Government approves Ripon solicitors replacement roof plan

The government has approved plans for a Ripon solicitors to install a replacement roof and solar panels.

Newtons Solicitors relocated from Duck Hill to new, larger premises at 36 Market Place South in 2022.

It lodged plans for a replacement roof and solar panels to North Yorkshire Council. However, the proposals were refused in October 2023.

The council said the move would cause “unjustified harm” to the Ripon Conservation Area due to the use of modern slate tiles over traditional stone slate.

The firm took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

Now, Sarah Manchester, a planning inspector, has approved the proposal.

In a decision notice, Ms Manchester said the move would not harm the character or appearance of the area.

She said:

“The existing roof is in a poor state of repair. The appellant considers that the proposal would be beneficial because it would weatherproof the building, ensuring its longevity and its continued positive contribution to the Market Place frontage. 

“The works would support local businesses and the local economy. The solar panels would contribute to the sustainability of the building and climate change adaptation more widely. 

“Any stone slates not used in the repair of the front roof slope could be available to neighbouring listed buildings.”

The move comes despite Historic England, which is the government’s statutory advisor on the historic environment, concurred with the council’s previous refusal and said the fresh plan would cause “unjustified harm” to the area.

Read more

How a Birstwith man ‘swapped tanks for tennis balls’

“I often refer to it as swapping tanks for tennis balls,” says Birstwith man John Crowther as he reflects on his career.

John oversaw British tennis for nine years as chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association.

But, his background was not in sport. He moved to Yorkshire from Cheshire in 1990 to work for Vickers Defence Systems, where he rose to become chief executive.

The company had factories in Leeds and Newcastle and manufactured tanks, such as the Challenger 2. But John always had an interest in sport, particularly tennis.

Leading British tennis

Reflecting on his career with the Stray Ferret, he says he sought to get out of the manufacturing industry in 1996.

He applied for the top job at the Lawn Tennis Association, which is the governing body of tennis in Great Britain. He says:

“I was 45 and I decided that I didn’t see myself in manufacturing for the rest of my life.

“I thought sport would be a good thing to go into.”

By his own admission, he did not play sport at a high level – however tennis was his first love.

Much of his time at the organisation was spent improving the governance and helping to develop talent in tennis.

This included introducing licensed coaches, who were made to commit to developing their knowledge and expertise year by year.

Read more: 

But perhaps his biggest challenge was creating the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

To do this, the association sold Queen’s Club in West Kensington where its head offices and elite training facilities were based at the time.

“During my time there, I persuaded the LTA council, which is representatives from every county, to sell Queens Club. That raised over £30 million.”

The club was given back to club members on a long term lease and the funds were used to create the National Tennis Centre.

The centre, which opened in 2007, included facilities for strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and boasts more than 20 courts.

John points to the project as one of his proudest achievements and describes it as now being “fully embedded into British tennis”.

“It was my project and it was delivered on time and on budget.

“Andy Murray still uses it and Emma Radacanu uses it. All the best players go there. It’s a one-stop shop.”

Picking Test match venues

John departed the Lawn Tennis Association in 2005 and undertook some consultancy work for a short period.

Around that time, he became involved with the England and Wales Cricket Board after being asked to join by his friend and then ECB chief executive, David Collier.

His role at the board was one which attracts a lot of scrutiny from cricket fans to this day.

John was asked to to join the host venue panel, which chooses where Test matches and other major cricket fixtures are held, and sat on the committee for 17 years.

“Back in 2005, Test matches and other major matches were allocated in a sort of random way by the ECB.

“They were sort of carved up in committee rooms.”

Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

The purpose of the host venue panel was to hand over the designation of test matches to an independent committee.

As a result, the allocation for test matches became based upon a balanced score card which specified what would be required from each ground.

“You had to demonstrate how you as a test match ground would look after the players, look after the officials, look after the media and look after the public.

“What came about over the years were two things: dramatic facility improvements and professionalisation of the county teams to work with the ECB to deliver test matches.”

The role of the host venue panel has come under the spotlight recently after Headingley and Old Trafford were overlooked for the Ashes series in 2027.

John said he was disappointed to see Headingley miss out on an Ashes series, but felt that the venue and Yorkshire County Cricket Club as a whole had a bright future ahead.

‘You only ever remember your good shots’

In recent years, John has chaired in a voluntary capacity. He has held positions at both Yorkshire Lawn Tennis Association and North Yorkshire Sport.

In both positions, he sought to improve the access to sport and increase participation among young people.

These days, he chairs the Yorkshire Tennis Foundation which helps to dispense funds to tennis projects.

For John, being involved in sport is a privilege and one which should not be taken for granted.

“Anybody who can do a job where you are passionate about the outcome of that job is extremely lucky.

“So many people have to go and do mundane jobs. I have done mundane jobs in my life where at 5.30 you’re gasping to get out and go home.

“Whereas sport involves you. It involves you completely. Yes, there are always setbacks but it’s a bit like a round of golf. You only ever remember your good shots.”

If you have any local sporting figures who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Petition to protect Bilton’s Knox Lane from housing

A petition to prevent land targeted for homes in Bilton being available for development will be put before Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors next week.

North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee rejected an application by the developer Jomast to build 53 homes off Knox Lane, as reported by the Stray Ferret in September 2023.

Since then, residents have submitted a 2,200-signature petition to the authority calling for the land to be protected from further development.

The Knox Community Conservation Group has called for the land to be removed from the forthcoming North Yorkshire Local Plan, which will replace the current blueprint for where development can take place.

The petition says previous site assessments conducted by Harrogate Borough Council of the Knox Lane site in 2013 and 2016 found it to be unsuitable for development because it “would have adverse or highly adverse effects on historic environment, priority habitats and/or species and landscape”.

In a report due before the area committee next week, Barry Khan, assistant chief executive at North Yorkshire Council, said a consultation on “issues and options” for the Local Plan will be held later this year.

He said:

“In relation to the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire, the site selection process will begin with a call for sites to gain an understanding of what land is available. 

“As part of this exercise, we will also be looking at sites allocated in adopted Local Plans that have not been progressed and we will assess these alongside other sites put forward. 

“The council will need to carry out this assessment and selection process in a fair and transparent way taking into consideration the most up to date evidence and therefore cannot commit to include or exclude any sites at this stage.”

The petition will be put before the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on Thursday (March 14).

Councillors will be asked to respond formerly to the petition.

Read More:

Police search for wanted man in Harrogate and Ripon

Police have now found the man they wished to speak to. We have amended our coverage.

The man, of no fixed address, is wanted in connection with a number of offences including stalking and harassment.

North Yorkshire Police said it has conducted extensive enquiries for him.

In a statement, the force said:

“We have carried out extensive enquiries to locate him and are now appealing to anyone who has seen him or knows where he is now to get in touch.

“Please call us on 101 and pass information to the Force Control Room for incident number 12240029930.

“If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“If you have an immediate sighting of him or know where he is now, please call us on 999.”

Read more:

What does council’s culture review mean for Harrogate Theatre?

When North Yorkshire Council announced it was to review its arrangement with cultural venues, the decision painted an uncertain future for Harrogate Theatre.

The theatre’s long held agreement to programme entertainment at the council-owned Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre falls under the review.

The theatre has held its agreement to programme the Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre since 2011.

The review announced by the council is likely to have serious financial consequences for Harrogate (White Rose) Theatre Trust, the charity that operates the theatre.

The move would mean the council taking over programming for events, such as music, comedy and drama, at the Royal Hall and for larger scale entertainment events at the convention centre from 2025/26.

After receiving the news, the theatre said it intended to seek alternative funding models but declined to comment further. It leaves question marks over what approach it will take to adopt its financial model and what it will mean for Royal Hall and convention centre visiors.

Wide-angle photo of Harrogate Theatre, showing its full height.

Harrogate Theatre.

In neighbouring Leeds, much of the culture offering is provided by Leeds Heritage Theatres, which is the trading name of Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House Limited.

The charitable organisation is a council-owned company and manages three venues: Leeds Grand Theatre, Hyde Park Picture House and City Varieties Music Hall.

Much like Harrogate, the theatre makes the vast majority of its income from ticket sales. However, it employs 211 staff and made £17.2 million in income last year – of which it spent £16.5 million.

By comparison, according to its latest set of accounts filed with the Charity Commission for the year ending March 31, 2023, Harrogate Theatre generated £4.2 million income and spent £3.9 million.

Its biggest source of revenue was from incoming tours, which brought in £1.4 million, while its own produced work, such as the pantomime, generated £763,303. It also received grants from Arts Council England and the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

Read more:

The Stray Ferret understands that concerns over the future of venues such as the Royal Hall is shared by staff.

North Yorkshire Council currently employs staff in Scarborough to put on productions at venues such as Scarborough Spa.

The council may be tempted to use this model elsewhere — however this would raise questions over where staff would be based.

A Freedom of Information request to North Yorkshire Council revealed other venues in the county may be affected as part of its review.

In response to the Stray Ferret, the council said:

“The review will affect all cultural venues that currently receive support from North Yorkshire Council.

“The review has not yet concluded and therefore the impact on individual organisations is not yet known.”

The council reiterated in its response that no decisions on the outcome of the review have been made.

Uncertain funding

The move is symptomatic of a wider challenge facing the theatre sector.

Cuts to local authority budgets across England mean no venue is safe from a reduction in funding.

This past week, Birmingham City Council announced dramatic cuts to funding for the culture sector – including a 50% reduction in funding to Birmingham REP Theatre.

The review unveiled by North Yorkshire Council is less drastic, but still requires the trust which runs Harrogate Theatre to scope for further funding options.

Darren Henley.

Darren Henley.

It’s a matter that has not escaped the attention of organisations like Arts Council England.

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, said budget cuts and the need for local authorities to save money had led to many theatre bodies looking to the organisation for help.

He said:

“We’ve heard the concerns of all people in the sector from board level to volunteers. There are worries about the lasting impact of the pandemic – with audiences unpredictable and with talent leaving. Inflation means higher bills for individuals and organisations.

“Pressure on our funds creates more competition. And there’s uncertainty about future investment, illustrated most starkly by some recent local authority section 114 notices.”

A spokesperson for Arts Council England told the Stray Ferret that it remained in contact with both Harrogate Theatre and North Yorkshire Council over the theatre’s future direction.

They added:

“We understand that organisations across the cultural sector, including theatres, are currently facing challenges, from rising fixed costs to the continued recovery from the pandemic and pressure on local authority budgets. 

“At the Arts Council, we are doing all we can to support cultural and creative organisations, and to make the case for future investment, so the sector can continue to provide world class creativity for communities everywhere. Ensuring local investment in culture is vital, as we know it changes people’s lives for the better, and we are working with local authorities to support continued investment in the cultural sector.”

Council bosses in North Yorkshire may not have cut funding to cultural venues, but they have left organisations such as Harrogate Theatre in doubt about future finances.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the review had been launched in the first place and whether there was a timescale on when it would be complete.

However, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The council is aiming to save £70 million over the next three years. It has cast its net wide to make income and the culture sector is not immune.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Theatre what financial models it had looked at in light of the review announcement. A spokesperson said it did not “have any comment to make at this time”.

This drama, it seems, is still unfolding.

The Harrogate service helping to tackle the loneliness epidemic

Four years ago, a new service was introduced in Harrogate with the aim of tackling loneliness and the debilitating mental health conditions that come with it.

It was founded by the local branch of Mind, the mental health charity, and was called the befriending service.

The purpose was to match people who may feel lonely, anxious or isolated with a friend on a regular basis for walks, a cafe visit or any other public activity.

Two years into its operation, it expanded into neighbouring Ripon, Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

“It’s the highlight of people’s week”, says Dave Rowson, befriending co-ordinator at Mind Harrogate, who sat down with the Stray Ferret to outline how it was tackling loneliness.

Dave joined the charity in May 2022, around same time that the service expanded its reach.

Dave Rowson, befriending co-ordinator at Mind Harrogate.

Dave Rowson, befriending co-ordinator at Mind Harrogate.

With skills in recruitment and project management from his time at Leeds City Council, he was tasked with expanding the service and matching volunteer befrienders with people.

Currently, he has 21 pairs who meet on a regular basis and a further 10 volunteers in the pipeline.

For Dave, part of the reason for the demand for the service is the informality of it.

“Most of them want to get some normality back and that’s what they do.”

Isolated and anxious

Last year, the World Health Organisation declared loneliness a “global health concern”.

North Yorkshire Council estimates that 30,000 people aged 16 or over across the county experience chronic loneliness – around six per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, an Office for National Statistics survey in 2021 found that 4.7% of adults in the Harrogate District “often or always” felt lonely.

The result is voluntary organisations such as Mind coming up with new services for people in order to help already stretched mental health services.

Dave explains that some of those who use the befriending service are often referred from local community mental health services or their GP.

Read more:

Part of the reason is to continue their recovery from conditions such as anxiety or low mood.

Others come directly to the charity to ask to use the service in order to get out and improve their mental health.

When matching people with volunteers, Mind carries out its own assessment of its participants to find out their interests, needs and what type of person they would like to be matched with.

“The first thing I’ll do is ring them, have a chat with them and find out if they are definitely interested in accessing the service.

“I will try and arrange a meeting with them. I tend to do it here [Mind office in Harrogate] or if they are in the remote areas, I’ll go to Ripon or Pateley Bridge.”

Dave then matches them to a particular volunteer who he feels would be suitable. He supervises an initial meet between the two before organising regular appointments.

His pairs take part in activities such as coffee shop visits to dog walking.

Much of the people using the service range from those with anxiety to young people with autism.

“Generally, it’s the isolated and anxious.

“People who struggle to get out and struggling with the motivation to get out. They see the befriending as a reason to get out. It almost forces them to take that step out of the door.”

‘It means more to them than you think’

The last two years have been a lesson for Dave.

By his own admission, he had a “simplistic idea” of how the service would work for people when he joined.

“At first I wondered ‘what the hell am I doing? I don’t know anything about mental health’.

“I had this very simplistic idea that people were stuck at home and then they would come out and then they would come to a group.

“But, suddenly you work out that these people are very different and some of them will never come to a group. They just want to be on a road to recovery.”

The service has funding to remain in place until 2025 – however Dave hopes it can last beyond then.

Some people have been on the befriending list for a while.

For Dave, the reward comes when he manages to match one of those waiting with a new friend.

“I think the value comes when you read some of the feedback of what it means to them and that it’s the highlight of their week.

“You read it and you’re like ‘wow’. It means more to them than you think.”

Harrogate hospital CEO: ‘I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about work’

In the second part of our feature length interview with Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, he talks RAAC, Ripon Community Hospital and how he handles stress. Read the first instalment here.

Aside from dealing with industrial action and the trust’s finances, Mr Coulter’s position also comes with responsibility for the hospital estate.

In September last year, the trust confirmed that its roof contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The material, popular between the 1960s and 1980s, was compared to “chocolate Aero” and made headlines after it was found in public buildings across the UK.

When asked if he was surprised to find the material on the hospital estate, Mr Coulter said:

“It became an issue a few years ago, about three or four years ago.

“Was it a surprise? Well, we built it with that and I guess some of the concerns about the safety and the stability of the RAAC was the thing that came out.

“Once we got that information, we then surveyed the site and identified areas where we have got RAAC in terms of the panels and put in place the steps to manage that.”

The hospital bid for £20 million from government to help eradicate RAAC across the hospital site as part of a trust-wide project.

The therapy services building at Harrogate District Hospital, which is set to be demolished

So far, it has received £2 million which will go towards helping to demolish the therapy services department by creating offices to relocate staff to.

Mr Coulter says the trust is currently awaiting confirmation on £9 million worth of funding, which will be used to hire contractors to flatten the building.

Ripon is still valued

The projects at the trust extend beyond Harrogate.

Ripon Community Hospital is due to open a new community diagnostics centre in April.

The project came as part of £1 million worth of funding from NHS England and means GPs will be able to refer more patients to the hospital for life-saving checks closer to home and be diagnosed for a range of conditions.

Read more:

Despite the major projects in Harrogate, Mr Coulter says Ripon is still valued and that there are wider conversations with the primary care sector about how to make healthcare services more accessible in the city.

“It is absolutely something that we value as part of being in the middle of that community and the services that we need to provide there.

“We are gradually investing in bits of it in terms of diagnostics and maternity services. But, the bigger picture which might take quite a long time is to think how do we provide healthcare services in Ripon for the longer term. That includes primary care and that’s a much bigger conversation to have.”

‘I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about it’

Mr Coulter never saw himself becoming chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Rather, the opportunity presented itself to him in February 2022 and he took it.

The result of taking that chance has seen matters such as NHS strikes, RAAC, a multi-million deficit and an array of hospital projects come across his desk.

Does he find it stressful?

“No, it’s not stressful.

“It’s really important and it’s really important that we do well. There’s a lot to think about all of the time. But, if you have got a really good team and really good people working in the organisation, that’s how you manage it.

“We can only do so much and it’s really important. You’re accountable and responsible for a lot, but you have got to be of a personality that can allow others to manage that for you and do things for you.

“I understand why people would say it’s really stressful. But, on a personal level, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about it. I’m worried when I’m here in a good way in terms of making sure we do the right things.”

Harrogate hospital CEO talks car parking, strikes and tackling NHS finances

In the first of a two-part interview with Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Mr Coulter gives his thoughts on hospital car parking, NHS strikes and finances.

This month marks two years since Jonathan Coulter took the helm as chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Coulter is responsible for two hospital sites, more than 4,000 staff and health services ranging from emergency care to cancer treatment.

The role is a massive undertaking — one which few would relish the opportunity to take up. But not Mr Coulter.

“I have always wanted to work in the public sector,” he says.

In his first interview with the Stray Ferret, Mr Coulter gives his thoughts on his two years in charge of one of Harrogate’s biggest organisations.

Mr Coulter has spent 30 years working for the NHS, 18 of which have been in Harrogate.

He grew up in Oxford and still follows his beloved Oxford United, despite being some 200 miles away.

He left the city when he was 17 and went onto attend the University of Leeds. From there, he has worked around Yorkshire.

A trained accountant, Mr Coulter worked in the NHS in Pontefract, Wakefield and Bradford before joining Harrogate as finance director in 2006.

He could have gone into the private sector, but his ambitions have always been in working for the public.

He says:

“I think you can get up in the morning and understand why you are coming to work.

“I say that to people who join induction here still. In the NHS in particular, we do the most important job that there is.”

NHS strikes

Mr Coulter was appointed interim chief executive in February 2022 following the departure of Steve Russell.

The position was made permanent in May last year after what he describes as a “rigorous” interview process.

His tenure has coincided with a series of staff walkouts amid pay disputes.

Junior doctors on strike on Wetherby Road in Harrogate in March.

Junior doctors on strike on Wetherby Road in Harrogate in March 2023.

Among the most common has been junior doctors, but consultants have also staged strike action over the last 12 months.

Mr Coulter says there have only been two months in the last year without any walkouts.

As we sit in his office at Harrogate hospital on a Thursday morning, another junior doctors’ strike looms in just two days time.

He says that the prospect of strike action has become so common that the trust has got used to preparing for it:

“Unfortunately, it has almost become business as usual in terms of planning. We’ve become quite good sadly at managing the industrial action.

“But what it has meant in reality is that we have had to cancel clinical appointments.”

The last year has seen the hospital cancel more than 1,500 appointments due to industrial action. What’s more, over the last year strikes have cost the trust £3 million in staffing.

Mr Coulter points out that the trust spends a week or so planning ahead of every walkout and then a further week afterwards to rearrange appointments and put staffing in place.

However, he adds that he recognises that those taking strike action are in dispute with the government, not the trust itself:

“It’s not a dispute for us. It will be decided elsewhere what the right outcome for pay for junior doctors is.”

Parking charges

One of the more controversial decisions taken during his tenure so far was to introduce automated number plate recognition in Harrogate hospital car park.

Parkingeye, which operates car parks across 30 NHS trusts, was brought in to manage the  system in September 2023.

At the time, the trust said the ticketless system would help to reduce congestion on Lancaster Park Road.

Over the last five months, The Stray Ferret has received numerous letters and complaints that the company has issued unfair parking fines.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, speaking at Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee.

Jonathan Coulter speaking at Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

When pressed on whether he recognised the concern over the fines being issued, Mr Coutler said he accepted that there were “teething issues” and that some matters, such as fines at drop-off points, had been raised with Parkingeye.

Mr Coulter added that prices for charges will be reviewed in May and that the contract with the company would also be kept under review.

He said that two areas of parking concern had been raised with him, which were cost and clarity on where patients could park. However, he accepted that some parking charge notices “had been an issue”.

“I think, in the main, the parking has improved in terms of practically how the parking is managed on the site over the last 12 months.

“But, I appreciate there are issues around some of the concerns that patients have raised around the cost of it and the parking charge notices.”

He added:

“There have been teething issues, we know that and we acknowledge that.

“I think if we looked back six to 12 months to what it used to be like – it’s not perfect now by any means – but it’s a lot better than what it used to be.”

Tackling a financial deficit

One of Mr Coulter’s tasks as chief executive is to oversee the trust’s finances.

Much of the hospital’s funding comes from taxpayers.

Despite being in one the north’s more affluent areas in Harrogate, the trust faces the same financial pressures as NHS organisations across the country.

It currently faces a deficit of £6.4 million.

Read more:

However, Mr Coulter says he is confident of getting to break even before the end of the financial year.

Part of this includes reducing the hospital’s reliance on agency staff which recently cost the trust £503,000 in December.

It has also introduced plans to cut out non-essential costs by placing a pause of discretionary spending, such as furniture and staff training, until the start of April.

For Mr Coulter, the bigger financial pressures are yet to come.

“We are confident that we will get to a break even position before the end of the year.

“I suppose I’m a little more nervous about next year, because some of the financial projections nationally are looking really, really challenging for ourselves and the wider NHS.”

In the second part of our feature length interview with Mr Coulter which will be published tomorrow, we ask about RAAC and projects at Ripon Community Hospital.

How an anti-semitism row left Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems in disarray

Pat Marsh’s string of tweets which ignited a row over anti-semitism left local Liberal Democrats in disarray this week.

At a time when the world’s eyes are fixed on the ongoing conflict in Isreal and Gaza, Harrogate’s most senior Lib Dem councillor was at the centre of a social media storm in relation to the war.

Cllr Marsh, who has been a councillor in Harrogate and Knaresborough for 33 years, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, over a five-week period to post about the plight of Palestinians.

Some included reposting tweets about the conflict. But others which were posted from January onwards described Jews as “vile”, “evil” and “a disgrace to the world”.

The matter is subject to a North Yorkshire Police investigation, a North Yorkshire Council standards process and an internal probe by the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Marsh, who was suspended from the party, has remained defiant and has refused to resign as a councillor.

But the matter left the Liberal Democrats in a politically sensitive situation.

Cllr Pat Marsh 

Removal of responsibility

Political moves have already been made on North Yorkshire Council to remove Cllr Marsh from positions of responsibility.

She was replaced as chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee on Wednesday in her absence following a motion by Conservative Cllr Michael Harrison.

In the May 2022 local elections, jubilant Lib Dems celebrated taking control of the council’s area committee with eight of the 13 councillors elected in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee.

Following her suspension, and the earlier defection of Cllr Michael Schofield to become an Independent, the party now has six of the 13 seats on the committee.

As a result, the row over anti-semitism may dilute the party’s influence on major council matters, such as the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway project.

The local party has been tight lipped on the saga this week. A source close to the party told the Stray Ferret there had been “radio silence” from within the Liberal Democrats to its local members. Questions to parliamentary candidate Tom Gordon have been fielded by the national press office.

Meanwhile, Cllr Marsh is subject to a council standards investigation to determine whether she breached its code of conduct.

The code aims to ensure councillors do not discriminate against any person, treat others with respect and do not bring the council into disrepute.

The Local Government Association says a councillor can be removed from their role by the local authority should they be found to have committed a serious breach of the code.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council to ask what the investigation will involve.

In response, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said:

“I can confirm that our monitoring officer has received a complaint and will look at it in line with the council’s agreed code of conduct complaints procedure.

“In North Yorkshire we expect our elected members and officers to demonstrate strong and positive values and behaviours. Any complaints about comments that do not meet these standards will therefore be taken seriously.”

A council spokesperson added that it would be making no further comment on the issue.

Harrogate MP weighs in

The issue is politically difficult for the Lib Dems in the run-up to a general election.

Mr Gordon will contest the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency for the party against Conservative MP Andrew Jones.

Following this week’s events, Mr Gordon appears to have removed any picture with Cllr Marsh from his social media accounts, including Facebook and X.

Read more:

However, Mr Jones wasted little time in raising the matter over Cllr Marsh in the House of Commons on Monday, describing the comments as “horrendous” and questioned why the Liberal Democrats failed to act sooner.

Mr Jones accused the Lib Dems of doing nothing to tackle the issue until it was exposed in the media, adding:

“She had hundreds of followers, including many senior local Liberal Democrats; she tweeted over 500 times on the subject, and those tweets were read over 10,000 times, so it beggars belief that no Liberal Democrat knew what she was saying.”

A Lib Dem party spokesperson described the Harrogate MP’s comments as “outrageous” and without evidence.

They added:

“It is telling that Andrew Jones doesn’t use his parliamentary time for the local crumbling hospital or lack of NHS dentist appointments, and instead pushes bizarre claims which have no shred of evidence. 

“It just shows he is on the way out. Andrew Jones is yet again taking the people of Harrogate for granted.”

In a sign that the national party has been eager to get a grip on the matter, any enquiry to local Liberal Democrats has been met with a response from a press officer in London.

With Cllr Marsh still holding her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone seat, and further repercussions possible, the fallout is likely to continue.

Harrogate hospital chief executive defends new parking system

The chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has defended a new parking system at its hospital amid criticism from patients.

Parkingeye, which operates car parks across 30 NHS trusts, was brought in to manage the hospital’s automated number plate recognition system car park in September 2023.

At the time, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the ticketless system would help to reduce congestion on Lancaster Park Road.

However, The Stray Ferret has received numerous letters and complaints that the company has issued unfair parking fines.

In an interview with the Stray Ferret, Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at the trust, said he understood concerns from patients over cost and confusion over where to park.

He said prices for charges will be reviewed in May and that the contract with the company would also be kept under review.

But, Mr Coulter defended the new system and said he felt it was an improvement on the parking arrangements that the hospital had in the past.

He said:

“There has been teething issues, we know that and we acknowledge that.

“I think if we looked back six to 12 months to what it used to be like – it’s not perfect now by any means – but it’s a lot better than what it used to be.”

Read more:

Mr Coulter said the trust had cancelled “a number” of fines for a drop off point at the hospital’s Briary Unit, which was not supposed to be subject to parking notices.

Trust officials had directed drivers there to drop patients off for appointments

He added that the issue had been raised with Parkingeye and been resolved.

Multiple people have approached the Stray Ferret with concerns over parking at the hospital.

Jonathan Heap said he visited the hospital on November 23 to see his consultant and entered the car park as the signage said spaces were available.

Mr Heap said he drove around the car park “five times” but was unable to find a parking space. Instead, he went to Willaston Car Park and paid £4 at the kiosk to park.

However, a week later, he received a £70 fine from Parkingeye. He appealed the fine and said he had already paid a fee to park.

His appeal was turned down. A letter from the company, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, 

told Mr Heap that signage said the car park was for “permit holders and authorised vehicles only”.

It added that “there is no record that the vehicle was authorised to park on site on the date of the event”.

However, the company offered to reduce Mr Heap’s fine to £35.

Mr Heap told the Stray Ferret that the system in place was “atrocious” and that the time taken to park meant he was unable to see his consultant.

He said:

“I am £39 out of pocket as well as 30 miles of fuel and no hospital appointment all because of the atrocious system they have in place.”

Look out for an in-depth interview with Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, on the Stray Ferret on Monday and Tuesday.