How has the Harrogate council’s housing company performed during the pandemic?

When Harrogate Borough Council’s commercial housing company launched in 2019 it was hailed as an exciting opportunity to turn the authority a profit and help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder.

Two years and a global pandemic later – how is Bracewell Homes performing and is it what the district needed?

Backed by an up to £10 million loan from taxpayers, the at arm’s-length company was set up to intervene in Harrogate’s pricey property market by delivering desperately needed rental and shared ownership homes which are affordable to low-income earners.

And with around 1,700 households currently in the queue for social housing and the district remaining as one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, the scale of the task at hand could not be clearer.

That is why Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, believes the company should be setting much more ambitious targets than its initial aim to deliver 40 properties by 2024.

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Bracewell Homes has so far hit 14 properties either sold or nearing completion but councillor Marsh said this figure needed to be reaching the “hundreds” if the district is to ever become a place where many low-income earners can afford to call it their home.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said: 

“Forty homes in three years will barely make a dent in the need for the 1,700 on the waiting list, some living in very difficult circumstances.

“We cannot continue to rely on affordable housing being delivered by developers, they are a part of the solution but until they start to develop their land the supply will not be kept at a level required.”

A council spokesperson previously said while Bracewell Homes had a successful launch, the delivery of properties had been “slightly slower than anticipated”.

The entrance to the Castle Hill Farm development on Whinney Lane.

In August last year, senior councillors agreed to purchase 52 homes in Pannal Ash at a cost of £4.5 million with 16 of the properties to be sold under shared ownership by Bracewell Homes and the rest made available for social rent.

The company had also earmarked other sites in the district to develop, including Frogmire in Knaresborough.

As well as shared ownership and rental properties, Cllr Mike Chambers, the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said the company also saw the renovation of existing properties as a way of improving the prospects of people being able to buy their own home.

His comments come after the Local Democracy Reporting Service last month revealed that 774 homes across the district have sat empty for more than six months, prompting calls for greater action to bring vacant properties back into use.

Cllr Chambers said:

“We want to do everything we can to ensure local people have the opportunity of a decent and affordable home in the Harrogate district.

“We know getting a foot on the housing ladder in the Harrogate district can be a challenge.

“That’s why we have established Bracewell homes to acquire shared ownership homes, renovate existing properties and/or sites for development, as well as owning and letting rental properties.

“By doing all this we can be confident that the homes provided by Bracewell Homes are of a high quality, fit for purpose and will allow local people to stay local in the future.

“Any financial return can be invested back into providing more high quality homes and council services.”

When Bracewell Homes launched, it was agreed that the company would be shut down if it were to run at a loss and waste taxpayers’ money.

A council spokesperson said while the company’s 2020/21 accounts were still being finalised following the end of the financial year, the profit after tax figure for 2019/20 was £129,953.

They also said the company had another 25 properties in the pipeline over the next year and on top of the 14 homes already delivered.

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Despite the profits and seemingly on target delivery figures, Cllr Marsh repeated her belief that Bracewell Homes should be setting far loftier ambitions if it is to have a major impact on the housing market, as she also said a different approach with a greater focus on construction could be taken altogether.

She said: 

“We Lib Dems were first to push for a housing company with the hope to create a company that would build social housing as many other local authorities had done. We were very shocked to learn once it had been set up that they could not be proactive and build social housing.

“The disappointment with Bracewell Homes is the emphasis, at the moment, on building homes to sell at market prices to get a commercial return on money invested.

“Maybe there is a need to look at two companies – one commercial and one for social housing.

“We would have liked them to look at lifting the borrowing cap on the housing revenue account, as many councils have done, to start a very proactive social housing building programme.

“We need Bracewell homes to set targets to achieve hundreds of houses per year otherwise this crisis will never come to an end.”

Snapshot: Harrogate’s unforgiving housing market

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented economic shock across the UK, closing businesses and putting people out of work.

But despite this, house prices are on the up – even in areas where there has been a drop in sales.

In Harrogate, average house prices last year reached £331,580 according to latest figures from estate agents Hamptons.

That figure is around 11 times greater than the average annual income of workers in our area.

Government pledges to boost affordable housing have been redoubled by Harrogate Borough Council which set out in its Local Plan that almost 4,400 affordable homes are needed over the 2014-2035 plan period.

To hit this target, the council has promised to put pressure on housing developers to bring forward more lower-cost homes at building sites across the district.

Harrogate Town add Sunderland and Rotherham to pre-season fixtures

Harrogate Town announced today they will play two pre-season friendlies at home against Sunderland and Rotherham.

Town will welcome both sides to the EnviroVent Stadium in July as part of the club’s pre-season fixtures.

Championship side Rotherham United will face Town on Wednesday, July 21, in a 7.30pm kick off.

The club will then host League One club Sunderland at the EnviroVent Stadium for the first time on Saturday, July 24 in a 3pm kick off.

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The Black Cats will head to Wetherby Road less than a week after bitter north-east rivals Newcastle come to Harrogate on July 18.

The club said it is in “constant communication” with the authorities over the return of supporters amid high demand for tickets.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Town said:

“The club has been inundated with eager supporters, both old and new, keen to purchase tickets for the visit of Newcastle United, and we anticipate similar demand for our two other home pre-season fixtures.

“We are in constant communication with the relevant regulatory bodies about the return of crowds after lockdown restrictions are lifted and as soon as we have the green light tickets will be sold online via the club website and at the club shop on Commercial Street.

“We are committed to the return of supporters and are doing everything in our power to make this happen as soon as possible.”

Town are also set for trips to Huddersfield, Brighouse Town and Darlington.

Will Smith signs long term deal

Also today, centre-back Will Smith committed his future to the club by signing a new long term deal.

Smith, who has made more than 80 appearances for Town over two seasons, said he was delighted to stay at the club.

Will Smith, Harrogate Town centre back, has committed his long term future to the club.

Will Smith, Harrogate Town centre back, has committed his long term future to the club. Photo credit: Matt Kirkham, Harrogate Town

He said:

“I was buzzing when the gaffer approached me and said he wanted me to sign a new deal. I’m ready to accept the challenge and hopefully we can kick on again and go further.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last two years. When I first arrived I was only a young lad and now I’ve grown up a lot and become better as a player and matured. 

“It’s been a great learning curve for me and to say I’m still 22-years-old, I’ve played a fair few games now and that’s only going to make me better.”

Manager Simon Weaver said:

“Will’s played a huge part in our progress as a club. He’s a strong, young player who is developing all the time and he was unlucky with an injury last year, but came back and immediately made his mark in his first game back. It shows a lot about his character and his rehab work.

“Overall he’s a strong, dominant centre-half that’s young and in the modern game, there’s not too many around that want to put their head through everything but he’s a good footballer as well. He’s a player who also listens to everything intently and wants to do well in the game.”

Harrogate district records highest covid rate in four months

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection is at its highest level since February.

The rate now stands at 91 cases per 100,000 people, according to latest North Yorkshire County Council figures.

The last time the rate was as high was on February 22, when it reached 92.

North Yorkshire’s average is 81 and the England rate is 100.

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The Harrogate district recorded a further 28 infections today, according to Public Health England.

It takes the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 8,093.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

NHS England figures show the last death was reported in April and the total number of covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 179.

Harrogate councillor pays £2,000 of his own cash to cover cost of live streaming

A Harrogate councillor has agreed to pay more than £2,000 of his own cash to cover the cost of live streaming meetings after last year ripping up a cheque when the idea was rejected.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Chris Aldred first put forward the idea to livestream in-person Harrogate Borough Council meetings in January 2020 but it was rejected because of claims that the “tens of thousands of pounds” needed to buy the equipment would have been too expensive.

At the time, the exact quoted costs were never made public although Cllr Aldred said they were “not excessive” as he offered to pay for the equipment himself and tore up a cheque in front of other council members when his failed proposal was put to bed.

More than a year on, and after the coronavirus pandemic forced the live streaming of both remote and in-person meetings, Cllr Aldred this month faced calls from Conservative council leader Richard Cooper to follow up on his offer of payment “as a matter of honour”.

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Speaking at a meeting of the council’s general purposes committee last Thursday, Cllr Cooper said:

“It was a genuine offer, I assume, made for a genuine purpose and not just for party political chicanery.

“If a councillor makes a genuine offer to pay for a service and that service is provided then I would expect the honourable thing to do is to pay.

“Otherwise, I think everyone will assume that the offer was never genuine in the first place.”

At Thursday’s meeting, councillor Aldred presented a cheque for £2,180 – the actual cost of live streaming equipment which was installed last month and is now to become a permanent feature of meetings.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Aldred later said he was happy to pay the money and that he had made a number of requests for all meetings to be livestreamed, publicised and archived, and that councillors are offered training for presentation skills.

He said:

“I am happy to personally facilitate this purchase by the council, as long as my ‘buyers conditions’ are met and as the council leader gave assurance at the meeting that they would be – and obviously that is now on record for all to see.

“Richard has now guaranteed this will all happen and a relatively small financial contribution on my part to ensure this is no hardship.

“I strongly believe that if these conditions I have requested are met then it will enable more residents to view and perhaps more fully understand our deliberations, not just at full council and planning as was originally envisaged, but across all council committees.

“I think leaving the meeting online for a longer period will increase the opportunity for meetings to be viewed at a time and place convenient to the public – and not the council.

“If my requests are not fully met, I would be looking for some sort of recompense from the council, but I have no reason to doubt they will not be.”

Homes England submits final plans for 390 homes near Ripon

Homes England has submitted final plans for 390 homes near Ripon after previous developers pulled out of the scheme.

The site on West Lane, Littlethorpe, was bought by the government’s housing agency back in February.

The proposal already has outline permission after a government planning inspector approved the development following an appeal in 2018.

Now, Homes England has submitted design and layout plans for the site, which include public open space.

It also includes plans for 159 of the homes to be designated as affordable housing.

The site would see a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom homes built.

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In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said:

“The proposals create a high-quality, memorable and distinctive residential development that is well connected to its wider context. 

“The safe and accessible development will create a broad-based community in an environment that supports health and well-being.”

The borough council will make a decision on the development at a later date.

History of West Lane site

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to Barratt Homes on appeal for the development.

It was previously rejected in 2017 for being a “substantial intrusion into the open countryside” and its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

However, last summer Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme.

The developer told The Stray Ferret that the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced its revenue had fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It means Homes England now has a major presence in the Harrogate district.

The developer already has plans submitted with the council for 200 homes at a former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate, and is working on a 1,300 home scheme at Ripon barracks.

Homes England also bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate at the same time as it purchased the West Lane site.

It said the two developments had stalled for various reasons, including the “associated enabling costs” and that their planning permissions were due to lapse imminently.

Knaresborough set for by-election after Conservative councillor resigns

A by-election is set to be held in Knaresborough’s Scriven Park ward after the resignation of Conservative councillor, Samantha Mearns.

Cllr Mearns won the seat on Harrogate Borough Council in May 2018 with a majority of just 16 votes.

Liberal Democrat candidate, Matthew Walker, came second with 441 votes and the Labour Party’s Andrew John Wright picked up 291 votes.

A total of 36% of the 3,266 electorate voted.

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The by-election, which has yet to be announced by the borough council, will be the first to take place in the Harrogate district since the Bilton and Nidd Gorge election for North Yorkshire County Council last month.

In that election, the Conservative candidate Matt Scott gained the seat from the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 352 votes. The turnout was 37%.

The borough council by-election comes as Cllr Mearns has stepped down from the borough council over family reasons.

She made the announcement to residents over the weekend.

The Stray Ferret understands that Knaresborough resident Jacqui Renton will stand in her place for the next election.

Twenty-six covid cases in Harrogate district as rates climb

Twenty-six covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours by Public Health England.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital — but the hospital recently admitted its first covid patient for several weeks.

NHS England figures show the last death was reported in April and the total number of covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 179.

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Meanwhile, the Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate continues to climb slowly.

Latest figures show the seven-day average in the district stands at 81 infections per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate is 76 and the England average stands at 97.

Speaking last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, told a North Yorkshire Resilience Forum press briefing:

“We find ourselves remaining on step three of the government’s road map out of pandemic restrictions, with step four delayed for a month.

“We can see the sense in this when we consider cases across North Yorkshire almost doubled in the last week to 45 per 100,000. While none of us wanted this delay, we must respond, as before, with confidence and care for each other.

“Be confident in the vaccine. Please, when offered your first or second jab, take it. This is our best defence against Covid-19. Also keep practising the basics – hands, face, space and fresh air – which are vital in keeping us safe.”

Found: Police issue urgent plea to find missing murderer with local links

Update: Police arrested William Kerr last night in Hull. Officers will now return him to prison. North Yorkshire Police thanked everyone who shared the appeal to find him.

Police have urged people in the Harrogate district to report any sightings of a missing murderer who has been recalled to prison.

William Kerr, 59, was convicted of murder in 1998 after strangling Maureen Comfort, 49, in Leeds. He was released from prison on licence in August last year.

However, his licence has since been revoked and he has been recalled to prison for failing to attend appointments with his probation supervising officer, failing to live at an approved address and displaying poor behaviour.

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North Yorkshire Police said in a statement Kerr has connections across Yorkshire.

It said:

“North Yorkshire Police are urging members of the public to get in touch as a matter of urgency if they see him, or know where he is. To provide information, dial 101 – for an immediate sighting, dial 999.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12210137101 when passing information.”

Kerr was arrested in 2017 after absconding from HMP Hollesley Bay, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Kirby Hill campaigners call for review of service station decision

Campaigners against a planned motorway service station in Kirby Hill have called on the government to review a decision to approve the development.

Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said the decision made back in April “does not make sense”.

It follows a 25 years of public inquiries and planning battles over the service station which is earmarked for a site between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

David Rose, the planning inspector who oversaw the latest inquiry, gave approval for the plan submitted by Dublin-based company Applegreen.

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Campaigners have called into question one of the policies used in the inspector’s report to approve the site, which says that the distance between motorway service areas (MSA) should be “no more than 28 miles, but it can be shorter”.

Mr Owens said the policy “appears to have been plucked out of thin air” and called for a review of the decision.

He said:

“The government should admit that it made a mistake in approving the Vale of York motorway services and should announce a review of this controversial decision.”

Mr Owens added that the service station was an example of developers pushing through applications and that proposed planning reforms had “gone too far”.

He added:

“Boris Johnson and his Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick, need to realise that their reforms of the planning system to make approval easier have already gone too far.

“People are outraged that controversial major developments, such as the proposed Vale of York motorway services, are being imposed on them.”

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, wrote to the government on behalf of residents to raise concern over the inquiry process.

In response, Eddie Hughes, minister for rough sleeping and housing, said while he understood the  “disappointment felt” by residents, the inspector took “full account” of representations made by them.

He said in a letter to Mr Smith:

“I understand the disappointment felt by Mr Owens and the other constituents you mention, that the outcome of these appeals was not what they were hoping. 

“However, it is clear from the decision that the Inspector took full account of representations received from interested local residents and, in particular, the evidence submitted by Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services group. 

“Their representations are referred to and assessed by the Inspector throughout the decision.”

Plan submitted for 23 affordable homes in Scotton

Developers have submitted plans for 23 affordable homes in Scotton.

Harrogate-based Jack Lunn (Properties) Ltd has lodged the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council, which would see the development built off Ripley Road in the village.

The plan would see a mix of one, two and three-bedroom affordable homes built on the site.

Affordable housing is defined as housing for people who cannot afford to buy or rent homes on the open market. The price varies locally.

The council estimates the district needs 6,600 affordable homes built between 2014
and 2035, which is the equivalent of 313 per year.

Also included in the Scotton proposal are measures for access and public open space.

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In documents submitted to the council, the developer said that the homes would make a “positive contribution” to the area.

It said:

“The design proposal intends to provide a sympathetic response to the surrounding context. 

“The homes use materials indicative of the local area whilst the layout seeks to provide a range of homes as part of the development to allow for a positive contribution to the local community.”

The borough council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.