A RANGE of projects throughout North Yorkshire will soon benefit from windfall grants thanks to a change in the law.

Councils have been given the freedom to reduce the discount on council tax payable by the owners of second homes. It's an increase in council tax that has generated virtually no protests because of the widespread perception that the previous discount was unfair.

Almost £2m has been raised in the county and it is to be distributed to community schemes. Among them are small business loans, mobile CCTV cameras, childcare, a town centre manager and housing assistance for young people, all of them highly practical and directly relevant to bringing about improvements to people's lives and experiences.

It is worthwhile considering how the law change that liberated this money came about. Concern about the unfairness of the previous discount scheme, which penalised local authorities because they had a high proportion of second homes in their area, had been mounting for some time. It was particularly strong in areas like the Yorkshire Dales, where a shortage of low-cost housing was exacerbated by the existing housing stock being bought as holiday homes. The fact that the owners of these holiday homes enjoyed substantial council tax discounts only added insult to injury.

But a concerted Whitehall lobbying campaign with many local authorities working together and with one voice brought about the change in the law and the welcome windfalls announced this week.

Who needs a regional assembly to get things done?