North Yorkshire District and Borough Council schemes not signed off will have to be 'looked at'

The authorities will have to get agreement on spending above certain levels from now on

Author: Karen LiuPublished 26th May 2022

North Yorkshire County Council will now have to approve spending projects of borough and district authorities over a certain amount until they are abolished next year.

It is as a single new authority is set to replace them in April and govern the entire county.

Anything that has not yet been signed off locally will have to be looked at.

We have asked leader of the current County Council, Carl Les, if current projects are in any danger of being scrapped and he said: "I wouldn't say there's a danger. If the finance officers of the District Councils have discussed this already with the finance officers of the County Council, if the schemes are already listed and approved then there's absolutely no risk to those projects going forward.

"The document that the Government has approved and put into place gives the power and control of the spending to the 90 elected members of the new North Yorkshire Council. The executives are the lead members on that new Council.

"This is just a pragmatic way of making sure that the public purse is protected and the money is well spent. Certainly it isn't an over-rigorous infringement of the sovereignty of the District Councils, this is a matter we've discussed with them over a number of months now.

"Schemes that have already been approved will continue unless there are changing circumstances. Any scheme that hasn't been put forward already is up to the District or Borough Councils to present the facts about that scheme and that scheme will be evaluated."

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