Agenda item

Considered –

A report by Neil Irving, Assistant Director - Policy, Partnerships and Communities.

Neil Irving gave an overview of the report, as summarised below:

·         The commission was chaired by the Very Revd. John Dobson, Dean of Ripon and consisted of 8 members

·         It is independent with administrative support provided by the Council

·         Not decision making

·         Held a series of evidence sessions with 70 plus people contributing

·         There were 7 themes and a total of 57 recommendations have been made for consideration by 17 agencies and organisations at a district, county, regional and national level

·         A report went to the Executive on 21 September 2021 to consider how the Council responds to the report and recommendations

·         The Council is broadly supportive of the recommendations and has been asked to establish an Advisory Task Force to take forward the recommendations.

There followed a discussion, the key points of which are as below:

·         Whilst many of the issues highlighted in the report are known, it has been helpful to have them all in one place and put into themes with clear recommendations

·         There is a key role for the Advisory Taskforce in guiding the implementation of the recommendations

·         Technology will have a key role to play in addressing many of the issues raised in the report of the commission

·         There is a need to understand the long term impact of the pandemic and how this has changed how people live in rural areas

·         Devolution and the levelling-up agenda may see some increased funding to rural areas

·         There is a need to support young people and young adults in the county.  Too many of them leave, once they are able to, as there are simply not enough well paid jobs or careers available

·         There has been a strong focus upon the development of the tourist industry for many years and now may be the time to look more widely at what businesses can be supported in the more rural areas of the county, particularly those that pay well and offer career opportunities.

County Councillor Mike Chambers MBE asked what role the Council would have to play in ensuring that the rural electricity infrastructure was able to manage the increasing demands upon it over time as we move through a period of de-carbonisation.  The recent Storm Arwen has demonstrated the vulnerability of the network to extreme weather events, which are more common place. 

In response, Neil Irving said that this was the responsibility of Northern Powergrid.  It was anticipated that the Government would review the electrical supply network and that more investment would be made in it over time.

County Councillor Andy Solloway said that more could be done to mitigate the negative impact of an increasing number of second homes upon the sustainability of rural communities.  More affordable housing could be built and increased Council Tax levies upon second homes could be explored.

County Councillor David Ireton asked what could be done to support food producers and processors in the county, particularly around the decarbonisation agenda.

Neil Irving said that the Local Enterprise Partnership has a role to play in providing advice and guidance to rural businesses.

County Councillor Mike Chambers MBE summed up and thanked Neil Irving for attending and updating the committee.

Resolved –

a.    That Neil Irving comes back to a future meeting of the committee to provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Rural Commission.