Profile: North Yorkshire’s new police commissioner

Newly elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe is set to take the helm this coming week.

Ms Metcalfe will take over the £74,000 a year position from fellow Conservative, Philip Allott, after he resigns last month.

She will take on a position which requires confidence to be restored after Mr Allott made headlines in October when he remarked that Sarah Everard should not have “submitted” to arrest by the police officer who murdered her.

But who is Ms Metcalfe and what was her campaign?

From Harrogate councillor to commissioner

A current Harrogate Borough councillor, Ms Metcalfe represents the Claro ward on the authority.

She sits on various committees, including planning, overview and scrutiny and is chair of the human resources committee.

A Conservative councillor, she also sits on North Yorkshire County Council representing Knaresborough.

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It is unclear if Ms Metcalfe will remain as a councillor on both authorities.

Ms Metcalfe is a project manager for a property company.

Restoring confidence

After launching her campaign in October, Ms Metcalfe said her aim as commissioner would be to protect women and girls and tackle organised crime.

She said the focus of her campaign was “improving safety for women and girls across North Yorkshire, supporting victims of crime and tackling serious and organised crime”.

Ms Metcalfe also pledged to restore confidence by “being visible, transparent and open, working alongside our excellent police officers and firefighters”.

She also made a pledge to “make sure resident’s priorities are put in place to make our streets safer for everyone”.

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On the 101 number, Ms Metcalfe said she would use all the commissioner’s powers to get to grips with what is a “crucial” service.

She said the public money spent updating the service had not resolved the long telephone waits people experience/  If elected, Mrs Metcalfe pledged to “take a forensic look at what the issues are and work alongside the police to resolve them”.

Tackling speeding and inequality

Ms Metcalfe, who is the third Conservative to be elected to the role, said education and more publicity were needed as part of the speeding management strategy.

She said:

“I would like to see an emphasis placed on showing drivers the impacts of their speeding from being an anti-social behaviour, a serious and dangerous activity and how their own lives can be impacted if caught breaking the law.”

Meanwhile, in an effort to tackle inequality, said she would work with the services to ensure the correct recruitment strategies are in place. 

“There can be no room for inequalities in North Yorkshire and I will ensure the commissioner’s office leads the way on equality issues and will work with senior figures within the services so they do likewise.”

All these issues mean Ms Metcalfe has her work cut out as North Yorkshire’s latest Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Philip Allott’s blunder left many feeling it’s a job that hasn’t delivered and should not be politicised. The spotlight of public scrutiny now turns on her.

Conservatives win North Yorkshire Police commissioner election

The Conservatives have held the position of North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Tory candidate who is also a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council, was elected with a vote of 41,760.

The vote went to a second preferences count after no candidate took 50 per cent of the vote.

She replaces Philip Allott, who resigned from the role last month.

The turnout of the election was 13.94% – a significant drop from the 25.3% recorded at the polls in May.

The results on first and second preferences were:

In the first round, James Barker, Liberal Democrat, got 9,499 and Keith Tordoff, Independent, 14,988. Dr Hannah Barham-Brown. Women’s Equality Party, got 8,837.

Simon Dennis, chief executive of the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner said:

“On behalf of the Office, I am delighted to welcome Zoë to the role of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Together with the Chief Constable and the Interim Chief Fire Officer, I look forward to working with her in the years ahead.

“I also want to thank Jenni Newberry for serving as Acting Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for the past few weeks and all the team at the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who have worked so hard to ensure our work continued without interruption ahead of this by-election.

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Harrogate district reports 112 covid cases

The Harrogate district has reported a further 112 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 509 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 519 and the England rate is 431.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

As of Tuesday, 14 covid patients were being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

The number is nearly half that recorded at the hospital two weeks ago.

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EXCLUSIVE: Ripon leisure scheme racks up additional £1m cost

The Stray Ferret can reveal that Ripon’s new swimming pool and leisure centre has racked up another £1 million in cost.

According to a freedom of information request obtained by Ripon resident and chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh, the council agreed a budget of £14.5 million for the scheme back in September.

The Stray Ferret previously reported that the scheme was already £3.3 million over budget.

The new figure was revealed after Mr Mackintosh successfully appealed a decision by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse disclosing the information on commercial grounds.

Following an internal review, the council overturned its previous refusal and disclosed the total sum of its budget in September.

In its full FOI response to Mr Mackintosh HBC said that:

This means that the authority’s budget is £4 million more than a previous contract agreed for construction.

The original 17-month contract signed with construction company and principal contractor Willmott Dixon was for £10.2 million, with a completion date of May this year.

However, the move was delayed and the pool is expected to open on December 8.

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Mr Mackintosh told the Stray Ferret that he felt the site is unstable and that “things were bound to go wrong” with the site.

He said:

“I do not think it [the site] has long term stability. Nobody can know how long it will last.”

The morning, Conservative Cllr Nigel Simms said he stood by his view that the choice of Dallamires Lane for the new pool was a poor use of public money.

Cllr Simms told the Stray Ferret:

“Nothing has happened to change my mind, the geology of the site with its sinkhole issues, means it’s the wrong place.

“I’m all in favour of new leisure facilities for Ripon, but a more stable area should have been selected.”

Further concern of the pool site was raised earlier this month after a council-commissioned report by engineering company Stantec outlined measures to mitigate the effects of a void that was detected last year.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, called for the council to postpone a decision on the measures and give greater consideration to finding an alternative site.

However, senior councillors voted to press ahead with its plan to carry out further work while opening most of the site.

New energy plant to be built at major Harrogate district employer

A new heat and power plant is to be built at a major Boroughbridge company in an effort to create “cost-effective” energy after plans were approved.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its site off Bar Lane and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

The company submitted plans for a combined heat and power plant, which would be built on its site and generate electricity.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has given permission for the plant to go-ahead.

According to documents lodged with the borough council, the plant would work by “igniting air and natural gas to produce hot, high-pressure gases”.

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The gas would then be fed through a turbine to drive an electrical generator and produce electricity.

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall’s cold storage division, told the Stray Ferret previously: 

“We’re investing in a new combined heat and power system as a way of protecting the energy needs of our business for the future.

“It is more cost-effective than buying power from the National Grid and is generally considered to be a greener alternative. We expect it to be fully operational by the end of the year.”

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

The company added that the energy would be used to power its headquarters in Boroughbridge. Any excess energy would be exported back to the local electricity network.

Construction of the plant is expected to take place over three months.

Once up and running, the plant would run for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it would be unmanned and operated remotely.

175 covid cases in Harrogate district as rate drops

The Harrogate district has reported a further 175 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 509 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 519 and the England rate is 431.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

As of Tuesday, 14 covid patients were being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

The number is nearly half that recorded at the hospital two weeks ago.

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CCTV footage shows Harrogate killer’s final movements

Police have released CCTV footage of convicted murderer Daniel Ainsley’s final movements before he killed Mark Wolsey.

Ainsley was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for murdering Mr Wolsey, 48, on Mayfield Grove on March 5.

Following sentencing, North Yorkshire Police has released footage used to prosecute Ainsley.

The three-minute clip, which can be played below, shows the 24-year-old going into Asda supermarket on Bower Road to purchase a set of kitchen knives with his own bank card.

He later goes outside the store to dispose of all but one of them before walking back to 38 Mayfield Grove where he stabbed Mr Wolsey multiple times.

At Leeds Crown Court last month, Ainsley pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility but admitted manslaughter.

However, Mark McKone QC, prosecuting, said the CCTV footage demonstrated that Ainsley knew what he was doing and that the killing was premeditated.

He told Leeds Crown Court:

“There can be no doubt that the defendant intended to kill Mark.

“The defendant knew exactly what he was doing and did it in a calm and calculated way.”

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The defence’s case that Ainsley was suffering from a personality disorder which “impaired his ability to form a rational judgement” did not convince a jury.

He was convicted of murder on October 22 and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison yesterday.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton, head of crime at North Yorkshire Police, said: 

“I am pleased with today’s sentence and that the court previously agreed with the prosecution that this was clearly a case of murder, and nothing less.

“My thoughts remain with Mark’s mother, children and his wider family who have had to sit through the trial and listen to the horrific details of his death. Nothing can bring Mark back, but I hope that his loved ones can take some comfort in the knowledge that justice has now been done.”

Voters head to the polls to elect new police commissioner

Voters will head to the polls today to elect a new North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Political parties have put candidates forward to succeed former commissioner Philip Allott.

Mr Allot resigned last month after coming under pressure to step down after comments he made in the wake of the Sarah Everard murder case.

Candidates for the election have been confirmed with the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Women’s Equality Party and an Independent all standing.

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The full list of candidates is:

Polling stations opened this morning and will close at 10pm tonight.

Counting of ballots and an announcement of the new commissioner will be made tomorrow (November 26).

Harrogate hospital covid patient numbers nearly halve in two weeks

The number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital has almost halved in two weeks.

There were 14 patients at the hospital on Tuesday – down from 25 on 8 November. The figure has been falling since the start of the month, although the hospital has still been reporting Covid-related deaths.

The latest death of a patient who died within 28 days of testing positive was on 18 November, with the hospital’s death toll since the pandemic began standing at 198.

This comes as the Harrogate district’s weekly infection rate of 551 cases per 100,000 people remains above the England average of 427. The rate has also climbed above the North Yorkshire average of 546 after dipping below it at the weekend.

In an attempt to prevent a surge of infections before Christmas, government guidance has this week been updated with a focus on more lateral flow tests.

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People are now advised to take these rapid tests if they expect to be in a “high risk situation” that day, such as spending time in “crowded and enclosed spaces”.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, told a meeting of the county’s Outbreak Management Advisory Board today that this marked a change from previous guidance which encouraged twice-weekly tests.

She said: 

“We continue to promote testing before attending events, which fits in with the new government announcement promoting lateral flow tests before high risk events including Christmas events and shopping.

“Hopefully this will encourage more people to take a test before attending events.”

Meanwhile, booster vaccines are now available for everyone aged over 40.

Sixteen and 17-year-olds initially offered a single dose can now also book a second after a recommendation from the government’s scientific advisers who concluded it was safe and effective.

These can be booked online or by calling 119, however, there are still no walk-in sites available in the Harrogate district.

NHS officials previously said they would open these sites “as soon as possible”.

Investigation: ‘Alarming’ rise in Harrogate council contracts awarded without tender

Harrogate Borough Council has blamed the pandemic and “urgent works” for a rise in the number of contracts awarded to companies without any competitive process.

An analysis of contract data by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows the council has awarded more than £820,000 worth of contracts without seeking rival bids since April 2020 – more than the previous seven years combined.

The rise has been described as “alarming” by opposition councillors, while the Conservative-run council has defended its record saying there have been several reasons why it has bypassed its own procurement rules.

A council spokesperson said: 

“These can include an urgency to carry out emergency repairs or to continue to provide an on-going service.

“Covid-19 has also meant some services and suppliers have been disrupted.

“All appointments are made with a view to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.”

The council’s rules say it must seek rival bids for contracts unless it is spending time-limited grant funding, if “specialised” services are only available from one business or for reasons of “extreme urgency”.

During the pandemic, the council used firms for repairs at Knaresborough Swimming Pool and Harrogate Convention Centre where it also hired a traffic management company whilst the centre was in use as an NHS Nightingale Hospital.

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Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat party, said while there are sometimes “clear” reasons why exceptions to the rules can be made, the recent rise was still “very concerning”.

She said: 

“The increase in the amount spent on single tender contracts is quite alarming and something that has concerned the Liberal Democrats on several occasions.

“This is public money and councils should be open and transparent about the process of how that is spent.

“This has to be about ensuring that by spending taxpayers’ money the council gets exactly what it wants and at the best value available.”

The council has recently been forced to defend its reasons for bypassing the rules, including when it awarded a £165,000 contract to marketing firm Jacob Bailey Group to rebuild and maintain the Visit Harrogate website.

In January, the council said a bidding process for this would have taken six months to complete and that the “exceptional circumstances” of the pandemic meant the work was urgent.

It also said “very few companies in the UK have the expertise, skills or experience” to carry out the work.

In April 2020, the council awarded a £40,900 contract to landscaping firm Glendale Managed Services to repair the Stray – seven months after the parkland was damaged during Harrogate’s hosting of the UCI World Cycling Championships.

At the time, the council said there were “urgent circumstances” as the “optimum period for reseeding was fast approaching”.

The reseeding works did not start until two months later in June.

In total, more than £1.2 million worth of contracts have been awarded by the council without rival bids since 2013.

The council said it does not have any information before this as “the sourcing software the council uses does not hold records prior to 2013/2014”.

In numbers: Council contracts awarded without rival bids

2013 – One contract awarded at a value of £84,000

2014 – None

2015 – None

2016 – None

2017 – One contract awarded at a value of £50,610

2018 – Four contracts awarded at a combined value of £178,900

2019 – None

2020 – Fifteen contracts awarded at a combined value of £663,189

2021 – Two contracts awarded at a combined value of £165,319