Agenda item

The committee debated a notice of motion concerning the long-standing proposal to dual the A64, a key strategic route linking York to Scarborough and the Yorkshire coast.

Members acknowledged that the A64 has been the subject of discussion for decades, with persistent concerns about congestion, safety, and its impact on economic growth and tourism. The road carries significant volumes of freight and visitor traffic, yet remains largely single carriageway, contributing to delays and a poor accident record.

Two amendments were proposed. The first from Councillor Liz Colling aimed to broaden the scope of the motions to include sustainable transport options such as rail, bus, and active travel. Members expressed differing views in the meeting on this proposal: supporters argued that investment in rail and bus services would deliver greater long-term benefits and align better with environmental objectives, whilst opponents stressed the urgency of addressing traffic congestion and safety risks on the A64 through dualling schemes. When put to a vote to include it as a recommendation back to full Council, this proposal was lost with 5 votes for, 9 votes against and 1 abstention.

The second amendment submitted by Councillor Steve Mason sought to make the first bullet point of the motion text more specific, by prioritising dualling from York to Malton as a first phase and then from Malton to Scarborough, subject to a positive cost benefit analysis. Supporters of this proposal highlighted that the existing road layout includes short sections of dual carriageway interspersed with single carriageway stretches, creating numerous bottlenecks and accident black spots such as at Whitwell-on-the-Hill. They suggested that a phased dualling approach targeting these problematic sections would strengthen the economic case and improve safety more effectively than a piecemeal dualling upgrade between Hopgrove and Barton le Willows. The discussion also touched on the potential for improved access to regional services from this approach, and the role of the A64 in supporting strategic employment sites and future housing growth both in the Ryedale and Scarborough areas. However, concerns were raised by committee members that specifying locations in the motion text could limit flexibility in the future and complicate lobbying efforts to central government. When put to the vote, this proposal was also lost with 7 votes for and 8 votes against.

Following this, the committee returned to the original motion and agreed to recommend the text as printed back to Full Council. Therefore, the resolved recommendation on the motion referred was:

That full Council considers the recommendation of the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee, namely to uphold the Motion as written regarding A64 dualling.

This council:

- Reiterates its support for the dualling of the A64;

- Agrees to write to the Mayor of York & North Yorkshire and the Members of Parliament for York Outer, Thirsk & Malton and Scarborough & Whitby requesting confirmation of their support for this essential upgrade;

- Commits to working on a cross-party basis with national and local political representatives to secure this essential upgrade at long last.