Poll backs Ryedale 'merger' (From Gazette & Herald)

Poll backs Ryedale 'merger'

NORTH Yorkshire residents would back a combined council for Ryedale and Scarborough if there is a shake-up of local government, according to an independent survey.

People living in the Scarborough area were asked by researchers from MORI what form they wanted their local authority to take if there was a vote in favour of a regional assembly this autumn.

But a Ryedale civic leader today rejected the merger idea.

The chairman of Ryedale District Council, Coun Brian Cottam, said he was against the principle of regional government and he hoped there would be a "no" vote and the status quo would remain.

But if there was a vote in favour of a regional assembly, his council would prefer to see a new authority based on Ryedale, Scarborough, and Hambleton.

Coun Cottam said: "We want to keep democracy as local to people as we can and democratic representation as great as we can. If we went for the whole county option, representation in Ryedale would be limited.

"If the unitary authority is to be something which is responsible for education, social services and highways, which North Yorkshire County Council is responsible for at the moment, there needs to be a certain critical mass to run things economically. Anything smaller than Scarborough, Ryedale and Hambleton will be difficult to run economically."

A total of 42 per cent of those questioned in Scarborough said they preferred the option that would see Ryedale merged with Scarborough to form one of four new unitary authorities for the county. Most important for these people was a preference for a small council area - 68 per cent of those who favoured the option quoted size as a factor.

The research found that residents' least preferred option was a single unitary council covering the whole of North Yorkshire.

A total of 72 per cent of those questioned who favoured a regional assembly said that they did not want a council that covered such a large area.

The leader of Scarborough Borough Council, Coun Eileen Bosomworth, said: "This research backs up what we have always said - that borough residents want to be represented by a local authority that is close to them and not one that is remote from our villages, dales and seaside resorts."

The Boundary Committee will make final recommendations on the shake-up to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on May 25. A referendum on whether there should be an elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber will take place in the autumn.

Updated: 11:46 Friday, April 23, 2004