'Only deal on the table' - Scarborough councillors support plan for North Yorkshire devolution

At a full meeting of the authority, Scarborough borough councillors voted in favour of plans that will see borough councils replaced by North Yorkshire Council as part of plans for a devolved county.

The North Yorkshire Council will officially begin its work in April 2023, and the proposed devolution agreement will see an elected mayor for North Yorkshire, alongside plans for greater political and economic power for the region.

Though the plans were accepted by councillors with only a few votes against, many who voted in favour said the current proposals did not reflect the full potential that devolution could bring.

Council leader, Cllr Steve Siddons, said: “The deal will provide £18m per year of gain share funding over the next 30 years, and up to £50m to develop the York Central brownfield scheme”.

The plans are also set to provide £7m towards the green economy, alongside several “schemes to deliver affordable, low carbon homes”, and new powers for regional transport, according to Cllr Siddons.

Fellow cabinet member, Cllr Carl Maw said: “While I’m completely in support of devolution, I’m in two minds as regards some of this.

"I feel like it has been a bit of a bribe from central government, basically saying ‘accept this or you don’t get any devolution’.”

He added: “But the main problem we have with it is that some of the proposed funding is not particularly adequate – £540m over 30 years is about £18m a year and with a population of around 900,000 in York and North Yorkshire, it equates to about £20 a head per year.”

The devolution plans also propose new powers to improve and integrate local transport, build more affordable homes, and create powers to shape local skills provisions to meet the needs of the local economy.

Cllr Derek Bastiman said this was “an exciting time” and said that devolution would bring “immense” opportunities.

“I feel sure, along with others in the chamber who are on the new authority, that Scarborough will be well looked after and I give an assurance that I will certainly be fighting for everything that I can for Scarborough on the new authority,” said Cllr Bastiman.

Many who expressed concerns about the plans said they would be voting in favour as they supported devolution, but also admitted they were not entirely happy with the way current plans factored in support for Scarborough.

Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, cabinet member for the environment, said she was “not minded to support this deal” and raised concerns about planned governance arrangements.

She said the deal was “underwhelming” and “not even close to what we asked for”.

“Yes, it is something. But be under no illusions, I have not met anyone in private who is delirious, or happy and one person even said ‘it is the only deal on the table’,” added the cabinet member.

Although Scarborough Council’s approval was not technically required at this stage as the borough council will cease to exist in April 2023, a majority of councillors voted in favour.

An eight-week public consultation on the North Yorkshire devolution plans is set to commence in October.