Councillors call on North Yorkshire Mayor to ensure coastal communities are priority for combined authority

Members of the Scarborough and Whitby area committee have said that the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority needs to ensure coastal communities are a priority.

At a meeting on Friday, March 21 councillors quizzed the combined authority’s chief executive instead of Mayor Skaith, who had previously been scheduled to attend but could not make it in person.

Coun Phil Trumper, who represents the Whitby West division, said: “I believe the coast should be a higher priority in the [presentation] you gave us today.

“Do you have a coastal team or a coastal lead who we could talk to about the improvements that are required in Whitby and in Scarborough?”

James Farrar, Chief Executive of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, told the committee: “We work really closely with North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and their economic development team on what the opportunities are in Scarborough.

“What we’re trying to ensure we don’t do, is duplicate work that is already going on and we don’t want two people on the patch doing the same thing.

“So we don’t have a dedicated coastal team because NYC does, and we work hand-in-glove with them and meet on a very regular basis.”

Also attending the meeting was Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume, who said that “MPs from all sides were [yesterday] calling for a dedicated minister for coastal communities”.

The MP said: “As the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Coastal Communities, I am using that forum to push for a minister for coastal communities.”

Ms Hume added: “Picking up on what Coun Trumper mentioned, I’ve also asked the mayor for a member of his team to be put particularly and especially on the coast.

“I feel that ‘coast’ sometimes gets lumped together with ‘rural’ and we have very specific challenges and opportunities on the coast, so I’m very keen that we address those.”

Speaking in a House of Commons debate on Thursday, March 20, one of the many MPs who called on the Government to create a minister for coastal communities was West Dorset representative, Edward Morello, who said: “It’s time for a dedicated minister for coastal communities to ensure that our voices are heard in every Government decision.

“We deserve clean waters, thriving businesses, secure jobs and infrastructure that meets our needs.

“It is time for bold action, not just warm words if we are to secure the future of our coastal communities for generations to come.”