A public meeting was held today following instances of anti-social behaviour in a North Yorkshire town.
A large number of residents in Helmsley attended the Town Hall to raise their concerns with several public agencies.
The meeting was organised by my office and the North Yorkshire Councillor for Helmsley, George Jabbour.
York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, Jo Coles, together with representatives and officers from Yorkshire Housing, North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council, listened to the concerns that local people highlighted, answered their questions and committed to addressing the issues raised.
It was encouraging to see so many residents attend today's meeting, showing just how strongly people feel about these issues. I would like to thank Jo Coles, Inspector Martin Dennison, Paul Romans from North Yorkshire Council and Angela Havens from Yorkshire Housing for listening to residents' concerns. There remain many unanswered questions about the policies and performance of North Yorkshire Council's housing services, Yorkshire Housing, North Yorkshire Police and what further changes are needed to resolve these issues. This is not just a Helmsley issue – communities such as Kirkbymoorside and other local towns and villages are facing similar concerns – and I will continue working with all those involved to ensure residents get the answers and action they deserve.
Helmsley’s North Yorkshire Councillor George Jabbour commented: “I am glad that local people responded positively to the leaflet that I delivered across the area recently to invite them to the public meeting that we organised today. The turnout was high and the room was full. It was essential for the public agencies that were present to hear first-hand from residents about the serious issues that we are facing in our community.”
Greg White, the North Yorkshire Councillor for the neighbouring area of Kirkbymoorside, also attended the meeting. He added: “The problem is that we don’t take account of the specific and sometimes complex needs of families, when they apply to move from places like Scarborough or Middlesbrough, to live in rural market towns like Helmsley and Kirkbymoorside. In large towns, they have access to the services they need to help divert them from crime and anti-social behaviour. Those services don’t exist in the smaller market towns and so both those moving in and existing residents are being let down by the system. North Yorkshire Council needs to revise and improve its policy, so that families with serious issues are steered away from moving to locations where they will not thrive.”
