Ryedale was formed in 1974 by the amalgamation of eight smaller authorities. When I joined the council in 1988, it was a hung Council with a single purpose. Consensus reigned supreme. Disagreements on important matters were usually resolved at private meetings between the group leaders and the Chief Executive. On the whole, politics were kept out of the committee rooms, and reserved for the council chamber - usually on National issues that concerned the Council, but did not interfere with its business.

Perhaps Ryedale's greatest achievement, before I knew the district, was the drainage of Clifton Moor. This released a vast area of derelict land for housing and industry - an achievement which was spoilt only when the developers applied for planning permission for retail development on part of it. The Council wanted to protect local businesses, refused planning consent, and fought and lost two major planning enquiries - with costs awarded against them, on the second occasion, by the Secretary of State.

The Council I knew was wonderfully confident: it was as though there was nothing they could not do. Remember the pig farm at Earswick - 10,000 pigs kept in close confinement, with an odour one could smell for miles around. The obvious answer was to build houses on it, but the County Planners would not agree. It took years to find the solution, but the pig farm went in the end.

The York Green Belt was always under attack from developers, mainly because its boundaries had never been finally determined. Three day public enquiries used to be the norm - the longest was a well-remembered seven day enquiry at Strensall. We lost some and we won some, and, on Reorganisation, the Ryedale portion of the York Green Belt was fully intact.

Ryedale helped businesses. Industrial estates, private and public, were built and extended. Businessmen with problems were given help and support. The rates were kept low, and the whole district got a good deal.

Members of all Council political groups wanted to build sports halls - not one or two - but three. It was an ambitious programme for a small district council, with limited resources, but somehow the money was produced like magic out of thin air. The County Council and a local trust produced most of the funding for the joint use sports facility at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering. The Ryedale Stadium at Huntington was paid for out of planning gain, and a contribution from the York Wasps. The entire complex which included the outdoor stadium and the sports hall cost less than two million pounds in total, but only about £400,000 came from Ryedale's own funds. The third proposed sports hall was, of course, the one at Malton, which was never built - and is now a casualty of the kind of politics which never stopped Ryedale doing anything in the heady days of consensus.

Housing repairs were always difficult, because of government rules which restricted the amount of money which could be spent on them. These rules did not apply to Housing Associations, and the government was encouraging district councils to set up their own independent housing associations. So Ryedale decided to do this, and sold its housing stock to Ryedale Housing Association. It took over a year to go through all the complex consultation and other procedures put in place by Whitehall mandarins, and the price was determined by a formula prescribed by government officials, instead of according to real property values. So perhaps the houses were sold cheap. Even so, the Council ended up with a tidy sum of £27M. Sounds a lot of money doesn't it? - until you realise that it would have barely covered the cost of two jet war planes used in the Gulf War at about the same time!

So, what happened to the £27 million? By the time the Council had paid its fees and discharged its debts, there was about £18 million left. The "first time" sewerage system was built in Rosedale, providing public sewers where there had been none before. Decaying private common drainage systems in other parts of the district were repaired and adopted. All the money was recycled for the building of new social housing by Ryedale Housing Association.

There was the threat of Reorganisation and of the South being taken into York. It would have been a pity to see half of what remained of the £18 million simply absorbed into York's coffers. So, all of Ryedale's political groups agreed to build the Leisure Pool (now Waterworld) at Monks Cross. It was not just a LibDem idea. On receiving an assurance that it would not cost more than £6M, Councillor Scott (at the time an independent member) proposed it, and the motion to build it was seconded by Councillor Chapman, the leader of the Tory group. The project was completed within budget. The remaining balance of about £12 million pounds was split equally between Ryedale and York by government edict.

There has been a lot of controversy about Waterworld. Was it really a white elephant? Unlike dry sports halls, all public swimming pools have to be subsidised, and Waterworld was leased to private enterprise, who seem to be able to make it pay with the support of the City of York council's subsidy. Waterworld is well situated in relation to the Monks Cross shopping complex. When I was last there - admittedly it was a bank holiday - the place was packed: it was teeming with the almost deafening shrieks of excited young children. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves. Waterworld was very much alive, and I was pleasantly surprised, after all I had been told.

That was the old Ryedale - an energetic, progressive, award winning and dynamic authority, which liked to take the initiative, and was not afraid of taking risks. It was successful, but success cannot last forever. Then came the dead hand of Central Government, and cut the district into two for the sake of what London thought was right for us. Even so, we can remember the old council as an example of what can be achieved by a good council with limited resources. It was a Council one could be proud to serve.