Issue - meetings

Recommendations

That

i)               Approval be given to acquire Resolution House, based on the Heads of Terms provided in Private & Confidential Appendix A.

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 Resources.

Considered a report of the Corporate Director Resources which sought approval for the acquisition of Resolution House, Scarborough, as part of wider plans to rationalise and optimise the Council’s property portfolio.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Gareth Dadd introduced the report emphasising that estate rationalisation had been a long‑standing priority and that Resolution House represented a rare, time‑sensitive opportunity at a cost substantially lower than recent public speculation. He explained that while commercial confidentiality limited disclosure, the business case was robust and avoided the far higher refurbishment costs of the existing buildings of Scarborough Town Hall and Ryedale House which were neither feasible nor justifiable. He emphasised the regeneration benefits and the need to act swiftly.

Five public questions were then presented to the Executive as follows:

Councillor Thomas Murray

Since the future of Scarborough Town Hall is again being considered, I would like to ask a question.

The Executive report before you again confirms that Scarborough Town Hall is a Grade II listed building and an important heritage asset located within the conservation area, while also stating that the proposed acquisition of Resolution House and wider estate rationalisation may have implications for the future utilisation of the Town Hall site, including the possibility of it becoming vacant.

Despite the scale and significance of these proposals, Scarborough Town Council has not been meaningfully engaged in these discussions. In fact, we first learned of the proposals through social media and a press release, rather than through direct engagement.

This is particularly concerning given that Scarborough Town Council leases space within the Town Hall and uses the Council Chamber and Mayor’s Parlour for council meetings and civic functions, and represents around 28,000 residents.

Given that thirteen years ago the previous council undertook extensive consultation because decisions about the Town Hall were recognised as having major democratic, heritage and economic implications, and that the proposals at the time were ultimately shelved following that consultation, and given that town and parish councils were promised a collaborative relationship under the new unitary arrangements,

What concrete changes will North Yorkshire Council now put in place to ensure it can properly communicate and work collaboratively with its town and parish councils across the county? Simply saying there are around 400 councils and that meaningful engagement is therefore difficult is not good enough.

Councillor Sarah Mason

North Yorkshire Council has recently announced its intention to purchase a building on the outskirts of Scarborough for £4.5 million. Once realistic additional costs are included, such as relocation, legal fees, IT infrastructure, accessibility works, and full internal fit out, the total cost of this move is likely to rise to approximately £6.5–7.5 million based on standard public sector capital benchmarks.

Alongside this, NYC has provisionally allocated £750,000 to relocate the Customer First desk away from its current location next to Scarborough’s historic Grade II listed Town Hall,  the civic heart of the town and a building the Charter Trustees were specifically established to protect following the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 863