Final Scarborough Borough Council Annual Report

Senior SBC councillors will be presented with an annual report which “lays the foundations for a successful North Yorkshire Council” when they meet for the final time next week.

Next Tuesday (14 March) will see the last ever meeting of Scarborough Borough Council's cabinet.

After 49 years providing local services on the Yorkshire coast, Scarborough Borough Council will cease to exist at midnight on 31 March.

It is being replaced be a single unitary authority which will cover the whole of North Yorkshire.

At their last meeting councillors will consider the council’s final annual report which sets out the last 12 months’ worth of achievements against the corporate plan agreed in 2020.

The report says those successes include:

• Securing £37.3m funding for 14 transformative Towns Deal regeneration projects in Whitby and Scarborough.
• The development of a 10 year ‘Vision for Filey’ document prepared jointly with Filey Town Council which includes an investment of £1m to bring the vision to life.
• The launch of the ‘REACH partnership’ - a multi-agency team that provide accommodation and support for people with complex housing needs and a history of rough sleeping.
• Continuing the development and implementation of selective licensing schemes across the inner urban areas of Scarborough to tackle poor housing stock in the private sector.
• A programme of significant improvements to the borough’s public toilets including changing places facilities Scarborough, Whitby and in Filey.
• The completion of the Filey Flood Alleviation Scheme.
• Schemes to improve access to, and the safety of, the Cinder Track former railway line between Whitby and Scarborough.
• Continuing the £7 million restoration of Scarborough’s South Cliff Gardens through to completion.
• An extension of the council’s ‘Project Sunshine’ initiative which has resulted in a further £1m of investment in public realm across the borough.
• The creation of a ‘cyber cluster’ in the borough of Scarborough in response to the increasing number of cyber threats posed by hostile organisations and criminal networks.
• A significant programme of coastal defence works, including a multi-million scheme to extend the life of the sea wall in Robin Hood’s Bay.
• Hosting the 2022 Armed Forces Day national event which attracted an estimated 110,000 people to Scarborough along with associated events in Filey and Whitby.
• Staging a wide range of events across the borough, including Filey Kite Festival, Whitby Fish and Ships festival and Scarborough Sparkle which attracted 20,000 visitors over three days.
• A programme of concerts featuring headline acts at Scarborough Open Air Theatre providing an estimated £5 million of annual benefit to the borough’s economy.

Scarborough Borough Council will transfer £15 million to the new unitary council when North Yorkshire Council comes into being on 1 April.

Councillor Steve Siddons, leader of the council, said:

“We’ve achieved a huge amount in the last year and my thanks to go the staff who’ve made that possible with their hard work, dedication and commitment.

“I’d also like to praise the work of our cross-party scrutiny, licensing and planning committees for their contribution to our successes.

“When we agreed our corporate plan – Better Borough, Brighter Futures – in 2020 we didn’t know that the reorganisation of local government here was just around the corner.

“This annual report is the evidence of the strong foundations we’ve laid for a successful new unitary council when it comes into being in a few weeks.

“Despite the handover to North Yorkshire Council, many of the projects and initiatives we have developed will continue to be delivered and brought to fruition in the future.”

Councillor Janet Jefferson, cabinet member for corporate resources, said:

“This is our final annual report and I am very proud of the successes we’ve had as a council in the last 12 months.

“Whether it is a significant project, financial investment or a massive event such as the Armed Forces Day celebrations, we’ve achieved so much.

“We are leaving an amazing legacy as the borough council for the new unitary to build on.

“I look forward to seeing our beautiful borough continuing to thrive and succeed under the stewardship of North Yorkshire Council.”