NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

20 MAY 2026

STATEMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR MANAGING OUR ENVIRONMENT

Climate Change Update

The Council has worked in collaboration with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York, to develop the Strategy for a Sustainable Future. This is now out for public consultation, and we as an authority will be engaging internally and to ensure North Yorkshires views are represented in a consultation response.

NYC has recently collaborated with the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission to the new ‘Regional Energy Strategic Plan’ (RESP) Methodology and made submissions to the ‘transitional RESP’ which focuses on short term energy demands. The RESPs are part of a significant key Government approach to delivering a ‘joined up’ energy plan to accelerate progress to national net zero ambitions. Given the rurality of North Yorkshire, it is important we highlight the regional challenges around grid connectivity and balancing renewable energy alongside other land use priorities.

The Climate Risk and Vulnerability project, in collaboration with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA), City of York and the protected landscapes, is nearing conclusion and the implications and recommendations for our area will be shared with NYC services, likely to be impacted by the changing climate.

The Strategic Energy Partnership team, working to deliver on the Local Net Zero Accelerator (LNZA) Programme, continues to explore, alongside the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council, how a partnership approach to achieving the region’s net zero targets might be implemented. Our team is also working closely with the MCA to develop a range of feasibility studies looking into renewable energy generation on our owned land, funded through the EGAP programme (MCA led), providing a foundation for NYC to explore clean, local energy supply.

Natural Capital & Environmental Policy

The North Yorkshire and York Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) was published on 18 February, and we are now finalising the governance for the transition to delivery phase. North Yorkshire Council will remain the Responsible Authority (RA) accountable to Defra, and we expect to work closely with the North Yorkshire and York Local Nature Partnership (LNP) and other external partners in the coordination of the delivery of nature recovery.

Both of our existing National Landscapes, the Howardian Hills and Nidderdale, have begun work to deliver their new five-year Management Plans alongside the many partner organisations and local farmers, landowners, and communities. These Plans were prepared on behalf of North Yorkshire Council and were formally approved by Executive in December 2025.

Waste and Street Scenes

I welcome and bring to Members’ attention, work to undertake a comprehensive review and reset of North Yorkshire Council’s Street Cleansing service, supported by the closer integration of strategic oversight and operational delivery. The proposed reset rightly focuses on improving consistency, accountability and the visibility of street cleansing across the county, while continuing to respond to local needs and priorities. I particularly welcome the stronger alignment between waste, street scene, parks and grounds and highways functions, the proposal to introduce clear countywide standards, and the development of meaningful performance indicators to track cleanliness, responsiveness and customer satisfaction. Central to this reset is a renewed emphasis on community and partnership working, with a new fixed‑term Street Scene Policy Officer leading a single, accessible approach to engaging volunteers, town and parish councils, Business Improvement Districts and other partners. Exploration of more integrated, place‑based operating models and closer alignment with regeneration programmes such as Town Centre Investment Plans and Pride in Place is also positive. Street cleansing is an area of council delivery of significant importance to me, and one that is close to many Members’ hearts, and I therefore strongly welcome this renewed focus.

As part of my March Statement I announced a new operating model for the cleaning of our public conveniences, and I am pleased to confirm that this is now in operation across the county. This, alongside the principles and findings of the recent Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee (TEEEOSC) working group, provides a stronger foundation for moving the service towards long‑term financial sustainability. Recent incidents in which some of our busiest public conveniences have had to close at short notice, with temporary provision put in place, underline the ongoing challenges facing the network. However, I welcome the completion of refurbishment works at Pateley Bridge and Pickering and see these as positive examples of the improvements we are seeking to deliver, as we continue to address resilience and quality across the wider estate.

Performance across our operational waste collection teams continues to improve, with the number of missed bins across the county now significantly lower than the highs experienced during 2025. Residents rightly expect a reliable and efficient waste collection service, and failures in this area can have a disproportionate impact on wider perceptions of the whole Council. In August last year, as part of some localised challenges in the introduction of new working patterns, more than 3,000 collections were missed in a single month. This year, monthly figures show a reduction of over two thirds from that peak. While this progress is welcome, I share the service’s ambition to go further and deliver consistently high standards for residents. Feedback from individual Members and Area Committees indicates that these improvements, and the hard work of our collection teams in all weathers, are being recognised locally and demonstrate the positive direction of travel for the service across North Yorkshire.

From Monday 27 April, the Council introduced a simple and efficient vehicle registration scheme to ensure that North Yorkshire’s 20 Household Waste Recycling Centres are used free of charge by North Yorkshire residents only.

Registration is free and valid for three years for residents using cars, with no permit requirement and no need to pre-book visits. Residents using vans or commercial-type vehicles are entitled to up to 12 visits per year, with registration lasting for 12 months.  I would like to commend residents for their positive response to the new scheme. In the first week alone, over 100,000 vehicles were successfully registered. Notably, 99 per cent of residents chose to self-serve online, and nine out of ten users reported satisfaction with the service.

This project demonstrates effective cross-council working, with teams from Waste, Transformation, Customer Services, Business Support, Communications and Technology working collaboratively to deliver financial savings while protecting frontline services.

Regulatory Services

Unauthorised Camping Public Spaces Protection Order

At the time of this meeting, a decision will have been made on 1 May following the results of the consultation to determine whether to approve an Unauthorised Camping (Wild / Fly Camping) and Lighting of Fires and Barbeques Public Spaces Protection Order 2026 in respect of nine locations in Scarborough and Whitby where we have evidence of unauthorised camping (and associated issues). 

Licensing

I am pleased to report that the revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, the linked new Inclusive Services Plan, and the new Pavement Licensing Policy were all implemented on 1 April.  To assist the taxi trade, a review of the maximum fares that Hackney Carriage drivers can charge customers is underway after a sustained period of increased fuel prices.

An off licence in Skipton had its licence revoked in March after Trading Standards and the Police presented evidence of illegal vapes and tobacco, employment of a migrant with no right to work and various breaches of licence conditions.

National Trading Standards eCrime Team and NYtech

Operation Joseph – online sale of illicit vaping products

The core funding from the Department for Health and Social Care is now in place.  This follows the pilot phase of the project that ran from October 2025 to March 2026.  During the pilot, we identified over 95,000 listings of illicit vaping products across a wide range of social media platforms, web sites and other online forums. This included disposable vapes, vapes that exceeded the maximum allowable capacity and products clearly marketed at children and young people. These findings will now be used as the basis of forming a two-year strategy for disruption work now that the project is fully funded.

Farming, Food and Health

On 9 April the last remaining bird flu control zone was revoked by Government meaning that North Yorkshire is bird flu free for the first time since 25 October 2025. The revocation coincided with the Government’s removal of the nationwide mandatory housing requirements for keepers of more than 50 birds and although there have since been a further four outbreaks elsewhere in the country, North Yorkshire remains bird flu free.

Registration Service

The service has been shortlisted as a regional finalist for the ‘I Do Weddings Awards for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire being held on 19 May.

Rollout of the new national Digital Registration System is underway, the second cohort of registrars are utilising the system, and by early autumn all death registrations will be carried out using the new Government portal.

Coroners Service

We have entered into an agreement with an international disaster response organisation to ensure access to specialist personnel and technical equipment in the (hopefully rare) event of a mass fatality. This arrangement will support the Coroner in fulfilling his statutory duties during a major incident, while also assisting the Council in its emergency response.

Bereavement Service

Outline Business Cases and indicative timescales for the replacement cremators at Woodlands Crematorium Scarborough and for cemetery expansions in Harrogate, Scarborough and Whitby were presented to the Capital Board at the beginning of the month. The proposals set out plans to replace the cremators in early 2028 and to seek planning permission for cemetery expansion at all three sites.

COUNCILLOR RICHARD FOSTER