Whitby's Cumulative Impact Zone will be renewed this week, making it harder for new bars and pubs to open

Scarborough Council’s Full Council meeting will be asked to save the town’s Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), against police advice.

Last month, the authority’s cabinet voted to recommend councillors keep the CIZ based on anecdotal evidence from the public after North Yorkshire Police said there were not enough incidents of crime and disorder to justify renewing the CIZ for a further three years.

A CIZ makes it harder for an applicant to open a new drinking establishment in the area covered by the zone.

At the time cabinet member Cllr Sandra Turner (Con) said she welcomed the keeping of the zone in Whitby.

She said: “A large part of the zone is in my ward and I can say quite honestly that the residents put forward very measured responses to the consultation.

“Without the zone in place, the implications for businesses in Whitby will be on a downward spiral.”

In total, more than 250 people responded to the consultation on Whitby’s CIZ alone, with 79.9% of them stating that it should not be removed.

In asking for the CIZ to be removed North Yorkshire Police pointed to the reduction in crimes in Whitby.

When the policy was introduced in 2006 there were some 200 reported violent incidents, compared to 79 in 2016/17.

The new policy of the CIZ will be reviewed until it is up for renewal in 2022.

The full council will be asked to approve the recommendation when it meets at Scarborough Town Hall on Friday (1st).