Agenda item

Councillor Mrs Cowling, the Leader of the Council, presented the following statement:

 

“At item 10 on our agenda tonight I shall be moving the proposed revenue budget for 2015 -16 and the financial strategy for 2015 -2019.

 

Our financial strategy has been clear and very simple, savings through efficiencies, with as little reduction in service to the taxpayer as possible.  That aim has been achieved through the dedication of the staff at RDC to their district – so I was particularly disappointed to see tonight yet another attempt at item 14 of our agenda by John Clark to undermine this Council.

 

2015-16 will be the 6^th year that there has been no council tax increase from this council. And yes John Clark will try to tell you that we have introduced stealth taxes via such things as the charges for collection of green waste and increases to fees and charges.  But at least our taxpayers have a choice and those who don’t have gardens no longer have to subsidise those who do.  The alternative to the introduction of these charges would have been massive cuts in services.

 

At this stage I think it is worth looking at what we have achieved in this term of council.

 

The Growth Deal which has been awarded to the Y, NY & ER LEP has to be our best achievement ever.  Some £322 million has been awarded to the area via the LEP and Department of Transport funding. But not just that – we have managed to achieve the infrastructure and major projects investment in Ryedale which were so necessary to help our future economic prosperity.  This doesn’t just happen by chance and I am going to use this opportunity to thank all our staff, the LEP staff and the board of the LEP for their dedication.  It just shows what can be achieved when everybody pulls together.

 

On top of that we have recently been awarded funding to assess the feasibility of increases in employment land at Pickering and Kirkbymoorside.

 

But that is not all, our work with schools and employers continues to produce fantastic results – encouraging young people into apprenticeships.  This years 4^th Opportunity Knocks, held in November, was the biggest and best event to date – many thanks to the schools, employers and our staff who contribute to this.

 

We work with and support local businesses to grow employment in our district.

 

We continue to be one of the most successful authorities at delivering affordable homes.  Coupled with the work that we do to prevent homelessness and to help people stay in their own homes, protecting vulnerable people, we are an exceptionally good housing authority.  Again due in most part to the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff.

 

Our new leisure provider is only very recently appointed and is expected to produce substantial savings and improvements to the service.

 

I have been exceptionally pleased that councillors continued to support the provision of community grants in the Ryedale District.  As a frequent user of village halls through my business – I see first hand the benefits of the money that we award to these community facilities and how much they are appreciated by the residents of what in some cases are very tiny communities.

 

The near completion of the flood defences at Pickering is a great achievement which without the support of this council would not have happened – a massive investment for a small authority – and thanks this time to the determination of the members of this council to make it happen.

 

This council continues to provide a good quality of life for our residents - reducing air pollution, protecting the landscape and the environment.

 

Last but not least I am particularly pleased that the Tour de Yorkshire is coming through our district.  Cycling is an increasingly popular sport as well as a mode of transport.  Work is underway on a feasibility study to develop a cycle route between Pickering and Malton – particularly relevant given the development that is to take place at Eden Camp.  Another scheme is looking at opening cycle routes between all the market towns in Ryedale.  Our National Park and the Forestry Commission are also looking to upgrade a section of the Moor to sea network of cycle routes in Ryedale.

 

Our policy of putting economic development, Housing and the environment as our priorities will continue to pay dividends.

 

There's just one small addition to my statement that isn't written down here and only came to my attention today. Hunters of Helmsley have been selected as one of 20 finalists in the top 20 small businesses in the country. I think that's a fabulous achievement for that company. Thank you.”

 

The following questions were received on the Leader’s Statement:

 

1.    From Councillor Richardson

 

“I just want to ask the Leader, has working with York, North Yorkshire through the Local Enterprise Partnership, North Yorkshire schools and employers, Yorkshire Housing, the Environment Agency and Welcome to Yorkshire undermined this Council?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“What a strange question. No. They're all partners that we work with and we use them to work for the best for this district and no, they haven't undermined us.”

 

Councillor Richardson then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“On that basis does working closely with North Yorkshire County Council in the future undermine this Council?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“Working with North Yorkshire County Council is of extreme benefit to this council. North Yorkshire County Council is also one of the members of the combined authority which we all voted - well your Group didn't vote in favour of it - but this Council agreed to be a member of a combined authority in the future and North Yorkshire County Council will be one of our partners in that combined authority.”

 

2.    From Councillor Ward

 

“How do you define successful in terms of we continue to be one of the most successful authorities at delivering affordable homes?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“By comparison with other authorities.”

 

Councillor Ward then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“I haven't seen any figures for the other authorities. My question is define successful when we have figures delivered to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee last week that our achievement of 20 against a target of 75 for the year, given that there's one quarter left, I wouldn't say is successful would you?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“There are different ways of delivering affordable homes and it isn't all about new homes. Sometimes it's about keeping people in their existing home or adapting a home. There are different ways of being successful.” 

 

3.    From Councillor Collinson

 

“Can the Leader of Council explain why there is no mention of fracking in reference to the phrase "protecting the landscape and the environment" given that we had a public meeting about the issue only last week?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“I didn't feel it necessary to mention fracking. When we are consulted by North Yorkshire County Council, officers will prepare reports for us and they will tell us what will be the effect on our landscape and on our environment by any fracking that is applied for in Ryedale and that will be the time when it will be talked about and we will make a decision about whether we will want to support fracking or not.”

 

4.    From Councillor Walker

 

“Reference the new leisure provider. I've had a number of complaints about the service, despite it being in your report that it's supposed to be successful. I've had a number of complaints and I've also read some complaints in the press. I just wondered if you'd received any complaints yourself Cllr Cowling regarding this?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“Yes. I very recently received a complaint from my own son - the usual complaint that I get in Pickering that the pool is too cold so, Yes, that is the complaint that I've had.”

 

Councillor Walker then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Just wondering if you'd received any complaints about the increase in prices despite the promise that this Council was given by the 2 representatives of the company that addressed the Council in a briefing only about 6 months ago.”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“I haven't personally received any complaints about increases in prices but I am aware that Councillor Arnold has received - well, is party to - a complaint about increasing prices. I believe it's the Scouts who use  the swimming pool and we're awaiting an answer on that complaint.”

 

5.    From Councillor Clark

 

“I wonder if you could give us a little further explanation how you are boasting at the beginning of paragraph 3 that this is the 6th year with no increase in the Council Tax but that if I was to refer to things they would be stealth tax yet you have cut away £192,000 worth of service to the public in Ryedale at the same time. Could you tie that conundrum, put it together for me so I can make some sense or is it the normal approach?

 

Point of clarity. I think that is what, without checking the figures in the budget, we have saved with charging the public for green waste. So that's a tax on them whether they like it or not. Unless anybody else can say I don't want that service therefore....”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“I think that you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on that. I find it very difficult that the Liberal Group don't support the charging for green bins. I would have thought that your position would have been that people should compost, that should be the preference that people should compost. I think it's good that people have the option of whether they want to have their green waste collected or not. I think it's good that people who live in premises that don't have a garden no longer have to pay for green waste to be collected or subsidise the people who do have their’s collected. You've not given me any alternatives of how you would have saved that money. You could have presented those alternatives probably, you might have been cleverer than me and you could have sorted something really clever that would have made those savings rather than... This was the preferred option of my group and this Council, it was a decision of Council.”

 

Councillor Clark then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“We have decided that cutting the service to the people of Ryedale by £192,000 is not a cut in service. It is a cut in service, is it not?  On that basis are we moving into a world where we now, for public service, charge?  Is there any environmental savings in this lot?  Are the vehicles still not going round at 4 miles to the gallon as they were before etc?  If you are making forward a case is it reasonable to say we're scrapping green waste altogether, but you're not?  On that basis could I have some explanation to the logic behind it?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“If it were feasible to scrap the collection of green waste I'd be quite happy to do that.  It's not feasible or fair.  We still provide the service, we haven't cut the service, we still provide the service.  What we do is now charge for it in the same way we charge for lots of other services that this Council provides.”