Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor Goodrick proposed and Councillor Dadd seconded that Councillor Nigel Knapton be elected Chair of Thirsk and Malton Area Committee until the first meeting of the Committee following the Council’s Annual General Meeting in 2026.

Resolved

That Councillor Nigel Knapton be elected Chair of Thirsk and Malton Area Committee until the first meeting of the Committee following the Council’s Annual General Meeting in 2026.

Resolved

That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Thirsk and Malton Area Committee held on 28 March 2025, having been printed and circulated, be confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Lindsay Burr and Keane Duncan.

Councillor Baker proposed and Councillor Knapton seconded that Councillor Caroline Goodrick be appointed Vice Chair of the Committee until the first meeting of the Committee following the Council’s Annual General Meeting in 2026.

Resolved

That Councillor Caroline Goodrick be elected Vice Chair of Thirsk and Malton Area Committee until the first meeting of the Committee following the Council’s Annual General Meeting in 2026.

Councillor Alyson Baker declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 7 as a member of her family worked for Yorkshire Water.

For the purposes of transparency, with regard to Item 10, Councillors Gareth Dadd and Greg White declared that they were members of the Council’s Executive.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice and provided the text to Democratic Services Officer (details below) no later than midday on Tuesday, 10 June 2025, three working days before the day of the meeting. Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item. 

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 those taking a recording to cease whilst you speak.

There were no publicquestionsor statements.

The Chair welcomed Sarah Robinson, Corporate Affairs Manager and Emma Brown, Manager of Strategic Partnerships from Yorkshire Water (YW).

Members of the Committee had previously submitted a number of questions, which the presentation would address. Members were advised that a written response may be required for any additional questions raised at the meeting.

Brawby scheme update

·       The progress made in separating surface water from the combined system and the creation of a new surface water pumping station with a new delivery date set for winter 2025.

·       Significant progress has been made, including the installation of a pumping station and a new rising main.

·       Delays were caused by site circumstances requiring a complete redesign of the scheme. The new delivery date was set for winter 2025, with significant work planned for the summer period.

Bathing water quality

·       Improving bathing water quality is complex due to multiple factors such as sewage system impact, agricultural runoff, trade effluents, birds, tidal conditions, weather patterns, and natural UV. Yorkshire Water works closely with the Environment Agency and local authorities to address these challenges.

·       Yorkshire Water plans to invest over £100 million in Scarborough over the next five years to reduce discharges from storm overflows, in line with the Environment Act requirements.

Growth and planning

·       Yorkshire Water reviews new development requests on a case-by-case basis, led by their town planning function. They work closely with developers and North Yorkshire Council planners to promote sustainable water management and minimise the impact on the existing sewer network.

·       Conditions are set to minimise the impact on existing infrastructure, often related to flow rates and discharge rates. A full desktop review and collaboration with local operational teams help identify pinch points and risks within the existing catchment.

Combined sewer overflow programme

·       The £1.5 billion programme aims to reduce spills from storm overflows across the region from 2025 to 2030. The programme includes hydraulic modelling, storage requirements, and surface water separation.

·       Yorkshire Water targets 20% of the programme to utilise nature-based solutions, such as surface water separation and attenuation, to reduce environmental impact.

Wastewater tankering

·       Tankers are used as a mitigation plan during sewage asset issues, such as rising main bursts, localised power loss, or site shutdowns for maintenance. The aim is to move effluent to a location where it can be treated and returned to the environment.

·       Efforts are made to minimise the use of tankers due to their high cost and the disruption they cause to the local community. Operational teams and community engagement are involved in managing the impact.

Road works and traffic management

·       Traffic management is handled by a specialist team with professional qualifications, while the dig work is done by a separate team with the relevant skills. This division ensures compliance with legislation and safety standards.

·       Coordination with other utilities, such as high voltage electricity cables or gas, can cause delays. Waiting for parts, curing times, or access to other utilities' assets are common reasons for road works appearing inactive.

Malton and Norton flood risk:

·       Investigations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Dr Kevin Carr, Divisional Officer and Sophie Nicholson, Scientific Officer from the Regulatory Services scientific team provided an update on air quality in Malton.

The officers also addressed the issues that had been raised by a member of the public at the previous meeting of the committee.

The background to the creation of the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in Malton and the reasons for its revocation were explained and that, despite the revocation, a duty to monitor remained.

At the inception of NYC there were eight AQMAs in North Yorkshire and this has now reduced to four, with hopefully another being revoked in the near future.

Dr Carr advised that the air quality action plan was due to be updated, and this would reflect the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) limits on pollutants. WHO limits were currently for guidance only and the Council based its reporting on statutory UK limits. It was hoped to produce an air quality strategy by the end of March 2027.

The weight restriction on County Bridge, Malton had contributed to the success of the AQMA and Dr Carr and the local Area Manager for Highways confirmed that there was no plan to remove the weight restriction. However, officers acknowledged that the weight restriction caused issues elsewhere and Highways were commissioning a more holistic traffic management study for Malton and Norton.

If there were any change in the weight restriction, it would be closely monitored for its impact on air pollution.

The Chair thanked the officers for their update.

Resolved

That the report be noted.

Verbal update, R Marr, Area Manager Area 4.

Richard Marr, Area Manager, Highways attended the committee to answer Members questions on a number of highway matters.

Members had questioned whether the prohibition on overnight parking by motorhomes on the east coast could be used to ban overnight parking by HGVs in locations across the committee’s area.

Mr Marr explained that the prohibition at the coast was based on the impact on the visual amenity of the location.

Issues associated with overnight parking in the committee’s area may be enforced by other means such as by the Environmental Health team but there were difficulties with “catching people in the act”.

Mr Marr suggested that specific locations where there are problems should be submitted to the local area Highways office, when the impacts can be assessed and usable, practical and enforceable solutions may be identified.

During the discussion Members;

·       Raised concerns about the possible displacement of motorhomes to other areas as a result of the prohibition.

·       Asked if there were lessons to be learned from other areas around the country?

·       Requested an explanation of the difference between a Traffic Regulation Order and a bylaw. The officer confirmed that the highway authority does not manage bylaws.

The Chair thanked Mr Marr for the update and information.

Considered – report of the Assistant Chief Executive Local Engagement.

Members were asked to note the double devolution proposal for the transfer of the Market Place Public Conveniences at Malton together with the one-off grant of £57,000 to Malton Town Council to support the Town Council’s ongoing operation of the facilities and, subject to an in principle decision from the Corporate Director of Resources and negotiation of suitable heads of terms for the asset transfer and subsidy control compliance, to agree in principle to the transfer and grant.

As part of the submission to government for reorganisation and the establishment of North Yorkshire Council in April 2023, it was agreed to pilot a number of double devolution pilot schemes, which would support more localised service delivery and ownership of services currently delivered by North Yorkshire Council.

This proposal would see the town council take over the responsibility for the operation of the public toilets in Malton Market Place. A one-off grant to the town council of £57,000 would support the town council’s ongoing operation of the facility.

It was proposed to permanently close the public toilets in Wentworth St, Malton, on successful transfer of the site at Market Place.

Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff read a statement on behalf of the Division Member, Councillor Lindsay Burr, who was supportive of the proposal.

Recommendation

That the Executive agrees in principle to the transfer and grant of the facilities to the Town Council and authorises the closure of the Wentworth Street public toilets upon successful transfer of the site at Market Place.

To consider, develop and adopt a Work Programme for 2025/26 for the Area Committee.

Members considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) which contained the Committee’s current work programme for the municipal year (2025/26). 

Members requested more information on the following:

·       the impacts of bank closures across the committee area

·       the amount of S106 funds available in the local community

Concerns were raised that some Parish Councils were experiencing difficulty contacting or getting responses from some service areas. Members asked that the matter be referred to the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved

That the work programme be noted and the agreed additions be included in the work programme for future consideration.

Any other items which the Chair agrees should be considered as a matter of urgency because of special circumstances.

There were no items of urgent business.

2.00pm on Friday, 26 September 2025.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 2pm on Friday, 29 September 2026.

Members are invited to contact the report author(s) with any detailed queries or questions on the following matters.

Members were advised to contact the report author(s) directly if they had any comments or queries.