Agenda item

Councillor Knaggs, the Leader of the Council, presented the following statement:

“Since the last statement, we have set our budget and frozen council tax for the third year in succession, without touching the new homes bonus which will go entirely to local communities and organizations. And work on the Brambling Fields interchange, the biggest improvement to Ryedale’s infrastructure for many years, has begun.

In the next cycle of meetings we can expect to consider the economic strategy action plan further. Work on the implementation of the business hub internal reorganization and on round 3, looking ahead to the 2013/14 financial plan, will continue. We have the use of commuted sums from affordable housing to decide, and there may be more to come relating to the progressive updating of our personnel policies.

Perhaps more importantly, we will need to look at the capital programme again as we move into the summer and autumn. Do we believe that the Environment Agency is going to come up with something both deliverable and worth delivering in respect of Pickering flood defences? Do we see the Milton Rooms as an asset or a liability in the light of the artistic activity now taking place there? And what will the impact of decisions on supermarket applications in Malton have, directly or indirectly, on our programme?

We are only weeks away from a decision on the Livestock Market and Wentworth Street sites. All I will say about them is that whatever the decisions, there will be an afterwards, in which all the protagonists will need to draw a line under the past and try to work together for the future.”

There were four questions on the Leader’s Statement:

Councillor Walker sought clarification on the comment made regarding the Milton Rooms and the Leader explained that some successful artistic activity was taking place there under the new management but the state of the building was still a liability, and that a decision would need to be taken in the next two years regarding its long term future.

Councillor Woodward sought clarification on the comment made regarding Pickering Flood Defences, expressing concern that the Leader thought nothing would be delivered by the Environment Agency and that the money would be spent elsewhere.  The Leader explained that the Council had to form a view soon if the Environment Agency would deliver on something worth paying for and could not hold the money indefinitely on the off chance.  He pointed out that the money was Ryedale’s, not the Environment Agency’s, and had originally been given as leverage for further funding, which had not been forthcoming, and that there was no project for consideration yet.

Councillor Andrews drew attention to a suggestion made at the Land Drainage Liaison Group that Chris Bowles be asked to assist with dealing with water rentention above Pickering and asked if that had been followed up.  The Leader confirmed that he could not answer the question but that the comments made would be considered.

Councillor Richardson asked if the commuted sums for affordable housing would be spent on affordable housing and the Leader confirmed that this was a decision for the Commissioning Board.