Thirsk and Malton Area Committee Work Programme 2025/26
10am on 13 June 2025
Subject	Description
Election of a Chair
Election of a Vice Chair
Update from Yorkshire Water
Malton AQMA	Dr Kevin Carr, Divisional Officer- Scientific & Richard Marr, Area Manager
Highway matters	Verbal update Richard Marr, Area Manager
Double Devolution – pilot business case	Mark Codman, Parish Liaison & Local Devolution Manager / Harry Briggs, Head of Waste Operations and Streetscene
Work programme	Review of future topics relevant to the constituency area.
Thirsk & Malton Area Committee annual report 2024/25	Senior Democratic Services Officer
Attendance of local MPs	Written updates – for information only
Localities Annual Update 2024/25	Adele Wilson-Hope – for information only
Outcomes of the ERT&T project development fund 2024/25	Written update – for information only
Local Plan issues and options	Private session - following the business of the meeting
2pm on 26 September 2025
Attendance of local MPs	Opportunity for the local MPs to share their views on issues affecting the constituency area
Community Safety & CCTV update	Community safety and CCTV service update – Head of Community Safety and CCTV (public space) – Julia Stack
Howardian Hills Management Plan review	Estelle Hook, Manager, Howardian Hills National Landscape
Regeneration/Town Improvement Plans	Howard Wallis, Principal Regeneration Officer – verbal update
Banking and cash handling services	For discussion
Briefing note on fuel poverty in the area	Lynn Williams, Head of Housing Renewals – for information only
Briefing note update on mobile coverage	Brigitte Giles, Director of Transformation – for information only
Briefing note on S106 and CIL	Tracey Rathmell, Head of Delivery and Infrastructure – for information only
~~Update on the Local Plan~~	~~Standing item~~ Current findings will be taken to the DPC followed by all-member briefing(s).
Work programme	Review of future topics relevant to the constituency area.
10am on 5 December 2025
Attendance of local MPs	Opportunity for the local MPs to share their views on issues affecting the constituency area
Youth Councils	TBC – Nicki Watkinson, Strategic Manager, NY Voice
Update on the Local Plan	TBC - Standing item
Work programme	Review of future topics relevant to the constituency area.
10am 23 January 2026 – informal briefing via Teams
Budget proposals 2026/27	Overview of budget proposals for 2026/27 – Director of Strategic Resources
10am on 27 March 2026
Members of the Y&NY MCA	TBC - Update on the work of the MCA (1 hr session)
Attendance of local MPs	Opportunity for the local MPs to share their views on issues affecting the constituency area
Update on the Local Plan	TBC - Standing item
Work programme	Review of future topics relevant to the constituency area.
Schools, educational achievement and finance report	Information only

Topics considered by other ACs that may be of interest to the committee

1. NYC assets in the committee area - A list of NYC assets in the area and details on the steps that the council is taking to ensure that these are delivering best value.

2. Winter weather response – gritting etc

Areas of work identified at work programming meeting on 2 May 2025 for initial research:

· Dentistry provision with reference to coastal areas – S&W AC work programme item yet to be allocated

Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into access to NHS dentistry published on 14 July 2023

· Swift project (formerly Pomoc) – access to services for migrants

· Men and young person’s mental health provision

Dates and times of meetings 2025/26:

10 am - 5 December 2025

10 am - 23 January 2026 – Budget briefing

10 am - 27 March 2026

Update on mobile coverage in the committee area – 9 July 2025

Brigitte Giles – Director of Transformation

There is a government backed programme that is currently delivering improved mobile coverage in rural areas. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a project developed by the UK’s four mobile network operators (MNOs), with support from the Government. The programme aims to make 4G mobile broadband available to 95% of the UK, improving 4G coverage in the areas that need it most and addressing the digital divide.

The Shared Rural Network is a deal with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone investing in a network of new and existing phone masts, overseen by a jointly owned company called Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited. The project is in two phases; the MNOs are to improve coverage in areas called partial not spots (PNS) whilst the Government will use the new mast built for the Emergency Services Network (ESN) to provide mobile coverage from all the operators.

The SRN/ESN program is to deliver improved coverage across the area, with nine new masts being built in the North Yorkshire Moors area alone. These new masts will initially provide EE coverage only; however, it is anticipated that within a year of the masts being complete all operators will be providing coverage from the masts.

The first of these fully operational masts went live in September 2024 in Pockley. Currently the masts are at various stages of construction with six masts providing EE only coverage and a further two to be built, the mast in Farndale being the last one which is expected to be live by the end of 2025. The new mast locations are:

Address ref Site Address

EAS0073h Land off Hancow Road, Rosedale Abbey

EAS0074j Land off Cockmoor Road, Troutsdale

EAS0075c Farndale

EAS0076i Land East of Dalby Forest Drive, Dalby Forest

EAS0077v Newgate Bank, Northfield Lane, Pockley, YO62 7TF

EAS0521a Hall Farm, Westerdale

EAS0522j Land west of South House Farm, Daleside Road, Bransdale

EAS1020g Fryup

EAS1021 Land north west of Birch Hall, Langdale End, Scarborough

Once this program is complete in 2027 it is estimated that we will have 85% coverage by all 4 operators and 94% overall coverage in North Yorkshire.

In addition to this we are seeing the MNOs introduce 5G as they upgrade their current infrastructure. This is mainly in the urban areas where the benefits can be seen as they use 5G to increase the capacity.

Summary: UK Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into Access to NHS Dentistry

The UK Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee has conducted a significant inquiry into access to NHS dentistry, highlighting a deepening crisis in dental care availability across England.

Key Findings

Crisis of Access: Many people are unable to see an NHS dentist, leading to worsening oral health and increased reliance on expensive secondary care.
Decline in NHS Dental Workforce: Between 2019–2024, there were 483 fewer dentists providing NHS care in England.
Limited Access: As of March 2024, only two-fifths of adults had seen an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months.
Dental Recovery Plan: Introduced in February 2024, aiming to deliver 2.5 million additional appointments in 2024–25. However, the National Audit Office found the plan unlikely to meet its targets and highlighted a £392 million underspend in the NHS dental budget.

Committee Recommendations

Urgent Reform of the Dental Contract: Move away from the current Units of Dental Activity (UDA) system to a weighted capitation-based model that incentivizes care for new and high-need patients.
Workforce Incentives: The government must offer compelling incentives to attract and retain NHS dentists.
Focus on Prevention and Person-Centered Care: Emphasize early intervention and holistic approaches to oral health.

Government Response

The Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, Neil O’Brien MP, stated the ambition is for everyone who needs one to be able to access an NHS dentist— a goal the Committee strongly supports.

Delivery of Swift – 4 areas of work

1. Professional information, advice and guidance (IAG) - £240,000

Commissioned provision of professional IAG support delivered by North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre (NYCALC). Including provision of more complex interventions that cannot be addressed on a community / peer-to-peer basis such as benefits advice, housing options advice and legal assistance around immigration issues.

Proposed delivery by 2FTE (or approx.) NYCALC Bespoke Advice Workers for the project. This element of the project will cover the whole County with a particular focus on communities of economic migrants where IAG is not covered through other contracts.

2. Community development, representation and advocacy - £252,000

£84,000 per area for 3 years (inc on costs)

This element of the project will focus on 3 areas of the County that have experienced more significant rates of migration; Scarborough, Selby and Harrogate / Knaresborough. It is envisaged that 3 part-time community development workers will be employed by each Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector lead (VCSE) to develop projects, activities, events, services and representation to migrant communities in their areas. This work will also include the development of peer to peer and network facilitated low-level IAG – linking to NYCALC professional support where required.

Currently VCSE leads identified as: CaVCA (Scarborough), Up For Yorkshire (Selby) and Harrogate Mind / Chain Lane Centre (Harrogate / Knaresborough).

Each VCSE lead to specialise in an area and provide capacity building and support to other VCSE organisations.

Relationship between ‘1’ and ‘2’ - Professional IAG from the project will be available to Migrants living across the County. Low-level IAG / advocacy through the project will be facilitated and enabled through the community development approach outlined in ‘2’ for Migrants living in the towns of Harrogate, Selby and Scarborough (and their surrounding areas). Appropriate communication between NYCALC and the Community Development Leads to ensure that more complex casework is forwarded to NYCALC and lower-level support can be handled through the community development approach.

3. Knowledge and awareness campaign - £40,000

A key legacy of the Pomoc Project in Scarborough / Ryedale has been a noticeable decline in exploitative activity in the provision of IAG provided by the private sector. It is recognised, therefore that, with the move from Pomoc to Swift and with a shift in emphasis towards more community-led IAG, migrant communities are aware of where and how to access this support and well as what Public and Voluntary Services are available to them.

4. VCSE capacity training - £60,000

One of the strategic objectives of Swift is to recognise North Yorkshire’s ever-changing demographic and to ensure that all those organisations, large and small, who deliver services are suitably equipped to do so. Therefore, a key fundamental sustainability focus of Swift is to provide (in years 1 and 2) a level of capacity training to the local VCSE sector around specifically identified issues. These could include:

· Understanding different types of migration

· Rights and responsibilities of migrants

· Recourse to public funds training

· Cultural barriers to access

· Bystander standing

· Understanding trauma

Shared on 13 June agenda

Men and young people mental health services

The Go-To – for wellbeing and mental health for young people in North Yorkshire	The Go-To - Emotional wellbeing and mental health
Andys Man Club	Men’s suicide prevention charity see below
Men’s Sheds	Find a shed and see below Wellbeing advice and contacts
Qwell – NHS service	Online support for adults
Manup	Free therapy sessions via Zoom
NFU	Search results for mental health
Young Farmers	Signposting page
FarmWell	Personal resilience – links to info for support with aspects of mental and physical health
Farming Community Network	Voluntary organisation & charity that supports farmers and families
Healthwatch North Yorkshire report	Ploughing through barriers: Understanding the challenges and promoting help-seeking in farming communities

Andy’s Man Club

Meet every Monday except Bank Holidays at (no need to contact first):

Norton Library
Ingsgarth Community Centre, Pickering
Thirsk School and Sixth Form College

Meet online by emailing info@andysmanclub.co.uk

Men’s shed

Thirsk – run by Community Works info@communityworks.uk phone 07598 187846
Easingwold – contact Mike Tranter shed@edcca.org.uk phone 01347 822875
Pickering, Kirkbymoorside and Malton – run by Next Steps post@nextstepsryedale.co.uk phone 01653 690854

25/04/25 - Mayor David Skaith on plan for men’s mental health taskforce | York Press

25/07/25 - £715,000 men’s mental health fund for North Yorkshire | York Presslaunch

Suicide the biggest killer of men aged 50 and under.

Shared on 13 June agenda

Banking services in the Thirsk & Malton Committee area

Council review of banking services

Corporate and Partnerships Overview & Scrutiny Committee – Review of cash-based, over the counter banking and Post office services in rural areas of the county 3 December 2018.

Executive recommendation

A) Endorse the Committee’s views in regard to the impact of bank branch closures on local businesses and rural communities.

B) Highlight the concerns identified by the review to members of the Local Government York & North Yorkshire Partnership Group.

C) Ask all County Councillors to consider and identify where within their electoral division an additional ATM may be of benefit to residents and identify a possible site location (council owned or otherwise) for submission by LINK’s online tool.

D) That the Stronger Communities Team support all submissions of possible site locations submitted by County Councillors via the LINK’s online tool, by encouraging the relevant community to support a proposal and provide evidence of need.

Note 1: The report author was not aware that any sites had subsequently been suggested by councillors.

Note 2: At the Executive held on 18 April 2023, it was suggested that the Corporate and Partnerships Overview & Scrutiny Committee undertake a follow up of the review. There is nothing listed in the Committee’s work programme for this civic year.

Why are banks closing their local branches?

Banks in the UK are closing local branches for several key reasons, driven largely by shifts in technology, customer behaviour, and cost management.

1. Rise of digital banking

Over 80% of UK adults now regularly use online or mobile banking [1]. With the convenience of 24/7 access, real-time alerts, and digital tools, many customers no longer feel the need to visit a physical branch. This trend has accelerated post-pandemic, as more people became comfortable managing finances remotely.

2. Changing customer preferences

Younger generations, in particular, prefer digital-first banking experiences. Even older customers are increasingly adopting online services. As a result, foot traffic in branches has declined, making them less viable to maintain [1].

3. Cost-cutting measures

Operating a physical branch is expensive—rent, utilities and staffing all add up. Banks are streamlining operations by closing underused branches and reallocating resources to digital infrastructure [1].

4. Industry-wide trend

This isn’t limited to one bank. In 2025 alone, over 300 branches are set to close across the UK, including those from Santander, Lloyds, and NatWest [2]. Since 2022, nearly 2,000 branches have shut down or announced closures.

5. Mitigation efforts

To support communities affected by closures, initiatives like banking hubs and free ATMs are being introduced. These hubs offer shared services from multiple banks, especially in rural or underserved areas.

Physical branches

	Malton	Helmsley	Thirsk	Pickering	Filey	Easingwold
Operator	Number of days open per week

*OneBanx enables personal and small business customers to withdraw money and make cash deposits into their own bank account.

Banking hubs in the committee area

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Town	Services provided by
Filey	Santander/Natwest	Halifax	Barclays	Virgin Money	HSBC
Knaresborough	Natwest	Halifax	Santander	HSBC	Barclays
Richmond	Natwest	Lloyds	HSBC	Barclays	Halifax
Whitby		Natwest	Halifax	HSBC	Barclays

Filey – 38 Bellvue Street, Filey, YO14 9HY

Knaresborough – 15 Kirkgate, Knaresborough, HG5 8AD

Richmond – 20 King Street, Richmond, DL10 4HP

Whitby – 87 Church Street, Whitby, YO22 4BH

What is a Banking Hub? (see https://www.cashaccess.co.uk/hubs/ and https://runapostoffice.co.uk/what-is-a-banking-hub)

Banking Hubs are being set up by the banking industry in response to closing bank branches, creating a shared space for banks to meet with their customers. The hubs will be run by the Post Office and shared with major high street banks. They offer a dedicated counter for cash services, allowing customers to withdraw and deposit cash easily. Additionally, customers can ask their local community banker for in-person help with more complicated transactions such as mortgages, loans, pensions and more on a dedicated day of the week.

Community services

Pickering library, Malton library, Helmsley library, Rural Arts Thirsk, Galtres Centre - Easingwold, Filey Banking Hub

	Malton	Helmsley	Thirsk	Pickering	Filey	Easingwold
Operator	Number of days open per week
Barclays Local	2	2	3	1	Hub	4
TSB pop up	1
Halifax	1

Request a review of a community’s cash access needs

A member of the public, part of a community group, a councillor or an MP can ask for a review of your community’s cash access needs. You'll need to apply to LINK, the organisation responsible for the UK's ATM network. LINK runs a financial inclusion programme and has many years of experience in assessing communities' cash needs.

LINK will look at a wide range of factors to decide whether the community needs a new cash service. They will look at which cash and banking services are already available to the community. But they will also look carefully at other factors including the community's size and age profile, the number of local businesses, the take-up of digital services and the number of people who are likely to rely on cash.

Once they have carried out an assessment, LINK may say that the community is already well served for cash access, or they can recommend a banking hub or new deposit service.

Business cash deposits

When small businesses need to deposit cash after hours and there are no local bank branches, they can still manage their cash securely using several alternatives that are becoming more common in the UK:

1. Super ATMs (multi-bank deposit machines)

· What they are: Advanced ATMs that allow cash deposits for customers of multiple major banks (e.g., Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, Halifax).

· Where to find them: These are being rolled out in towns affected by bank closures

· Benefits:

o Accessible outside normal banking hours.

o Accept deposits for multiple banks.

o Offer services like balance checks and PIN changes.

2. Cash deposit machines in supermarkets or retail hubs

· What they are: Self-service machines located in places like supermarkets or convenience stores. Available at Co-op Pocklington and Pickering, Morrisons Malton.

· Availability: Some are accessible 24/7, depending on the host location.

3. Post Office banking services

· What they offer: Many UK banks partner with the Post Office to allow cash deposits.

· Availability: Some post offices have extended hours compared to banks.

References

[1] New Super ATM Launched Across Major UK Banks to Simplify Cash Deposits

Post Offices

Currently 30 banks and building societies have partnered with the Post Office to offer local banking services such as cash and cheque deposits, withdrawals, and balance checks. These partnerships are part of a broader initiative to maintain access to essential banking services, especially in areas where traditional bank branches have closed.

Which? article 1 May 2025 on the latest contracts between banks and the Post Office. Only 55% of adults are aware that they can use post offices for banking, and 47% are unlikely to do so in the future, so there appears to be a serious failure in raising awareness of the service.

14 July 2025 - the government has announced the Post Office Green Paper, the first comprehensive review of the Post Office in 15 years, including “How the Post Office can improve and develop the banking services it provides”.

Yorkshire Building Society

Nationwide

Newcastle Building Society inc. OneBanx*

Yorkshire Bank