Harrogate council leader confirms he will stand down

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has announced he will stand down after more than 20 years of service as a councillor.

Cllr Richard Cooper, who was first elected as a Conservative councillor in 1999, said he will not seek election to the North Yorkshire unitary council but will continue in his role until the new authority is created in 2023.

Multiple senior political figures in the Harrogate district told the Stray Ferret earlier this month that the Conservative council leader would not be standing when voters head to the polls in May 2022.

Cllr Cooper has now confirmed the news. He said: 

“I have been a councillor now for 22 years and leader of the council for eight. That’s a long time and it is time for me to do other things and for others to have the opportunity to serve our communities at a senior level.

“Although I am not standing for the new council in May 2022, Harrogate Borough Council continues until April 2023.

“So although I am not standing for that new council it isn’t quite goodbye yet.”

Read more:

Cllr Cooper was first elected when he took the Liberal Democrat seat of West Central in 1999 and has since held several cabinet positions, as well as being deputy leader and serving on North Yorkshire County Council.

Council leader since 2014

He was elected as leader of Harrogate Borough Council in 2014 and will be the longest-serving holder of the position if he is re-elected next May.

Among his achievements, Cllr Cooper said he will remember increasing funding for homelessness, defeating the Nidd Gorge relief road proposal, raising the profile of sustainable transport and leading on the construction of the new Harrogate Civic Centre.

Cllr Cooper added: 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the voters who have elected me to represent them over the past 22 years, my fellow councillors for having trusted me with leadership roles throughout that time and the amazing people in our community groups who I have been privileged to meet and support.

“We are fortunate to have many young and talented councillors in our district alongside those with many years of service. It is a great combination which will serve our district well on the new council.

“I wish them all, of every political persuasion, luck and success as they continue to champion sustainable transport, carbon reduction, support for the homeless and funding for our local voluntary groups among the many other brilliant things Harrogate Borough Council does.”

Racist graffiti sprayed in Harrogate playground

Racist graffiti has been sprayed onto playground equipment in Harrogate.

Two instances of the graffiti were found in a play area in Panhandle Park, just behind Sherwood Drive in Hookstone Chase.

It was reported to North Yorkshire Police between Saturday, October 23, and Tuesday, October 26.

The graffiti has since been removed but required specialist attention to do so by Harrogate Borough Council.

Sergeant Alex Sellars, of Harrogate neighbourhood policing team, said:

“We take hate crime very seriously and it has no place in society. We would urge anyone who knows anything about these incidents to get in touch with us to assist with our investigation.”

Read more:

North Yorkshire Police added in a statement:

“Anyone with information is asked to report it on our website or call 101.

“You can also provide information anonymously via independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or through their website.

“Please quote 12210229225 when providing information.”

Council ‘confident’ of resolving Kex Gill reroute objections

Two objections have been lodged against land orders for a £60 million reroute of the A59 at Kex Gill.

North Yorkshire County Council published plans in August to purchase 90 acres of land to build the new route.

A diversion is planned west of Blubberhouses on the A59 at Kex Gill, which has been blighted by a history of landslides and a recent “instability issue” which cost the council £1.4 million.

The council needs to acquire the land before it can begin construction.

County council officials have confirmed to the Stray Ferret that two objections have been submitted against its side road orders. which are designed to buy private land in order to carry out the project.

However, authority bosses say they believe they can resolve the disputes.

Karl Battersby, corporate director, business and environmental services at the county council, said:

“We are in the procurement process and are working through the statutory processes.

“We have received two objections to the side road orders that we are confident we can resolve.

“All statutory processes need to be concluded before we can secure the funding from the Department for Transport and award the contract.”

Read More: 

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, told the Stray Ferret this month that a “substantial objection” could trigger a public inquiry.

However, he added that he did not “see it as a severe risk” and was confident that the council could avoid an inquiry.

In a statement given to a full council meeting in July, Cllr Mackenzie warned that if a public inquiry was required then work could be delayed by up to 15 months.

Council officials said they wanted to come to an agreement with landowners over the price of land, rather than acquire it by a compulsory purchase order.

Construction of the scheme is expected to take 18 months.

Care staff shortages ‘critical’ ahead of compulsory vaccine deadline

Care staff shortages in North Yorkshire have reached a “critical” stage and are only likely to worsen when compulsory covid vaccines come into force on November 11, a council boss has warned.

Justine Brooksbank, assistant chief executive at North Yorkshire County Council, said 252 workers have yet to receive a first vaccine dose and some staff in the already depleted workforce had now begun the process of leaving.

She said 13 staff have served notice to leave, while three have been redeployed and a further 12 are awaiting clinical exemption.

However, Ms Brooksbank added redeployment into other areas such as health services is “proving difficult” as the government has recently ended a consultation on compulsory vaccines for these workers as well as care staff.

She said: 

“This situation is likely to worsen the already critical staffing shortages across the county’s care sector.

“Adult social care is vitally important to our residents and we are pulling out all the stops to support the sector in every way possible during current challenges.

“We have done everything possible to communicate with all our care staff about the benefits of covid vaccination and to assuage any fears they may have.

“The county council along with other care providers as well as national government are next month launching a robust recruitment campaign in order to address the significant and growing pressures in the care system.”

Read more:

Nationwide staff shortages have led to warnings from England’s care watchdog that there will be a “tsunami” of people without the care they need this winter unless action is taken.

The Care Quality Commission said in a recent report that staff are “exhausted and depleted” and that immediate action is needed to address the problem.

On Thursday, the government announced an extra £162.5 million to boost the adult social care workforce.

This is in addition to £5.4 billion earmarked for social care over the next three years from the government’s health and social care levy, which already includes £500 million to be spent on the workforce.

Compulsory vaccines for all health workers?

Meanwhile, the health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday he was “leaning towards” making covid vaccines compulsory for health workers.

It is estimated around 100,000 NHS staff nationally have yet to get their first jab following the recent consultation into the matter.

At Harrogate hospital, around 350 frontline staff have not been fully vaccinated – representing just under 10% of the 3,598-strong workforce.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, previously said staff were being encouraged to take up the vaccine and that managers were speaking with these workers about their concerns.

She said: 

“We have encouraged and supported all our staff to be fully vaccinated against covid to keep themselves, their families, fellow colleagues and patients safe and improve our organisational resilience over what is likely to be a challenging winter.”

Appeal after man robbed at Knaresborough station

Police are appealing for information after a man was robbed at Knaresborough railway station.

The victim had his personal belongings, including his wallet, stolen at around 6.25pm on September 25.

The robbery followed an altercation with a group of people on the platform of the station.

A British Transport Police statement said:

“One man in the group is described as white, in his early twenties, of slim build and wearing a grey tracksuit top and bottoms.

“Officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to assist their enquiries.

“Witnesses, or anyone with information, can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 529 of 25/09/21.

“Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate council ‘at constant threat from developers’, say councillors

Harrogate councillors have raised concerns that the authority is at “constant threat from developers” when making planning decisions.

Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh, a member of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee, said councillors were “constantly” being told that decisions they make could lead to the council being challenged at appeal.

This year, the council has seen refusals over a Starbucks on Wetherby Road and 72 homes in Spofforth challenged and overturned by the government. It has also had costs awarded against it for “unreasonable behaviour” after those appeals.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Marsh raised concern that the committee had become a “tick box exercise” and that the authority was at the mercy of developers.

She said:

“We are under constant threat from developers, we can only go with them in case we get hauled over the coals.

“I find that very, very difficult as a member of this committee. To be reminded ‘you made this decision, this is what happened’. Why have a council planning committee? It’s just a tick box exercise and I don’t want to be that.”

Read more:

Conservative Cllr Sue Lumby agreed with Cllr Marsh. She said:

“Why on earth are we sitting here if we just agree everything the officers recommend?”

Councillors were debating plans for 36 homes in Goldsborough when they raised concerns.

However council officers said councillors “hands were not tied”, but added that they must “act on the evidence” when deciding to go against officer recommendations.

“If members for whatever reason, having seen the site or know the site, disagree with the conclusion of the officer’s report then they need good evidence to justify coming to a different conclusion.”

Lost planning appeals

This year, the council failed to defend a decision to refuse a controversial plan for a Starbucks on Wetherby Road because officers said it could lead to legal costs of £50,000.

The council turned down the development back in 2019 on air quality and highways grounds, but later withdrew its objection.

The proposal, which was submitted by Euro Garages, was later approved by the government and full costs for the appeal were awarded against the council.

Meanwhile, last week a controversial plan for 72 homes in Spofforth was granted permission by the government despite Harrogate Borough Council refusing the scheme.

Siobhan Watson, a government planning inspector, awarded costs against the authority after finding its reasons for refusal to be “vague and illogical”.

In September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that planning appeals lost by the borough council had cost taxpayers almost a quarter of a million pounds in legal fees since 2012.

Harrogate district covid rate falling rapidly

The Harrogate district reported another 119 cases of covid today, as the seven-day rate continues to fall.

The rate has dropped to 573 per 100,000 people — well below the 740 mark it achieved on October 16.

Ryedale and Craven both now have higher rates in North Yorkshire.

The county average is 543 and the England rate stands at 479.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to latest NHS England figures.

The hospital was treating 19 covid patients as of Monday.

Read more:

Meanwhile, 12 to 15-year-olds can now book their covid vaccine appointments on the NHS website.

The large vaccination site at Askham Bar on the outskirts of York and the Homecare Pharmacy site in Knaresborough are among the venues offering vaccine appointments.

Elland Road stadium in Leeds is also available to book.

Valley Gardens Christmas market confirmed for December

Harrogate Borough Council confirmed today that an artisan market will go ahead in Valley Gardens as part of the town’s festive offering.

The market, which will be held on December 4 and 5 between 10am and 3pm, will be one of two Christmas markets in Harrogate.

The council said it had approved an event management plan submitted by market organisers Little Bird Made.

It had previously failed to approve an event management plan for the traditional Christmas market on Montpellier submitted by Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, meaning it will not take place.

Sixty local and regional traders and producers will sell festive arts and crafts, clothing, homeware and jewellery, as well as food and drink, at the Valley Gardens event.

Read more:

Kirsty Stewart, parks and grounds maintenance manager at the council, said:

“The market will showcase some fantastic home-grown traders and producers and what better setting than Valley Gardens.”

Jackie Crozier, owner of Little Bird Made, said she was delighted by the news and urged anyone interested in having a stall to get in touch. She added:

“Our markets showcase some of Yorkshire’s finest small businesses and are a great opportunity to bring some festive cheer and buy that special gift for the holidays.”

The market will accompany a separate council-approved event called Harrogate Christmas Market, which will take place on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent in Harrogate town centre between December 3 and 12. This event will be run by Market Place Europe.

A ferris wheel, Victorian carousel, helter skelter and road train will also be part the council’s Harrogate’s festive package.

The festivities will last from November 15 to the first week of January.

Food safety standards in Harrogate district ‘deteriorated significantly’ during pandemic

Food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses have “deteriorated significantly” during the covid pandemic, a report has revealed.

Inspections by food safety officers resumed in July after being halted earlier in the pandemic and there has since been three voluntary closures of businesses and two emergency hygiene prohibition orders issued – more than the two previous years combined.

That is according to a new report from Harrogate Borough Council, which said “standards have deteriorated significantly” and that staff were now working through a backlog of inspections.

The report said: 

“Since recommencing full on-site food hygiene inspections in July 2021 it appears that standards have deteriorated significantly in some premises.

“This seems to be partly due to changes in food business operators during the lockdowns whilst we were unable to carry out full on-site inspections.

“However, some existing traders have just let standards slip.”

While the council carried out inspections at all ‘high risk’ food establishments, just 16% of new businesses were inspected against a target of 90% in 2020/21.

Read more:

During the same period, 24% of ‘lower risk’ businesses were inspected against a target of 95%.

The report said this was “entirely due to the impact of the covid pandemic” during which staff focused their efforts on infection control, advice and enforcement.

Rodent infestation in pub

One business which was served an emergency hygiene prohibition order was the Black Swan Inn in Fearby near Masham which was found to have a rodent infestation and dirty kitchen during a routine inspection.

The order was served in August by the council which said the pub was “dirty throughout” and that staff were unable to wash their hands after handling raw food.

Speaking at the time, Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said: 

“It is imperative that food businesses maintain hygiene and food safety at all times, even more so during the current covid pandemic.

“The council’s environmental health officers work hard to provide guidance and advice to businesses in ensuring that they can operate safely.

“Any business failing to heed and act on such advice – which then subsequently fails an inspection which identifies a risk to public health – needs to understand that we will, when necessary, not hesitate to take formal action which could well result in prosecution.”

At a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Chambers approved a food service recovery plan which details the work to be carried out by inspectors over the coming year.

This includes inspecting the average 200 new food establishments that register each year, targeting efforts towards ‘high risk’ businesses and managing food safety standards at the increasing number of events and festivals.

The plan said:

“The overall aim will be for the local authority to choose the most appropriate action to be taken to drive up levels of compliance by food establishments with food law.”

Labour announces North Yorkshire police commissioner candidate

The Labour Party has announced its candidate for the upcoming North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner election.

Emma Scott-Spivey, 23, from Thirsk, will stand for the party on polling day next month.

An election is being held following the resignation of Philip Allott, who stepped down after comments he made on the murder of Sarah Everard led to hundreds of complaints to his office and a vote of no confidence in him.

Ms Scott-Spivey, a student paramedic, was born and went to school in Harrogate. She is the daughter of two police officers.

She said she wants to rebuild trust in the commissioner’s office and prioritise tackling violence against women and girls, as well as county lines drugs gangs and crackdown on crime against the elderly.

Ms Scott-Spivey said:

“The police are facing unprecedented challenges – not just from savage cuts to funding but also due to a breakdown in trust. That trust must be rebuilt and the damage done by Phillip Allott must be repaired.

“People in North Yorkshire need a commissioner who recognises their concerns and works to address them. One who puts local people above party politics.

“And our police and fire services must have a commissioner who they can trust, who understands the sacrifices they make every day and the pressures the face. They need a commissioner who will fight to make sure they have the resources they need to keep us safe.”

Read more:

Ms Scott-Spivey added that she applied for the position after hearing Mr Allott’s comments in the wake of the Sarah Everard murder case.

She added:

“When I heard Phillip Allott’s comments about Sarah Everard and his view of endemic violence against women, I thought of every patient I’d ever attended in an emergency who was unwilling to involve the police.”

Voters will head to the polls to elect a new police commissioner on November 25.

The Conservatives have announced Harrogate councillor, Zoe Metcalfe, will stand for the party on polling day.

Meanwhile, independent candidate Keith Tordoff will also stand.