Hambleton’s conservative council leader has launched a withering attack on the Government’s plans to create unitary authorities in York and North Yorkshire, saying it is unwanted, unnecessary and badly timed.
A meeting of Hambleton District Council’s cabinet heard claims that the local government reorganisation could cost council tax-payers an average of £180 extra annually for poorer services.
The authority’s leader Councillor Mark Robson said that while all six other district and borough councils in North Yorkshire may submit a proposal to divide the governance of the county and York into eastern and western councils this week, Hambleton should not follow suit, despite having helped fund its development by consultants.
He told a meeting of the authority’s cabinet that he had made numerous representations to government “ministers at all levels”, but was yet to receive a response, or even an acknowledgement.
Cllr Robson said: “This is totally the wrong time. Given the situation that this country or the world is currently in to try and go through some form of reorganisation to in my opinion try and fix something that isn’t actually broken, there are bigger issues to deal with.
“I do not believe that the government reorganisation is in the best interest of our residents.”
The meeting heard if the government accepted the county council’s proposal for a single authority for the county, district council tax bills would need to be equalised, meaning Hambleton residents were likely to pay about £180 more council tax a year on an average band D property.
Cllr Robson said: “You might say it will cost you more for a reduced service. I’d like to keep the status quo, whether that would be an option I very much doubt, however as soon as we submit anything to government that is actually agreeing to local government reorganisation.”
Deputy leader Councillor Peter Wilkinson said the council needed to focus on residents’ livelihoods and the local economy during the pandemic.
He said: “Our economy is struggling, employment is struggling. We should not be wasting time on a reorganisation at this time.”
The cabinet was told the reorganisation had been forced upon North Yorkshire and York simply because the county council had asked the government for it.
Councillor David Webster said while some of the districts’ proposals were unworkable, the county’s proposals were “ludicrous” and would create a divide between urban and rural areas, devaluing villages.
However, some councillors warned the authority against not issuing any response whatsoever to the government.
Councillor John Noone said: “If we don’t submit this expensive report that we’ve put together for this East-West split they will enforce on us another option.”
The meeting was told Richmond MP Rishi Sunak had been “completely quiet” over the plans, while Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake had not done “anything in the council’s favour either”.
North Yorkshire County Council leader Councillor Carl Les later said he had raised concerns over the timing of the reorganisation during the pandemic with Secretary of State Robert Jenrick on Sunday and had been told the government believed it and devolution would be a key part of the recovery.
He said: “As we have found out in doing our research there are considerable savings to be made and we are going to need those savings post-Covid.”
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