Here is your quick guide to what is happening in your council and the news you might have missed.

Council meetings

Your councillors meet regularly to consider local issues and plans, countywide policy and much more. This month includes meetings of area constituency planning committees for Selby and Ainsty, Richmond, Scarborough and Whitby, Thirsk and Malton, and Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as meetings of the executive and licensing committees.

Find details of all meetings.

Where possible, meetings are streamed live. Watch live meetings.

Have your say

We regularly consult you on local and countywide issues before making decisions. View the current consultations. Current consultations include the housing allocations policy for Harrogate. The government requires us to have one policy for how we allocate social housing to cover all of North Yorkshire by April 1, 2025. Up until now, Harrogate has its own social housing allocations policy. Fill in the survey about the proposed new policy before November 27, 2023. Also current are the strategic leisure review, the draft North Yorkshire destination management strategy and the amalgamation of Catterick Garrison, Wavell Community Infant School and Wavell Community Junior School.

News

Households struggling amid the cost of living crisis will be able to claim supermarket vouchers to help pay for food and other essentials over the winter months. The fourth phase of the Household Support Fund is being rolled out to just under 22,500 people across the county. Eligible households will receive a letter from us this month (September) containing an individual code. This code allows them to download a supermarket e-voucher quickly and easily through the online portal, with the option of a printed version. Read the full Household Support Fund story.

New foster carers in North Yorkshire are being offered a £500 ‘golden hello’ payment when they are approved to help to provide a fresh start for young people. From now until 31 December, our not-for-profit fostering service, Fostering North Yorkshire, is giving £500 to every newly approved foster carer. Read the full story or visit our Fostering North Yorkshire page for more about fostering.

The Reboot service has helped hundreds of people since it was set up in 2021, but needs more donations to help to meet demand across North Yorkshire. To be considered for use in the scheme, devices must be in working order and be under five years old. They must have password protection and any personal items removed. Read the full Reboot service story.

A recruitment campaign has been launched to attract experienced children’s social workers to North Yorkshire and build on the “outstanding” work that has been undertaken to support young people across the county. Read the full recruitment campaign story.

Online books, magazines and comics

If you are a member of your local library, your library card gives you free digital access to thousands of audio books, eBooks, monthly and weekly magazines, daily and weekly newspapers, comics and graphic novels. We also have an enormous range of online resources.