Survey - Devolution for York and North Yorkshire

In order that these powers and funding are available, York and North Yorkshire must put in place suitable governance arrangements which provide Government with assurance that funding will be spent appropriately, and statutory functions will be delivered effectively and efficiently.

We are proposing the following, which are outlined in more detail in section 2 of the Scheme:

• A Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is created, with the first Mayor for York and North Yorkshire elected in May 2024, by registered voters in the City of York and North Yorkshire Council areas.

• Each mayoral term will last for four years.

• The mayoral combined authority will have a total of 5 voting members, comprising:

  • The elected mayor (who must be in the majority for a decision to pass.)

  • Four elected members, consisting of a Lead Member for each constituent council and one further member appointed by each of the two constituent councils.

• In addition, there will be:

  • One member appointed by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP Board will become the Business Committee of the combined authority. This member will be non-voting unless the combined authority resolves to give them a vote on any issues.

• Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions will be passed to the Mayor who will be able to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime to exercise some of those functions.

• The Mayor will also have functions relating to transport, housing and regeneration, and finance.

• The mayoral combined authority will have responsibility for transport-related functions, adult education and skills functions, housing and regeneration functions, economic development, and finance functions in addition to those exercised by the Mayor.

• The mayoral combined authority will be required to make arrangements for the overview and scrutiny of mayoral and non- mayoral functions, as well as retaining statutory arrangements in relation to audit. The Mayor’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions will be scrutinised by a separate Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

What won’t change:

City of York Council and the future North Yorkshire Council will still deliver the vast majority of existing services, including children’s and adults’ services, corporate services, communities, planning, highways and street-based services.

The government will provide £500,000 Mayoral Capacity Funding in 2023/24 and £1 million in 2024/25.

It is proposed that the Mayor would have the following functions:

• Power to set a precept on council tax to fund mayoral functions (resulting from the setting of the mayoral budget as set out below).
• Power to introduce a supplement on business rates for expenditure on projects that will promote economic development in the area (subject to ballot).

The Mayoral Combined Authority would have the following functions:

• Power to borrow up to an agreed cap for non-transport functions.

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will be the lead local authority for the planning and delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) from 2025/26.

The proposed deal contains Government commitment to support York and North Yorkshire’s ambition to be Carbon negative. More detail can be found in proposed devolution deal.

This includes:

• Direct engagement with Government and potential funding to enable York and North Yorkshire’s ambition to be carbon negative,

• £7 million investment that will enable the area of York and North Yorkshire to drive green economic growth towards their ambitions to be a carbon negative region.

• Development of a York and North Yorkshire Natural Capital Investment Plan.

The proposed devolution deal will give the Mayor and mayoral combined authority responsibilities for investment in transport infrastructure and services, including public transport. This will help York and North Yorkshire develop an effective and efficient transport system for the long term, and provide greater certainty over future funding for transport improvements.

Below is a summary of how this will work. You can find full details in section 3.3 of the scheme.

It is proposed that the Mayor would have the following functions:

• Power to draw up a York and North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan and related transport strategies

• Powers to introduce bus franchising. This is where the authority specifies the bus services to be provided, and determines the routes, timetables and fares. This would require a separate process and consultation.

The Mayoral Combined Authority would have the following functions:

• The Combined Authority will become the Local Transport Authority for the Combined Area under the Transport Act 2000.

• Transport-related powers to set up and coordinate a Key Route Network on behalf of the Mayor.

• Powers to operate a lane rental scheme in relation to Key Route Network and collect contributions from any works promoter.

• Powers to make arrangements with utility companies for diversionary works needed as a result of highways works carried out on the Key Route Network.

• Powers to operate a permit scheme designed to control the carrying out of works on the Key Route Network (see further paragraph 3.3.3).

Additionally, the government intends to legislate so that the mayor will have a power of direction, allowing them to direct highway authorities on exercising their highway powers with regard to the Key Route Network.

These functions would be supported by the receipt of transport funding in a single consolidated budget set for a number of years to give greater certainty for the development of future projects.

The proposed devolution deal will give the Mayor and mayoral combined authority responsibilities for housing and regeneration. This will help the coordination of decisions and ensure that decisions are not affected by council boundaries.

The proposal is that this will be done by giving functions to the Mayor and mayoral combined authority to exercise functions alongside City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council, and Homes England, working in partnership.

Full details can be found in section 3.5 of the Scheme.

It is proposed that the Mayor would have the following functions:

• Power to designate a Mayoral Development Area and then set up a Mayoral Development Corporation (with the consent of the relevant Local Authority and National Park Authority members)

• Housing and land acquisition powers to support housing, regeneration, infrastructure and community development and wellbeing.

The Mayoral Combined Authority would have functions that help to:

• improve the supply and quality of housing

• secure regeneration or development of land or infrastructure

• support in other ways the creation, regeneration and development of communities

• contribute to achieving sustainable development and good design

In support of these functions, the MCA would receive £12.7m of devolved capital funding across 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the building of new homes on brown field land. The government will also make a one-off investment of up to £2.65 million in 2022/23 to pilot new energy efficiency or shared ownership schemes.

The proposed devolution deal will give the mayoral combined authority powers to help people and businesses in York and North Yorkshire get the skills and support necessary to reach their ambitions, as well as support the region’s economy. This will be achieved through control of the government’s Adult Education Budget and powers which are outlined in section 3.4 of the scheme.

It is proposed that this will work by conferring functions on the mayoral combined authority. This will include:

• Locally provide adult education and training and control the Adult Education Budget (AEB) from the academic year 2024/25, subject to meeting readiness conditions.

• promote the effective participation in education and training of young people aged 16 and 17.

• make available to young people and relevant young adults appropriate support services to encourage, enable and help them participate in education and training.

• ensure that adult education and training in York and North Yorkshire promotes high standards, fair access to opportunity for education and training, and fulfils individuals’ learning potential.

• require relevant institutions in the further education sector to provide appropriate education to specified individuals aged between 16 and 18 years.

The proposed deal includes the transfer of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions and powers to the Mayor. This creates the scope to align police, fire and crime priorities with transport, housing, skills and employment and to improve outcomes for the public. Joining police, fire and crime functions with oversight of other public services in the Mayoral Combined Authority would also promote further collaboration within the region.

The Mayor would become the elected local policing body and the fire and rescue authority.

A Mayor exercising police, fire and crime functions will continue to provide a single, directly accountable individual who is responsible for securing efficient and effective police and fire and rescue services in North Yorkshire, in much the same way as the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner does currently.

Full details are available in section 3.6 of the scheme, with a summary of the functions to transfer below.

The Mayor’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions would include:

• issuing a Police and Crime Plan and Fire and Rescue Plan

• setting the police and fire budgets including the council tax precept requirements

• appointing (and if necessary suspending or dismissing) the Chief Constable, Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer

• being the employer of all Fire and Rescue Authority staff

• addressing complaints and compliments about policing and fire services

• providing and commissioning services for victims and vulnerable people

• working in partnership to ensure that the local criminal justice system is efficient and effective

The Mayor will appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime (who is not directly elected), to whom they may delegate functions.

These functions will be transferred from the existing North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to the Mayor. A Police, Fire and Crime Panel will scrutinise the actions and decisions of the Mayor / Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and enable the public to hold them to account.