I READ the story “Plan drawn up to boost economy across county” (Echo, April 1) twice, and I was no wiser.

What, exactly, will North Yorkshire County Council do to “increase prosperity”? Your leader writer seems equally bemused.

So I tried to find the “Plan for Growth” on the council’s website, without success.

Having run a small business myself, I can offer a few ideas about what our local authorities could do to increase prosperity, bearing in mind environmental constraints, especially climate change.

Given current low interest rates, councils could borrow to invest, for instance:

  • District councils could build homes for affordable rent, creating work for local builders
  • They could also create worthwhile work by bringing homes up to the highest level of insulation, and installing solar panels – benefitting the tenants as well as the environment
  • The County Council could also install solar panels on the roofs of all its buildings
  • County could boost local business by installing affordable broad-band infrastructure where BT seems unwilling 
  • The County could boost tourism by creating off-road cycle tracks for visitors attracted by the publicity for the Tour de Yorkshire.

All local authorities in North Yorkshire could boost the local economy by buying locally. If they all paid the real living wage, it would put money in the hands of people most likely to spend it in the local economy.

This could be financed by cutting the pay of the authorities’ chief executives, as the Green-controlled council has done in Brighton.

No doubt your readers could add to this list, and I’m sure the County Council will be grateful for any constructive ideas.

Fiona Yorke, Green Party Parliamentary candidate, Richmond constituency