Grass cutting and bus shelters could see funds cut

North Yorkshire Council could cut funding for services including grass cutting at roadside verges

Funding for a range of services including grass cutting and bus shelter maintenance in part of North Yorkshire could be ended.

North Yorkshire Council wants to save up to £102,347 by stopping "inconsistent, duplicated or discretionary funding" in the Scarborough area.

The Scarborough Model Agreement (SMA) currently allocates £208,724.77 annually to 36 parish and town councils in the area for services including roadside grass cutting, burial ground maintenance and public amenities.

The authority said the proposals would help "harmonise" services across the county and parishes could look to mitigate any loss of funding through their council tax precepts.

The SMA is a legacy agreement inherited by North Yorkshire Council from the former Scarborough Borough Council whereby payments are made to town, parish and village councils in the Scarborough area for the delivery of services related to the local environment.

According to the council, the £55,000 allocated to roadside verges is "both a duplication of funding" and is "not equitable" with other parishes that do not receive funding for "whole-verge grass cutting".

The maintenance of public clocks is supported in 10 parishes with funding of £2,500, which would also be ceased under the plan "as it is a discretionary service that does not happen elsewhere".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's wider scheme involves reviewing services within the highways and infrastructure service unit, including highways, parks and grounds, waste, and street cleansing.

The council is examining how it can "leverage capabilities and harmonise services to ensure consistency and equity across the county" and has set a budgeted savings target of £600,000 by 2027/28.

An equality impact assessment has highlighted that some rural communities "may be affected" but council officers said that "parishes will be able to mitigate any reduced funding by reviewing their own precepts".​

They added it was "not certain" whether the reduction of external funding would affect service delivery levels.​

Certain areas of funding, such as parks, playing fields and open spaces would remain unchanged for now, while other areas of support would cease.​

The issue will be considered at the council's executive meeting on 21 October.

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