County is set to move a step closer to creating an elected mayor for North Yorkshire with sizable budget and powers

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive are to meet next week when they are due to endorse plans to send the results of a recent public engagement to Government ministers to progress proposals to create a mayoral combined authority, which is due to be established towards the end of this year.

Hundreds of residents, businesses and charity and voluntary organisations took part in the biggest public consultation ever undertaken by councils in North Yorkshire to collect the public’s views on a proposed devolution deal.

North Yorkshire County Council says the results show widespread support from leading organisations and the general public to forge ahead with plans to bring a host of benefits to the county - including new jobs, more affordable housing and measures to tackle climate change.

The leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Coun Carl Les, said: “The prospect of a devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire is a huge opportunity that will bring benefits to hundreds of thousands of people that will be felt for generations to come.

“We have the chance to take a greater control of our futures, with greater prosperity through new jobs and better skills and education and the chance to tackle long-standing issues such as a lack of affordable housing and the growing threat of climate change.

“To have so many people taking part in the public engagement is very welcome, as it shows the interest that is there on the proposed devolution deal.”

The engagement ran from October 21 until December 16 last year under the Let’s Talk banner, which asked for the public’s views on the proposed devolution deal as well as how the new North Yorkshire Council, which will launch on April 1, will serve local communities and also its financial priorities.

A total of 1,943 people completed the survey in full for the devolution element of the public consultations, expressing views on a range of

topics including housing, transport, skills and employment and climate change.

The response rate is understood to have compared favourably to other devolution engagement campaigns with the public elsewhere in the country.

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive will meet next week when they are due to endorse plans.

If a mayoral combined authority was to be formed, it would likely be formed towards the end of this year.

It’s the latest development in the biggest shake-up of local government in the county since 1974 which will see the new North Yorkshire Council take on all the responsibilities of district councils which will abolished at the end of March.

But the new authority will begin its life with a £27 million deficit after 12 years of Government austerity which saw a 40 per cent reduction in its spending.

Throw in high inflation and soaring energy bills and the new single authority for North Yorkshire is likely to be looking to achieve between £30 million and £70 million of efficiency savings in its first three years.

Its leader Coun Carl Les, said: “We are faced with the biggest financial pressures which I have witnessed in all of the time I have been a member of the county council.”