North Yorkshire Council

Thirsk and Malton Area Committee

30 July 2026

Petition concerning Cauwood Day Centre, Malton

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive - Legal and Democratic Services

1.0

Purpose of the report

1.1

To advise of a petition containing more than 500 signatures.

1.2

To ask the Area Committee to consider a response.

2.0 The petition

2.1 A petition has been received by North Yorkshire Council and on receipt contained 1499 signatures of people who live, work or study in the county.

2.2 The petition, which is also available on the Council’s website, reads as follows:

Cauwood Day Centre in Malton is under threat of closure by North Yorkshire Council.

The centre provides a lifeline for adults with severe disabilities and complex needs. Their parents and carers say alternative provision either does not exist or cannot meet their needs.

We are calling on North Yorkshire Council to protect the service Cauwood provides - whether in its current building or a suitable new one - and to safeguard specialist day care provision for the Ryedale area.

Please sign below and stand with Cauwood’s users, families and carers. Thank you!

2.3 The petition has been submitted via email and is available online.

3.0 The Council’s arrangements for receiving and responding to petitions

3.1 The key features of the Council’s arrangements for receiving and debating petitions, as published on the Council’s website, are as follows:

· Receipt of the petition is published on the Council’s website (which has been done in the case of this petition).

· If a petition contains 500 or more signatures (but less than 30,130 signatories), it will be scheduled for debate at the next meeting of the appropriate Area Committee.

· The petition organiser is offered the opportunity to speak for five minutes at the Area Committee meeting to present their petition. Subsequently, at the meeting, the petition will be discussed by Councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes and a decision will be made on how to respond to the petition.

· Possible responses by the Council to petitions, as shown on the website, are:

(a) to take the action the petition requests if appropriate to so and the Committee is able to do so under delegated powers

(b) not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate

(d) where the issue is one on which the council Executive is required to make the final decision, the area committee will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

· The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of this decision. This confirmation will also be published on the website.

3.2 In accordance with the arrangements described above, the petition organisers have been invited to join today’s meeting to present their petition.

4.0 Officers’ comments regarding the petition

A report was brought to Executive Committee in April 2026 providing an update on longer-term plans to develop an Extra Care Housing scheme in the Malton and Ryedale area, along with development plans for adults’ community-based care and support. The report set out a proposal to close Cauwood Day Service in Malton due to significant ongoing challenges in sustaining operational delivery of the service and re-provide in local alternative community-based solutions in Ryedale and surrounding areas. It was clear within the report that no one would be left without care and support, and appropriate alternative support arrangements would be put in place.

The Executive noted the contents of the report, however there was concern specifically over the closure of the day service, and therefore the Executive agreed to “making a decision on the Cauwood Day Service only after consultation with the adults who use the service, their families and the colleagues who provide the care.”

A public consultation was launched and closed on 17 June; responses have been reviewed. Alongside this process the Council always intended to consult with staff members affected by the proposals and undertake individual assessment conversations with eight people attending the service, which has been completed.

Feedback has been incorporated into the revised proposal, along with acknowledgement of the petition, which is due to be heard by the Executive on 4 August. The report will be publicly available on 27 July 2026.

5.0 Comments on the options available to Members:

The options available to the Committee under the petitions scheme as listed under 3.1 above are as follows.

Option A: is not available to the Committee under delegated powers.

Option B: not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate

Option C: is not available to the Committee because;

Option D: the Council’s Executive is required to make the final decision and will consider this matter on 4 August 2026. The area committee may decide to make recommendations to inform that decision.

6.0

Recommendations

6.1

That the Committee notes the petition and provides a response based on an option detailed in paragraph 5.0.

Barry Khan

Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)

County Hall

Northallerton

Author of report: Nicki Lishman, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Background document: North Yorkshire Council’s petitions information