NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

 

20 MAY 2026

 

STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR HEALTH AND ADULT SERVICES

 

In memory of Angie Austin

 

I am very sorry to share that in March we sadly lost a much‑loved colleague, Angie Austin, our Head of Care Provider Services, following a short battle with cancer.  Angie was a highly respected leader and a committed advocate for high‑quality services, and she will be greatly missed by colleagues and partners alike.  My thoughts are with Angie’s family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working with her.

 

Care and Support Hubs

 

Proposals to build up to five Care and Support Hubs in the county are progressing well, with planning applications due to be submitted shortly for the first two sites in Harrogate and Scarborough, followed by a procurement exercise.  This is the start of a significant investment by the council in facilities that will provide specialist dementia care and intermediate care, both areas where demand is outstripping supply and is projected to increase further.  £59 million pounds of capital has been allocated to the initiative.

 

Without action the Council will be left vulnerable to unreasonable cost as we try to secure this specialist provision. The two hubs will replace some of our older Elderly Person’s Homes and help us reduce revenue costs by over £6m between them each year.  The capital costs of £15.7m (Harrogate) and £16.9m (Scarborough), subject to the outcome of procurement, are expected to be recovered within 6 and 9 years respectively.

 

The impact of climate change has been considered throughout the programme and the designs include extra provision to go “Beyond Compliance” which will mean that carbon emissions will be significantly reduced.

 

Trailblazer

 

The first year of North Yorkshire Council’s involvement in the Get York North Yorkshire Working Economically Inactive ‘Trailblazer’ programme has been completed.  The programme aims to support those who are not seeking employment due to health and wider barriers, those   at risk of losing work, and to support employers to adapt practices to get people back into work.

 

Officers have worked under incredibly tight timescales with wider voluntary and community sector colleagues and have managed to deliver 17 projects.  In the second year another 8 projects are being scoped out – and in North Yorkshire we aim to support approximately 1,600 individuals.

 

Success stories have included Active North Yorkshire’s Musculo-Skeletal (MSK) Hubs supporting those off work with muscular and joint pain to return to work, and a wage subsidy scheme known as LEAP which offers employer incentives to employ participants with additional barriers into work.

 

 

Social Work Apprentices

 

I’m pleased to share that we are offering an exciting development opportunity for our Adult Social Care workforce.  From September this year, working in partnership with Leeds Beckett University, up to six existing Adult Social Care staff will be supported to undertake the Social Work Apprenticeship.

 

This initiative reflects our continued commitment to growing our own skilled social workers, recognising the experience and dedication of staff already working within our services.  By developing talent from within, we strengthen continuity, professional expertise, and the quality of support provided to people.  This is a positive step in building a sustainable, highly skilled social care workforce for the future, benefitting both our staff and the communities we serve.

 

North Yorkshire Drug Analysis Project (NYDAP)

 

NYDAP has claimed 2nd place at the inaugral North Yorkshire Police Problem Solving Awards.  Launched in August 2023, NYDAP gives North Yorkshire Police a rapid way to identify dangerous illicit drugs, a capability that proved critical in early 2025 following drug‑related deaths.  The project now serves as an essential tool for quickly identifying harmful substances and enabling timely, proactive community protection, and is a great example of the public health team’s intervention work that supports our communities.

 

Staffing Update

 

I am pleased to advise that Mike Rudd has been appointed as Assistant Director Service Development in Health & Adult Services.

 

Mike will be the lead for supported housing, operational support, HAS planning, market development and commissioning & contract management.  He will also play a key role in the delivery of the Ambitious for Health programme with colleagues from the NHS.  He is an experienced senior leader and has held a number of strategic leadership roles within the council across adult social care and housing over the past decade.

 

 

COUNCILLOR MICHAEL HARRISON