In episode 10 of In Conversation With – the final one - we speak to the leader of the council, Councillor Steve Siddons about his thoughts as 49 years of the borough council comes to an end and what he hopes his administration’s legacy will be. We also reflect on honours presented to England footballer Beth Mead and England rugby player Zoe Aldcroft who were awarded Freedom of the Borough at the final, special, meeting of the full council. Here's the link to the annual report video Steve refers to: https://youtu.be/Q0iectodmQ8. As this series of podcasts come to an end, we’d like to say thank you for being a listener.

In the February edition of Borough Cast we preview a Vision for Filey which will come before our senior councillors next month and we ask why our transformative plans for West Pier in Scarborough means bullying and intimidation for some people. We speak to the man in charge of the scheme to improve rented homes in the borough to find out why he wants to extend it, our Mayor dishes out £20,000 to good causes and we have an update on a certain walrus! Borough Cast is presented by Gabrielle and Andy. You can reach them via email: podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk

These are the various links we mention in this episode:

The February edition of our sister podcast, In Conversation With can be streamed or downloaded from here (or via your favourite podcast provider): https://soundcloud.com/scarboroughbc/in-conversation-with-episode-9

Here's a link to the West Pier regeneration scheme: www.scarborough.gov.uk/node/9157

Here’s the link to the Whitby schools merger consultation: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/proposal-amalgamate-caedmon-college-whitby-and-eskdale-school-1-september-2024

Here’s the link to the cost of living information: https://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/community-and-living/cost-living-crisis-help-offer

Here’s the link to our garden waste collection service page: https://www.scarborough.gov.uk/gardenwaste

Here’s the link to the North Yorkshire Council corporate plan: https://edemocracy.northyorks.gov.uk/documents/s16234/Council%20Plan%20-%20Report%20to%20Executive%2024.01.23.pdf

In episode nine of In Conversation With, we speak to the leader of the council, Councillor Steve Siddons about criticism of our plans for West Pier in Scarborough, the success of a scheme to improve the quality of homes in our borough and why we want to extend it, the future of independent accommodation providers for visitors, why enforcing speed limits is better than a blanket 20 miles an hour in towns and villages and a reflection on a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. If you’d like to ask the council leader a question in the March edition of the podcast (the last in this series), please send an email to podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk. The link to the West Pier project is: https://tinyurl.com/2p9drf8n

In the January edition of Borough Cast we reflect on our disappointment at missing out on a grant of £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund and we set the record straight on gull proofing measures on Spa Bridge. With household bills still stubbornly high we speak to the councillor who’s been leading an inquiry into the impact of the cost of living crisis on families on the Yorkshire coast. Our ‘sounds of the borough’ feature comes from near Whitby and we reflect on the New Year’s Eve arrival of a rather heavyweight visitor to Scarborough! Borough Cast is presented by Gabrielle and Andy. You can reach them via email: podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk

In episode eight of In Conversation With, we speak to the leader of the council, Councillor Steve Siddons about his disappointment as our application for £20 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund is rejected. Our questions for the leader cover the topics of civic awards, an increase in allowances for councillors and whether Scarborough will still secure its fair share of investment and money when we (the borough council) are abolished and replaced with a single council for North Yorkshire. On a lighter note, Steve reflects on how his New Year’s fireworks were called off because of a walrus! If you’d like to ask the council leader a question in the February edition of the podcast, please send an email to podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk and we’ll make sure it is included.

In the December edition of Borough Cast we focus on the cost of living crisis as we speak to colleagues from Citizens Advice North Yorkshire for their top tips on how to cope right now. We also ask for your help to identify extra warm spaces across the borough. In the second part of our look at the Towns Deal projects we feature Whitby’s Old Town Hall and Market Place and the Green Construction Skills village in Scarborough. We also hear from news correspondent Carl Gavaghan who is in the podcast booth to tell us about what we found when inspected taxis and private hire vehicles. Our guest is Mark Jackson who explains plans to bring a cinema to the centre of Scarborough. Borough Cast is presented by Gabrielle and Andy. You can reach them via email: podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk

In episode seven of In Conversation With, we speak to the leader of the council, Councillor Steve Siddons about the idea of community networks across North Yorkshire as proposed by the people setting up the new unitary council, whether current industrial action is justified and should senior public servants be paid off. We also talk all things Christmas and find out what the leader’s favourite festive tune is. If you’d like to ask Steve a question in the January edition of the podcast, please send an email to podcasts@scarborough.gov.uk and we’ll make sure it is included.