Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Meet North Yorkshire’s new highways chief

At 27-years-old, Keane Duncan has been made responsible for one of the largest road networks in the country and an array of multi-million pound highways projects.

It’s been a baptism of fire for the young politician, who has gone from the debates of student politics to the senior councillor in charge of highways in a short space of time.

His new role includes the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, a £60 million scheme to realign the A59 at Kex Gill and the newly incorporated highways company, NYHighways, which will oversee thousands of miles of road.

For Cllr Duncan, the position is an opportunity but he’s also aware of that the role comes with intense scrutiny – particularly in Harrogate.

Youngest county councillor

A resident of the village of Norton and a councillor for seven years, Cllr Duncan began his political career while studying at the University of York.

He got involved with the local Thirsk and Malton Conservatives and asked to stand for council.

“I hadn’t really been politically active until that point.”

He was elected to North Yorkshire County Council and then later to his local district council in Ryedale.

For two years, he was leader of Ryedale District Council – one of the six districts which will be abolished next year to make way for North Yorkshire Council.

However, he stepped down in February 2021 over what he described as a “cruel and unnecessary” council tax hike.

He said:

“It’s a very challenging political landscape over in Ryedale.

“There was no overall control for any party and that represents difficulties in sometimes getting decisions through and doing what we need to do for local people.”

Ahead of the abolition of the county council and districts, Cllr Duncan was a key figure in the debate over what should replace them.

He backed an east/west model for North Yorkshire, while current council leader, Cllr Carl Les, was a proponent of the single unitary model.

Cllr Duncan said:

“I was very much in favour of what was called the east/west proposal.

“I believed passionately in that proposal at the time. I believe passionately in unitary local government, so I wanted to deliver that.”

New highways chief

Fast forward to May this year and Cllr Duncan has been appointed the the executive and will now have a key role in the county’s highways department going into the new council.

While he is now both the youngest member of the council and the executive, Cllr Duncan said he had no expectation of being given the brief.

He said he had “no hopes or expectations” of being given a senior position until he was asked by Cllr Les.

He said:

“I was focused on getting myself here on these seats in the council chamber. The leader asked me to join his executive and I was very happy to accept.”

Cllr Duncan added:

“My portfolio area is probably the most public facing. It is the area where we get the most public comments and complaints.”

Multi-million pound Harrogate schemes

One of Cllr Duncan’s pledges since becoming the highways chief is to visit each area of the county.

Earlier this week he visited Ripon and planned to do the same with Harrogate in the near future.

The Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

The role in the district will prove to be challenging for Cllr Duncan, who will oversee schemes such as the Otley Road cycle route, Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood and the Kex Gill realignment.

Perhaps the most high profile locally will be the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme, which is earmarked for a further round of consultation later this year.

When asked for his view on the scheme, which has proved controversial in Harrogate, Cllr Duncan said:

“I’m personally supportive of that scheme and we are wanting to progress it.

“We are going out to a third round of public consultation to ensure that everyone can have their say and their opinions.

“For me, my test on the ground is what do the local councillors think and feel? They are the representatives of their local community.”

Cllr Duncan said he felt that that “on the whole” the council was trying to get the balance right on the various schemes across the district.

However, he added that he was aware of concerns over some of the schemes such as the gateway project.

His new role will also be to field complaints and criticism from the public, but Cllr Duncan said he is determined to do his job well.

“It is a difficult portfolio to manage, but I’m determined to do that by hopefully ensuring that we’re listening to people on the ground.”

Townhouses plan for Harrogate’s Old Courthouse approved

A plan to convert the Old Courthouse in Harrogate into townhouses has been approved.

The building on Raglan Street was previously occupied by Stowe Family Law, which vacated the property for another site in town in February this year.

Park Design Architects tabled plans to convert the site from offices into two three-bedroom and one two-bedroom townhouses.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has given the go-ahead for the proposal.

The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the site was a “sustainable location” for new homes.

It said:

“Overall, the site is located within a highly sustainable area and will utilise existing car parking provision to serve the proposed use, with easy access to alternative means of transport other than the private car to support sustainable travel.”

The original building was built in 1857 and was initially a police house for the town.

This was later demolished and replaced with a courthouse, which was used by justices of the borough until 1991.

Stowe Family Law moved into the property as tenants in 2004.

Council’s Brierley Group reports £327,000 loss

North Yorkshire County Council has reported a £327,000 loss for its Brierley Group of companies for the last financial year.

The council set up the group in 2017 to bring together council-owned companies and save money.

But the group, which includes housebuilding firm Brierley Homes, NY Highways and Yorwaste, reported the loss for the 2021/22 financial year against a budgeted profit of £324,000.

The group lost £639,000 in the previous financial year and the latest figures have raised questions about the council’s ability to run businesses.

According to a council report, authority officials put the loss down to the “impact of covid and the current and emerging market conditions”.

It remained confident that the Brierley Group would turn around the financial situation and post a profit in 2022/23.

The council said the overall loss was “driven principally” by two of the companies, Brierley Homes and NYHIghways, posting losses for the year.

However, it added that Brierley Homes’ loss was in line with budget as three of its sites “were in a construction phase during the year” and expected sales were to be realised next year.

Brierley Homes Woodfield Square

The sites include Woodfield Square in Bilton, Millwright Park in Pateley Bridge and Yew Tree Farm in Marton-Cum-Grafton.

NYHighways’ loss was attributed to it being its first year of operation and “higher mobilisation and integration costs”, the report said.

The council report said:

“The expectation is a return to a positive profit after tax position through FY22/23.”

“Brierley Homes will see the sales completion of a number of sites; Woodfield Square, Millwright Park and Yew Tree Farm and NY Highways are now in a stronger position to refine and streamline the business, with other companies in the portfolio like First North Law, Align, NYnet and Veritau building on the successes of FY21/22 with high levels of customer retention and satisfaction as well as additional capacity and expertise into their teams.”

‘Sad state of affairs’

Stuart Parsons

Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the Independent group on North Yorkshire County Council, described the loss as a “sad state of affairs”.

He added it would mean less money for vital services.

Cllr Parsons said:

“It’s a sad state of affairs. The company was created by North Yorkshire County Council to generate profits which would be used to support services like adult social care.

“Expecting North Yorkshire County Council to guarantee this loss means that even less money is available for front-line services.

“North Yorkshire County Council obviously does not have the capacity, nor the ability, to run commercial companies.”

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the council’s executive member for finance, assets and resources, said:

“The Brierley Group includes several companies providing services for us and financially most performed well last year, with some outstripping expectations.

“While we are disappointed the group recorded an overall loss, we recognise the unique set of circumstances which contributed to the position and are also reflected across the whole of the economy last year. However it should also not be forgotten that the profit or loss a Brierley group company makes is only part of the picture.

“All companies generate a value for North Yorkshire County Council as shareholder and last year the value of this was £5.6m through interest payments to the council alongside contributions towards council service costs.”

“We are confident in the outlook for the future as the group emerges from the challenges of covid and that it will return to a financial surplus in the current year.”

Andrew Jones MP calls on Prime Minister for rail improvements

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones today urged the Prime Minister to introduce more apprenticeships in the rail industry.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Jones asked Boris Johnson if he would ensure there were apprenticeship schemes in place to help the industry become more efficient and embrace technology.

He called for the government to focus on training engineers and drivers in order to recover services lost during the covid pandemic.

The Conservative MP said:

“For years in Harrogate and Knaresborough we had the Labour no growth Northern rail franchise.

“We have new rolling stock, more and better services. We have though seen some lost as the industry has had to suspend some services while they catch up on driver training lost during the pandemic.

“Strikes just takes us back to the 1970s, so will the Prime Minister’s focus on the future ensure that we have apprenticeship schemes focussing on engineering and driver training to ensure we recover the services lost and an industry that’s focused upon efficiency and embraces technology for the future.”

In response, Mr Johnson said:

“We’re doing just that.

“We’re reforming train driver training to make entry into the sector simpler, while continuing of course to make sure we meet vital safety requirements.”

Chris Watt, a Labour Party campaigner in Harrogate and Knaresborough, responded on Twitter by saying that Harrogate was one of the last stations left with old fashioned Pacer trains during Mr Jones’ time as rail minister.

Extraordinary #Harrogate #Knaresborough MP @AJonesMP to call for rail improvements #PMQs when he was Rail Minister (3 times) Harrogate line was one of the last in the country left suffering Pacer trains and under his @Conservatives Gov @northernassist have recently cut services!

— Chris Watt (@ChrisWatt4) June 22, 2022

New mural to welcome visitors to Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

A new mural has been painted to welcome visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show.

Sam Porter, from Mural Minded, created the canvas which is aimed at capturing the best of the Harrogate show by blending countryside and agriculture.

The mural can be found on the former fashion show building and will be on display for visitors when they arrive on July 12.

Mr Porter, is from a fine art, sculpture printmaking and graffiti background and uses walls as huge canvasses, said:

“It’s been amazing to do a mural in such beautiful surroundings with nature all round.

“I like to try and represent endangered species in murals I do and to highlight that wherever I can, it was challenging to incorporate as many animals as I did within the mural but I am really happy with the end result and I hope all the visitors to the show can enjoy the mural for many more years to come.”

The Great Yorkshire Show has become a four-day event after a raft of changes were implemented at the 2021 show due to covid regulations.

Tickets are on sale now for the show, which will run from Tuesday 12 July to Friday 15 July, 2022.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

Traffic is moving normally across the Harrogate district this morning.

Despite strike action, train services are expected to operate as normal today – however Northern has warned that some disruption is possible.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic and travel roundup.

Roads

Traffic is running as normal this morning, but, as always, be aware of the usual traffic build ups on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road heading towards Harrogate during rush hour.

Trains and buses

Trains to between York and Leeds are due to run as normal today despite industrial action.

Strike action is due to continue tomorrow and Saturday.

However, Northern has warned that disruption still could take place on non-strike days and previously warned commuters not to travel this week.

You can check train times from Harrogate and Knaresborough here.

Tomorrow (June 23), there will be no trains through Harrogate and Knaresborough due to strike action.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting some early morning cancellations on the numerous routes this morning.

The 36 from Harrogate to Leeds at 7.40am is cancelled.

Other services including the 1A, 1B, and the 1C are affected. You can find out more here.

Decision looms on future of Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood

A final decision on whether to make the Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood in Harrogate permanent is looming, according to the new county council highways chief.

Cllr Keane Duncan, who succeeded Don Mackenzie as the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said a decision was “upcoming” on the closure.

The measure was controversially introduced in February 2021 as a temporary one-year to closure in an effort to encourage walking and cycling.

County council officials later extended the trial until August this year.

Cllr Duncan told the Stray Ferret a decision will be taken in the coming months as to whether it stays or not.

He said:

“There’s an upcoming decision on Beech Grove as to whether it is made permanent or whether it comes out. We can’t really extend it any further on a temporary basis.

“It is either that it is there or it isn’t.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways on North Yorkshire County Council.

He added that further consultation would be carried out if the decision to make the closure permanent and seek a traffic regulation order was taken.

Cllr Duncan said:

“For me, with the benefit of the time that it has been in place, it’s about seeing what people think about it now to see if their views have changed.”

Station Gateway

In a wide-ranging interview, the Stray Ferret asked Cllr Duncan about his views on the many multi-million pound highways schemes in the district.

On the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, Cllr Duncan said he was fully supportive of the the scheme.

He added, however, that he was willing to listen to cyclists, businesses and people ahead of the the third round of consultation this year.

Cllr Duncan said:

“I’m personally supportive of that scheme and we are wanting to progress it.

“We are going out to a third round of public consultation to ensure that everyone can have their say and their opinions.

“For me, my test on the ground is what do the local councillors think and feel? They are the representatives of their local community.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Duncan said he was keen to press ahead with the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route.

County council officials were due to go out to tender on a construction contract this month with a view to starting work in the autumn.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We are pushing ahead with delivery of the Otley Road scheme.

“It is important to recognise that there is £4.6 million of funding for that scheme. It does connect in with all the other schemes ongoing within Harrogate.

“It is important to not look at every individual location in isolation. We have got to look at how this adds up to the bigger picture.”

‘Getting the balance right’

Cllr Duncan said he felt that that “on the whole” the council was trying to get the balance right on the various schemes across the district.

However, he added that he was aware of concerns over some of the schemes such as the gateway project.

He added:

“It’s about getting that balance right and recognising that at the moment most journeys are via car in and around Harrogate.

“It’s people trying to get to work, people trying to see friends and family and people visiting the town because Harrogate is a major tourist destination.

“We’re trying to encourage where we can for people to use other modes of transport. That’s not always possible, so we have to make sure we get that balanced approach.”

Look out for an in depth profile with Cllr Keane Duncan on the Stray Ferret later this week.

61 retirement flats in Knaresborough approved at fourth attempt

Plans for 61 retirement flats in Knaresborough have been approved at the fourth time of asking by developers which refused to further reduce the size of the building.

Adlington Retirement Living was today granted approval for the scheme which it said would become “unviable” if reduced in size.

It follows complaints from residents and councillors over the size of the building, parking, traffic and the risk of flooding at the Wetherby Road site.

However, no objections were raised by statutory consultees.

At a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today, Conservative Robert Windass was one of eight councillors who voted in favour of the plans, while three voted against.

Cllr Windass said:

“The applicant has made significant moves to improve this scheme.

“There are no objections from the clinical commissioning group, Environment Agency or highways authority – it is about time we passed this.”

Adlington Retirement Living – which is part of the Gladman group – first submitted its plans in March 2020. Since then, it has had one application refused and been told to rethink another twice.

The developers had agreed to remove a fourth storey of the building and also pay for a new footpath on Grimbald Bridge.

It will also pay £40,000 to the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCC) which previously raised concerns that another care facility in the area could “overload” local health services. The CCG later withdrew its objection once the payment had been agreed.

Despite these changes and agreements, residents had continued to push for the plans to be turned down.

Speaking at today’s meeting, resident Steve Benn said:

“This development is twice the height of any current building on Wetherby Road. The developer claims it has been to a minimum of 60 apartments to be viable, yet its flagship scheme in Otley is only 48.

“Knaresborough town centre and local facilities are a mile uphill from the site, and residents will be unable, without personal transport, to make it to churches and community events.”

The risk of flooding was another concern raised by Mr Benn, as well as Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, who previously asked for the building to be moved further away from the River Nidd.

Adlington Retirement Living refused to do this after including a flood storage basement in its plans. The company also previously said there is “no record” of the site flooding.

However, residents claim the River Nidd has overflowed at the site as recently as February.

Cllr Marsh also told today’s meeting:

“I sent every member of this planning committee a photograph of a building literally just down the river from this site which has been badly flooded for the last five years. We know this area floods.”

She added:

“This scheme is an overdevelopment and I still have very serious concerns about it.

“The developer hasn’t done anything to allay those concerns.”

Ex-Ripon Grammar School matron loses unfair dismissal claim

A former Ripon Grammar School staff member who was dismissed after just seven months in post has lost an employment tribunal.

Barbara Sheills claimed she was unfairly sacked from the school after whistleblowing on a safeguarding issue she raised when a pupil took an overdose in September 2020.

However, a tribunal held in Leeds found against her. It said there were enough grounds for her dismissal over her conduct and professionalism.

Jonathan Webb, headteacher at the school, dismissed Ms Sheills’ claim on the grounds of “conduct, capability and concerns about a breakdown in her relationship with her line manager which could undermine the smooth operation of the boarding house”.

Safeguarding claim

Ms Sheills started at the school in the middle of the national covid lockdown in March 2020. She worked as a senior house parent and was contracted to North Yorkshire County Council.

The tribunal heard that concerns were first raised by Caroline Day, assistant headteacher of boarding, after Ms Sheills was described as “rude and abrasive” during a meeting to discuss the return of pupils.

She denied this, but the tribunal later found Ms Day’s evidence to be “clear and unequivocal”.

On the same day as pupils returned, staff were given a presentation from the school’s special needs co-ordinator, which included information on “Pupil A”’s welfare needs.

The tribunal heard how the pupil had returned to the school on September 20 after being home for the weekend and that her medication should have been collected by staff and put away in a medical safe.

Leeds Employment Tribunal at City Exchange in Leeds City Centre.

However, her medication was not collected and the following day Pupil A went to Ms Day and told her she had taken an overdose. She was taken to hospital with Ms Day.

Ms Sheills raised a complaint with Marita Murray, deputy headteacher and designated safeguarding lead, on September 22 over Ms Day not collecting the medication.

However, the tribunal heard that the responsibility to collect the medication was a systemic failure rather than that of any individual.

Dismissal backed by evidence

The tribunal heard how repeated concerns were raised by Ms Day over Ms Sheills claiming overtime for tasks which could be done during working hours and using pupils’ numbers instead of names at registration.

It also heard how Mr Webb took advice from the council’s human resources department over Ms Sheill’s sanctioning pupils with an early morning run after they had been talking during the night.

During a meeting with Ms Sheills and her union representative on September 29, Mr Webb described the sanction as “outdated”, “draconian” and against school behavioural policy.

Mr Webb added that another reason for the dismissal was that Ms Sheills had “behaved inappropriately” after she had a conversation about Pupil A’s overdose with a member of the school’s ground staff in September 2020.

There were also allegations that she had edited boarding house logs relating to incident and had also “ignored instructions from Mrs Day and Mr Webb” to maintain an “appropriate boundary” between the school and home while off sick.

The tribunal found that Mr Webb’s dismissal of Ms Sheills in October 2020 was backed by a “significant amount of evidence”.

Ms Sheills denied wrongdoing and claimed she was sacked because she made an allegation against another staff member.

But, Employment Judge Cox ruled in a report published last week:

“In the light of the clear and convincing nature of Mr Webb’s evidence and the fact that it was supported by a substantial number of emails and meeting notes to which the tribunal was referred, it accepts that Mr Webb had a significant amount of evidence before him to support all these conclusions.

“The tribunal accepts Mr Webb’s evidence that it was unprecedented in his experience that so many concerns about an employee’s behaviour, attitude, professionalism and ability should be raised by a number of staff so early in the employee’s employment.

“There were a number of ways in which the claimant had fallen far below the standards of conduct and capability the school required.”

It added:

“In summary, the tribunal finds that not only were the claimant’s protected disclosures not the principal reason for the claimant’s dismissal, they formed no part of Mr Webb’s decision-making.

“The claimant’s claim that she was unfairly dismissed therefore fails.”

The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire County Council for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Borougbridge hotel owner plans £450,000 refurbishment

The owners of the Crown Hotel in Boroughbridge have unveiled plans for a £450,000 refurbishment.

The Coaching Inn Group took over the historic 37-bedroom hotel back in February after its parent company, RedCat Pub Company, purchased it from Best Western for an undisclosed fee.

Now, according to planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the company looks set to refurbish the site.

The plans include a range of alternations both inside and outside the hotel including creation of cycle and motorbike parking, new external hanging baskets, new signage and painting scheme and an outdoor seating area.

It also includes proposals to refurbish the current facilities, including the bar, kitchen, office and reception area and the creation of a coffee lounge.

JEH Planning, the agent which submitted the plans on behalf of Coaching Inn Group, said in a planning statement that the hotel had been in “decline as a business”.

It added:

“The Crown Hotel at Boroughbridge has been in decline as a business.

“The building has not benefitted from the level of investment commensurate with its high architectural and historic significance.

“Over the years piecemeal changes and additions have resulted in a situation that does not optimise the use of the building or serve to enhance its special character.

“The Coaching Inn Group have recently purchased the property and are keen to undertake sensitive refurbishment works. They have a significant budget of around £450,000 to invest in undertaking these works.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the planned refurbishments at a later date.

Youngest county councillor

New highways chief

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Multi-million pound Harrogate schemes

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‘Sad state of affairs’

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Roads

Trains and buses

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Station Gateway

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‘Getting the balance right’

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Safeguarding claim

Dismissal backed by evidence

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