has been reintroduced to set the scene for the plan, cover COVID-19 and references our proposal for a single unitary council for North Yorkshire

· The significant work undertaken in response to COVID-19 has been reflected in the key achievements section

· Updates have been made to the priorities under each ambition to reflect the ongoing challenges with COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the Council

· The plan takes account of proposed updates to our Growth Plan and Children’s and Young People’s Plan. 

3.0       Development of the Council Plan

3.1       The Council Plan has been developed using the agreed process for key cross-cutting strategies with input from all directorates and under the sponsorship of Management Board. The draft has been reviewed by Management Board.

3.2       The refresh of the Council Plan has considered feedback received via an online survey. The survey was combined with the budget consultation.

3.3       The Council Plan has a number of audiences including elected members, officers, partners, the public, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Efforts have been made to ensure that, as far as possible, the Council Plan is accessible, and of use, to all these audiences.

3.4       The Council Plan is the externa and internal facing summary corporate strategy. However, a document the size of the Council Plan cannot detail all that the County Council does.  Further information about the County Council’s detailed strategies and plans is published in other documents available on the County Council website. The view has been taken that there is little merit in merely replicating elements of these strategies and plans.

4.0       Structure and publication of the Council Plan

4.1       The Council Plan aims to be an easy to read, concise document. In addition to being thepublic expression of the County Council’s vision and ambitions, it outlines key achievements during the last year, and sets priorities for the period up to 2025.

4.2       The Council Plan will be published on the internet and publicised to the public through a range of media, including press releases and North Yorkshire Now (the County Council’s email newsletter).

4.3 On publication, the Council Plan will be strongly promoted internally, in particular in relation to its central place in the service planning process and developing a sense of common purpose with staff and managers.

4.4       The Council Plan will also include a summary of how resources will be allocated through the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), revenue budget and capital plan.  This will be added once they have been agreed by the County Council, alongside updated performance information..

5.0       Draft Council Plan

5.1       The draft Council Plan 2021 - 2025, as at 14 January 2021, is attached at Appendix A.

6.0       Financial implications

6.1       The Council Plan will have significant financial implications as it outlines the key programmes of work that will be carried out, all of which have been set out in the linked budget report.

7.0       Equality implications

7.1       The County Council must demonstrate that it pays due regard in developing its budget and policies and in its decision-making process to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities with regard to the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. This includes compounding factors such as the rural nature of the county and the cumulative impact of proposals on groups with protected characteristics across the range of services. The impact of decisions on the County Council’s activities as a service provider and an employer must be considered.

7.2       At the earliest possible opportunity, significant proposed changes in service provision and budget are screened to identify if there are likely to be any equality implications.

7.3       If equality implications are identified, the County Council uses an equality impact assessment (EIA) process to support the collection of data and analysis of impacts and to provide a way of demonstrating due regard. EIAs are developed alongside savings proposals, with equalities considerations worked into the proposals from the beginning.

7.4       If a draft EIA suggests that the proposed changes are likely to result in adverse impacts, further detailed investigation and consultations are undertaken as the detailed proposals are developed. Proposed changes will only be implemented after due regard to the implications has been paid in both the development process and the formal decision-making process.

7.5       Where the potential for adverse impact is identified in an EIA, services will seek to mitigate this in a number of ways including developing new models of service delivery, partnership working and by helping people to develop a greater degree of independent living.

7.6       An EIA has been carried out of the overall Council Plan 2021 - 2025 and this is attached at Appendix B. The specific implications for individual services in relation to refocusing the approach of the County Council are not part of this impact assessment and will be assessed as part of the change process in each directorate.

7.7       An overall EIA for the 2021/22 budget has also been carried out and is included within the budget report. This has concluded that our ambitions in the Council Plan are for better outcomes for all North Yorkshire residents despite reductions in local government funding. Our transformation programme aims to save money but also to make sure we are doing things more efficiently and effectively and that the things we are doing are the right ones.

7.8       The anticipated impacts of our ambitions are therefore positive ones. Due regard to equalities will be paid when making decisions on actions to realise these ambitions and, where appropriate, these will be subject to full EIAs.

7.9       Given the nature of some specific changes to services there may be adverse impacts particularly for those on a low income and/or living in a rural setting, although mitigating actions may also be identified as part of the process.

7.10     As part of our ambitions for North Yorkshire, the high-level outcomes which prioritises protection for vulnerable people aim to safeguard and improve outcomes for adults receiving social care who tend to be older, and/or people with disabilities, and for young people with vulnerabilities, including those arising from disabilities.

8.0       Legal implications

8.1       The Council Plan reflects the legal requirement on local authorities under Section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999 to secure continuous improvement in the way in which it exercises its functions.

Neil Irving

Assistant Director - Policy, Partnerships and Communities

Author of report – Louise Rideout, Senior Strategy and Performance Officer

Appendix A – Draft Council Plan 2021 – 2025 (attached)

Appendix B – Equality impact assessment – Council Plan 2021– 2025 (attached)

North Yorkshire County Council

Council Plan 2021 – 2025 DRAFT

Foreword

We still face difficult decisions in relation to funding but we are not a council defined purely by spending challenges. We have a clear focus on improving outcomes for North Yorkshire and an enviable track record of delivering on what we set out to do. In times of change for local government, a tough fiscal climate of austerity, unprecedented service demand pressures particularly children’s services and adult social care, with demand further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to being an ambitious, forward thinking organisation.

We recognise that many of the challenges we face cannot be delivered by a single agency alone, and we are proud of our work with other North Yorkshire councils, as well as with other public sector organisations and communities to innovatively transform services and improve outcomes.

However, our ability to deal with these challenges is hampered by the fact that the current model of local government is unnecessarily complex. We want to seize the significant opportunities presented by local government reorganisation and the devolution of significant powers to the region, to overcome the limitations of the current two-tier model. We believe the time is right to introduce a single unitary council for North Yorkshire.

Having a single unitary council for North Yorkshire would have significant benefits for local people and businesses including improved and more affordable local services, stronger and more accountable local leadership, and empowered town and parish councils and local communities.

Local government reorganisation would provide North Yorkshire with the opportunity to transform the delivery of public services under one council, driving economic growth, supporting social action, and acting in the interests of the whole county. A single unitary council would provide the greatest value for money and savings of between £30.2m and £66.9m per annum (dependent on the degree of transformation undertaken by the new council). It would also unlock greater economies of scale, and provide the greatest simplicity for partners and the public whilst ensuring that essential services are not disrupted. In addition, there is the potential for additional savings through collaborative working with the City of York Council.

The single unitary option would also enable North Yorkshire and York to move quickly to an ambitious devolution deal as early 2022, and moving at pace is critical to post COVID-19 economic recovery and growth. In addition to this, North Yorkshire would benefit from £2.4bn of investment including gainshare from the government of £750m (£25m per annum for 30 years).

With demands for services continuing to grow, we know that we have some very difficult decisions to make about some of the services we provide in the future. However, we are working hard to ensure that we can make these savings while minimising impacts on services where we can, particularly for the most vulnerable people in our communities. We will continue to place emphasis on our preventative services, whilst working hand in hand with partners to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective outcomes for our customers. We know we need to work differently and our programme of change including a number of major transformation projects will continue to make the County Council more flexible and agile.

The financial challenges we are facing across the nation are set to continue and, as a consequence, we know that the long-term financial position for the council remains uncertain and difficult. We will have delivered a total of £200m of savings by the end of 2022/23, but still need to find a further £30m by the end of 2024 whilst picking up the legacy costs of COVID-19. This will be extremely challenging to achieve given the context, but we remain focused on maintaining a strong financial grip and on delivering further financial savings or income growth by 2025.

If this wasn’t difficult enough there is, of course, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate that COVID-19 will cost the council an additional £82m this year, taking into account extra essential expenditure and lost income. This includes outbreak management, test and trace, providing information and support, funding the voluntary sector to support people with shopping, collecting prescriptions and making befriending calls, provision of grants for voluntary organisations, food vouchers, contacting those who were shielding and providing transport for medical appointments.

In addition to this, there have already been significant reductions in council tax and business rates income because of the pandemic and we anticipate that these will continue into the longer term. These are clearly unprecedented times and perhaps the most uncertain in terms of local government’s finances in modern times.

We are not complacent about our future. We have more to do as a council, and with partners, to deliver even better outcomes. Some significant steps have already been made, but we want to achieve even more. We recognise that we must carry on challenging ourselves to change, modernise and innovate. We are moving into the next phase of our journey to make sure we can deliver high quality services within our financial means. We will continue to be a council of ambition and one that is motivated by achieving the highest standards possible for North Yorkshire.

This plan sets out our vision for tackling the challenges we face, our ambitions for North Yorkshire, and the approach we are taking to achieve them, our commitment to delivery will continue to be unwavering

Our equality objectives give more detail of specific work to make sure that our services continue to meet the needs of different groups in our communities. 

Please let us know what you think using the contact details on the last page of this document.

Councillor Carl Les, Leader of the Council

Richard Flinton, Chief Executive

Our Vision

We have developed a shared vision with our partners:

We want North Yorkshire to be a thriving county, which adapts to a changing world and remains a special place for everyone to live, work and visit.

About North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is an attractive place to live, work and visit. Our county has an enviable identity, globally renowned for its culture, spectacular landscapes, high standards of education provision and a varied and vibrant local economy.

We serve a diverse and dispersed population across a geographical area of over 3,103 square miles stretching from Scarborough on the North Sea coast to Bentham in the west and from the edge of Teesside to south of the M62. Large parts of the county sit within two beautiful National Parks, and amongst Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ninety eight percent of the county is either sparsely (13%) or super-sparsely (85%) populated with just over a third of the population living in these areas. We need to operate at scale in a county with our characteristics.

We also face some challenges in providing services, including the rural nature of much of the county.  We also have an ageing population and many younger people leave the county following secondary and further education.  Affordable housing is an issue as housing costs are relatively high when compared to wages.

We provide services across the whole of the county, and understand the importance of local services.  The vast majority of our staff live and work in North Yorkshire and take pride in delivering high quality services to their local communities. Our Stronger Communities team works with many local groups and the voluntary and community sector to establish locally run services.

More information and statistics about North Yorkshire can be found here: https://www.datanorthyorkshire.org/

More information about the services we provide can be found here:
https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/

Delivering services for North Yorkshire

The council has a strong track record on delivering good and outstanding services in local communities, schools and in people’s own homes whilst maintaining a stable financial position.  We have a clear focus on improving outcomes for local people and communities in North Yorkshire, and we want to continue to be regarded as one of the leading providers of public services in the country.

Key Achievements

North Yorkshire County Council can rightfully celebrate many achievements:

· Our Stronger Communities team, in a co-ordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the District Councils and 23 Community Support Organisations, helped an average of 2,800 people each week, delivered approximately 625 prescriptions and 820 loads of shopping each week and processed 703 successful applications of COVID-19 food and energy grants. This included the deployment of approximately 1400 volunteers per week, delivering around 50,000 volunteer hours, worth approximately £740k.

· In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Health and Adult services implemented a new operating model for adult social care and community health.

· The North Yorkshire Rural Commission, the first of its kind nationally, has examined key issues and challenges that our rural communities face including farming, transport, education, housing, environment, economy and accessibility. The commission has held seven evidence sessions and heard from 81 presenters including industry experts, academics, company directors and local communities. Also numerous others, as part of the road-trips and walk-abouts around North Yorkshire - including residents, parish councillors, voluntary groups, and dozens more who have submitted written evidence to the commission during the past year. The commission is dedicated to find new ways to create opportunities to halt rural decline and help these communities to grow and prosper.

· We are the first council in the country to be rated as outstanding across all categories by Ofsted for Children’s Social Care.

· Our ground breaking No Wrong Door programme is nationally recognised for its innovation and effectiveness in radically improving the life chances of some the county’s most vulnerable and troubled young people.  The programme has helped to reduce North Yorkshire’s looked-after population by 18% in five years and has led to a £2m year-on-year saving.

· We have a good understanding of the needs of young people through the Growing up in North Yorkshire survey GUNY Results.

· Our leading edge prevention services, as well as our integrated health and social care partnership in Harrogate, are working with communities to support people to live independent lives and are improving health and social care outcomes.

· We continue to lead the way in extra care housing for older and disabled people, with 23 schemes across the county, comprising of 1200 apartments and plans for 9 more schemes underway.

· Our work with volunteers is nationally recognised.  In our council-managed library service alone, over 2,000 volunteers gave over 30,000 hours last year and helped staff to serve over 600,000 customers, with many more in our vibrant community libraries.

· Our support services, including HR, Finance, Procurement, IT, Legal and others are amongst the most cost-effective and high performing in the country and we successfully provide these services for a number of other organisations.

· We are recognised as one of the most entrepreneurial councils in the country, having developed successful businesses focussing on schools, waste, broadband connectivity and housing.

· We are reducing the amount of waste going to landfill in North Yorkshire and producing energy for local homes.

· We are committed to reducing the causes and impacts of climate change.  We are taking action to reduce our carbon emissions, with an aspiration to be carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030, and then in conjunction with a Mayoral Combined Authority to become England’s first carbon negative economy by 2040.

· Our highways and infrastructure services are amongst the most effective in the country.

· We lead for the county and promote it to the world; North Yorkshire has become one of the cycling capitals of the world, with the council’s operations playing a very significant part in the success of the Grand Depart, Tour de Yorkshire and the UCI 2019 Road World Championships.

Our values

Our values underpin everything we do:

Customer focus – putting the customer at the heart of everything we do

Care and respect – treating people as individuals and with courtesy, seeking to understand how others see things, and valuing their contribution

Innovative and can-do attitude – seizing opportunities to do things better and taking responsibility to see things through

Honesty – being clear about what we are able to deliver and that we must live within our means

One team – one council working with partners and communities

Valuing our staff – supporting and enabling them to perform at their best

Valuing local democracy – strengthening community leadership and delivering what has been agreed

Environmentally aware – considering the environment when making decisions to help achieve our aspiration that the council becomes carbon neutral and climate resilient

Transforming our Services

It is good to reflect on what we have achieved; but we need to carry on challenging ourselves to change, modernise and innovate.  We have more to do as a County Council, and with partners, to deliver even better outcomes. We are working intensively on our transformation programme to give us the structure to make sure that we are able to meet the needs of the people we serve.  

The programme of work will lead us to a place where we can be confident that we are making the best decisions at the right time. 

The following approach and principles will be at the heart of the programme:

Our approach

Demand management – we will take proactive steps to reduce the demand for our services by supporting our customers to improve outcomes and avoid or delay the need for specialist services as far as possible.  We will support and empower communities, families and individuals to do things for themselves and increase control of their own future.

Efficient ways of working – we will continue our relentless focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of how we work as a council.  We will benchmark ourselves and learn from leading practice across sectors.

Effective decision making – we will be open to ideas and challenge, using the best data we can to make effective decisions in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for the people and communities of North Yorkshire.

Our principles

Intervening earlier – we need to improve outcomes for residents and reduce demand on our services.

Seeing the whole picture – we need to focus on the outcomes we want to achieve and better understand the needs of North Yorkshire, its communities, families and people.

Building capacity and resilience within communities and partners – we need to empower the people of North Yorkshire and use the strengths that exist within our communities.

Digital by design – we need to increase the use of technology, data and insight in the delivery of our services to drive efficiency but also stimulate innovation.

Leading and facilitating – providing leadership as an organisation and facilitating solutions with partners to meet future challenges and opportunities. 

Learning and innovation – encouraging a culture of learning, innovation and support across the organisation whilst maintaining focus on delivery.

Our Funding – to be included following Full Council approval

· Revenue spending

· Council Tax

· Savings to be found

· Capital spending

Priorities for the next four years

• Support the county’s most rural communities – through an independent Rural Commission to give a fresh perspective on the challenges our rural communities face and find new ways to create opportunities to halt rural decline and help these communities to grow and prosper. The Commission, the first of its kind nationally, is examining key issues and challenges including farming, transport, education, housing, environment, economy and accessibility.
• Reducing the causes and impacts of climate change, now and for future generations – we are taking action to reduce our carbon emissions, with an aspiration to be carbon neutral by or close to 2030.  We will be working with partners and local communities to tackle the impact of climate change on their local area.
• Promote and facilitate social action and volunteering within North Yorkshire communities
• Support new and existing community provision of services through our Stronger Communities programme, including:
• • Community libraries
  • Community led prevention services that help to improve health and reduce, prevent or delay demand for social care services
  • Opportunities for children and young people
  • Community transport
• Work with partners to make North Yorkshire healthier and happier, including:
• • Better Together – working collaboratively with Ryedale and Selby District Councils to make a positive impact and support better local outcomes for communities with a seamless delivery of front line services
  • Harrogate and Rural Alliance (HARA) - working with partners to transform the way community health and social care services are provided for adults in Harrogate District
  • Work with borough and district councils to develop more extra care and supported housing
  • A focus on school readiness to improve the life chances of our youngest children by supporting families to unlock the potential of every child at the earliest age
• Deliver a modern communications network – working to support the roll out of the latest broadband and mobile communications technology to 100% of the county’s residents
• Work to achieve a more equal North Yorkshire and supporting and celebrating our diverse communities, including:
• • identifying and targeting areas of inequality through our equality objectives
  • tackling the wider causes of poor health and health inequalities
  • increasing inclusion and diversity within our workforce
• Devolution – working with Government and partners to secure greater local autonomy and funding through a devolution deal that works for North Yorkshire.
• COVID-19 and recovery – protect the health and well-being of our residents and the local economy; we will work with our partners to promote the recovery from the pandemic.

Priorities for the next four years

• Promote health and wellbeing through positive choices from pre-birth to adulthood.
• Enable more children and young people to lead lifelong healthy lifestyles with improved social, emotional and mental health and resilience, and reduced health inequalities.
• 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.
• Strengthen our work with partners and communities to improve outcomes through our Childhood Futures programme.
• 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.
• Create a strong partnership with Teaching School Alliances (TSA) in line with national developments.
• Ensure sufficient school places in the right locations of the right quality.
• Promote sustainability of small schools by supporting financial management, collaboration, curriculum delivery and quality of education.
• Continue to focus on closing the disadvantaged gap, particularly for children eligible for Free School Meals and Service Children.
• Continue to focus on raising outcomes for young people, particularly with a focus on literacy at Primary level.
• Support schools in preparation for the Ofsted Inspection Framework.
• Work with school leaders to improve the attendance of vulnerable groups.
• Work with school leaders to reduce the use of fixed term and permanent exclusions to improve outcomes for children and young people.
• Strengthen the early identification of special educational need (SEND), respond to increasing demand by providing high quality local support, and enable children and young people to fulfil their potential.
• Strengthen the range of education provision for children and young people with SEND to ensure their needs can be met locally.
• Work with school leaders to raise the outcomes of children and young people with SEND, identifying schools showing significant levels of under achievement. 
• Through 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.
• Safeguard children and support families in difficulty to ensure they receive help at the earliest opportunity and work 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.
• COVID-19 and recovery – ensure children’s education, health and well-being is protected and strengthened and that children, young people and families continue to be effectively supported as we recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Priorities for the next four years

• Prevention – supporting people to live longer, healthier lives, independently in their own homes by preventing, reducing and delaying the need for longer term social care services. Maintaining and developing our proactive outbreak management and prevention response to the COVID-19 pandemic and any future population outbreaks.

• Extra Care and supported housing – expanding the scale and scope of the programme to provide opportunities for more people in different parts of the county to live more independently and to provide wraparound health and social care services to support the discharge to assess pathway.
• Strength-based approach – embedding the approach to work 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.
• Integration – working 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. Working 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.
• Care Market –working 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. Providing targeted support to local providers to help them prevent and/or contain COVID-19 or similar outbreaks amongst their service users and staff.
• Workforce – ensuring social care teams have a full complement of staff with the right mix of skills and experience to fulfil the roles required for the new delivery model to operate effectively.
• Technology - exploiting opportunities for the innovative use of technology to support people to maintain their independence and wellbeing.

Priorities for the next four years

• Implement and monitor a countywide framework for economic recovery – Providing the County Council’s response to COVID-19 economic recovery, bridging the gap between the sub regional and local, addressing issues that are common to a number of authorities and sectors within North Yorkshire, and reflects the functions of the County Council. Focused on supporting the socio-economic well-being of our residents, businesses and visitors.
• Create high quality places, increased housing provision and delivering infrastructure - Working with partners, NYCC will support the development and delivery of strategic housing and employment sites alongside the required infrastructure to create high quality employment opportunities, housing provision (especially affordable housing), education and health care for everyone.  Working with partners and stakeholders NYCC will support the regeneration of town centres rethinking the allocation of road space to create public realm that is accessible, safe, healthy and business friendly. NYCC will take a leadership role ensuring agility to take advantage of evolving government policy and funding opportunities.
• Deliver a modern integrated transport network - Delivering the council’s Local Transport Plan, improving transport to, between and within all of our towns, (especially east-west links) to improve access to markets, skills and supply chains within the county and the rest of the UK.

• Increase skills levels and ensure that the workforce meets the needs of the county - Ensure a clear pathway for young people from education to training and employment. Undertake measures to support the development of the workforce that meet the social and economic needs of the county.  NYCC will work with partners, including the Local Enterprise Partnership, to support skills and training provision in North Yorkshire and seek to ensure that it meets the needs of North Yorkshire businesses and supports the aspirations of all the people of North Yorkshire especially as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to new ways of working.
• Live Well - Through working in partnership, to create fair employment and good work for all, we encourage a healthy standard of living and enable all working age people to live well.  The focus will be on creating Strong Communities that are complete and compact.  In doing this we will seek to address inequality of opportunity, and recognise the challenges presented by health inequalities across North Yorkshire. Ensuring public safety through North Yorkshire County Council’s outbreak management plan we will focus on workplace settings, as they evolve, Leisure and Tourism and Housing, specifically houses of multiple occupancy.
• Creating the right conditions for business growth and investment - By promoting good growth across the county that is clean and inclusive. NYCC will seek to support investment projects by working closely with partners to facilitate business growth, inward investment and development of low carbon technologies and seek to raise the median and lowest wage levels across the county. Through its Trading Standards and licensing functions NYCC will continue to support legitimate businesses to trade successfully, recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and promote good growth.

• Enhancing the environment, developing tourism and the green economy:
• • By taking measures to reduce the council’s carbon footprint to net zero by 2030, NYCC move towards the UK’s net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 (UK Government target).
  • We will grow the green economy and support economic resilience by protecting the county’s environment, ecology and heritage assets and by supporting environmental initiatives, which increase the value of agriculture, enhance biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change, particularly in relation to severe flood events.
  • Continue to support regional tourism by delivering world-class events and develop the county’s cultural offer for the benefit of local communities and the visitor economy.

• Deliver a modern communications network – With the increased prevalence of home working a modern communications network is more important than ever. NYCC will continue to work alongside partners towards delivering mobile phone and data connectivity in currently unserved rural areas promoting 4G infill in areas of poor coverage and moving towards the roll out of new 5G technology to support rural businesses.  Alongside this, we will maintain our support for enhanced fibre broadband provision across North Yorkshire and the integration of mobile and broadband services to provide seamless access to the internet and telecommunications networks for all users.

Priorities for the next four years

• Communicate effectively with our residents and maximise the use of feedback to improve services.

• Ensure the robust and effective management of the council’s financial resources in accordance with the council’s financial regulations and statutory responsibilities to produce the financial accounts.

• Exploit Digital, Data and Technology to enhance decision making, enable flexible working and improve the customer experience.
• Ensure working environments for staff meet their needs and makes them more effective in their jobs, whilst facilitating increased home working where appropriate or needed.

• Review and challenge the way services operate to make sure productivity is increased and delivery is optimised, including:

• Using data to benchmark ourselves against the best, in order to deliver value for money
• Supporting staff and councillors to make effective decisions on efficiencies and new ways of working, based on a thorough understanding of intelligence
• Using a robust system of governance to approve service change and measure delivery
• New ways of working to support a culture of staff empowerment, innovation, continuous improvement and commercial awareness
• New innovative models of service delivery with partners and communities to further improve services, but also to reflect changes to the way we all work and live following the COVID-19 pandemic

• Ensure we have the numbers of staff and skills we need to meet service and customer demand through workforce and succession planning.
• Promote attractive career opportunities including apprenticeships and graduates, working with educational institutions to ensure the supply of appropriate skills.
• Ensure we have a motivated, innovative and committed workforce by empowering and celebrating our staff:

• The annual innovation awards recognise colleagues and teams for their innovative changes and improvements in their area of work. The awards are focused on improvement and innovation with key themes focused on improving the customer experience, improvements behind the scenes and improving efficiency.
• The Bright Ideas scheme is in place to capture small ideas as well as big innovation from staff across the council. From ideas for making improvements, thoughts on how to create savings, or plans for generating new income streams. The best bright idea receives a recognition award.

• Environment - Staff make a positive contribution to meeting the vision of the council in reducing our carbon footprint.
• Operate commercially:

o Maximising the value of spend through effective procurement, contract management and contract management 

o Being cost conscious and driving efficiencies on spending throughout the organisation.

o Identifying and delivering commercial returns through trading our services and relevant investments

Appendix: Corporate Performance Management Indicators

Leading for North Yorkshire
Carbon neutral by or close to 2030 Number of volunteers directly supporting the local authority	Level of CO2 from council buildings Levels of employment in North Yorkshire Visitor economic impact for North Yorkshire Short term (1yr)  COVID-19 support and leadership Number of Stronger Community grants Superfast broadband coverage Equality KPI
All children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve in North Yorkshire
The number of children who are Elective Home Education. The percentage of children achieving a good level of development at the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile School Readiness: the percentage of children with free school meal status achieving a good level of development at the end of reception The percentage of pupils achieving the expected level or above in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 Average Attainment 8 score at Key Stage 4 Progress 8 score at Key Stage 4 Overall absence rate as % of total possible sessions (primary/secondary) Percentage of young people with a qualification by age 19 (Level 2 / Level 3) The percentage of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in academic year 12 and year 13 The percentage of care leavers aged 19, 20 and 21 that are in education, employment or training The percentage of pupils who attend a good or outstanding school (primary/secondary) The percentage of all new Education Health and Care Plans issued within 20 weeks Rate of children with an Education Health Care Plan as % of school population Children receiving SEN Support as % of school population GCSE 9-5 pass in English and Maths (Basics) at KS4 Persistent absence as % of school population (primary/secondary) Exclusion rate as % of school population (fixed-term/permanent) Adult Learning - 19+ Adult Skills funded learners - Overall Achievement Rates Proportion of Education, Health & Care plans placed in independent/non-maintained out of authority specialist settings (i.e.  non-maintained special school & independent special school) Smoking at time of delivery Children who have excess weight	Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries to children under 15 years per 100,000.  The rate of children and young people admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm The rate of children and young people admitted to hospital for mental health conditions per 100,000 Breastfeeding initiation rate Under 18 conceptions Face-to-face new birth visits undertaken within 14 days by a health visitor (%) Eligible infants that receive a 12-month review by 15 months of age (%) Eligible children receiving a 2-2.5 year review by the time they were 2.5 years (%) Reception aged children completing a check (%) Year 6 children completing a check (%) First time entrants to the youth justice system aged 10-17 (per 100,000 population) The number of open early help cases (Prevention) The total number of children subject to a child protection plan (rate per 10,000) The total number of Children in Need (DfE Definition) Rate per 10,000 The total number of looked after children The percentage of referrals to children’s social care that are repeat referrals % of Care Leavers (aged 19, 20 or 21) that the local authority is not ‘in-touch’ with % of Care Leavers (aged 19, 20 or 21) in suitable accommodation The percentage of parents/carers who strongly agree/agree that the Education, Health & Care Plan identifies realistic and positive outcomes for their child.  The percentage of parents/carers who strongly agree/agree that the Education, Health & Care Plan identifies the right support to achieve the outcomes.  % of respondents who we either satisfied or very satisfied with the involvement from the Children & Families Service
Every adult has a longer, healthier and independent life
Admissions to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population, for people aged 18-64 Admissions to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population, for people aged 65 Referrals to Adult Social Care (ASC) as % of ASC contacts % of referrals resulting in no further action (incl: NFA, case closed, no service required, support declined) % of assessments resulting in no service provision Smoking Prevalence Successful quitters at 4 weeks (smokers) Excess weight in adults Percentage of physically active adults Successful completion of drug treatment (opiate / non-opiate / alcohol treatment) Proportion of dependent drinkers not in treatment Number of Living Well referrals % of reablement clients not receiving a subsequent package of social care support within 91 days Reablement packages delivered in the period as % of all weekly services delivered in the period Clients receiving a review/reassessment in the year as a % of all open clients during the year Over 65s with an open weekly social care service as a % of the population aged over-65	Rate of total DTOC bed days per 100,000 population % of residential/nursing beds for older people above NYCC rate % of safeguarding concerns progressing to enquiry % of DoLS applications granted Life expectancy at birth (male / female) Slope index of inequality in Life Expectancy at birth (male / female) Life expectancy at 65 - (male / female) New STI diagnoses Cumulative percentage of the eligible population aged 40-74 invited for an NHS Health check Cumulative percentage of the eligible population aged 40-74 who received an NHS Health check Suicide rate Aged 18-64 admissions to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population Aged 65+ admissions to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population Flu vaccination coverage 65+ Rate of safeguarding concerns per 10,000 population Excess winter deaths
North Yorkshire is a place with a strong economy & a commitment to sustainable growth
Total employee jobs in North Yorkshire The number of North Yorkshire Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) that are within the 20% most deprived nationally Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme rating National Highways and Transportation survey: KBI23 - Satisfaction with the condition of highways Road condition: % of lesser user roads Cat 4a, 4b, 5 where maintenance should be considered.  Road Condition: % of other heavily used roads Cat 2, 3a, 3b where maintenance should be considered.  Road Condition: % of principal roads where maintenance should be considered (NI168) Number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads, (NY, calendar year) % of high risk inspections undertaken County matter’ planning applications determined within 13/16 week timescales or within agreed extension of time (EoT).  2-year rolling measure PRoW Network condition: % of network passable Mobile Coverage Superfast broadband coverage	The percentage of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in academic year 12 and year 13 (Cross ref to” Best Start in Life”) Number of employers signed up to healthy workplace initiatives % waste arising to landfill (NI193) Housing affordability: Ratio Number of housing completions Average weekly wage (based on residence) GVA per head of population Number of passengers supported by the Integrated Passenger Transport service Number of volunteer hours (Countryside volunteers and NY Rotters) DMMO completed PPO completions AWRP energy generation
We are an innovative and forward thinking council
Percentage of contacts received via on-line services / percentage of customer transactions / contacts for portal services NYES Forecasted Profit Brierley Group YTD Profit Number of NYES Customers Staff absence (sickness) rate Staff turnover rate Spend on agency staff Spend against apprenticeship levy	Number of employees working from home Skype for business usage Corporate resources – mileage Corporate resources - printing Property rationalisation and savings % of total Council spend with local suppliers % of total Council spend with SME suppliers % total Council spend with the voluntary and community sector % of customers rated the service they received as "fully meets expectation" or above.

How you can get involved?

Residents…
by having your say and keeping us informed of what matters most to you, sharing your thoughts and ideas about what we could be doing differently and by telling us about the things we do that make the most difference to you.

North Yorkshire Views is one of the ways you can have your say and share ideas to help us understand your priorities and influence council decisions. Join here: NorthYorkshireViews

Members…
by keeping the conversation going and listening to communities and residents, connecting people and places by providing community leadership, helping shape services based on your understanding of local communities and opportunities, championing the needs of the most vulnerable.

Staff…
by putting forward your ideas for how we can innovate and be more enterprising, focusing on improvements you think are needed, putting the customer at the heart of everything you do, making best use of your local knowledge and experience, focusing your time and skills where you can most add value

Partners…
by talking to us about opportunities where we can shape things together and save the public purse, sharing learning and skills, providing challenge and insight from another perspective.

Contact us

Web: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/contact-us

Telephone: 01609 780 780

Our Customer Service Centre is open Monday to Friday 8.00am - 5.30pm (closed weekends and bank holidays). 

Post:

North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD

Facebook: https://facebook.com/northyorkscc

Twitter: @northyorkscc

Instagram: @northyorkscc

If you would like this information in another language or format, please ask us. 

Telephone 01609 780 780 or email customer.services@northyorks.gov.u

Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated May 2015)

Council Plan 2021 - 2025

If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please contact the Communications Unit on 01609 53 2013 or email communications@northyorks.gov.uk.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents.  EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting.  To help people to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	Strategic Support Service, Central Services
Lead Officer and contact details	Louise Rideout Senior Strategy and Performance Officer, louise.rideout@northyorks.gov.uk
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	This overarching EIA has been carried out by an individual officer with advice and assistance from colleagues in the corporate equality group. Individual EIAs have or will be carried out on each of specific service changes related to the council’s priorities for the next four years, and the methods used will vary appropriately.
When did the due regard process start?	September 2020

Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)

The Council Plan is the County Council’s overall high level strategic plan. It is the public facing document expressing the Council’s vision for modernising and refocusing the organisation to enable it to achieve the major budget savings which will be required.

The Council Plan is also the key strategic document which sets the performance framework for all Council services. As such, the Plan does not contain detailed information about specific service delivery. Detail at service level has been and/or will be impact assessed by directorate colleagues.

Individual elements of the Plan are also subject to specific and separate impact assessments as part of the budget decision making process. Members in agreeing the budget will also take into account compounding factors, such as the rural nature of the county.

Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

The purpose of the plan is inform stakeholders including elected members, officers, partners, the public, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the Council’s vision, how the Council sees its role going forward and the priorities for the organisation. This vision has been developed in response to cuts to local government funding so saving money is clearly a vital outcome but the County Council’s transformation programme also grasps the opportunity to achieve efficiencies and improve the customer experience, where this is possible. The plan gives performance information, plans for the coming year and the budget position.

Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?

Our approach in the Council Plan focuses on providing leadership on the key issues for people and places in North Yorkshire, enabling people to do more for themselves, and ensuring the delivery of infrastructure services to enable a thriving county and services to the most vulnerable people.

General changes will include:

• The council will no longer be able to provide some services that it has traditionally provided
• Some services will be significantly reduced
• Some services will be community run or delivered by organisations other than the council
• Some eligibility thresholds for support will be higher
• There will be more need for customers to self-serve using digital technology
• The council will employ less staff

Specific changes to services are being developed as part of the Council’s transformation programme and for each project within this programme due regard will be paid to equalities. This will include separate equality impact assessments where screening suggests this is necessary, and where relevant, consultation. Work to assess cumulative impacts of the programme through aggregation of information from these individual assessments is on-going. A summary of equality impacts for projects with savings in 2021/22 is provided with the budget papers and documentation evidencing due regard is provided, through a web link, for all projects.

We will have delivered a total of £200m of savings by the end of 2022/23, which is approximately 40% of our spending power but we still need to find a further £30m by the end of 2024. This will be extremely challenging to achieve given the context, but we remain focused on maintaining a strong financial grip and on delivering further financial savings or income growth by 2025. If this wasn’t difficult enough there is, of course, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate that COVID-19 will cost the council an additional £82m this year, taking into account extra essential expenditure and lost income.

Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?)

The outcomes and priorities within the plan were subject to consultation via an online survey.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

Please explain briefly why this will be the result.

The Council Plan 2021 – 2025 will have significant financial implications as it outlines the key programmes of work that will be carried out, all of which have been identified during development of the annual budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
The ambitions expressed in the Council Plan aim for better outcomes for everyone in North Yorkshire.
Age		X		North Yorkshire has a lower proportion of young people than the national average – 25% under 25 compared to 29.7% nationally.^[1] In 2020 1% of 16 – 17 year olds were identified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). The percentage across the UK who were NEET was 2.7%^[2]. Nationally the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds is high. The unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over for the UK was 4.3%, for the period August to October 2017.^2 Employment levels in North Yorkshire are higher than national and regional averages.  81.9% of the working age population are economically active compared to 78.9% nationally of which 80% are in employment or self-employed compared with 75.6% nationally.  2.2% of the working age population are unemployed compared to 4.1% nationally. In 2019 24.73% of the county's adult population was over the age of 65. This is higher than the national percentage of 18.39%. Every year the population of older people increases, and with it the demand for the care and support which the council provides. By 2035, 32.60% of North Yorkshire’s total population will be aged 65+ and 5.97% will be aged 85+. Nationally 23.26% will be 65+ and 4.05% will be 85+ by 2035. The outcomes we want for children and young people include great education, good career choices with access to relevant skills, living safely and happily, and being healthy. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions. Our ambitions for older people are that they have control and choice in relation to their health, independence and social care support, and can access good public health services and social care. We also want vulnerable people to be safe, with individuals, organisations and communities all playing a part in preventing, identifying and reporting neglect or abuse. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions.
Disability		X		North Yorkshire has a lower proportion of people with a disability or long-term limiting illness whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot of 19.3%, against the national average of 23.69%.^[3] However this will rise to 20.89% of the 65+ population in North Yorkshire, against a national average of 24.86%. Our ambitions for disabled and other vulnerable people are that they will be safe, live longer, healthier, independent lives and that we ensure that people have more choice and control over support to meet their social care needs. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions.
Sex (Gender)	X			At county level the proportion of females is slightly higher (50.7%) than that of males (49.3%)^[4]. This pattern is reflected across all districts, with the exception of Richmondshire where the large number of predominantly male military personnel have the effect of reversing the proportions. There were 13,648 lone parent households in North Yorkshire in 2011^[5], of which 11,958 had a female lone parent (87.6%). Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Race	X			North Yorkshire has a much lower proportion (2.65%) of Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) citizens than the national average (14.57%)^[6] according to the 2011 census. Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Gender reassignment	X			The Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) suggests that across the UK: 1% of employees and service users may be experiencing some degree of gender variance. At some point, about 0.2% may undergo transition (i.e. gender reassignment).  Around 0.025% have so far sought medical help and about 0.015% have probably undergone transition. In any year 0.003% may start transition. Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Sexual orientation	X			The government estimates that 5 – 7% of the population are gay, lesbian or bisexual. We have no evidence to suggest that this is not the case in North Yorkshire. (2011 census) Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Religion or belief	X			North Yorkshire has higher levels of Christians (69%) than the national average (59%), and lower levels of all other religions than the national average. Percentages of those with no religion or not stating their religion are broadly similar to the national average. (2011 census) Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Pregnancy or maternity	X			In 2019 there were 5049 live births in North Yorkshire. In 2018 the conception rate per 1000 for under 18’s was 12.8. This is below the rate for England (16.7). In 2019 4,457 live births (88%) were to mothers born in the UK. 592 live births (12%) were to mothers born outside the UK. Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.
Marriage or civil partnership	X			A higher percentage of North Yorkshire’s population is married or in a civil partnership (53.7%) than the national average (46.8%).^[7] (2011 census) Our ambitions will not have any anticipated impacts on people specifically due to them sharing this particular protected characteristic.

Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who….?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
..live in a rural area?		X		The population in North Yorkshire is generally sparser than the national average (0.77 people per hectare as opposed to 3.94 nationally). In some parts of the county this is lower still (Ryedale 0.37, Richmondshire 0.41)^6. Distance travelled to access services is further than the national average. The Lower Super Output Area (LSOA), which covers the Dales ward in Ryedale, is in the 10% most deprived in England for Geographical Barriers to Services.^[8] Rurality can also mean higher costs for such things as fuel for heating. One of our ambitions is for North Yorkshire to have more resilient, resourceful and confident communities co-producing with the County Council. This is particularly important in rural areas where provision of traditional services is likely to change. One of our key priorities for North Yorkshire is to support the county’s most rural communities – through an independent Rural Commission to give a fresh perspective on the challenges our rural communities face and find new ways to create opportunities to halt rural decline and help these communities to grow and prosper. The Commission, the first of its kind nationally, is examining key issues and challenges including farming, transport, education, housing, environment, economy and accessibility. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions.
…have a low income?		X		At local authority level North Yorkshire is among the least deprived in England^8. Figures for long term unemployment in North Yorkshire (0.1%) are lower than the national average (0.4%)^[9]. However, North Yorkshire has a number of lower super output areas within the 20% most deprived in England (24 in 2019, rising from 23 in 2015 and from 18 in 2010) and one LSOA in Scarborough town is within the most deprived 1% in England.^7 The percentage of the working age population who claim out of work benefits in North Yorkshire is 1.7%, compared to a Great Britain percentage of 2.9% (Nomis – ONS November 2019) One of our ambitions is for North Yorkshire to be a place with a strong economy and a commitment to sustainable growth. Improved job opportunities could impact positively on those on a low income. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions.
…. are carers?		X		Carers’ allowance claimants make up 0.9% of North Yorkshire’s population.^[10] This is lower than the average for England (1.3%) but there are variations across the county with the highest percentage being in Scarborough (1.4%). It is likely, however, that these figures do not reflect the true number of people carrying out caring roles in the county as many do not claim allowances. Two of our ambitions are for every child and young person to have the best possible start in life and to ensure every adult has a longer, healthier and independent life. Supporting carers across North Yorkshire will impact positively on their lives. Detailed EIAs will be undertaken on specific projects implemented to realise these ambitions.

Section 8. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.

No.

Section 9. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us)	Tick option chosen
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.	X
2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people.
3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services)
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) Our ambitions and high level outcomes as detailed in the Council Plan aspire to improve outcomes for everyone in North Yorkshire.

Section 10. If the proposal is to be implemented how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?)

Progress against priority actions in the Council Plan are monitored on a quarterly basis as part of our Performance Framework. Reports are taken to Management Board, and the Executive.

	Section 11. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements
Ensure that individual plans relating to the specific service changes contributing to achieving the broad outcomes of the Council Plan are appropriately assessed to identify any potential equality impacts on people with protected characteristics before specific decisions are taken.	Will depend on service: likely to be appropriate Assistant Director	As plans are developed and before specific decisions taken
Ensure that any cumulative impacts on people with protected characteristics are identified by providing an overview of individual plans	Corporate Equalities Group	As plans are developed and before specific decisions taken

Section 12. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

Our ambitions in the Council Plan are for better outcomes for all North Yorkshire residents despite reductions in local government funding. Our transformation programme aims to save money but also to make sure we are doing things more efficiently and effectively and that the things we are doing are the right ones.

The anticipated impacts of our ambitions are therefore positive ones. Due regard to equalities will be paid when making decisions on actions to realise these ambitions and, where appropriate, these will be subject to full EIAs.

Section 13. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Louise Rideout

Job title: Senior Strategy and Performance Officer

Directorate: Central Services

Signature: Louise Rideout

Completion date: 06 January 2021

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): Neil Irving

Date: 06 January 2021

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[1] Office for National Statistics Population Estimates mid-2019

[2] GOV.uk NEET and participation: local authority figures 2020

[3] Poppi 2019

[4] Office of National Statistics Mid-2019 population estimates

[5] Census 2011

[6] 2011 census

[7] 2011 census

[8] Index of Multiple Deprivation, Indices of Deprivation 2019

[9] November 2017, ONS

[10] May 2017, ONS