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Confidence in Ripon that city will be picked next month for double devolution pilot

Thursday, 13 July 2023 21:00

Confidence is growing that North Yorkshire Council will hand Ripon City Council control of the market square and town hall as part of a double devolution pilot scheme.

Confidence in Ripon that city will be picked next month for double devolution pilot Confidence is growing that North Yorkshire Council will hand Ripon City Council control of the market square and town hall as part of a double devolution pilot scheme. A central pledge in the case for local government reorganisation was that town and parish councils can take control of assets owned by NYC if they can make a successful business case. At a meeting of the city council in Ripon on Monday night, council leader Andrew Williams revealed that NYC’s Conservative executive will decide on August 22 which six bids made by parish councils in North Yorkshire will be successful following recommendations from officers. Other councils in the region, including those in Knaresborough and Skipton, have also submitted bids to take on assets in their towns. Coun Williams said:

“The council leader [Coun Carl Les] has been quoted in the local press saying he would be amazed if Ripon wasn’t selected as one of those pilots. The case for Ripon’s double devolution bid is very clear for all to see and I’m very much looking forward to that report going to cabinet.”
The city council’s plans include tidying up the market place and it also would like to use surplus revenue from car parking charges to go towards the refurbishment of the town hall. Improvements to city centre public toiliets, which also formed part of the council’s expression of interest, would also make the city more appealing to tourists and businesses according to the council. Coun Williams, who stands as an independent on NYC, recently formed an alliance with the Conservatives on the council. However last week he was forced to deny that any deal had been struck with the ruling group that would see the double devolution bid being successful in return for supporting the party in Northallerton. Parish charter Meanwhile, the council’s Conservative executive is set to rubber-stamp a new “parish charter” next week that aims to secure the future of parish councils across the county. Earlier this year, parishes took part in a consultation on the charter, which defines how parishes and North Yorkshire Council will work together. It includes a pledge that parishes can run their own local services and assets if they wish to, and where it is practicable. North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative council leader, Carl Les, said:
“Parish and town councils and parish meetings are an important part of local government. They are the first tier of local government and play a vital role for their communities.”
By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.

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