Whitby Town Council to vote on proposed ‘transfer of assets’ from Scarborough Council ahead of local government changes

The council will vote on a proposal that could see it take over the responsibility of assets run and owned by Scarborough Council before it is abolished and replaced by a new county-wide North Yorkshire Council.

The plan, which will be voted on at a meeting of Whitby Town Council on Tuesday January 10, states that the town council has identified “two operational areas” for which it would like to take responsibility.

The application will be to manage “the provision of parks, grounds maintenance and floral displays” as well as “the beach management services, including the management and letting of seasonal beach huts, provision of beach management centre and letting of retail concessions on esplanade”.

If the application is submitted and approved on a county level, the town council could gain the “plant and equipment, including depot space” associated with the provision of parks.

It could also be given control of “the buildings, plant and equipment, including depot space for over-wintering” relating to the beach management services as well as the buildings and “operational curtilage on the esplanade”.

The proposed application for asset and service transfer is a pilot scheme that is part of a wider plan across North Yorkshire that aims to promote “double devolution” whereby town and parish councils as well as community groups can manage services and assets on behalf of the new council.

A report on the planned application states that the two areas of choice were chosen because the “perceived benefits to Whitby and to residents is that services which are fundamental to the local tourism economy are retained and enhanced if possible, using income derived from tourism with ultra-local democratic oversight”.

The report adds: “The town council has a sound financial basis, complies with the relevant accounting standards and has a long record of unqualified opinions by its appointed external auditor.”

The pilot stage is restricted to town and parish councils and the report adds that “it would be very unlikely any transfer would take place before April 2024”.