North Yorkshire Council

Thirsk and Malton Area Committee

28 March 2025

Work Programme Report

1.0       PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1 To ask Members to consider the Committee’s work programme and amend as required.

2.0       BACKGROUND

2.1       The Committee’s work programme is owned by the Committee and has items on it that are important locally but relevant at a strategic level and evolve over time.

2.2       The Committee Chair, Vice-Chair and the Democratic Services Officer update the work programme.  They determine which items need to be considered at a committee meeting and if any could be dealt with by an informal working group. 

2.3       The Work Programme report is considered at every meeting, when Members may request additions to the programme of work.

3.0       FUTURE ITEMS OF WORK

3.1       The Democratic Services Officer maintains a live version of the work programme and a current version is included at appendix A.

3.2       An informal work programming session via Teams has been arranged at 10am on 2 May 2025, when information will be provided on matters which Members may wish to investigate further from a local perspective.

3.3       At the meeting of the Area Committee held on 29 November 2024, Members requested an update on the Malton AQMA and the HGV restrictions at County Bridge, Malton.

It is hoped that this will be brought to the Area Committee to be held on 13 June 2025, however the Divisional Officer, Scientific has provided the following update for Members.

            Nitrogen dioxide monitoring takes place in Malton as part of Local Air Quality Management, a process dictated by DEFRA. In 2009 an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) was declared along lengths of Castlegate, Yorkersgate, Wheelgate and Old Maltongate centred on the junction of all four roads (Butcher Corner). This was due to traffic emissions causing exceedances of the UK Air Quality Strategy annual average objective for nitrogen dioxide. An Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) was produced as a result and contained measures aimed at reducing nitrogen dioxide levels to compliant levels. This included a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) restriction on Castlegate, Malton / Norton.

            Once nitrogen dioxide levels are compliant with the annual average objective of 40ug/m3 for 5 years or more, the council are obliged to revoke an AQMA. NYC therefore revoked the Malton AQMA in 2024 in accordance with the DEFRA guidance. Despite this, the same diffusion tube monitoring will continue as a precaution and in addition a new real-time continuous monitor will be installed on Butcher Corner to monitor both nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10 and PM 2.5).

            NYC produces an Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) which collates and analyses monitoring data from each previous year. The latest ASR and AQAP can be found via the link below. These reports have been submitted to and approved by DEFRA.

Local air quality management | North Yorkshire Council

3.4       The work programme for 2025/26 is attached at appendix B.

4.0	RECOMMENDATION
4.1	Members are asked to: a)  consider the Committee’s work programme and amend as required.

Scheduled meeting dates

Friday 2 May 2025 at 10am – work programming session via Teams

Friday 13 June 2025 at 10am

Friday 26 September 2025 at 2pm

Friday 5 December 2025 at 10am

Friday 23 January 2026 at 10am - budget briefing via Teams

Friday 27 March 2026 at 10am

Report author – Nicki Lishman, Senior Democratic Services Officer.