Leading figures back campaign for York to keep its own council, rather than merge with others
Former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable and former BBC Director General Greg Dyke are among those to back the City of York Council's campaign to stay as it is in the upcoming local government reorganisation
Last updated 21st Nov 2020
City of York Council has launched a campaign calling for it to be allowed to stay as it is in the upcoming local government reorganisation, rather than merging with Scarborough, Ryedale and Selby councils.
Former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, former BBC director general Greg Dyke and Huntington School head teacher John Tomsett have all backed the initiative for the city to keep it's unitary authority.
Business and civic leaders have also come out in support of the ‘We Back York’ campaign.
Sir Vince, who was born in York, said he was delighted to join the drive – and warned that reorganisation of local government in York could be “costly and chaotic”.
He added:
“I have seen York live under three different configurations in local government.
“You have now got one that makes sense and corresponds to people’s identity and reflects the economic geography of the city.
“Why change it? Administrative reorganisations are often far more costly and chaotic than they are envisaged beforehand – even in the best of times and this isn’t the best of times. We’re dealing with all the uncertainties around Covid.
“I was in a government that launched the reorganisation of the NHS and it was a terrible disaster.
“I also participated in a major local government reorganisation on Clydeside and there was a similar problem and of course it all had to be reversed.
“York is special – there’s a very strong argument for staying as you are.
“This is an extremely well-organised, effective campaign and you deserve to succeed.”
Government has linked plans for a devolution deal for North Yorkshire to local government reforms. This could see North Yorkshire split to create two large councils – with York, Scarborough, Selby and Ryedale merging in the east and Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate and Richmondshire in the west.
City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council are against the plans – instead favouring a model that would see York remain as it is and North Yorkshire become one large unitary authority.
A petition in support of this solution was launched yesterday, and will be handed in to Parliament by York Central MP Rachael Maskell.
Mr Dyke, speaking at the launch, called for the devolution of powers to North Yorkshire with as little disruption as possible to councils and the essential services they provide.
He said:
“A lot of people here have been arguing for the devolution of powers for some time. You want to limit the amount of change necessary to get the advantages and money devolution will bring.
“You can understand why a couple of district councils don’t like it, but we are going to have to have unitary authorities whatever happens.”
Mr Tomsett warned changes to local government in York could be damaging for schools – which have a strong links and have worked together with the council to support children through the pandemic.
He said:
“I can’t see why you would want to break up something that works so well – we have not got money in education to be spent on reorganisation. Young people in our city are brilliantly served by the system we have now.”
Max Reeves, director at devloper the Helmsley Group, warned reorganisation could also affect the economy.
He said developers and businesses work closely with the existing council – but that changes to local government creates the type of uncertainty that businesses dislike and would put the economic recovery at risk.
View the petition at change.org/webackyork.