MEETINGS of Ryedale District Council (RDC) have been described as a “circus” in a report from the Local Government Association (LGA).

The peer review, which took place at the end of October, also commented that the behaviour of some members was poor and extremely disruptive.

“Although decisions are usually reached at council, the length and standard of debate, and the methods of reaching decisions are demoralising members and officers alike. This is not sustainable,” the report said.

“Good, firm and consistent chairing, together with individual members adopting the agreed values and behaviours, will be essential to tackle this.”

The report said the need for clear strategic leadership is being overshadowed by poor member behaviour at meetings.

“Full council meetings are acknowledged to be challenging, with some member behaviour extremely disruptive,” it said.

“This behaviour dominated discussions in almost all of the meetings held by the peer team, and council meetings were described as a ‘circus’ by a number of internal and external stakeholders.

“This is damaging RDC’s reputation.

“All members need to concentrate on doing what is best for the district and driving the change they want to see, rather than becoming engaged in political game-playing.”

The review, which was carried out by councillors from other district and borough councils, as well as members of the LGA, looked in detail at the RDC’s long-term ambitions, its work to support business and housing growth and the way it delivers services for the community.

It described the authority as, “a small, but ambitious council with committed staff who are focused on delivering the best possible service to meet local needs, in partnership with others where possible in order to improve capacity. Staff are proud to work for the council, and have an excellent understanding of the local context. There is a commitment to seek housing and economic growth and an understanding that this needs to be done sensitively, and in partnership with others”.

The review identified the success of the council’s planning service, describing it as an example for others to follow.

In particular the way in which the service supports developers and communities throughout the planning process - from pre-application advice through to decisions - to deliver the appropriate development people need throughout the district

The review also highlighted how the council has worked effectively with others across Yorkshire, to ensure that the issues, concerns and opportunities for Ryedale are considered at the highest levels.

This has been supported by Ryedale staff working directly for the area’s Local Enterprise Partnership, which helps to support business growth.

Areas for improvement included better communications, and a shared “one Ryedale” approach to delivering the priorities supported by consistent decision making. This, in turn, will require a review of the governance arrangements for the council.

Cllr Linda Cowling, leader of Ryedale District Council, said: “We invited the review team to assess us as part of our commitment to continue making improvements for our residents, our businesses and our visitors.

“The results show a council that has a clear sense of priorities and highlighted our success at supporting our big ambitions around economic growth and housing.

“These underpin the future success of our area, so it’s pleasing to see that the review identified these as strengths.

“We have almost completed a big change to the structure of the council, and the review also identifies the importance of doing this if we are to continue to deliver on the things we know are most important to you, whilst achieving the levels of savings expected of us.

“The review team’s feedback will help us continue our focus on our long-term goals to make this a district where everyone enjoys a good quality of life in strong, prosperous and welcoming communities.”