PROPOSALS to give local authorities new emergency planning roles have been welcomed by North Yorkshire County Council.

But the authority says it must receive adequate funding to ensure it has a suitable number of appropriately trained, skilled and motivated personnel, able to provide a 24-hour service.

The costs of establishing and maintaining effective emergency centres should also be included.

And the money allocated to councils also needs to take account of the need for funding for specialist equipment or supplies, such as sandbags, emergency bedding and clothing, and oil spill clean-up equipment. The council's executive has issued its draft response to Government proposals to give councils new statutory responsibilities for emergency planning.

Under the changes, the current Home Office grant would be replaced by funding through the Standard Spending Assessment. North Yorkshire says it would welcome the extra flexibility that this would offer.

But it says county councils must not lose out in funding to district councils, saying that the co-ordination of the response to crises should be carried out at county rather than district level.

Updated: 11:41 Monday, October 29, 2001