Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alyson Baker (non-voting), Tom Jones and Peter Wilkinson.

The Minutes of the meeting held on Monday, 23 October 2024 having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chair as an accurate record.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

Councillor Yvonne Peacock declared an interest in anticipation of questions/statements from members of the public.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Stephen Loach of Democratic Services by midday on Wednesday 13 November 2024, 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 Chair who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

The following questions or statements, as detailed below, were submitted by members of the public:

Cllr Philip Holder - Member of Leyburn Town Council

(A diagram of the proposed route was circulated at the meeting)

Go-Ahead have bought Proctors, in May, and their depot at Leeming Bar which is en- route.  They have a network to Ripon and Helmsley from York with North Riding under East Yorkshire Bus Services.  Also they have just ordered 1200 buses from WrightBus in NI for £500M so they may be interested in linking up with their North East interests.  The headline this week was "Go-Ahead to reap benefits of mayoral public transport schemes" by Graham Whitfield in Business Live 23 October 2024. I call the route " The North Riding Superloop" after TfL's round London new routes.

Response from North Yorkshire Passenger Transport Services – Andy Clarke

Much of the area included is already covered by existing commercial bus routes so NYC would not be able to commission it even if there was a budget.

Any bus company is free to register a bus service if they wish but that would be a decision for them rather than NYC. Proctors / Go-Ahead are unlikely to start a parallel service to Arriva between Catterick, Richmond and Darlington.

Alexandra Robson – Clerk to Northallerton Town Council

It is now 14 months since we asked why the North Northallerton site, allotments, could not be formally opened. No progress appears to have been made in resolving the legal issues highlighted in NYCs response to that question. The completed allotment site now requires significant remedial work before it could be used. What are the specific legal issues causing this continued delay, who are the parties involved, how will NYC ensure that these issues are resolved quickly and who will be responsible for the costs to remediate the allotment site before it can be used?

Response from Legal Services

The transfer from the developers to NYC was recently completed. 

Negotiations are now underway with Northallerton Town Council with a view to completing shortly on the allotment headlease as well as the transfer of the Ramsden ransom strip.

Home to School Transport Policy

1.Stephen and Christine Clarkson

I am emailing to give notice to speak at the Richmond & Northallerton Area Committee meeting at County Hall 10 am Monday 18 November. I understand a discussion about school transport is to be allowed.

My statement is as follows

The new home to school transport policy will severely affect our area both in the short and long term.The proposal will take our children over mountainous ungritted routes.

As an example, the Kirkby Stephen route goes over Tailbrigg a notorious road that is often impassable. If you don’t believe me, please take notice of these statements, both from people who have no skin in the game. Simon Alderson, the owner of the garage at the foot of Tailbrigg. He states "We are well aware of this issue as the road is closed regularly in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 125.

Martin Dodd, Area Operations Manager (North Yorkshire), Yorkshire Ambulance Service, attended the meeting to assist Members with their discussion of ambulance response times in the area following details having been considered at the June meeting of the Committee, which were recirculated prior to this meeting.

He outlined the following:

·       He provided details as to how Category 1 and Category 2 incidents were determined

·       The response time for a Category 1 incident was 7 minutes and Category 2, recently reset, was 30 minutes, as set by the Government.

·       In North Yorkshire the Category 2 target was being met with the current average being 26 minutes and 20 seconds.

·       Every effort was being made to improve current response times.

Members highlighted the following:

·       Recent events, involving elderly members of the public, had seen response times way in excess of those provided, with wait times of between 3 and 5 hours plus experienced. The Member asked whether those involved had been unlucky or whether the response times stated were inaccurate, noting that there was an ambulance station nearby to where the incidents occurred. In response Mr Dodd apologised for the delayed responses outlined and requested the details so that he could investigate the specific circumstances. He emphasised that North Yorkshire was a large geographical area and response times were dependent upon where ambulances were deployed. There was also the issue of Accident and Emergency departments being located out of the area which added to the time taken for an ambulance response.

·       The challenges outlined were appreciated, especially in relation to the out of area Accident and Emergency facilities and it was asked whether neighbouring ambulance services were utilised to provide a back up service, for example the North East Ambulance Service, when delays were being experienced. In response it was stated that this co-ordination of services took place on a daily basis with reciprocal arrangements in place for peak periods. The back up services for each ambulance area were a useful resource and were deployed effectively to provide the most efficient service.

·       It was noted that back in the 1950s ambulance response times to the Upper Dales were 4 hours and above, resulting in a local, independent service being developed. This led to the provision of an ambulance station at Bainbridge which remains in place now. The Member highlighted the difficulties in recruiting to the station due to its rurality, although she noted that an appointment had just been made, and asked whether the recruitment issue affected the performance of the station. In response it was stated that there was an issue in trying to recruit to rural areas, but the recent appointment had relieved the issue to a certain extent for the Bainbridge station. Every effort would be made to maximise the recruitment to rural areas.

·       It was asked whether voluntary staff were utilised to enhance the service provision. In response it was stated that the Community First Voluntary Service was used to assist the service until an ambulance was able to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 126.

Matt Robinson, Head of Resilience and Emergencies, provided Members with an update on the resilience and emergencies plan.

He noted that his report had been provided previously and, therefore, provided the following highlights:

How emergencies are responded to including partner and community response.

The North Yorkshire Council system, structure and process for responding to emergencies.

Developing a consistent and understandable approach.

The involvement of Members in area arrangements

Details of area co-ordination including dedicated officers.

The development of appropriate policies.

Members highlighted the following in relation to the report:

·       Some discrepancies within the report relating to which Electoral Division certain features were located and, therefore, had been assigned to the wrong Councillor for contact in emergency situations. In response it was agreed to do an enhanced review to ensure that the correct areas and Councillors were identified in respect of this.

·       A Member emphasised the need to ensure that local communities were fully aware of what was required of them during emergency situations and it had to be ensured that appropriate plans and communications were in place, through appropriate engagement. In response it was stated that a group was in place for the local launch of Community Emergency Plans however knowledge of those Plans was imperative. Engagement continued to be sought to ensure that progress was been made.

·       Concerns were raised regarding a serious incident that had occurred in a local community of which the local Councillor had not been made aware. The local press, Parish Council and residents were seeking assurance via the Member but there was no information to be provide. He suggested that a 24 hour, seven days a week contact point was required to address such situations and assist with communications. In response it was stated that whenever a serious incident took place Silver Command were always contactable with details of the duty officer available in the Members Handbook. It was also stated that the contact number can be utilised both ways with Members informing Silver Command of an incident they have become aware of, which would be of assistance to their response.

·       A Member expressed her disappointment that some Plans developed and under development were not detailed in Appendix B to the report, which provided information on Flood warning sign up and Emergency Plans within the Constituency area. She considered that the omission of this information from the report was a disincentive to the local communities that had no acknowledgement of the Plans they had developed and for those that were in the process developing Plans. She asked for this to be taken account of, going forward, with a better reflection of what is actually taking place. Other Members concurred with the issues raised and suggested that the appendix required an update. There was also a requirement for Members to be fully prepared through appropriate planning for emergency situations. In response it was stated that work was being undertaken alongside clusters of Parish and Town Councils to provide more resilience.

·       A Member requested a copy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127.

Barrie Mason – Assistant Director, Highways and Transportation provided a report updating Members the on delivery of EV charging Infrastructure across the Area Committee area. He highlighted the following:

·       Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCP) were installed and subsequently switched off across the former Hambleton District Council area as was reported to the Area Committee in September 2023.

·       The chosen supplier became insolvent ahead of arrangements being made for the ongoing maintenance and management of 37 planned EVCP’s across nine sites and as North Yorkshire Council (NYC) had no specifications or manuals to enable them to resolve this it was no longer safe for them to remain in operation.

·       In the former Richmondshire district six EVCP’s were installed at four locations (under a contract with a supplier that had now expired). The EVCPs now belong to NYC, are still operational, and Officers are working to bring them under an existing contract with a Charging Point Operator (CPO) to have them maintained and managed.

·       In the former Hambleton District area NYC engaged with the proposed receivers for the insolvent supplier to try and resolve the problems with the EVCP that had been installed, however, EVS Energy did not complete the installations, return any assets that or share any specifications, user manuals or provide access to the back-office system and there was nothing in place to enforce this.

·       Alternative options were considered however, there was no headroom remaining in any of the existing contracts to take on the EVCPs. 

·       A successful bid was made to the York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for the full amount of funding required to replace the EVCPs in Hambleton and would be completed by the CPO that is awarded by the contract for the LEVI programme. The award of a contract for a CPO is currently planned for Spring 2025.

·       Until the new EV bays become operational, the EVCP’s will remain bagged off and the bays will be signed and marked up so they can be used as normal parking spaces.

·       It was envisaged that a tender exercise to seek a partner to deliver the EVCPs across North Yorkshire will be launched shortly and the first priority for delivery of the replacement of the charging points would be in the former Hambleton district area.

Members highlighted the following issues:

·       It was clarified that all areas in Hambleton would be prioritised for the connection and provision of EVCPs under the revised arrangements, however, the implementation was not imminent, with early summer 2025 anticipated to be the likely timescale.

·       Work would take place alongside Town and Parish Councils to maximise the use of the funding generated through the LEVI programme.

·       Engagement with Members and Town and Parish Councils would be taking place to determine the appropriate locations for the placement of the EVCPs.

·       A Member expressed surprise that the documentation and expertise was not transferred into the unitary Authority from the former Hambleton District Council. In response it was clarified that the documents referred to had not been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128.

Paul Romans, Community Safety & CCTV Manager provided an update on Community Safety & CCTV across North Yorkshire including a focus on Community Safety Hubs, CCTV and the wider strategic Community Safety Partnership work.

He highlighted the following:

·       The development of Community Safety and CCTV services

·       Renewed Community Safety Hubs and the structures within those

·       The North Yorkshire community safety arrangements

·       The current CCTV Service and forthcoming review

A discussion of the report highlighted the following issues:

·       Members raised concerns regarding the inconsistent service provided by CCTV in the area, with some communities being unable to access the videos and others having no service. In response it was stated that the CCTV provision was not a statutory service, and its use was dependent upon the resources put into this by the former District Councils. Possible solutions to providing a more consistent service were being investigated and would form part of the review. The ultimate aim was to provide a 7 days a week, 24 hours a day service as extensively as possible.

·       A Member asked whether the MoD had been approached to provide a joint CCTV service in Catterick Garrison. In response it was stated that NYC worked closely with the MoD at the Garrison and all community safety opportunities would be explored. It was also noted that there had been a number of hate crimes in the Catterick Garrison recently and every effort was being made to address this.

·       It was noted that the current quality of images from the Stokesley CCTV cameras was not good and it was asked whether consideration could be given to enhancing that quality. In response it was stated that the provision of enhanced quality cameras was very expensive and it had to be taken into account that the service was not a statutory provision. The review would determine how the service could be enhanced, going forward.

Resolved -

That the update be noted.

It was noted that no update was available at this stage and updates would be provided to Members as appropriate progress was made.

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) providing a Work Programme for Members to consider, develop and adapt.

The following issues were highlighted:

·       Following the receipt of a petition on the Authority’s new Home to School Transport policy large enough to trigger a debate at the Area Committee an additional meeting of the Committee would be arranged in January to consider this.

·       Enquiries would be made to determine whether the Constituency Area’s MP would be able to attend a meeting of the Committee in the near future.

·       A further request was made for issues relating to the performance of, and communication with, the local area Planning Teams to be discussed at a future meeting. It was noted that this matter would be addressed at a forthcoming briefing for Members of the Committee. A Member noted that a recent restructure of the Planning Services teams, together with a huge increase in applications, had created issues for the teams, and recognition of these difficult circumstances was required.

Resolved  

       i.         That the Work Programme be noted

     ii.         That the issues raised above be added to the Work Programme

    iii.         That further consideration be given to the development of the work programme at forthcoming briefings and meetings.

There were no urgent items of business.

Resolved

That it be noted that the next scheduled ordinary meeting of the Committee would be held on Monday 17 March 2025 at 10am at a venue to be determined, however, an additional meeting of the Committee relating to the petition on the Authority’s new Home to School Transport policy would be arranged in January 2025, and details would be provided to Members in due course.