A plan to create a new Town Council for Scarborough which had been backed by residents has been approved following a U-turn by North Yorkshire Council.
The new Scarborough Town Council – set to be created next year – will have five wards, each represented by three elected members, despite North Yorkshire Council proposing an alternative scheme.
At a full meeting of NYC on Wednesday, July 24, councillors representing Scarborough’s unparished areas warned that going against residents’ wishes would be undemocratic and lead to a loss of trust in the authority.
The council’s standards and governance committee had proposed creating 15 single-member wards in the new town council despite a majority of surveyed residents supporting multi-member wards.
Councillor Liz Colling was appalled that the council was proposing to ignore the outcome of the public consultations.
Coun Tony Randerson said the committee’s view was “astonishing” and “an absolute nonsense”.
The standards and governance committee had said that multi-member wards “could lead to confusion as to who was responsible for what”.
Following the concerns raised by most of the councillors representing the unparished areas in Scarborough, which the new town council will represent on a local level, council leaders acknowledged the strength of feeling.
Deputy leader of the authority, Coun Gareth Dadd, said:
“For me and the majority of the [executive] group, we take a view now that given the local members’ views, I’m willing to support the amendment.”
Fellow executive committee member, Coun Michael Harrison said:
“When you look at the low numbers of people engaging in the consultations it shows that broadly speaking the public is comfortable leaving decisions to us.
“And a consultation is just that, it’s not a referendum.”
Coun Harrison added:
“That said, I fully agree with the amendment and I’ll fully support it.”
Coun Liz Colling’s amendment for multi-member wards received considerable support from members with just a handful abstaining or voting against it.
However, Coun Clive Pearson said that as the chair of the standards and governance committee, he would not support the amendment.
The Approval of the town council plans comes after several years of planning, delays, and more than £90,000 worth of consultations.
However, despite approval of the plan that was supported by 54 per cent of the 295 residents who took part in the third consultation, questions have been raised about the use of consultations as a tool for gauging public opinion.
Coun Rich Maw said:
“In their wisdom – I have to speak ironically – the governance committee chose to ignore the consultation and the residents of Scarborough and recommend the less-favoured outcome.
“Why even bother with the charade of consulting when minds appear to have already been made up?”
Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff questioned why money had been spent on the consultation only for the council to seemingly ignore the outcome.
In the most recent consultation, 42 per cent supported single-member wards, and four per cent said they were not sure.
Town councillors, who will not be paid, will seek to provide a local level of representation as part of wider devolution plans.
A council report anticipates that the budget of the town council “could be between £1m and £1.5m per year, which would be funded through a precept added to council tax bills”.
A group of Charter Trustees has been carrying out the ceremonial duties of the area in the absence of a town council.
Scarborough Town Council will take effect from April 2025 with elections set to be held in May that year.
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