This week Councillor Angie Dale, Leader of Richmondshire District Council has written as follows:
As you will be aware the six district and borough councils of Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby, have submitted a full business case for local government reorganisation to Government.
Our proposal is for an ‘East & West’ model, which would see Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton join together to form a unitary council in the West, and Selby, City of York, Ryedale and Scarborough join together to form a unitary council in the East.
The Government has indicated that it is intending to consult on these proposals for reorganisation – and a second proposal from North Yorkshire County Council. This consultation will begin this month (February).
Key stakeholder organisations and local authorities will be asked for their opinions on two models:
- The East & West model, which would create two balanced unitary authorities, with a population of 465,000 in the East, and 363,000 in the West
- A unitary authority to cover the whole of North Yorkshire, representing 600,000 people and 3,000 square miles, leaving the City of York as a small unitary authority representing around 200,000 people.
Any local organisation, business or member of the public will also be able to respond to the consultation.
Many organisations across North Yorkshire and York have been supportive of the East & West model and we would like to thank all those who have written letters giving their views on it. We believe it will be better for businesses, residents and communities – for business and economy because it:
- Gives balanced populations, demography and economic power – creating councils that are the right size to retain links with businesses and give businesses a strong voice
- Maximises growth opportunities building on existing economic footprints
- Delivers a fair and balanced Combined Authority – crucial to the success of devolution
- Supports Covid-19 recovery
- Unlocks the potential of York
- Attracts investment to build on our strengths
- Understands the importance of local places and businesses
Our detailed proposal can be found on the Get Change Right website.
We hope that you will take part in this important consultation when it is launched by Government. Local government reorganisation will affect the lives of all our residents; it’s crucial that we get change right. Your views are vital.