North Yorkshire County Council

Executive

22 June 2021

Area Constituency Committee Feedback

1.0	Purpose of the Report To bring to the attention of the Executive key issues considered at recent meetings of the Area Constituency Committees.

2.0       Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee on 27 May 2021

2.1       The Rt Hon Julian Smith MP attended the meeting and provided updates on: progress with the national vaccination programme, particularly relating to new variants of the virus; the easing of the national lockdown and the opportunities that this presented for the hospitality and travel industries; and rising queries and concerns about travelling abroad over the summer and what restrictions were in place.

2.2       The committee received public questions and statements on two issues: the long term support offered for community pubs, which serve as a key hub and focal point in many rural communities; and what more could be done to reduce pollution arising from idling motor vehicle engines, particularly in built up areas and around schools. 

2.3       The committee considered an update on the economic recovery from the pandemic and the role that the Council and other partners organisations and agencies had in supporting the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors.  A key element was how the expected increase in tourism over the summer period, as a result of the lockdown and travel restrictions, could be built upon post-pandemic.

2.4       The committee received an update on the work that the Council does to support families who have elected for home education.  The numbers of children being home educated has risen over time and particularly during the pandemic, when some parents/carers did not feel that school was a safe environment.

2.5       The committee were given details of the Digital Demand Responsive bus service pilot that is being undertaken in the area around Ripon, Masham and Bedale.  They also received an update on the work of the Youth Council and had a discussion about how issues relating to children and young people that were identified by the Youth Council could be fed into the committee.

2.6       County Councillor Carl Les and other Executive members present gave updates on key issues arising in their portfolios and answered questions posed by the committee.

3.0       Recommendation

3.1       That the Executive notes the report and considers any matters arising from the work of the Area Constituency Committees detailed above, that merits further scrutiny, review or investigation at a county-level.

Barry Khan

Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)

County Hall

Northallerton

9 June 2021