North Yorkshire Mayor responds to criticism over high street pilot

​David Skaith, the elected Labour mayor, has responded to criticism from Conservative councillors who said he “hasn’t shown his face at all” regarding a pilot scheme that could force businesses in Scarborough to let out their vacant properties.

​The “carrot and stick” pilot project in Scarborough was approved by North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee this week, and could see it use compulsory purchase orders to address the “blight of empty and increasingly derelict properties” on high streets.

​A spokesperson for David Skaith said it was “disappointing” that he “has never been approached about this programme”.

​At a meeting of NYC’s executive committee in Malton on Tuesday, ​Conservative councillor Richard Foster, executive member for managing the environment, said: “The mayor is supposed to be the man of economic development and he doesn’t appear to be anywhere, or taking on the liability or the costings, and I find that a bit strange.

​“It’s a Labour policy and I thought the Labour mayor would have been all over this, but he hasn’t shown his face at all, which I find poor. After all, he’s the mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and that includes Scarborough.”

​​Fellow executive member, Cllr Mark Crane, said: “I completely agree with you about David Skaith.”

​A spokesperson for Mr Skaith said: “Scarborough is prime for development and town centre renewal, the mayor stands ready to support North Yorkshire Council and others to deliver this.

“The mayor has never been approached about this programme, which given his investments in high street projects in Scarborough and beyond, is disappointing and a missed opportunity by the council to align funding and support.“

​Scarborough has the highest town centre vacancy rate in the county at 18.6 per cent, followed by Malton at 17.1 per cent, while Whitby has a vacancy rate of just 7.6 per cent, according to a North Yorkshire Council report.

​NYC said its previous strategies, including offering fully funded vinyl wraps for vacant properties, had failed.

​​The scheme will see the introduction of new powers that allow local authorities to require landlords to rent out “persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups”.

​​Properties that have been vacant for more than 366 days in the past two years would be eligible if they are deemed suitable for high street use, such as retail, offices, public services, hospitality, entertainment, or light industry.

​The council said that the properties would also need to be considered beneficial to the local economy, society, or environment if occupied.

​​Labour councillor Liz Colling, chair of Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee, said: “It’s a marvellous opportunity and there are plenty of places that are vacant.”

​Nic Harne, NYC’s corporate director for community development, said: “These are very new powers and just by bringing this in, we can bring landlords to the table.”

​​​A report prepared for the executive committee meeting stated: “Increasingly, the condition of the town centre of Scarborough, in particular Huntriss Row, where there is a concentration of vacant premises, is being raised with the council.

“Given the lack of impact of earlier initiatives, the limits of existing powers and the local imperative to tackle the issue, it is proposed the council pilots the use of the new high street rental auction (HSRA) powers to compel landlords to improve the vacant premises and secure new tenants.”