What are new employees of mayoral authority going to do?

Set against a recent background of the demise of district councils and claimed staffing “efficiencies” by avoiding duplication of roles, some may struggle to see why we need another layer of bureaucracy.

As reported in the press, the mayoral staff are split between previous members of the police commissioner's team and the former York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) staff, however the LEP team will now be focused on the economy, business and growth.

One may therefore wonder why North Yorkshire Council need to retain their own Economic Development and Regeneration Service.

Who might know the answer to this anomaly?

During the recent mayoral race I took the opportunity of asking the question directly to someone well placed to give an answer, Cllr Keane Duncan, member of North Yorkshire Council Executive and Conservative nominee in the mayoral election.

He agreed that both departments weren’t necessary, although he did point out that which department should remain was still up for debate.

It is also worth pointing out at this point that although the promise of an additional £18m a year for 30 years (£540m) has been much vaunted as a reason for forming the mayoral authority in the first place, the fact that a large slice of this is to pay the running costs of the staff is less well known!

Those familiar with how the new mayoral authority will be managed will know that the leader and deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council will form a governing board with their York City counterparts who along with the mayor will decide on priorities for the combined mayoral authority.

I suggest Cllr Duncan shares his view with his fellow members of the North Yorkshire Council executive which includes the lead and deputy lead.

This might save some public money rather than simply deciding where it’s to be spent.

Brian Forbes, Thornton-le-Moor.

Finding joy

IN response to Barbara Walker's letter titled "Modern world" (D&S Times letters, May 17), I would like to note that I feel privileged to live in the UK.

I have a high regard for our public services, currently sadly underfunded, I have contributed towards society through my working lifetime as a teacher and an NHS mental health clinician and I consider my life blessed through working with a wide range of people from all walks of life and circumstances.

Although I have experienced loss and misfortune I aim to seek the joy in life so I was saddened by Barbara's misanthropic world view.

Although not universally experienced, the menopause can be seriously physically and psychologically debilitating for some women who have suffered in silence and been made to feel ashamed, but thankfully this is now being belatedly recognised.

There is wide evidence that working from home leads to greater productivity; when I worked from home during the Covid lockdowns I actually worked longer hours as did many of my colleagues.

Comparing the evils of the mass kidnap, slaughter and abuse of millions in the slave trade of the 17th and 18th Centuries to historic invasions is wilfully ignorant, as we still benefit from the profits of slavery.

We exploited dozens of sovereign nations, subjecting their citizens to colonial rule and making ourselves the richest country on earth through the robbery of their natural and human resources.

The only substantial reparations made to date were shameful pay-offs made to slave owners when slavery was thankfully outlawed.

I volunteer teaching English to asylum seekers who have risked their lives to escape torture and repression.

Every one of our students is profoundly committed to the UK, its systems and culture, desperate to work, pay taxes and contribute to our society which they deeply value.

Many of those who have gained leave to stay are taking on less desirable, low paid vacancies that cannot otherwise be filled, many others have qualifications in shortage professions like medicine and are learning English to support the NHS through their working role which I find inspiring.

Although I may not agree with their approach, I do appreciate Just Stop Oil’s message that continuing dependency on fossil fuels is hastening the destruction of our planet and all life upon it.

I also live "in the sticks", but our household is blessed with solar panels, ground source heat pumps and good insulation.

I hope Barbara can find her missing joy soon.

Kate Gibbon, Swainby.

Tory blunders

FOURTEEN years of greed, sleaze, self-serving nepotism and dishonesty.

Little wonder there is dwindling trust in successive governments to manage the nation’s affairs in an efficient and equitable manner.

Ironically, and despite its name the Conservative Party has failed to conserve little of significance in this period.

Public utilities, education, transport, prisons, social care, health have all been left with major, damaging deficits needing sustained future investment.

Virtually every facet of the public realm is worse than when the Conservatives entered office. The exodus of sitting Conservative MPs and ministers speaks for itself.

It’s almost axiomatic that change is needed on many fronts and that our diverse and divided communities deserve better.

As a rule of thumb general elections aim to focus on the future, but in this case it would be understandable if large swathes of the electorate were tempted to take the rare opportunity of sending a clear, unequivocal message to the most recent incumbents of political office.

No doubt readers will have their own paradigmatic examples of the most ill-conceived Tory blunders.

Among my own are the mythical benefits which would flow from the "golden uplands" of Brexit; the £4.7bn cost of border checks that have yet to be implemented and, of course, Rishi Sunak’s personal crusade to bury a complex problem with a simple solution in Rwanda.

For these and others the Tories should properly be punished in the polls.

Gus Pennington, Stokesley.

Missing curlews

I HAVE just read Richard Mason's letter regarding the early cutting of grassland and the effect on ground nesting birds, (D&S Times letters, May 24).

I walk and cycle regularly in the Great Ayton area, but I very rarely see curlews, even up on the moors. This year I had been thrilled to come across curlews on farm land just off Easby Lane – until this Monday, when I cycled past the field and it had been cut. No sign of curlews. I hope the curlews had hatched and flown the nest, but I doubt it. Fortunately, there were still lapwing in a field on the other side of the road. Hopefully, they will survive and breed.

Ann Davies, Great Ayton.

Rural prosperity

HAVING read the article regarding Kilnsey Show requiring extra storage for equipment, I would like to make comment, “Dales planners move against bid for country show building” (D&S Times, May 24).

All agricultural shows are predominately run by local volunteers, who give their time freely for the benefit of local people.

The local parish council supports the application, yet the National Park Authority doesn't wish to support the show moving forward and becoming more sustainable.

This is just yet another restrictive organisation which is no more than a hindrance to rural prosperity, and what I would term as a quango.

Local people should be entitled to make their own decisions, and clearly if the storage building secures the future of Kilnsey Show, surely that cannot be a bad thing.

Maybe the National Park quango should think again!

County Councillor John Shuttleworth, Cabinet Member of Rural Communities and Highways, Durham County Council.

D-Day anniversary

TO mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings on June 6, I wanted to take this opportunity to commemorate those who served in the Armed Forces in the lead up, during and in the aftermath of D-Day.

The Allied landings were a turning point in world history. The RAF, along with their USAAF colleagues, had been preparing for the invasion for months, attacking German airfields and disrupting supply lines, and their attacks on radar sites made large parts of the channel "invisible".

As the invasion fleet sailed under the protective fighter aircraft umbrella, the first Allied troops to land on D-Day were being carried in gliders towed by RAF tug aircraft.

More than 8,000 RAF personnel took part with more than 5,000 aircraft involved, including the many squadrons who protected the invasion fleet from German submarine attack. Following the end of the war, life was difficult for many, especially for those who were wounded and for the families of those who lost their lives.

The RAF Benevolent Fund has provided support for thousands of Second World War RAF veterans and their families, from financial assistance to housing adaptations, including support to Aircraftswoman Rose Davies who was a radar operator supporting the landings.

Rose, before her passing earlier this year aged 107, received regular assistance from us which helped her live with dignity and financial security.

From D-Day to today, the RAF Benevolent Fund remains by the side of the RAF providing life-changing support for those who serve, have served, and their families. Last year, we supported over 42,000 veterans of all ages, families and those in uniform who keep us safe day after day. We can only provide our life changing support with the help of our friends and partners, relying on vital donations from our supporters.

Together we make a difference. For more information and to donate, visit rafbf.org/donate.

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, Controller, RAF Benevolent Fund.

Bus service cuts

WELL done Sheila Simms last week for highlighting some of our frustrations with local bus services “Bus services” (D&S Times letters, May 24).

A new problem has now arisen in Northallerton – plans to cut our town bus services (routes 74A and 74B) on June 10 from five round trips to three on weekdays, without any consultation. A sixth round trip was lost during the Covid pandemic. Saturdays would be reduced from six to four. The hours of operation would also be reduced by up to an hour, meaning a later start on the 74B and an earlier finish on both routes.

The result is a very poor service which few people will use, and more cars on our congested roads. Yet the authorities are supposed to be encouraging people to cut their carbon emissions to protect our planet for future generations. The capacity released by the cuts would be used to offer a new service to the Northmoor Road area of new housing, an area which should have seen a new bus service from the outset of this development, not three years too late, after new residents have got used to living without public transport. Funding for a new bus service had originally been planned as part of the development, along with a Green Travel Plan, but these have been quietly dropped by the authorities.

The new bus service to Northmoor Road of three buses each weekday will hardly cut the mustard for the new residents, if indeed they are aware of it?

This plan must be suspended to allow for consultation on alternatives to achieve a better service for everyone, hopefully at no extra cost.

John Slaughter, Northallerton.