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Back in Autumn last year we asked you to help shape the North Yorkshire Council budget for 2024-25 by taking part in our annual budget consultation.

1,954 of you completed the survey about a range of topics, from how you would allocate budget to council services to what your views are on increasing council tax.

The feedback you gave us was taken into account in our proposed budget, which has now been adopted by the council.

The survey is part of the wider conversation that has been taking place about food in North Yorkshire and focuses on two specific topics - your experiences around accessing healthy food and food waste.

Our survey on what you would like North Yorkshire Council to prioritise next year is ending, but there’s still time to have your say. If you’ve already filled in the survey, thank you!

If you haven’t here’s why you should fill it in:

Last week the Chancellor of the Exchequer made his Autumn Statement to provide an update on the country’s finances and the government’s tax and spending plans.

North Yorkshire Council wants you to make your statement on our own priorities and how we spend the council’s budget to provide services to our communities. 

There are now less than 3 weeks left to fill in the Let’s Talk Transport survey!

There are now only 2 weeks left until the Under 25’s Climate survey closes on the 15th May.

Great news!

Join us to find out more about the plans to reach Net Zero by 2030 and be the first region to be the first carbon negative region by 2040.

DATE: Thursday 9th March

TIME: 6pm – 7pm

In July 2022 a Climate Emergency was announced for North Yorkshire. With existing plans in place to reach Net Zero by 2030, the climate team created a draft Climate Change Strategy to enable North Yorkshire to reach Net Zero by 2030 and be the first Carbon Negative region by 2040. This ties in with the UK Governments aim for the UK to be Net Zero by 2050.

During the first phase of Let’s Talk, responses collected show that Climate Change was ranked as a top 3 priority by:

34% of people in the Let’s Talk Local Survey

41% of people in the Let’s Talk Money Survey

Let’s Talk Climate will gather your views and feedback on the draft Climate Change Strategy. By answering the survey questions, which focus on: slowing down and adapting to climate change as well as helping nature to thrive, the information you give will be fed back forming the final Climate Change Strategy for the new authority – North Yorkshire Council.

You will be able to share your views online using a safe and easy-to-use tool - Commonplace, which we used on our previous Let’s Talk engagements. Our libraries are hubs where you can go and find out more about the Climate Change Strategy, with a hard copy of the draft strategy and fill in a paper survey if you wish.

Events will be organised, alongside our Transport consultation, giving you the opportunity to talk to members of the Climate team about whether you think the council is doing enough to meet our Net Zero target. Further information will be available in the coming weeks.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in Let’s Talk North Yorkshire across Local, Money and Devolution, helping to determine priorities for the new North Yorkshire Council.

We’ve received an incredible response to the engagement so far with more than 8,000 responses across the three surveys, and over 22,000 visitors to the Let’s Talk website. Teams from the county and seven district and borough councils held over 200 Let’s Talk Local events across the county and truly enjoyed meeting so many residents and listening to what’s important to you.

The Let’s Talk Local and Money surveys close at midnight this Friday 23 December, so don’t miss your chance to share your views if you haven’t already.

North Yorkshire’s biggest conversation, Let’s Talk, comes to a close this month, with just nine days left for you to have your say on important topics. The new North Yorkshire Council will launch on 1 April, formed of the current county council and seven district and borough councils, and we want to find out which topics matter most to you and what your priorities are.

Let’s Talk Local

The new council will be the geographically largest council in England, but it’s being built with local at the heart of everything it will do. Tell us your views on what makes a good place to live, what you like about your local area, and what you think of our proposals for community networks.

In North Yorkshire eight councils currently provide local public services. From 1 April next year there will be just one - North Yorkshire Council. Having one council will save money and join up services so that they make sense to local people and businesses. This alone will deliver savings of between £30 and £70 million each year. Money which will be used to protect the most important local services at a critical time when everyone and every organisation is feeling the pressures from increased costs.

It’s been eight weeks since we launched Let’s Talk Local, the first stage in the biggest conversation North Yorkshire has ever seen, to find out your priorities for your local area and listen to your views on proposed Community Networks.

Let's Talk... Money

From 1 April 2023, North Yorkshire Council will replace the eight councils currently delivering public services across the county.

The scale of the new council’s operations will see it serve the greatest geographical area of any local authority in the country, and it will have an overall spend of about £1.4 billion, including £343 million on schools. For all eight councils, demand for services has exceeded central government funding. There are other significant financial pressures too, with inflation reaching double figures for the first time in over 40 years. All of these factors combine to make a very challenging financial environment for the new council, however we will meet this challenge head on to protect vital services and continue delivering the help and support that people across the county rely on.

On 1 April 2023, the new North Yorkshire Council will replace the eight councils currently delivering public services across the county. The new council will deliver services including adult social care, housing, waste collection, transport, planning, community safety, children’s services, education, leisure and many more.

The scale of the new council’s operations will see it serve the greatest geographical area of any local authority in the country, and it will have an overall spend of about £1.4 billion, including £343 million on schools.

Today we’ve launched the next stage of North Yorkshire’s biggest ever countywide conversation, Let’s Talk North Yorkshire, asking for your views to help shape the council’s budget. We want to know which services you feel are most important, what you think about council tax, and hear your ideas for savings.

A major consultation has been launched to give everyone in North Yorkshire and York the chance to share their views on a much-anticipated proposed devolution deal for the area.

The draft deal offers devolved powers and millions of pounds in funding which could help reduce the North-South national divide and resolve economic differences between urban and rural areas in the region. Residents are also set to be given the chance to elect a mayor to champion the region at a national level to help ensure the Government delivers on commitments to level up opportunities in York and North Yorkshire.

The planned 30-year deal includes over £540 million of new funds that the mayor could spend in the region, giving us the chance to benefit in ways that other areas – like Manchester, Tees Valley and West Yorkshire – already have. The mayor, who would be elected in May 2024 if the proposed deal goes ahead, would lead a new powerful combined authority that would oversee key projects ranging from major transport and digital improvements to providing more affordable housing, and boosting skills and education. The authority would also support action to reduce harmful carbon emissions and help businesses to grow in climate friendly ways. Councils representing the City of York and North Yorkshire will remain, working to deliver vital services to residents.

On 1 April 2023, the new North Yorkshire Council will replace the eight councils currently delivering public services across the county. The new council will be the largest geographically in the country, but it’s being built with local at the heart of everything it will do. We want to find out what’s important to you locally, and what you think the new council should prioritise for your local area. That’s why we’re holding North Yorkshire’s biggest ever conversation – Let’s Talk.

We asked Sarah Howsen, Skipton’s Business Improvement District Manager, why she’s supporting Let’s Talk.

Speaking about her love for Craven, she said: “Skipton has everything that you need. You can come into town and you have your butchers and bakers and the vibrant high street; you have picturesque walks, the award-winning cafés and restaurants plus good public transport – everything you need is in a walkable distance. Tourists from far and wide visit the town for its bustling market and famous Skipton Castle, but many come due to the town’s proximity to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We have several independent businesses – there aren’t many high street chains. People love supporting local businesses as they offer a unique and personal shopping experience. 

“I’m looking forward to the implementation of the new council as it will reduce duplication and complexities. However, I’m conscious that the voices of local communities are always heard and represented in any local decision-making processes, and we are not forgotten about or overlooked when compared to nearby towns. 

“I would like to see the distinctive character of our rural district always recognised, and I’m glad the Let’s Talk campaign is giving members of the public an insight and opportunity to learn more about the council and how it will represent us equally at local level. With the centralisation of power from April onwards, I hope the support for the delivery of local services – be it council tax or emptying of the bins – is stronger and fit for the future.” 

A bold attempt to provide a unified approach to council tax across North Yorkshire is being drawn up to ensure that hundreds of thousands of residents pay the same rate, providing millions of pounds to finance vital services. The launch of the new North Yorkshire council which will cover the whole county from 1 April 2023 means that there is a legal requirement to ensure that all council taxpayers in North Yorkshire are charged the same amount.

The major task of unifying all council tax bills across the seven districts in North Yorkshire is set to see a phased shift spread over the next two financial years, with the proposals due to be considered by members of North Yorkshire County Council’s decision-making executive on 18 October.

There would be huge variations in the amount of funding generated if the decision was taken to move council tax levels to the lowest amount seen in Hambleton, or by adopting the highest level in Harrogate. Funding from council tax is used to finance services ranging from waste collection and recycling to highways maintenance and adult social care.

The move to harmonise council tax levels would see bills for an average Band D property rise by £44.75 during each of the two financial years on a bill of £1,586.83 in Hambleton, £12.88 on a bill of £1,650.57 in the Selby district, £10.88 on a bill of £1,654.56 in Craven and by 38 pence on a bill of £1,675.56 in Ryedale. By comparison, council tax bills for a similar Band D property in Harrogate would fall by £23.47 during each of the two years on the current bill of £1,723.27, while the Scarborough district would see an annual reduction of £17.89 on a bill of £1,712.10, and Richmondshire would witness a decrease each year of £8.01 on a bill of £1,692.35.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said, “We are acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under across the whole country, as we see inflation rising and the cost of energy soar along with the price of food and drink and other essential items. A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”

You can have your say on the new council budget and plans for council tax harmonisation when Let’s Talk Money launches on 31 October.

Council staff and volunteers who will speak to residents around North Yorkshire in the Let’s Talk conversation have highlighted the hugely valuable chance to understand the priorities of local communities.

Liz Meade has lived and worked in the Harrogate area for more than 20 years. Since 2014, she has been the Harrogate area delivery manager for North Yorkshire County Council’s stronger communities team, who work alongside communities supporting them to deliver local projects and activities. Before that, she was a children’s centre manager, so has been closely involved in her local area for a long time.

Her children have grown up in the town and are now at university. They love Harrogate, so a key issue for the family is developing opportunities for young people to make their careers in the area.

“I am invested in the area and it is important to me,” she says. “I live and work in the same patch and I work in the community, so I do get involved in things and have an interest in making sure people are connected into things that can help them.

“It is really important that we have the opportunity to listen and understand what is important to people where they live. We can’t make assumptions.

“I think what people say to us will vary a lot in different places. We will ensure we are in different venues so we can hear voices from a whole range of people, including people we wouldn’t normally hear from, to discover what is important to them.

“The Let’s Talk conversation is an opportunity for them to say what they value most about where they live – and we don’t know that until we listen.

“We are having these conversations where people live and where they identify with, so hopefully the new council can build on what is important in those local areas. We know it won’t be the same everywhere.”

Fiona Protheroe is a climate emergency officer at Craven District Council. She grew up in Skipton and went to school there, leaving the area when she was 18, but returning 12 years ago to raise her family in the town.

Naturally, she expects climate change is likely to come up in the Let’s Talk conversations.

“It affects so many aspects of people’s lives and there are so many actions you can take,” she said. “It’s an issue that does need everyone working together and the new authority gives us a chance to do that. I think that’s really exciting. It’s a massive challenge, but the more of us working on it the better we can do.”

She added that Let’s Talk is an important opportunity for council staff to get out and listen to people as they share their priorities, which will help the new North Yorkshire Council to design the services that people want and need.

“It is a period of big change in the county, with one authority, so it’s important that people can input their views about what matters to them in their local area. We want to keep things local as we move forward. We will be one area, but we want to work locally, so this is a chance for people to talk about their area, what matters to them, what they might like to see in future – their priorities.

“Not everybody is on social media or interested in social media, so it’s important to get out to people and talk to them in places that they go to, so they have a chance to get involved and no-one misses out. A big thing about the Let’s Talk campaign is that we want to reach people who wouldn’t normally comment. It will be great if they give us a chance to listen to what they think.”

Tom Jenkinson has worked in North Yorkshire for more than 20 years, with spells in Harrogate, Northallerton and Craven before he took up his current role as Selby area delivery manager for the stronger communities team. Among other things, he loves North Yorkshire for the fabulous walking in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

He has been part of the stronger communities team since it was created in response to the Government’s austerity measures earlier this century.

“The drive behind stronger communities was to give communities and the voluntary sector more opportunities to get involved and to give them support,” he said. “The recent big thing has been the response to Covid-19 and one of the really positive angles to that has been how closely we have worked with district councils. We have established strong bonds and a clear understanding, which highlights how much stronger we are going to be when we are all one council.

“Although the new council is going to be a bigger organisation, which I know makes some people anxious, we have worked so closely with localities through Covid-19, and that will be our approach moving forward, while still giving us that size and collective bargaining power to do things more effectively.

“We recognise that local residents know their area, they know what they need, and we want to be able to meet those needs as well as we can, although there will be challenges and it is not necessarily going to be easy.

“Let’s Talk is a brilliant opportunity for people to raise our awareness of the things that really matter to them and how they think we need to communicate with them. We want to listen, and we need people to keep talking to us in a constructive way. Our residents are as much a part of the solutions as we are.”

The biggest ever conversation with the public in North Yorkshire will help shape a watershed moment in local democracy and pinpoint the future priorities for vital services for hundreds of thousands of people in the county.

The largest programme of consultation events ever undertaken by councils in North Yorkshire will be launched this month (September).

The aim of North Yorkshire’s biggest ever engagement programme is to collate thousands of views from the county’s residents and businesses to help provide the bedrock for decision-making and policies for when a new council is launched in the spring of next year.

The county council will merge with North Yorkshire’s seven district and borough authorities as part of the biggest restructuring of local government in the county for nearly 50 years.

North Yorkshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, claimed the Let’s Talk campaign is key to helping draw up a detailed vision for the new authority, as well as identifying people’s priorities for spending on services on a local level ranging from social care and education to waste collection, recycling and highways maintenance.

Cllr Les, who will assume the leadership of the new North Yorkshire Council when it launches on April 1 next year, said: “The new council will be the largest geographically in the country as it will cover England’s largest county, but it is being built with local at the heart of everything it will do.

“There will be local staff providing local services, based on local priorities and decision-making taking into account the views of the public.

“Having one new council will save millions of pounds by streamlining services and preventing duplication, creating the most efficient and cost-effective way of delivering them that we can.

“This money will help support services to ensure they are stronger and fit for the future and will fund decision-making on the most local level possible.

“It is vital we engage with the public to help shape exactly how the new council will operate, and this biggest ever conversation in North Yorkshire will be the way in which we can glean people’s views.

“I would urge everyone who lives and works in North Yorkshire to take time to put forward their opinions, and we will listen carefully to those views.”

The first topic will be focused on the new council’s commitment to serving communities on a local level. Teams of staff and volunteers from all eight councils which will merge will travel across North Yorkshire to gather the public’s views on how the new authority can best serve people on a grassroots level.

Questions will focus on people’s opinions on their own communities, asking what are their priorities for issues including job opportunities, education provision and facilities for young people as well as access to nature, parks and open spaces.

Other issues set to be part of the conversation include public transport, road and pavement repairs and traffic congestion along with access to libraries, museums and theatres and shopping facilities.

The conversation will also aim to get the public’s views on the new council’s priorities over an initial three-year period to tackle wide-ranging issues from social inequality and the cost of living crisis to regenerating town centres, improving rural transport and tackling climate change.

Other issues which the public will be asked to consider for the new council’s initial priorities include tackling climate change, creating more housing to counter the affordable homes crisis and improving connectivity for mobile phone and internet coverage.

Additional subjects that will be covered in the ongoing Let’s Talk conversation include money and how the new council’s budget will be spent, as well as a specific engagement with the public from the start of next year on the actual authority itself.

A potential conversation about a proposed devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire, details of which were unveiled on August 1, could be launched in the autumn, although this is dependent on the approval of councillors on the county council’s executive.

The Let’s Talk conversation will be aimed at engaging with residents, businesses and community groups as well as town and parish councils and council staff.