North Yorkshire deputy mayor aware of HMO concerns in Scarborough

​Jo Coles, the deputy mayor for crime and policing, has proposed convening a meeting with partners to “understand how to improve the experience for all residents of Scarborough”.

​It follows concerns from residents, the town council, and councillors about how HMO conversions and emergency accommodation sites in the North Yorkshire town are impacting neighbours.

​Cllr Janet Jefferson, who represents Castle ward, said: “The coastal area of North Yorkshire is seeing an increasing number of applications for conversions of hotels and other buildings into emergency accommodation, proportionally much higher than other parts of the country.

​“Due to concerns from residents about disturbances, there are frequent call-outs to police officers. However, they advise that issues around disturbances and security are the domain of the agency/owners.”

​Speaking at a recent meeting of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel, she added: “People have a right to accommodation, but there has to be some clear accountability around how best to support such circumstances.

​“Given the increase in such situations, is the deputy mayor concerned by the ongoing frequent use of police resources and is there a better way forward to ensure situations are approached in a legal and respectful manner with clear accountability?”

Jo Coles, the deputy mayor for York and North Yorkshire, said she was aware of the issue and had already provided a written answer.

​Speaking at the meeting, she added that Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, had also raised concerns with her “about the number of HMO applications coming through, especially on the coast, and I think it is particularly Scarborough”.

​Ms Coles said: “We’ve provided a written update and the police will always be there to respond based on the threat risk and harm to the community, and they will make those decisions operationally.”

​However, she added that some responses should come from a partnership approach.

​The deputy mayor said she would be “very happy to convene a meeting of partners, including housing partners and commissioned service providers”.

​She said: “We have our wonderful women’s centre in Scarborough, but given the nature of the response, we would also want to better understand what is happening for men in some of those accommodations in terms of drug and alcohol services being made available to vulnerable residents on the coast.”

North Yorkshire Police, Fire And Crime Panel, July 2026. NYC

Responding to a question about how North Yorkshire Police responds to planning applications, Ms Coles added: “It is certainly not for the police to decide where people are accommodated; that’s a matter for the council to oversee.

“It’s absolutely vital that we are alive and alert to particular community problems when they are emerging, which they appear to be around these HMO properties on the coast.

​“I will take that away and liaise with Cllr Jefferson to convene something with partners so we can understand how to improve the experience for all residents of Scarborough.”

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(Image: Newsquest)