Unison Harrogate rejects ‘derisory’ council staff pay offer

The Harrogate Borough Council branch of Unison has voted to reject a pay offer following a ballot with members.

The trade union held a ballot, which closed on Friday, over whether to accept a proposed increase of 1.75%. The offer followed a national consultation from the Local Government Association over a pay increase.

Unison officials described the offer as “derisory” and recommended members reject the proposal.

Of a turnout of 62% of its members, 74% voted to refuse the pay offer.

Dave Houlgate, Harrogate branch secretary of Unison, said it was “little surprise” that staff voted to reject the proposal.

He said:

“Staff are worn down after years of real-terms pay cuts and with inflation at nearly 4%. Despite this they’ve continued to go above and beyond during the pandemic in providing much needed services to support residents and businesses alike in the district.

“There has still been no formal public recognition for their efforts from the council but to be clear, Unison is in no doubt that council staff have been fantastic over the past 18 months or so and at the very least deserve a decent pay rise for once.”

Read more:

The Harrogate branch balloted borough council staff, while North Yorkshire Unison consulted with school staff.

The branch will now await the results from ballots across England and Wales before taking further steps, which could include industrial action.

Harrogate Borough Council have been approached for comment.

Harrogate councillor tables alternative boundary proposals to government

A Harrogate councillor has submitted alternative boundary proposals for the unitary council in North Yorkshire after criticising the current ones as “unfair”.

Under plans due to be lodged to government by North Yorkshire County Council, the number of councillors in Harrogate and Knaresborough would be reduced to 13 with each representing an average of 6,194 residents – more than any other area in the county.

But, Liberal Democrat Cllr Philip Broadbank said the plans left the area underrepresented compared to the rest of the county.

The boundary changes were agreed for submission to the government by county council leader Carl Les at a meeting on Tuesday.

However Cllr Broadbank has now submitted his proposal, which would see 14 councillors in the area and the bring average residents per councillor to 5,751, directly to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In his submission, he told ministers:

“The working group set up to look into the matter has put forward proposals concerning the Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee which in my view makes this largest urban area in the county considerably under-represented on the new authority.”

On Tuesday, Cllr John Weighell, who led a cross-party working which came up with the plans, accepted that some residents would be underrepresented. But added that it was “absolutely the only way to maintain community identity”.

Cllr Weighell said the move would divide up town centre boundaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Among Cllr Broadbank’s suggestions was to add another councillor to the Stray and Hookstone ward and include Fairfax within the boundary.

Read more:

A decision on the boundaries for the unitary authority will be made by government at a later date.

The new boundaries will come into force when a shadow authority is elected to the new North Yorkshire council in March 2022.

They will stay in place until 2027 when the Boundary Commission will carry out a full review.

Borough council leader “content” with proposals

Meanwhile, Conservative Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said he would be “content” with either of the two proposals currently on the table.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the borough council would not be lodging an alternative proposal to government.

Cllr Cooper said:

“I do not believe the difference between having 13 or 14 councillors from the Harrogate district out of around 90 will make a material difference to our area’s influence on the new council.

“I would be content with either proposal although I think that the county council’s proposals have the edge on keeping like communities together.

“Since there are two acceptable proposals it does not seem sensible to try and submit a third.”

Cllr Cooper said the proposals should therefore only be seen as a temporary arrangement and that the “important point” is how key decisions which affect the Harrogate district are made by the new council.

He said:

“The county council is talking about giving power to locality-based committees to decide what is best for their area.

“This needs to be done effectively and, in my view, the county council does not have a great track record on this.

“Communities will find it difficult to trust the new council if it is seen as a means of grabbing power and influence by a remote group based in Northallerton.

“I am sure that the new authority will want to avoid this and will delegate real authority to Harrogate district councillors to make decisions that affect our area.”

Harrogate hospital records another covid death

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another death of a patient who tested positive for covid.

According to latest NHS statistics, the death was reported on Wednesday.

It takes the death toll from covid at the hospital since March 2020 to 188.

Meanwhile, 132 covid cases have been reported in the district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

Read More: 

The district’s seven-day covid rate has increased to 408 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire average is 355 and the England rate stands at 287.

Elsewhere, 127,957 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 119,918 have had a second dose.

Arrest warrant issued for man over Starbeck property closure

An arrest warrant has been issued after a man allegedly breached a closure order at a house in Starbeck.

Harrogate Magistrates Court has issued the warrant for Paul Nelson, 55, who is charged with entering 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck, in contravention of a closure notice.

Leeds Magistrates Court approved an order to close the property back in July.

Mr Nelson is accused of breaching the closure notice by entering the property without reasonable excuse on September 3. But he failed to appear before court yesterday to answer to the charge.

Magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest without bail.

Read more:

In July, Leeds Magistrates Court approved a closure notice on both 19 and 31 Avenue Grove.

Simon Mallett, a barrister acting for North Yorkshire Police, told the court there had been “a considerable amount of disorder in Avenue Grove”.

The court granted three-month partial closure orders on the properties, let by landlord John Willis, which means only Mr Willis and one person at each property can enter the premises until midnight on October 12.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, another property let by Mr Willis, in March. This order expired in June.

£1billion bid launched to dual all of A66

One of the busiest roads in northern England could be made into a dual carriage way as part of a £1 billion plan revealed today.

National Highways, formerly Highways England, has launched a consultation into the project, which would dual the remaining parts of the road between the M6 at Penrith and A1 at Scotch Corner.

The road is used by thousands of drivers in the north of England each day to travel between the north east and Cumbria and on to Scotland.

Baroness Vere, minister for roads, visited the consultation hub on the site of the former Llama Karma Kafe today, where she was joined by Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Penrith and The Border, along with local council and business leaders.

The consultation will run for six weeks until November 6. Following the outcome of the consultation, National Highways will apply for a development consent order which would pave the way for the project to be given the go-ahead.

Nick Harris, National Highways chief executive, said:

“We look forward to hearing people’s thoughts on our vision to bring far-reaching benefits to those who use and live near the route.

“By creating better links we can unlock access to tourism, jobs, essential services and new opportunities.”

Read more:

Baroness Vere said:

“Upgrading the A66 is a project at the heart of our plans to build back better and level up the north by improving infrastructure and boosting connections across the region.

“Whether you’re commuting, visiting the area on holiday, or transporting freight, this upgrade will bring huge benefits to the area by cutting congestion and speeding up journey times.

“This consultation is a great opportunity for people and businesses to help shape the future of this project so it works for everyone.”

You can have your say on the A66 scheme here.

Harrogate church opens free wellbeing cafe

A free wellbeing cafe has opened in Harrogate to help people with their mental health by offering a place where it is ‘okay not to be okay’.

The cafe, called Renew HG1, opens weekly at Harrogate Baptist Church on Victoria Avenue to give people a space to help with anxiety or loneliness.

Launched this month, the scheme is part of a wider initiative run by Nottingham-based Renew Wellbeing, which helps churches open welcoming and inclusive spaces in partnership with mental health teams to improve mental and emotional wellbeing.

The scheme has seen more than 100 cafes open across the country, with 22 centres opening in the north of England.

Read more:

The cafes offer tea, coffee, games and newspapers to read.

Harrogate’s centre is open every Monday from 10.30am until 12pm and is free.

For more information on the Renew centres, visit the Renew Wellbeing website.

Final approval for 135 homes in Killinghall

A plan to build 135 homes in Killinghall has been given final approval.

Harrogate Borough Council has granted permission for the scheme, which was submitted back in 2017.

The homes will be built off Otley Road, before the junction with the A59 Skipton Road.

Approval was given after the council agreed a section 106 with Leeds-based Home Group.

The agreement will see 50 homes classed as affordable built on the site.

Of these, 34 will be made available to rent, including one, two, three and four-bed properties. Another 16 will be offered as part of a shared ownership scheme.

Read more:

The remaining homes will be sold on the open market.

The agreement also includes the “ongoing management and maintenance” of public open space at the development.

Following submission of the proposals, Killinghall Parish Council offered no objection to the plan.

However, it raised concern that access to the site from Otley Road would create a “rat run” through to Skipton Road.

A statement put before the council by planning agents Lichfield and Partners on behalf of the developer said the scheme would bring economic benefits to the area.

It said:

“The application proposals would have significant net social, economic and environmental benefits, which clearly outweigh any adverse impacts of the development.”

Highest daily covid cases in Harrogate district since January

The Harrogate district has recorded its highest daily covid cases for eight months.

A total of 156 cases were reported in today’s Public Health England figures — the most since January when a third national lockdown was put in place.

It’s the highest daily infections since January 4, when 172 cases were recorded.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed another covid death according to latest NHS England statistics.

The death was reported on Tuesday.

Read More: 

It takes the number of deaths at the hospital from patients who tested positive for covid since March last year to 187.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has increased to 372 cases per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate is 322 and the England average stands at 287.

Elsewhere, 127,832 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 119,662 have had a second dose.

Man charged with sex offences at Harrogate district care home

A Durham man has been charged with a string of sexual offences while working at a Harrogate district care home.

Carl McQuilliam-Jenkins, 48, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning accused of six offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

He is accused of sexual activity with a mentally disordered female while working as a care worker.

The charges allege that Mr McQuilliam-Jenkins knew or could reasonably be expected to have known that the woman had such a disorder and he engaged in various sexual activities while involved in her care.

Read More: 

The care home cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mr McQuilliam-Jenkins appeared before magistrates and spoke only to confirm his name before the case was referred to York Crown Court.

He was released on conditional bail and will appear before crown court on October 18.

Harrogate and Knaresborough would be most underrepresented under unitary council proposals

Harrogate and Knaresborough residents would be the most underrepresented in North Yorkshire under proposals to change councillor boundaries for the county’s new unitary authority.

The proposal, which will be submitted to the government by the leader of North Yorkshire County Council, would see the number of councillors in Harrogate and Knaresborough reduced to 13 with each representing an average of 6,194 residents.

This would be higher than all other constituency areas in the county.

There would be an average of 5,546 residents per councillor in Skipton and Ripon, 5,472 in Selby and Ainsty, 5,169 in Richmondshire, 5,099 in Thirsk and Malton, and 5,005 in Scarborough and Whitby.

It would also mean one councillor in Cayton, Scarborough would represent 3,680 residents, while another in Knaresborough Castle and Aspin would serve almost double that with 6,690.

The boundary changes were agreed for submission to the government by county council leader Carl Les at a meeting on Tuesday when concerns were raised that residents’ voices would be diluted and councillors’ workloads increased.

‘Unfair on people of Harrogate and Knaresborough’

Liberal Democrat Cllr Philip Broadbank, who represents the Starbeck area on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said the proposals were “particularly unfair on the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough”.

He said: 

“It just doesn’t seem right that one particular area, for some unknown reason, should be at a disadvantage to the rest of them.

“I do accept that when we tell voters we are going to reduce the number of councillors, most of them will say ‘oh good’.

“But I get angry about this because it is such an important issue. Electoral balance is absolutely vital if we want this new council to work and people to accept it is going to be fair and balanced.

“I just don’t understand why such a large area of people should be underrepresented.”

Cllr Broadbank also put forward separate proposals to increase the number of Harrogate and Knaresborough members on the new authority to 14, which would reduce the average residents per councillor to below 6,000.

Read more:

However, this was shut down by Cllr John Weighell, who led a cross-party working which came up with the plans to be submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government for a decision.

Cllr Weighell said while he accepted some residents would be underrepresented, it would be “completely wrong” to break up town centre boundaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

‘Only way to maintain identity’

He also argued many currently serving councillors who sit on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council already manage their workloads for a similar amount of residents.

He said:

“I do accept underrepresentation, I always have, but I think this is absolutely the only way to maintain community identity.

“Of the 18 Harrogate and Knaresborough members currently in the borough council area, 16 are twin-hatted and that says everything really.

“Some people are saying ‘we can’t represent that number of residents’ – but they are doing it already.”

If approved by the government, the boundary changes would come into force when a shadow authority is elected to the new unitary council in March 2022.

The new arrangements would then stay in place until 2027 when the Boundary Commission will carry out a full review.

Across North Yorkshire, there would be 89 councillors serving the county’s 600,000 population.

This would be a higher proportion of representatives than the 99 that serve Leeds’ 800,000 residents, but a lower proportion than the 126 councillors who serve County Durham’s 425,000 population.