Still no opening date for Ripon’s new swimming pool

There is still no opening date for Ripon’s new swimming pool as the multi-million pound project continues to run over budget and into more construction problems.

Harrogate Borough Council had originally aimed to open the pool in May 2021, but the project is now nine months overdue and £4 million over budget.

This is after several construction problems, most recently including a fault in the lining of the pool. An underground void has also been discovered at the adjoining leisure centre site which has prompted an £110,000 investigation.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the council, previously said he anticipated the pool would open in January.

But the council has now confirmed that a revised opening date has still not been set.

Speaking in December, Cllr Lumley said: 

“New swimming pools go through a significant amount of testing to ensure they are safe to use for years to come and provide the best experience for the customer.

“During the testing period of the new six-lane 25-metre swimming pool at the leisure centre on Dallamires Road in Ripon, an issue was identified with the lining of the pool.

“In order to resolve this issue, Myrtha – the pool manufacturer – will be carrying out additional work, at no expense to the borough council, to prepare the pool for opening.”

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The council awarded a £10 million contract for the pool build to construction firm Willmott Dixon in January 2020. As of last month, £13,422,309 had been spent on the project with a further £584,690 allocated.

Ripon Leisure Centre

The leisure centre

This includes money spent on investigation works after the underground void was discovered at the site. It was found in 2020, but only became public knowledge last May when the investigation launched.

These works are currently underway and are likely to continue into spring.

Gypsum deposits

Initial studies suggest there has been a “significant deterioration” of the ground beneath the older half of the centre which was built in 1995 and like much of Ripon sits on gypsum deposits.

It is likely that ground strengthening works will be needed, although the council has insisted the leisure centre is still “safe to use”.

The new pool is being built as a replacement for Ripon Spa Baths which closed in November, leaving the city without a pool for the last three months.

The 116-year-old baths was put up for sale by the council in a move which sparked concerns that the venue could lose its community use and also prompted Ripon City Council to successfully apply for the building to be nominated as an asset of community value.

This protected status means any sale has now been put on hold for several months to allow time for community bids to come forward.

NHS writes off £13m in Nightingale hospital beds cost

NHS managers have written off £13 million after beds bought for Nightingale hospitals could not be used for patients on other wards.

The seven Nightingale sites included a facility at Harrogate Convention Centre — which cost £31.6 million to set up and run. However, it didn’t treat a single covid patient.

According to NHS England accounts, the beds bought for the sites were “bespoke beds for field hospitals” and did not meet the requirement for existing hospitals.

The figure also includes storage costs at the facilities.

The accounts say:

“After the closure of the Nightingale hospitals, it was deemed that the beds could not be used in any other existing hospitals as the specifications were not to the current standard as implemented in all hospitals.

“These beds are now subject to renewed plans for redeployment to the new field hospitals.”

The NHS has set up Nightingale surge hubs as part of its response to the Omicron covid variant. However, St James’ University Hospital in Leeds was chosen over Harrogate for a facility.

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The 500-bed hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre was one of seven Nightingale hospitals set up at the start of the covid pandemic in March 2020. It was dismantled last year.

An inquiry revealed that of its £31.6 million costs, £17 million was spent on building and dismantling works, £10.4 million on running costs and £4.1 million on equipment.

A further £1.1 million was spent on security and around £500,000 on cleaning and food.

Members of West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee launched the inquiry into the hospital after raising questions over why it was not used to treat any covid patients and how it would have been staffed if needed.

The committee concluded that while these questions remain unanswered, the need for the Nightingale hospitals across the UK showed there was insufficient critical care capacity in regular hospitals.

Harrogate council staff still working from home – despite change of guidance

Harrogate Borough Council is still encouraging staff to work from home despite covid guidance and restrictions being dropped.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to work from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

Despite the end to the guidance, council officials said the authority was still encouraging staff to work from home where possible due to high covid rates in the district.

Currently, the seven-day rate for the Harrogate district stands at 1,301 per 100,000 people.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“Covid infection rates continue to remain high across the Harrogate district. Therefore, staff are continuing to be encouraged to work from home where possible, however they are able to come into work if required.

“Our covid workplace safety plan is regularly updated to reflect the latest government guidance and local infection rates to ensure we can continue to keep our colleagues safe. We continue to review this on a regular basis.”

The council has staff working across the district, predominantly at its multi-million pound Knapping Mount headquarters which has space for 500 staff.

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The Stray Ferret asked the council how many staff it had working from its offices and how many were working from home.

It said the number of staff “differs day-by-day” and not all roles required offices as a work space.

A spokesperson added that the council’s headquarters at Knapping Mount was also designed to allow for staff to hot desk if they wished.

They said:

“As the number of colleagues using one of our offices differs day-by-day, and not all roles require an office setting it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role, planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already able to work from home if they so wished.

“Agile working was something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid. In fact, the civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hot desk if they so wish.”

North Yorkshire Combined Authority: What is it and how would it work?

The ball started rolling on a devolution deal worth £2 billion to North Yorkshire this week when the government announced it had opened negotiations with county council officials.

North Yorkshire devolution was included in the levelling up white paper, which included plans for a mayoral combined authority for North Yorkshire and York.

The move will be seismic for the county over the coming years as the face of local government changes with the county council and all seven district councils scrapped, and a single North Yorkshire Council set up.

York, however, will continue to be run separately by its current City of York Council.

The new era for politics in North Yorkshire will also see the county get a combined authority, headed by an elected mayor.

But what is a combined authority and what would it do? The Stray Ferret has looked in detail at the proposal.

What is a combined authority?

A combined authority is a body set up for two or more councils to make joint decisions.

In this case, the upcoming North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council would come together to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority head offices on Wellington Street, Leeds.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority head offices on Wellington Street, Leeds.

It will be a separate body to North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.

The closest example of this is West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which recently has led on the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme, as well as similar schemes in Skipton and Selby.

The combined authority would be headed by a mayor who is directly elected by the public.

In West Yorkshire, Labour and Co-Operative representative Tracy Brabin has been the elected mayor of the county and head of the combined authority since 2021.

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The authority, which has head offices on Wellington Street in Leeds, operates on a committee system and includes elected councillors and council leaders from Kirklees, Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Wakefield and York. It has more than 500 staff.

What decisions will it make?

The combined authority’s powers focus mainly on overarching matters that affect more than one place, for example transport, bus franchising and economic development.

Services such as bin collections and highways will remain with the unitary council.

Council bosses in North Yorkshire are hoping to replicate the mayoral combined authority in Tees Valley as an example of what they feel is good practice.

The Tees Valley authority is headed by Conservative mayor, Ben Houchen, and is made up of council leaders from Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington and a representative from Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership.

Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, outside Teeside International Airport. Picture: Tees Valley CA.

Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, and Kate Willard from Stobart Group outside Durham Tees Valley Airport following the purchase by the combined authority. Picture: Tees Valley CA.

Unlike West Yorkshire, Tees Valley CA operates on a cabinet system.

Mr Houchen and the council leaders make up the cabinet, which makes decisions on matters including economic development, skills and transport.

In 2019, the combined authority made a major decision to bring Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership by purchasing it for £40 million.

Since then it has set out a 10-year plan for the airport with operator Stobart Group and renamed it Teeside International Airport.

Why do we need a combined authority?

Council leaders in North Yorkshire have been pushing for a devolution deal for many years in order to bring some powers and funding back from Westminster.

As part of the deal, a mayor and a combined authority must be put in place.

North Yorkshire council officials feel the move will help the county be able to make strategic decisions jointly with York.

But Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council said that the devolution deal, including the combined authority, would be about more than just funding.

He said:

“What we have seen with other combined authorities is that it’s not necessarily about the devolution deal.

“What we have seen is a strong voice for a single county. This is not just about the deal, it is about constant engagement with government.”

What happens now?

County council officials will now go into negotiations with government over a devolution deal.

As part of those discussions, a timetable set could see the combined authority come into place by next year.

Mr Flinton told a press conference this week that this could also mean that an election could be held for a mayor of North Yorkshire and York by 2024.

Harrogate Town set for Bradford derby day showdown

Harrogate Town are set to face off against Bradford City today in the first Yorkshire derby of the season.

Simon Weaver’s men go into the game following a hard fought point against Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.

The two sides face each other for the first time after the fixture at Valley Parade was postponed on Boxing Day.

A bumper crowd is expected at the Envirovent Stadium as both teams look set to face each other twice in just over a fortnight.

Speaking to the media ahead of today’s game, Weaver said:

“We’re really looking forward to this fixture and been looking forward to it all season. We like the derby games, getting stuck into to the heat of the battle and they don’t come any bigger for us at this level than Bradford City.

“We’ve enjoyed them over the years, the battles with York City and now at this level we’re playing against the likes of Bradford with their rich history and the fanbase, they’ll bring in lots of fans.”

Simon Weaver after the win against Rochdale on the opening game of the season. Picture: Matt Kirkham, Harrogate Town.

Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town manager. Picture: Matt Kirkham, Harrogate Town.

Weaver confirmed that centre-back Rory McArdle and Lewis Richards face fitness tests after picking up injuries against Mansfield.

Ryan Fallowfield and Simon Power remain sidelined with injury.

Bradford looking to avenge last season

Meanwhile, Bradford head into the fixture just three points above Town in the League Two table.

The Bantams will be looking to avenge the two defeats they suffered at the hands of Harrogate last season.

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Bradford can expect a strong support at Wetherby Road after fans sold out their 550 ticket allocation within a minute.

City will be without Charles Vernam and Dion Pereira. But Nathan Delfouneso could make his debut and Luke Hendrie is available for selection.

Jamie Walker is also fit, despite going off injured against Leyton Orient.

Bradford manager Derek Adams said his side will be prepared for the occasion at Harrogate.

He said:

“We are looking forward to it, but we have to understand the environment of the game.

“We have a full capacity away crowd with us and they have a good following too. The atmosphere will be good.

“Harrogate have done really well since they have come up and will want to beat us, but we are going there to win the game.”

Last chance to have you say on quality of Harrogate hospital care

Time is running out for people in the Harrogate district to have their say on how they feel about the care they receive at local hospitals.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, is carrying out a survey aimed at improving services and quality of care.

The survey runs until Monday and will be used to improve the experience for patients, highlight areas where the trust performs well and identify the areas where it needs to improve.

Matt Graham, the trust’s director of strategy said: 

“HDFT’s last strategy was created in 2014 and during this time the trust, the NHS, and our communities have changed significantly.

“The covid pandemic has meant that over the last two years we have had to adapt to the pressures we have faced and this has impacted upon the services we have been able to offer. It is important we now look to the future and create a strategy which delivers on our top priorities – to provide the highest quality of care for the people in our communities and the best possible experience for our patients.

“We need to get the perspective of our patients, carers and other members of the community so that we can understand what issues are important to them.

“We will then use this feedback to improve the care we offer over the next five years so that we are well placed to meet the opportunities and challenges of the future.”

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The trust has also conducted a focus group this month in collaboration with Healthwatch North Yorkshire.

The one-hour session gave people the opportunity to learn about why the trust is refreshing its strategy, comment on feedback received to date, and have their questions answered.

You can take part in the online survey here and for more information on attending a focus group email hdft.strategy@nhs.net.

Harrogate council awards £280,000 electric vehicle contract to London firm

A London company has been awarded a £280,000 contract to install 34 electric vehicle charging points across the Harrogate district.

Connected Kerb, which installs charging points across the country, has been appointed to oversee the project.

The company has already overseen electric vehicle charging point projects in Kent and Swindon.

Harrogate Borough Council has commissioned the company on a contract due to start this month.

The company will be tasked with installing, maintaining and managing charging points at:

Cllr Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said previously: 

“The Harrogate district has seen a rapid uptake in the purchase of electric vehicles, outstripping all other districts in North Yorkshire.

“If we are to achieve our ambition of net-zero by 2038 it is important we support those residents that have the ability to purchase electric cars, while also encouraging more cycling and walking.

“These new charging points will support the uptake in electric vehicles for both our residents and our visitor economy.”

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The contract is due to end in January 2027, however a council report published last month recommending the contractor be appointed said this could be extended.

The move comes as the council aims to get 10,000 electric vehicles on the districts’ roads by 2023.

To help hit this target, the authority plans to install charge points at several council-owned locations to encourage motorists to make the switch ahead of the government’s ban on the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in 2030.

Council refuses to say if jobs at risk at Harrogate Convention Centre

Harrogate Borough Council has refused to say whether any jobs are at risk of redundancy as part of an ongoing staffing review at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The review began last year and is expected to conclude in April.

It is being headed by centre director Paula Lorimer who has a core team of 21 staff including managers, accounts and admin staff and events planners.

The council, which owns the venue, said in a statement that changes to the staffing structure are being considered because the reopening of the centre after covid restrictions had “highlighted a need” to review how events are delivered.

However, the council refused to say if any jobs were at risk of redundancy.

A council spokesperson said: 

“Following on from successfully redeploying two-thirds of the convention centre’s employees to assist in delivering our critical frontline services, the return to providing event operations in a post-pandemic industry has highlighted a need to review how these are delivered.

“This review is ongoing and is anticipated to be concluded in the spring.

“At this stage, there is nothing further to add.”

The staffing review is due to be discussed at a meeting of the council’s human resources committee on February 10.

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The committee previously discussed the changes behind closed doors in December, and it is likely this will happen again at next week’s meeting.

Ms Lorimer – who is one of the council’s top earners with a £104,502 salary – said in a report that the convention centre did not earn any income from events in 2021/22.

She said this was because of covid cancellations and the venue’s use as an NHS Nightingale hospital, although she added events have since made a positive return.

Ms Lorimer said: 

“Following venue reinstatement and the reopening of the events industry we have welcomed back a significant number of existing and new clients, contributing to the prosperity of the district.

“Our sales strategy continues to focus on attracting larger association conferences.

“There have been a number of events attracted to the convention centre as a result of both the sales strategy and the national publicity regarding the use of the venue as a NHS Nightingale.”

£47m refurbishment in pipeline

The staffing review comes after the council created a new destination management organisation in 2020 when Gemma Rio was appointed as its head to promote the Harrogate district as “exceptional place to visit, meet and invest”.

It also comes as the council is pushing ahead with plans for a major redevelopment of the convention centre.

This week the council’s cabinet backed the spending of £2.8 million in cash reserves to speed up the first phase of the works at the venue’s studio two.

Overall, the whole project could cost up to £47 million over three phases if approved and involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

A decision on the plans is expected from councillors in summer.

Wanted: entertainment with ‘wow factor’ for Harrogate town centre

Harrogate Business Improvement District is offering grants to entertainers that can liven up Harrogate town centre’s streets.

The BID issued a plea today for events and installations that will drive footfall into the town centre.

It is offering the grants in order to cover any costs incurred as long as the idea satisfies funding criteria.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“We are really keen to bring something new and exciting to Harrogate town centre each weekend, and we are calling on individuals and groups to help us achieve this.

“We are particularly looking for something that is unique, exciting and has the wow factor. Harrogate is a standout town, and we want anything that we help deliver to also stand out.”

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Mr Chapman added that grants weren’t just available for performers, but for individuals, groups and organisations who want to play a part in benefitting the BID levy area.

art on the Stray

Last year’s art on the Stray.

He said:

“Last year, we commissioned the incredible mural that adorns the side of Monsoon, on Cross James Street. We also commissioned Artizan UK to create nine mosaic letters spelling Harrogate to cover the bricked up windows on the side of Boots building, along Cambridge Place.

“I’m really pleased to say these will be in situ next month, adding a much-needed splash of colour to this drab street linking Oxford Street and Cambridge Street. We also provided a colourful banner for Commercial Street to help promote the independent businesses it’s home to.

“We have five key project areas; marketing, promotions and events, access and car parking, safe, clean and welcoming, business plus, and evening and night time economy, and if an idea fits in with one of these, then we are interested and a grant may well be available.”

More information on the grant can be found on the Harrogate BID website.

Harrogate district church leaders back mosque

Church leaders in the Harrogate district have shown their support for a planned mosque in the town.

Twenty-two leaders have signed a joint statement backing the plans, saying the “time is right” for a place of worship for Muslims.

Signatories include the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.

Harrogate Islamic Association has lodged plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Home Guard Club into a place of worship.

The joint statement from church leaders says:

“As church leaders in Harrogate, we the undersigned wish to express our support for our Muslim friends and neighbours as they seek a suitable site for a dedicated place of worship.

“We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to worship and, without wishing to prejudge the specific suitability of the site currently under consideration, we believe that the time is right for the creation of a permanent mosque to serve the needs of Muslims who live and work in our community.”

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So far, the application has received 135 public comments – 72 in support and 59 objecting.

Traffic and parking concerns

The objections highlight concerns about traffic, parking and the fact that the building is a non-designated heritage asset.

Households across Harrogate have reported receiving anonymous leaflets through their doors encouraging them to oppose the plans with a guide on how to word the objection.

Supporters dispute the concerns. They say there is enough parking nearby, particularly as there is a multi-storey car park on Tower Street, and that it would be good to see the building brought back into use.

HIA was established in 2011 and has been looking for a permanent place to convert into a mosque for years. Other attempts to find a home have fallen through.

Around 100 worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

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

Church leaders who have signed the statement are: