North Yorkshire Council

Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee

25 September 2025

Devolution of Knaresborough Market to Knaresborough Town Council

Report of the Corporate Director Environment

1.0       PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1 To update the Harrogate & Knaresborough Area Committee on progress of a devolution pilot project for Knaresborough Town Council to take on management and responsibility for operating the weekly charter market in Knaresborough.

2.0       BACKGROUND

2.1       The former North Yorkshire County Council’s submission to government for the

establishment of a unitary council set out a commitment to pilot double devolution and

provide opportunities for town and parish councils that would like to manage services and assets on behalf of the now established North Yorkshire Council (NYC).

2.2       Twelve expressions of interest (EOIs) were submitted and after evaluation five were approved by the Executive on 17 October 2023 to move forward to development of a full business case. One of those was from Knaresborough Town Council (KTC), who subsequently resolved at an extraordinary meeting of their Full Council on 19 May 2025 that they agreed ‘to formally submit the Business Case to North Yorkshire Council to facilitate the proposed transfer of Knaresborough’s Chartered Market, subject to final negotiations’.

3.0       BUSINESS CASE FOR TRANSFER OF KNARESBOROUGH MARKET TO KTC

3.1       Knaresborough Market takes place each Wednesday within the town centre of Knaresborough on the highway area known as Market Place that encompasses an area of highway, pay and display car parking, and a small pedestrianised area next to the Market Cross. The market footprint continues to the southeast along a section of Silver Street before it meets the A59 / High Street.

3.2       Market stalls are currently a hybrid of self-set and those supplied and erected by NYC with the operating hours being from 0900 – 1530hrs (Summer) or 1500hrs (Winter). A Markets Officer works one day per week to oversee the coordination of the weekly market layout, onboard new traders, take payments from casual traders and resolve any operational issues. They are supported by the wider Commercial Team within Parks and Grounds.

3.3       The business case submitted by KTC for devolution contains key information on their strengths as a locally representative body, the ambition for the market to develop as an anchor for the community (and visitors) as well as details on staffing, the operating model, financial position and governance. A redacted copy of the business case has been published on the KTC website with the key points summarised in the following paragraphs.

3.4       KTC plan to build on the historic significance of the charter market as a focus for the social coherence of the local community, develop opportunities to link with the educational and voluntary sector, and to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to test out ideas within a supportive environment.

3.5       Existing KTC officers will form part of the backroom administration for market operations, alongside a specific Markets Officer role. To support with the administration of stall bookings, KTC propose to invest in software to provide an e-booking system that will integrate with existing finance software. In addition, an operative with accredited knowledge of ‘Chapter 8’ traffic management is proposed to ensure the correct temporary traffic management arrangements are in place each week to facilitate the safe operation of the market.

3.6       The decision in December 2024 by NYC to harmonise market operations through the cessation of a subsidised stall set up service, deferred by six months, has been a key consideration in developing the business case. A priority for KTC has therefore been to look to provide a continuation of a stall set up service, where required, but using their own contractor. Market research and collaboration with neighbouring town councils has identified potential suppliers of this service, in line with the priorities of local stakeholders. It is recognised that in the event of devolution of the market, NYC would support a smooth transition of the current arrangements within reasonable timescales, after a formal decision is made by the Executive (scheduled for 21 October 2025).

3.7       KTC have proposed a governance model where a Markets Committee would be formed (and open to the public) and report to their Full Council. In addition, the Town Clerk and Markets Officer would meet weekly. An annual meeting would be convened and attended by KTC Officers, councillors and regular market traders – with the opportunity for traders to present a report to KTCs Annual Meeting.

3.8       A financial appraisal by KTC is included in their business case which details working balances, anticipated precept income and any transfers from reserves. The business case assumes direct operating costs of approximately £50k per annum with anticipated income of £70k. However, actual income to NYC over each of the past three financial years has averaged £60k although the net position has been broadly stable through achieving savings to staffing overheads to match the number of stallholders trading.

4.0       CONSULTATION UNDERTAKEN AND RESPONSES

4.1       To support KTC with progressing devolution proposals, NYC Officers have met directly with representatives of KTC to answer questions and to provide data and information on the weekly operation of the market over the past six months. KTC engaged consultancy support from Local Council Consultancy which was effective in bringing forward proposals in collaboration with NYC.

5.0       ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

5.1       The option to not support devolution of Knaresborough Market to KTC was considered. It is recommended that this option is rejected as it would miss the opportunity to deliver on the Council’s commitment to pilot double devolution to town and parish councils.

6.0       FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6.1 A principle of devolution is that proposals should be cost neutral to NYC. Under these proposals, KTC will be responsible for all costs associated with operating the market and will in turn receive all the income, with no ongoing costs for NYC. As set out in paragraph 12.2, it is anticipated there will be a modest redundancy payment borne by NYC in the region of £5k that would be met from the existing staffing budget associated with Knaresborough market.

6.2       Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) savings of £12.5k per annum associated with the cost of stall set up cannot be achieved if devolving responsibility of Knaresborough Market to KTC - as the loss of income will offset this. However, devolution will help to relieve current and future pressure on commercial income targets.

6.3       In the business case submitted and through discussion, KTC have asked if NYC would continue to meet the cost of qualified ‘Chapter 8’ traffic management services to ensure the continuation of compliant road closures until the end of the 2025 calendar year, whilst their own arrangements are put in place. Based on the date of the Executive decision (21 October 2025) the estimated cost would be £4,950 (£450 per week).

7.0       PROPERTY IMPLICATIONS

7.1       To facilitate KTC’s desire to maintain a market stall set-up service, the storage of stalls between market days at the existing storage facility on Iles Lane, Knaresborough, is proposed. A review of historical costs borne by the service indicates an annual cost of £5,600 for business rates and utilities combined. This forms the basis of cost anticipated by KTC.

7.2       Property Services are undertaking the necessary steps to understand the terms on which NYC could offer to lease the existing storage facility (in conjunction with Legal Services notably regarding the rent-free proposal, see 8 below) and in turn to prepare the necessary disposal report for approval by Corporate Director of Resources and thereafter to negotiate suitable heads of terms with KTC.  Preliminary discussions with KTC have been around the grant of an initial five-year lease term with break clause and potentially on a rent-free basis although all other outgoings (e.g. utilities, insurance, maintenance costs etc) would be met by KTC.

8.0       LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

8.1       Market operating right

Legal Services’ advice is the best available method by which KTC’s secure a market operating right is for it to use its statutory right under section 50(1)(a) of the Food Act 1984 to establish a new market.

8.2       Legal property aspects

Subject to Legal Services’ advice regarding the proposed rent-free basis of the lease of the Iles Lane storage facility (specifically whether this would comply with subsidy control rules) and formal approval of the lease proposal under NYC’s Property Procedure Rules, Property Services would be able to proceed to negotiate the precise terms of the storage facility arrangement.

9.0       EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

9.1       An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken for proposed changes as set out in Appendix A. The EIA assessment has not identified any adverse impacts should proposals be agreed and implemented. A post implementation review carried out 12 months after devolution has concluded would be prudent to ground truth the assessment.

10.0     CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

10.1     A Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA) has been undertaken in the preparation of this report as set out in Appendix B.  The CCIA indicates a broadly positive outcome for the proposal through a reduction in business mileage with associated CO2 emissions potentially reduced by 132kg per annum based on the current use of a standard 2 litre diesel flatbed transit van, with cab. Associated emissions from KTC as a new market operator are currently unknown but is likely to be less than the current arrangements through using local operators.

11.0     RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

11.1     The key risks centre on overall environment of change created by the two priorities of markets harmonisation whilst simultaneously negotiating the devolution pilot to a successful conclusion. High levels of partnership working with consistent messaging to stakeholders will be required to mitigate risks. The development of this devolution pilot has fostered a strong sense of collaboration, and any lessons learned can be shared with other devolution work.

11.2     It is noted that recent historical income levels are slightly below that initially anticipated by KTC. However, there is headroom within the financial forecasts to accommodate this even before the potential benefits of local devolution are felt.

12.0     HUMAN RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS

12.1     A small pool of six staff currently undertake the market stall erection duties for the Council. The role is not a formally evaluated one, but a fixed payment is received for the complete job of erecting and dismantling the stalls on market days. A formal 30-day staff consultation was conducted between 23 July 2024 and 21 August 2024, with no substantive comments received. However, staff indicated they were prepared to continue stall set up in the short-medium term whilst a formal decision is reached on devolution.

12.2     It is not envisaged that TUPE protection would apply to stall set up staff as this additional voluntary task is a relatively small part of these employees’ time spent in work. Advice from Human Resources and discussion with UNISON has concluded that where staff meet the necessary threshold, a redundancy payment for this element of their work would be payable upon cessation of stall set-up duties. Actual sums will need to be calculated on an individual basis in-line with specific dates for when duties will stop but would be a one-off cost and is expected to be in the region of £5-10k.

12.3 The current Markets Officer for the locality works 2 days per week, one each for Knaresborough and Ripon markets. In the context of devolution of Knaresborough Market to KTC, the officer would be TUPE protected for this element of their role and a formal period of consultation would need to be commenced.

13.0     REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

13.1     The proposed transfer of operations for Knaresborough Market to KTC is supported by a business case as per the terms of the programme of double devolution pilots and would deliver on the Council’s ambition support town and parish Councils to manage services. Additionally, KTC’s proposal includes the continuation of stall-set up which is well supported locally.

14.0	RECOMMENDATIONS
	To note the contents of the report and that the Executive is due to consider this matter at their meeting on 21 October 2025.

APPENDICES:

Appendix A – Equalities impact assessment (EIA)

Appendix B – Climate change impact assessment (CCIA)

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:

· Minute 324, Executive, 17 October 2023.

· Markets Harmonisation – Knaresborough and Ripon, Environment Directorate – Corporate Director and Executive Member – Highways and Transportation, 6 December 2024.

Karl Battersby

Corporate Director – Environment

County Hall

Northallerton

4 September 2025

Report Author – Jon Clubb, Head of Parks & Grounds        

Presenter of Report – Jon Clubb, Head of Parks & Grounds

Note: Members are invited to contact the author in advance of the meeting with any detailed queries or questions.

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

(Form updated October 2023)

Markets Harmonisation Ripon & Knaresborough

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	Parks and Grounds
Lead Officer and contact details	Jonathan Clubb – Head of Parks & Grounds
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA
How will you pay due regard? e.g., working group, individual officer	Individual officer with advice from cross council professional teams.
When did the due regard process start?	September 2025

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 proposal is to recommend the devolution of the weekly charter market in Knaresborough to be operated by Knaresborough Town Council.

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 former North Yorkshire County Council’s submission to government for the

establishment of a unitary council set out a commitment to pilot double devolution and

provide opportunities for town and parish councils that would like to manage services and assets on behalf of the now established North Yorkshire Council (NYC).

Twelve expressions of interest (EOIs) were submitted and after evaluation five were approved by the Executive on 17 October 2023 to move forward to development of a full business case. One of those was from Knaresborough Town Council (KTC), who subsequently resolved at an extraordinary meeting of their Full Council on 19 May 2025 that they agreed ‘to formally submit the Business Case to North Yorkshire Council to facilitate the proposed transfer of Knaresborough’s Chartered Market, subject to final negotiations’.

If implemented, the proposals would be the first major devolution project for the authority and also address the current annual subsidy for stall set up, with KTC undertaking this role.

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

Customers and traders should not see any substantial difference in the short term to how the market operates. However, with a devolved and locally run charter market this may create opportunities for development and improvement.

Council officers who currently set up the stalls, would no longer be required to work additional hours outside of their substantive posts’ hours.

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?)

There has been extensive consultation with KTC, stall holders and the relevant elected members of NYC in developing these proposals. There was strong support for devolution, whilst retaining certain elements, such as the stall set up for traders. Officers have attended formal and informal meetings with KTC to develop the proposals further.

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

If implemented, the proposals would address the current annual subsidy for stall set up which is in the region of £25,000 - £35,000 at a cost loss to the council. Around half of this cost is attributed to Knaresborough Market (with the other half aligned to Ripon Market).

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.
Age	x
Disability	x
Sex	x
Race	x
Gender reassignment	x
Sexual orientation	x
Religion or belief	x
Pregnancy or maternity	x
Marriage or civil partnership	x

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
…have a low income?	x
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?	x
….. are from the Armed Forces Community	x

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)
North Yorkshire wide
Craven
Hambleton
Harrogate	x
Richmondshire
Ryedale
Scarborough
Selby
If you have ticked one or more areas, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.
Knaresborough

Section 9. 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 10. 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.) No adverse impacts have been identified in completing this equalities impact assessment.

Section 11. 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?)

To undertake a post implementation review 12 months after any changes are made.

Section 12. 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
Post implementation Review	Commercial Manager – Parks & Grounds	Dec 2026		Engagement with KTC and site vists.

Section 13. 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.

The equalities impact assessment of the proposals has not identified any adverse impacts should they be agreed and implement. A post implementation review 12 months after devolution has concluded would be prudent to ground truth the assessment.

Section 14. Sign off section.

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Job title: Jon Clubb, Head of Parks & Grounds

Directorate: Environment

Signature:

Completion date: 4 September 2025

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): Barrie Mason

Date: 15/09/2025

Climate change impact assessment

The purpose of this assessment is to help us understand the likely impacts of our decisions on the environment of North Yorkshire and on our aspiration to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, or as close to that date as possible. The intention is to mitigate negative effects and identify projects which will have positive effects.

This document should be completed in consultation with the supporting guidance. The final document will be published as part of the decision making process and should be written in Plain English.

If you have any additional queries which are not covered by the guidance please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk

Version 2: amended 11 August 2021

Title of proposal	Devolution of Knaresborough Market to Knaresborough Town Council
Brief description of proposal	To consider the business case submitted by Knaresborough Town Council in respect of devolving to them the management and responsibility for operating the weekly charter market in Knaresborough
Directorate	Environment
Service area	Highways and Infrastructure / Parks and Grounds
Lead officer	Jonathan Clubb, Head of Parks and Grounds
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment	N/A
Date impact assessment started	4 September 2025

Options appraisal

Were any other options considered in trying to achieve the aim of this project? If so, please give brief details and explain why alternative options were not progressed.

The option to not support devolution of Knaresborough Market to KTC was considered. It is recommended that this option is rejected as it would miss the opportunity to deliver on the Council’s commitment to pilot double devolution to town and parish councils.

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

If implemented, the proposals would address the current annual subsidy for stall set up which is in the region of £25,000 - £35,000 at a cost loss to the council. Around half of this cost is attributed to Knaresborough Market (with the other half aligned to Ripon Market).

How will this proposal impact on the environment? N.B. There may be short term negative impact and longer term positive impact. Please include all potential impacts over the lifetime of a project and provide an explanation.		Positive impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	No impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	Negative impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	Explain why will it have this effect and over what timescale? Where possible/relevant please include: · Changes over and above business as usual · Evidence or measurement of effect · Figures for CO2e · Links to relevant documents	Explain how you plan to mitigate any negative impacts.	Explain how you plan to improve any positive outcomes as far as possible.
Minimise greenhouse gas emissions e.g. reducing Omissions from travel, increasing energy efficiencies etc.	Emissions from travel	X			Assumed GHG emissions from travel associated with market stall set up. Vehicle: Ford Transit (flatbed with cab), 2L diesel, 181g/km CO2 emissions. Mileage: 2 x return trips, Harrogate Claro Depot – Knaresborough Market at: 13km x 181g CO2/km = 2.4 kg of CO2 Plus 10% (incidental emissions from manoeuvring stalls on site) = 0.24 kg of CO2 Subtotal: 2.4+0.24=2.64kg Multiply by 50 weekly markets: 2.64x50=132kg CO2	N/A	NYC emissions from travel will reduce from ceasing stall set up. The detailed operating method and associated travel by KTC or their operator is unknown at the current time.
	Emissions from construction		X
	Emissions from running of buildings		X
	Emissions from data storage		X
	Other		X
Minimise waste: Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost e.g. reducing use of single use plastic			X
Reduce water consumption			X
Minimise pollution (including air, land, water, light and noise)			X
Ensure resilience to the effects of climate change e.g. reducing flood risk, mitigating effects of drier, hotter summers			X
Enhance conservation and wildlife			X
Safeguard the distinctive characteristics, features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape			X
Other (please state below)			X

Are there any recognised good practice environmental standards in relation to this proposal? If so, please detail how this proposal meets those standards.

N/A

Summary Summarise the findings of your impact assessment, including impacts, the 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.

The Climate Change Impact Assessment indicates a broadly positive outcome for the proposal through a reduction in business mileage with associated CO2 emissions potentially reduced by 132kg per annum based on the current use of a standard 2 litre diesel flatbed transit van, with cab. Associated emissions from KTC as the new market operator are currently unknown but is likely to be less than the current arrangements through using local operators.

Sign off section

This climate change impact assessment was completed by:

Name	Jonathan Clubb
Job title	Head of Parks and Grounds
Service area	Highways & Infrastructure – Parks and Grounds
Directorate	Environment
Signature
Completion date	4 September 2025

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): Barrie Mason

Date: 15/09/2025