North Yorkshire Mayor Welcomes Devolution Bill

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was introduced in Parliament today giving more powers to regional Mayors.

As well as community asset protection, the bill also includes new licensing and planning powers and gives Mayors the ability to speed up the development of new homes and infrastructure.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is set to protect community assets, highstreets, and support grassroots sports clubs, giving communities more control over what they have available to them. 

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:

“Our communities in York and North Yorkshire know what they need, but for too long we haven’t protected or invested in what matters most to them. 
 
“We have recently boosted 21 village halls and community buildings across the region with £600,000 protecting these valuable community assets. That money has made a big difference, including for organisations like WHISH on the coast which will be able to help even more children with disabilities. 
 
“This is why shifting power closer to the people with the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is so important.  

“The bill will give us the ability to protect pubs, social clubs, high streets and grassroots sports clubs. These places are at the heart of our communities, especially in our rural and coastal towns and villages. 
 
“With more powers, we are ready to build on that success and keep our communities healthy and thriving for generations to come.”

Communities like WHISH, a charity in Whitby supporting families with the unique challenges associated with hidden impairments, have directly benefited from funding provided by the devolved authority.

Yvonne Harrison, Project Manager of WHISH said,

“We have been able to install a wheelchair lift thanks to the funding from Mayor David Skaith. We are now able to support more families in Whitby and the surrounding areas, providing support, activities, information and friendship in an accessible and judgement-free environment.” 

The government says the bill will:

"deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to unlock a generational shift in power from Westminster to those with skin in the game, and rebalance prosperity, deliver economic growth and a decade of national renewal across the nation as part of the Plan for Change. "

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: 

We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with. 

But that’s why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities. We’re ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.”  

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said:  

For too long power and opportunity has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall while the local councils millions rely on have been frustrated and diminished. This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long. Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity.  

Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.”  

This Bill will deliver changes including 

• Making more local ownership of pubs, shops and social hubs  easier through a new Community Right to Buy meaning communities will have the first opportunity to purchase local assets when they are put up for sale, and be given an extended 12-month period to raise funding. And more local sports grounds will be saved by introducing a new ‘Sporting’ category protection of local assets preserving local character, boosting tourism and keeping community spirit alive.  

• Banning Upward Only Rent Reviews (UORR) clauses in commercial leases, which pit landlords against businesses and can make rents unaffordable and cause shops to shut. This will help keep small businesses running, boost local economies and job opportunities and help end the blight of vacant high streets and the unacceptable anti-social behaviour that comes with them.  

• A stronger voice for communities with a new requirement for local authorities to put in place effective neighbourhood governance to give residents more of a say in shaping their local areas.  

• Quicker action on the changes local people want to see with more rights for Mayors, elected by their communities, to take back control of delivering for their voters’, from new licensing powers for rental e-bikes to new planning powers to set the direction of growth across their areas.  

• Boosting economic growth with mayors working across the country to turbocharge the national missions by developing tailor made Local Growth Plans to kickstart local economies and ultimately getting more money in people’s pockets.  

• Streamlined powers for Mayors across England to speed up the development of new homes and infrastructure in their areas. This will include a new power to institute Mayoral Development Orders, as well as a streamlined process to establish Mayoral Development Corporations, so that we can replicate the success of projects such as the Olympic Park legacy and attract inward investment right across the country. 

• Fixing the cracks in local government through rebuilding the sector from the ground up to be more efficient, local people will get the daily services they deserve and rely on from their Council, like bin collection, whilst also enabling areas to work together over larger areas to deliver the big changes, like integrated transport networks. This will be done through the creation of new ‘Strategic Authorities’ that will boost connectivity and collaboration between Councils.    

• Restoring taxpayers’ trust in councils’ spending through fixing the local audit system with the establishment of the Local Audit Office, which will increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system.