Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors David Chance and Simon Myers, and from Richard Flinton – Chief Executive Officer

Resolved –

Thatthe public Minutesof themeeting heldon 30 May 2023,having been printedand circulated,betakenas readand confirmedby theChairmanas acorrect record.

Councillor Greg White declared an interest in Agenda Item 9 – CIL proposals submitted by Ryedale District Council, as his wife was a Trustee of Ryedale Learning Trust.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Melanie Carr of Democratic and Scrutiny Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Thursday 15 June 2023, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item.  Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:

·            at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);

·            when the relevant Agenda item is being considered if they wish to speak on a matter which is on the Agenda for this meeting.

If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Leader who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

There were a number of public participants registered to speak on Agenda items 5, 7 and 9.  The Chair agreed to hear from those participants as part of consideration of the relevant agenda item.

Recommendations:

That the Executive resolve that

i.    the issues listed above in section 9 of the report have been satisfied and there can be a determination of the proposals.

ii.   The proposal to amalgamate Eskdale School and Caedmon College Whitby be determined through:

·       Ceasing to maintain Eskdale School from 31 August 2024.

·       Increasing the published admission number of Caedmon College Whitby, from 1 September 2024. The current admission number for Caedmon College Whitby is 184 and the proposed admission number for Caedmon College Whitby (as the amalgamated school) will be 240

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director for Children & Young People’s Service providing information upon which to determine the proposal to amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School, resulting in the technical closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site and an increase in the planned admission number for the amalgamated school, from 1 September 2024.

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson introduced the report and drew attention to the scale of the consultation responses.  She also acknowledged the difficult nature of the decision to be taken, given its impact on the residents of Whitby, and noted that everyone present wanted the best for the young people of Whitby.  She suggested that the proposal offered the opportunity to address the low pupil numbers, significant financial challenges at both schools and the imperative to secure the best education and curriculum for the young people of Whitby.

It was noted that six public submissions had been received, as follows:

1. Mr David Bradley

I am writing to you again because I honestly do not believe that the above proposal is in the best interest of young learners and the wider community. I have lived near Whitby for thirty-two years and been privileged to serve as a secondary headteacher for nearly twenty years - fourteen at Eskdale School. I have a strong network of ex-colleagues and friends who believe that this plan is ill-conceived and fundamentally flawed – a view which is strongly endorsed by the very recent “Vision for Whitby” survey.

Everyone that I have spoken with accepts the fact that the current situation of surplus places cannot continue. However, putting all the 11-16 cohort onto the oldest site with the smallest playing fields and adjacent to one of the busiest roads in Whitby is not the best or safest option. In my opinion, other options have not been properly considered. A very small number of ‘federated’ governors, assisted by officers of the local authority, have devised a plan which solves the current financial problems but, will undoubtedly store up significant issues in the medium and longer term. I call upon our elected members to be brave enough to halt this process immediately before we sleepwalk into another short-term solution.

The current situation in Whitby is intolerable for children, parents, and staff. North Yorkshire Council need to transform it, not follow the example of their predecessors. As a new unitary authority, they should grasp the opportunity to make ambitious, inventive, and innovative decisions which are a force for good. A variety of options should be explored and presented to our young people, many of whom will be the parents of tomorrow in this community. These options must be costed and future-proofed, unlike the current proposal. We have not been given the financial value of the three sites. We have not been given costings to upgrade the former Whitby School.  We have not been given the cost of escorting students across Mayfield Road and we do not know the cost to the environment of buses  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257.

Recommendation:

That the Executive approve de-registration and closure of the five named centres, as listed in paragraph 1.1 of the report

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Service providing a summary of the consultation response on a proposal to close five designated Children’s Centres and seeking approval to de-register and close those Children’s Centres.

Councillor Janet Sanderson introduced the report and drew attention to an error in paragraph 1.1 of the report where Nidderdale had incorrectly been listed twice and Eastfield omitted.  She also drew attention to the consultation responses and noted there no responses relating to three of the Centres – Kirbymoorside, Eastfield or Wensleydale, and of the sixteen responses received, only three were not supportive of the proposals.

It was noted the proposal was about property rationalisation as part of the CYPS savings plan and attention was drawn to the potential savings at paragraph 6.1 of the report.

Councillor Andrew Murday spoke about the Nidderdale Centre at St Cuthbert’s School in Pateley Bridge which was not currently in use and nor would the school find any future use for it. He questioned the costs associated with delivering the service through domiciliary visits and suggested it might prove less useful in identifying other issues such as domestic abuse.  He drew attention to the services provided by Nidderdale Plus and suggested the use of the facility would enable an extension of their services and therefore asked that it not be de-designated.

In response Stuart Carlton, Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Service confirmed that de-designation was a technical requirement of the primary legislation still in place in regard to Children’s Centres, even though other elements of the legislation had since been removed, such as Ofsted inspections.  Once de-designated the Centres would no longer be recognised as Children’s Centres on the DfE’s database.  However that would not prevent the buildings from being used for similar purposes in the future and welcomed future discussions with interested stakeholders.

Councillor Michael Harrison recognised it was a technical event that would not prevent costed plans coming forward.

Having considered the report and the discussions at the meeting, the Executive

Resolved – That the five named Children’s Centres be de-registered and closed.

Recommendations:

That the Executive approves: 

i.  That a subscription-based garden waste service be introduced in the Selby area in line with the rest of North Yorkshire at the harmonised rate. 

ii.  That subscriptions open from 3 July 2023 with the charged service beginning w/c 28 August 2023, and a pro-rata rate of £29 be charged for 2023/24. 

iii. To agree the further harmonisation of the garden waste service across the North Yorkshire Council area including charging periods, subscription periods and winter close down, based on the proposals for the Selby area. 

Considered – A Report of the Corporate Director – Environment seeking approval for the introduction of a subscription-based garden waste service in the Selby area in line with the rest of North Yorkshire at the harmonised rate.  The proposal was that subscriptions would open from 3 July 2023 with the charged service beginning w/c 28 August 2023, and a pro-rata rate of £29 be charged for 2023/24. 

The report also proposed that further harmonisation of the garden waste service across the North Yorkshire Council area including charging periods, subscription periods and winter close down be agreed based on the proposals for the Selby area.

Councillor Greg White introduced the report and confirmed that the collection of garden waste was not a statutory service, and whilst all the former District/Borough Councils did offer to collect it, only Selby District Council did so without any charge. He noted the proposal in the report would deliver a harmonised service.

There was one public submission received from Mrs Gillian Ivey, who was unable to attend the meeting.  Her submission was therefore read out on her behalf as follows:

‘As one of the lead Councillors who was responsible for the introduction of Green Waste Collection in the former Selby District Council Area, I have taken a keen interest in the results of the recent consultation on charging for Green Waste Collection.

I note that over 50% of responders have stated that they will simply put their green waste in the grey bin instead. This was not allowed under the scheme run by the former Selby District Council.

So my question to Executive members is this; are residents who do not wish to pay a charge for a green bin now allowed to put green waste in their grey bin ?

Although the paper presented today states there is no evidence of a major increase in weights of household waste following the introduction of charging in other areas, I do not see any facts and figures to back up this statement or an indication of where this was the case.  I suggest to you that based on previous experience and also the responses to the consultation question, that a different scenario may play out in the Selby area.’

In response Councillor Greg White confirmed 3,580 consultation responses had been received which equated to less than 9% of properties in the former Selby District Council area.  Whilst the consultation response indicated that 51% of respondents would put garden waste in residual bins that equated to less than 2,000 properties.  He also noted the following:

·          Information from the other garden waste collection services across the rest of North Yorkshire suggested households that did not subscribe to the service tended to either compost their garden waste material at home or take it to their local home waste and recycling centre.

·          Crews would not be checking refuse bins for garden waste and had never done so in the area.

·          Residents would be advised to compost or take  ...  view the full minutes text for item 259.

Recommendations - The Executive are asked to note:

i)   The care market development work undertaken in Craven to support the Council’s strategic priorities in embedding a home first approach that enables people to remain independent and remain in their own homes for longer, reducing reliance on residential care. 

ii)  The intention to replace Neville House with new Extra Care Housing in Gargrave, subject to a successful procurement exercise, and the associated closure of Neville House in Autumn 2023.

iii)  The wider work to develop supported accommodation for people with a range of care and support needs, including younger adults, across Craven.

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director – Health & Adult Services updating on ongoing work to support the development of the care market in Craven to ensure it could continue to meet the emerging needs of the locality and the strategic intentions to develop new accommodation-based services in Craven and seeking approval for the replacement of Neville House Elderly Person’s Home with new accommodation-based services.

Councillor Michael Harrison introduced the report and noted the proposals were for an expansion of the Authority’s extra care model and investment in the Gargrave area, and the associated closure of Neville House.

He acknowledged that Neville House was a much-loved facility, providing good care to its seven residents.  However he noted it was no longer fit for purpose in its current form.  He suggested the timing of the proposal was as good as it was going to get, and that the forward thinking and enthusiastic workforce would be redeployed.

He was pleased to note the Authority’s successful extra care programme was nationally recognised and that the proposal would provide an opportunity to procure smaller schemes to transform the programme in a way that would previously have been impossible.  He also noted that the deterioration of Neville House did not allow time for the provision of a new extra care facility in Gargrave ahead of its closure, and the risk of a forced closure continued to increase.

Councillors Carl Les and Derek Bastiman was both pleased to note that Neville House residents and the staff would be looked after, noting it would lead to improved living standards for those residents.

Councillor Gareth Dadd acknowledged a difficult decision taken at this time would lead to a better result in the medium term. He also noted that in the Thirsk area the introduction of the extra care model had proved very successful.

Councillor Michael Harrison reiterated his commitment to the residents, their families and staff of Neville House, and confirmed residents would only be moved when it was right for them with no fixed closure date.

Having considered the report in full, the Executive voted in favours of the recommendations, and it was

Resolved – That the following be noted:

i)   The care market development work undertaken in Craven to support the Council’s strategic priorities in embedding a home first approach that enables people to remain independent and remain in their own homes for longer, reducing reliance on residential care. 

ii)  The intention to replace Neville House with new Extra Care Housing in Gargrave, subject to a successful procurement exercise, and the associated closure of Neville House in Autumn 2023.

iii)  The wider work to develop supported accommodation for people with a range of care and support needs, including younger adults, across Craven.

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director of Resources seeking consideration of the recommendations toaward CommunityInfrastructureLevy (CIL) funding to a numberofcommunityschemesas requestedby Ryedale District Council on 28March2023.

Councillor Gareth Dadd introduced the report and provided a factual summary of where the Council was at as of June 2023.

He noted a number of public submissions had been received, as follows:

1. Mark McCandless - Chief Executive Officer, Ryedale Learning Trust

He firstly drew attention to an email received from Gary Fielding on 9 June 2023 at 17.13 which stated:

The report recommends that your request for grant funding is not supported. The recommendation in the report is that CIL is earmarked for school buildings works in the former Ryedale area. The report includes the following excerpt relating to your particular proposal.

We would expect other funding routes to be exhausted prior to any request for CIL including from DfE contribution as this is an academy. Strong sports related project, with community benefit which levered in substantial match funding and had the support of the Football Foundation. Positive scheme but lower priority than the proposed educational use.

He went on to state:

‘Thank you for the feedback provided on our application, which I will refer to. We absolutely understand the pressure on NYC in terms of funding and being able to demonstrate delivering value for tax payers’ money.

For clarity, we would like to highlight that the 3G project at Ryedale School has the highest amount of matched funding in place in terms of the schemes being considered today and requires the lowest intervention rate (16%). It has received the support of the Football Foundation, other grant awarding bodies and the general public living in the community as this facility is much needed in the Ryedale area. In terms of value for money, this council has the opportunity to help deliver a project (worth in the region of £1M) that is desperately needed in this part of North Yorkshire, for an investment of 16%, equating to £125k.  All funding routes were exhausted (and with significant success) prior to this request for CIL funding, including DfE contributions (the CIF process makes clear that this project will not qualify for funding, and currently this is the only route open to us to bid for DfE capital funding). The match funding already secured for this project will be put at significant jeopardy if we do not receive the investment requested from NYC, and therefore it is highly unlikely this project will go  ...  view the full minutes text for item 261.

Considered –

The Forward Plan for the period 12 June 2023 to 30 June 2024 was presented.

Resolved -   That the Forward Plan be noted.