NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

20 MAY 2026

STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR FINANCE AND ASSETS

Revenues & Benefits

The government recently announced changes to the administration of council tax. There are a number of components to this including:-

Instalment Arrangements – the default period will move to 12 Months although residents will be able to continue to pay over 10 months should they wish. This is due to start with billing from April 2028 although it starts in April 2027 for new taxpayers. The Council had always allowed 12-month instalments so the only change is the default position and it is estimated that this will cost the Council in the region of £2m of lost cashflow interest.

Best-practice guidance to improve clarity and signposting – there is little here that is new but disappointingly there remains a need to make newspaper publication requirements in an increasingly digital age.

Disregards (ignores for council tax counting purposes) – several areas have been updated including severe mental impairment, apprentices and carers. The changes have been welcomed as they clarify arrangements and will ease some of the administration without reducing support.

Arrears and Enforcement - Instalment loss delayed to at least 63 days after first missed payment with statutory pre-enforcement steps to follow. In addition, there is a new statutory £100 cap on council-set liability order costs. While the intention is well-meaning to support those who have debt difficulties, it may lead to more debt being built up and the Council may incur greater net costs for recovery.

Procurement

Through our procurement activity, we continue to deliver strong social value outcomes across North Yorkshire. Within projects commissioned through YORhub, our supply chain has made a meaningful contribution to local communities, including:

• 57 educational site visits and workshops
• 36 work experience placements
• 246 weeks of apprenticeship experience
• 23 individuals progressing into employment
• £81,000 of support provided to community projects across North Yorkshire

This demonstrates how our contracts are not only delivering physical infrastructure, but also creating opportunities, skills, and direct community benefit.

In April, Procurement hosted a supplier engagement session with contractors delivering capital schemes. This session was very positively received and provided valuable insight from the market. It has helped us better understand how we can make our contracts more attractive, reduce barriers to participation, and strengthen collaboration with both SMEs and Tier 1 contractors—particularly to increase the use of local supply chains.

Looking ahead, we are continuing this proactive engagement approach. On 21 May, we will be hosting a dedicated session for IPT operators in advance of the re-procurement of the Home to School Transport service. Delivered in partnership with Go4Growth, this session will provide practical, free support to operators. It will focus on helping providers register on our systems, understand the procurement process, and contribute to shaping a contract that is fit for purpose and responsive to the needs of our communities.

Finally, I am delighted to recognise that the Procurement team have been named finalists at the GO Awards for Procurement Transformation through Technology, a testament to their innovation and commitment to continuous improvement.

Property

The Members Seminar on property held in April was well attended, so thank you to all that took part. At the session members expressed a desire to receive updates on the Council’s property asset holdings within their wards. This information has now been shared by the team.  

Progress against the ambitions and objectives set out in the Corporate Property Strategy 2025–2026 continue to move forward strongly, with key progress since my last update as follows:

• The Property team is actively advancing the disposal of approximately 67 sites that have been identified as surplus to service requirements.
• For the year ended March 2026, £8 million was achieved from asset sales, bringing total capital receipts generated since vesting day to £18.3 million.
• The Council remains on track to deliver over £1.8 million in revenue savings per annum from planned asset‑rationalisation savings. Following the report to Executive in March, Resolution House in Scarborough has now been acquired. Detailed planning work is underway to support occupation of the building and to deliver the proposals set out in the Executive report, including the achievement of asset rationalisation related budget savings. If there is an appetite for Members to have a tour of the building, then I will happily ask officers to make such an arrangement. 
• The capital project delivery team are overseeing the delivery of 56 projects. Notable achievements in the last month include the near completion of the construction of the Whitby Maritime Hub, the completion of refurbishment works to the Southlands public conveniences in Pateley Bridge, and completion of works to support the delivery of carbon reduction measures at Nidderdale Leisure Centre. Positive progress has also been made in advancing the business case for the development of the new Care & Support Hubs in Scarborough and Harrogate and the delivery of pitch replacement works at Scarborough Sports Village.     

Finance

Work on the new finance system continues at pace towards go-live in 2026. The project to implement a state-of-the-art system really is a whole council effort. Colleagues from across, finance, business support, technology, business change, project management, communications and the wider organisation are working hard to deliver a ground-breaking cloud-based system that will transform the way we manage and operate our finances. As the financial challenges for the Council don’t stop, having a tool that enables greater visibility of all our transactions, along with real-time reporting, means budget managers will have improved data to help them manage services and helps to make our financial grip even stronger.

Departure of Gary Fielding

It is with immense sadness that I comment upon Gary’s departure for the rather duller landscape of Lancashire.

I have worked alongside and known Gary professionally since my elevation to Deputy Leader 11 years ago. Whilst his dress sense leaves a lot to be desired at times, his ability, skills and expertise alongside his commitment to NYC can never, ever have been doubted. Respected by all Members, I am sure, internally, but carrying the utmost respect externally amongst colleagues within the national Local Government family is a rare thing indeed. Frankly, whenever I have declared I hail from North Yorkshire Council, Gary’s name is then linked extremely strongly to the reputation we carry for financial control and grip. I often state we are the envy of the Local Government world for this grip, and this is in no small part for the guidance and perseverance, often in the face of uncomfortable conversations and challenges with colleagues, due to Gary’s ability to communicate and work constructively amongst us all, Officers and Members alike.

On a personal level, I shall miss Gary for his expertise, integrity and (sometimes) wit. On many occasions, with the door closed, we “debate” robustly but never, ever have fallen out as his respect for my role as an elected Member remains steadfast as does my respect for his role as an S151 Officer. On another level, Gary has held firm to the doctrine of keeping sacred the private questions and briefings given to opposition Members, especially around Budget setting. God knows, I have tried to trick out of him the nuts and bolts of those lines of enquiries but failed miserably. He is far too cute for that. Also, he has been 100% reliable for delivering the facts around some contentious Policy promotion and would never massage the narrative to suit a purpose. Straight and decent are his trademarks.

Finally, on behalf of the entire Council and Directorate, I wish to put on record my gratitude for all his work and loyalty to NYC and NYCC before. North Yorkshire’s loss is Lancashire’s gain, sadly. I wish him all the very best of wishes and luck as he enters the next phase of his illustrious career. He may need it across the County boundary!!

P.s. Any reference to the two County differences is geographical and not political!!

COUNCILLOR GARETH DADD