North Yorkshire Council

 

Corporate & Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee

 

26 March 2026

 

Call-In of Executive decision - Acquisition of Resolution House

 

 

1.0       PURPOSE OF REPORT

 

1.1         To enable the Committee to consider the Executive decision relating to the acquisition of Resolution House in Scarborough; and to determine whether or not the Committee would wish to refer the decision back to the Executive for reconsideration or to the full Council and, if so, the nature of its concerns about the decision.

 

 

2.0       DECISION OF THE EXECUTIVE

 

2.1        On 17 March 2026 the following Executive decision was taken:

           

            Resolved (unanimously) – That:

i)      In-principle approval be given to acquire Resolution House, based on the Heads of Terms provided in Private and Confidential Appendix A with the final decision delegated to the Corporate Director Resources in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Resources.

ii)     In-principle approval be granted for investment of up to £750k to support the establishment of new front-facing customer service points in Scarborough and Malton town centres, and to fund costs associated with the advancement of redevelopment proposals for vacated sites. Release of this investment will be dependent on further detailed development and refinement of the proposals outlined within this report.

iii)    The decision on the release of the in-principle investment be delegated to the Corporate Director of Resources in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Resources

 

2.2       At the meeting, the Executive considered a report entitled ‘Property acquisition to support the Council’s asset rationalisation programme’.  The report and its two non-confidential appendices are attached at Appendix 1, and the report’s confidential appendix is attached at Appendix 2.

 

2.3       An extract from the Minutes of the Executive meeting held on 17 March 2026 is provided at Appendix 3.

 

3.0       BACKGROUND

 

3.1       On 18 March 2026 written notice was received from more than six Members that they wished the Executive decision to be called in. The notice was made by Cllr. Rich Maw, with support from Councillors: Janet Jefferson, Michelle Donoghue-Moncrief, Sam Cross, Kevin Foster, Arnold Warneken, Andy Brown, Mike Schofield, Paul Haslam and David Nolan.

 

3.2       The reasons given for the Call-In were stated as:

 

i.      The Executive decision appears to have been taken without key information being available to members regarding the full financial and operational implications of the proposal.

 

ii.     The Executive report indicates that the acquisition of Resolution House forms part of a wider rationalisation of the council’s estate and may ultimately lead to the vacating of other council buildings, including Scarborough Town Hall and Ryedale House. However, the report also acknowledges that aspects of the proposal remain at an early exploratory stage.

 

iii.    In particular, the report does not provide clear or detailed costings for:

·         The adaptation or refurbishment of Resolution House

·         The relocation of services and staff currently located in Scarborough Town Hall and Ryedale House

·         Any adaptation works required at alternative sites, including Castle House and Stanley Harrison House

·         The operational and customer access implications of relocating public-facing services

 

iv.   The report acknowledges that relocating a significant proportion of staff and services away from Scarborough town centre may have implications for town centre footfall and economic activity. However, it is not clear from the report whether a full assessment was undertaken of the potential impact on the town centre economy, nor how the proposed changes to the Council’s estate align with wider ambitions for town centre vitality and regeneration.

 

v.     The report does not appear to set out clearly how evolving patterns of work and service delivery (including hybrid working, digital access to services, and the future role of face-to-face customer contact) have been factored into the Council’s long-term accommodation strategy.

 

vi.   Given that the acquisition would commit the Council to a significant capital decision and appears to rely on assumptions about wider estate changes that are not yet fully worked through, it is appropriate that the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee review whether sufficient information was available to support the Executive’s decision at this stage.

 

3.3       The Council’s rules in relation to the Call-In of an executive decision are set out in paragraph 16 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule in the constitution here

 

4.0       THE ROLE OF THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

 

4.1       It is for the Committee to consider the decision which has been subject to Call-In and then to decide whether, or not, it wishes to refer it back to the executive decision-making body for reconsideration, setting out in writing the nature of its concerns, or whether, or not, it wishes to refer the matter to full Council.

 

4.2       If the Committee does not refer the matter back to the decision taker, or refer it to the Council, the decision will take effect on the date of this Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. The relevant parts of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules are set out below.

 

5.0       CALL-IN

 

5.1       Note: Powers of Call-In apply only to functions which are the responsibility of the Executive.

 

(d)     If, having considered the decision, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee wishes to do so, then it may refer it back to the decision-making person or body for reconsideration, setting out in writing the nature of its concerns, or refer the matter to full Council. If referred to the decision maker they shall then consider the matter, amending the decision or not, before adopting a final decision.

 

(e)     If following an objection to the decision, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee does not refer the matter back to the decision-making person or body, the decision shall take effect on the date of the Overview and Scrutiny meeting.

 

(f)      Where the matter has been referred to full Council, but the Executive decides that the matter must be determined prior to the next Council meeting, they OFFICIALLY may proceed to determine the matter, and shall report the matter to the next Council meeting.

 

(g)     Subject to (f) above, if the matter was referred to full Council and the Council does not object to a decision which has been made, then no further action is necessary, and the decision will be effective in accordance with the provision below. However, if the Council does object, (note: it has no locus to make decisions in respect of an executive decision unless it is contrary to the Policy Framework, or contrary to or not wholly consistent with the Budget) the Council will refer any decision to which it objects back to the decision-making person or body, together with the Council's views on the decision. That decision making body or person shall choose whether to amend the decision or not before reaching a final decision and implementing it.

 

6.0       FACTUAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE REASONS FOR CALL-IN

 

6.1       A written response to the concerns highlighted within the Call-In request is currently being drafted and will be circulated to the members of the Corporate and Partnerships Overview  Scrutiny Committee ahead of the committee’s Call-In meeting on 26 March 2026 as Appendix 4 to this report.

 

7.0       FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

7.1       There are no financial implications arising from this report on the Call-In process.

 

8.0       LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

8.1       The process for dealing with Call-Ins is set out in the Council Constitution.

 

9.0       EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

 

9.1       There are no equalities implications arising from this report on the Call-In process.

 

10.0     CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

 

10.1     There are no climate change implications arising from this report on the Call-In process.

 

11.0

RECOMMENDATION

 

 

i)    That the Committee considers the decision taken and called in and determines whether, or not, it wishes to refer the decision back to the Executive for reconsideration or to the full Council and, if so, the nature of its concerns about the decision.

 

 

 

Barry Khan

Assistant Chief Executive – Legal and Democratic Services

County Hall

Northallerton

 

18 March 2026

 

Report Author – Melanie Carr, Senior Scrutiny Officer

 

BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

 

APPENDICES:

Appendix 1:     Executive Report and its Appendices B & C

Appendix 2:    Confidential Appendix A to Executive Report – NB: this information is strictly confidential and not for further circulation.  It may only be shared further with the explicit consent of the Director for Resources

Appendix 3 :   Minutes Extract of the meeting of the Executive held on 17 March 2026 (to follow)

Appendix 4:    Factual Information related to the reasons for Call-in (to follow)

 

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