Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to St John Harris of Democratic Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Wednesday, 25 February, 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 Chairman who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.
Minutes:
There were ten
public questions and statements submitted to the committee. Questions 3 and 4
were considered at Minute 185 – North Yorkshire Council Harbours Strategy
questions 5 to 10 were considered at Minute 186 – Whitby Cliff Lift.
1. I refer to my question raised at the September
meeting in respect of meetings to be held regularly in Whitby, when it was
agreed that future meetings will be held alternately in Whitby from March
2026. The September meeting should be
held in Whitby and I would like to know the progress
that has been made to find a venue with the required technology. In 2027 Whitby
Leisure Centre will revert back to NYC at the end of the 10
year lease agreement with Everyone Active. May I suggest that NYC agrees to rent the
Community Room at the Centre for future meetings, and to install the technology
required to stream meetings or to use a portable system? By installing the equipment
the room will be ready for use when NYC takes over, but will also allow Everyone
Active to rent out the room until the end of their lease with the added bonus
of the streaming ability. This way it
would be a cheaper option for NYC and ensure continuity of Whitby meetings from
September. (Vivienne Wright)
Reply
Thank you for
your question. I can confirm that for the forthcoming 2026-27
year, ordinary meetings of Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee will
alternate between Scarborough and Whitby.
6 June 2026 –
Scarborough Town Hall
30 September 2026
– Whitby Pavilion
27 November 2026
– Scarborough Town Hall
31 March 2027 –
Whitby Pavilion
Because of the
current technological limitations at Whitby Pavilion, it has been agreed to
audio record the meeting and then upload the recording to the council website
afterwards.
Thank you for
your suggestion of use of the Community Room at Whitby Leisure Centre which the
council will investigate. The council is also exploring the feasibility of a
portable technical solution for venues such as Whitby Pavilion.
In response, Ms
Wright welcomed a portable technical solution noting that Whitby Leisure Centre
could prove a cost effective option with such a
solution and had better parking provision.
2. Will the members of this committee contact the
Executive committee and request that all changes affecting Whitby are discussed
with Whitby Town Council, and that no decisions will be made without WTC
agreement and support? (Councillor Sandra Turner)
Reply
The Parish Charter adopted by the Executive
in July 2023 describes the working relationship between NYC and local councils.
Parish Charter | North
Yorkshire Council
Among the council’s pledges are to:
However, it is important to note that WTC
remains a consultee (among many) on such matters and that the ultimate decision
rests with NYC.
In response, Councillor Turner noted the
large number of parish councils in North Yorkshire (over 400) but reiterated
that given Whitby’s importance to the local tourist economy (the town welcomed
over two million visitors a year), the town council deserved closer
collaborative working with North Yorkshire Council.
3.
On the North
Yorkshire Council website in the section for consultations regarding the
current consultation on the draft harbours strategy. On the website page it
states:
“We are taking
the draft plans to committees, sharing with ward members, town councils, and
harbour user groups to gain a breadth of expertise.”
I would like to
understand the proposed measures for accommodating the Crew Transfer Vessels
and dozens of Guard Vessels in connection with the servicing and maintenance of
the largest offshore wind farm in the world, to which our port is the closest.
You will be aware
that a local business has invested over £100m in Crew Transfer vessels and has
a keen desire to operate these vessels from his hometown of Scarborough.
Please confirm
when the draft harbours strategy will be presented to stakeholder groups and
Scarborough Harbour user representatives so that members of the public and
harbour users can finally engage with the authors of what is proposed and so
that then they can provide consultation replies for 22nd March 2026.
(James Corrigan)
Reply
There are a number of
proposals in relation to CTV and Guard Vessels in the draft strategy that are
included in the Strategic Action Plans.
These include:
·
Improve dredge depths. Strategic Action 5 (1)
·
Extend West Pier. Strategic Action 5 (2)
·
Explore provision of a boat lift. Strategic Action 5 (6)
The draft harbours strategy has been available as a
public document since 8 January 2026 and the website
enables any member of the public to download the strategy and provide feedback
and comments on the strategy through the website.
The draft harbours strategy has been presented to
two public facing committees where members of the public can attend and ask
questions. The first of these was the
Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee
of North Yorkshire Council at its meeting on 28 January 2026, and the second is
this meeting today.
The proposals for the strategy were discussed at
the Whitby Harbour Users meeting on 23 January 2026.
The proposals for the strategy were discussed at
the Filey Coble Landing Users meeting on 26 January 2026.
The proposals for the strategy will be discussed at
the Scarborough Harbour Users meeting on 5 March 2026.
In response, Mr Corrigan was critical of the
engagement process behind the draft strategy, noting that asking a question at
a formal meeting like this did not allow proper engagement, and regarded the
draft strategy as a desk top opinion not substantiated by evidence, such as his
Freedom of Information request for the transit data of commercial vehicle
vessels at Scarborough Harbour for the last five years.
4. The Harbour Strategy document that has been published is as stated a
Draft.
The document states clearly that NYC will share
with amongst others Harbour User Groups to gain a breadth of experience and
expertise. Who are the User Groups you are considering consulting with, who
chooses who sits upon those groups and when will those groups be consulted? (Robin
Gray)
Reply
Prior to writing the strategy the Council set
up three specific Harbours Development Strategy Working Groups which consisted of
Councillors, harbour users and other interested parties.
·
The
Scarborough Group meeting was held on 24 July 2023
·
The
Filey Working Group meeting was held on 28 July 2023
·
The
Whitby Working Group meeting was held on 31 July 2023
In addition, the strategy was discussed at
the following harbour user meetings:
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Scarborough Harbour Users
meeting on 16 September 2023
·
The proposals
for the strategy were discussed at the Scarborough Harbour Users meeting on 14
November 2023
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Scarborough Harbour Users
meeting on 23 October 2024
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the extraordinary Scarborough
Harbour Users meeting on 23 September 2025
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Whitby Harbour Users meeting
on 16 September 2024
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Whitby Harbour Users meeting
on 29 May 2025
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Whitby Harbour Users meeting
on 21 August 2025
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Whitby Harbour Users meeting
on 23 January 2026
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at the Filey Coble Landing Users
meeting on 26 January 2026
·
The
proposals for the strategy were discussed at a Scarborough Business Ambassadors
Marine & Renewables networking event on 26 February 2026
·
The
proposals for the strategy will be discussed at the Scarborough Harbour Users
meeting on 5 March 2026
The groups are attended by Elected Members
and Harbours Management, with users representatives
being selected in consultation with the users themselves.
Where a properly constituted organisation
already exists such as the Scarborough Yacht Club or the RNLI, the organisation
is asked to nominate their representative. Where a constituted organisation
does not exist, harbour management have previously approached selected users of
good character to see if they would be willing to represent a class of users
informally.
Many of the group members have been members
of the harbour users group for many years; decades in
some cases, demonstrating the longevity and success of the approach.
Notwithstanding that groups for harbour users
exist, individual harbour users are not obliged to communicate through these
groups and are free to contact the harbours team direct at any time in respect
of the draft harbours strategy or any other harbour matter.
In response, Mr Gray requested a list of the
people who sit on the Scarborough Harbour User Group.
5. Firstly I would like to thank all the area Councillors in particular
Councillors Trumper and Swannick for their support in attempting to re-open the
Whitby West Cliff Lift. I have been in receipt of a reply to my FOI request
since July 2025 copies of which I circulated to my 2 local Councillors, MP and
Whitby Community Network. The request was for the last 10 years inspection
reports for the structure which weren't supplied but from the ones I’ve
received from 2016 and 2021 I am of the opinion SBC’s neglect of the structure
has contributed to its eventual closure. It would appear that
there has been a major structural issue in the lift house where the main
beams have twisted and the brickwork badly damaged. The roof structure is
rotten with damp and the concealed rainwater drain pipes
have been recommended to be surface fixed. I can only presume this is to make
sure the unseen water doesn't enter the shaft. Everything below the lift house
becomes affected if the lift house is not repaired. Reading the 2 reports 5 years
apart a lot of items are at category C status and need to be category B, a few
are category D hence the closure. In simple terms if any of us had a water leak
in our loft which is easily accessible and easily repaired would we leave it
and wait until ceilings and floors below it started taking in water. We all
know the answer is No so why Yes when it's Whitby Cliff Lift. If the lift has
to close a new alternative needs to be put in place so
the beach is accessible to everyone, a stipulation that if not fulfilled will
result in NYC losing its only Blue Flag beach. Many countries I visit have
lifts and even escalators for accessing beaches so it's not a luxury, it's a
necessity. A Nippy standard minibus is not the solution, as the main people who
need to use it are those with health and physical issues, wheel
chair users are unable to access the standard mini bus. SBC’s total
neglect of both Whitby and Scarborough’s infrastructure in particular the
harbours is in the past and now up to NYC to sort. Please start with Whitby's
West Cliff Lift. (Peter Graham)
6. As one of the many who braved the elements in
support of Whitby’s iconic and much needed Cliff Lift
I’d like to know how closure could even be considered given the obvious and
growing need for access to the huts, cafe and toilet areas. My wife and I have
been effectively denied access to all these facilities since the Lift’s
hopefully, temporary closure,as
the minibus option provided was little more than a joke, access to it was
totally unsuitable and its dropping off point a considerable distance from
where we needed to be. Whitby needs the Lift and it’s your job to make sure
speedy repairs are put in place and a suitable and proper maintenance schedule
instigated. (John and Pat Howarth)
7. How is right to deny people with disabilities
access to the beach? (Benita Nicholson)
Reply
It is not right to deny people with disabilities
access to the beach, and North Yorkshire Council is not denying people with
disabilities access to the beach.
Like most UK beaches, the beach can be accessed by
slipways and ramps. A beach wheelchair is also available.
Councillor Phil Trumper put the remaining three questions on behalf of local residents.
8. It is difficult to see without an accurate up to
date costing how the council can make a decision on
whether to repair Whitby Cliff Lift. Therefore have
you had any recent quotes for the repair of Whitby Cliff lift and the necessary
work needed, if so when will they be made public? (Sue Stuart)
Reply
The Council has not had any recent quotes for the
repair of the cliff lift.
However, the quotes from 2020 show the huge
financial scale of the potential problem and costs are not expected to have
decreased since 2020.
In response, Councillor Trumper suggested that in
light of Anglo American’s recent report that an up to date
survey was required.
9. Whitby is North Yorkshire Council’s cash cow and
the jewel in the crown. The cliff lift is essential for me to access my beach
hut and the promenade. I have had a debilitating stroke, the paths are too
dangerous for me to navigate and the bus wasn't
reliable or fit for purpose. Are you willing for Whitby to lose its prestigious
Blue Flag award and discriminate against the disabled, the elderly and young
families making our fantastic beach inaccessible? (Averil Jefferson)
Reply
Whitby beach has been the recipient of a Blue Flag
Award highlighting its superior water quality, environmental management, and
safety standards for over 10 years.
The Blue Flag Award does not and has not ever
relied on the provision of either the former cliff lift
or the replacement bus service.
In response, Councillor Trumper noted the
importance of the Blue Flag but also that everyone had access to the beach.
10. I have used the cliff lift for over 70 years. It
has always been damp in the tunnel, to be expected, as
it goes so far underground. I believe that ventilation of the lift is key to
its life. When, not IF, it is repaired will you guarantee an ongoing
maintenance plan so this scenario doesn't happen
again? (Dorothy Russell)
Reply
No decision has yet been made on the future of the
cliff lift, however all of the options for repair that
will be presented to the Executive would include associated maintenance.
In response, Councillor Trumper commented that it
was important if the council decided repair the lift, that a proper maintenance
plan was put in place.