‘Double devolution’ for parish councils, under county council plan

Town and parish councils could be given new powers and funding under North Yorkshire County Council’s plan for council reorganisation ahead of a devolution bid.

Under the authority’s plan, a single council would be created for the county. But council officials said there would also be “double devolution” for parish councils should they want it.

Currently, Scarborough and Harrogate are the only areas without a town or parish council in the county. County council officials said they would support those areas to set up authorities, if it was what local people wanted.

Around 250 local town and parish councillors took part in a seminar held by the county council over its plan and the authority has since set up a working group to explore the proposal with parishes further.

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It comes as both the county council and the seven district authorities have until September to submit plans for a reorganisation of local councils to government ahead of a devolution bid.

Cllr Car Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“I was a parish councillor for many years and I attend parish council meetings. Parish councils are the salt of the earth and I enjoy working closely with them. I have been very impressed over the years with the ambition and achievements of Bedale town council which is the nearest market town to where I have lived all my life and I hope town councils will be interested in taking on more power – but it is up to them.

“We believe this double devolution which passports powers from Whitehall to the town hall and the town hall to the village hall is an exciting prospect. We are seeking more powers from the government, but we want more powers to be devolved to the very local area as well. We want to bring people together to get more things done at a local level.”

As the PR war over devolution continues, district council leaders are preparing an alternative proposal to the county council.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, previously said the proposal for one authority were “unworkable” and that the seven districts would consult on another proposal.

One of the options from the districts is for two unitary councils, one covering the north of the county and another in the south.

The plans are yet to be formalised, but are expected to go before each of the seven districts ahead of the deadline next month.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We are working closely with our colleagues at district and borough councils across North Yorkshire so that we can come to an informed and evidence-led decision about a possible alternative model of local government. 

“When this work is done, a final business case will be produced, and this will go to our council, and the other district and borough councils, to be voted on, through the usual democratic process.”

Harrogate Town to play Southend in first ever EFL fixture

Harrogate Town will play Southend United in their first ever game in the Football League.

Fixtures for the upcoming EFL campaign were released this morning and Town fans can now prepare for trips to the likes of Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.

Town will make the 220 mile trip to Roots Hall to play Southend on September 12 for their opening fixture in League Two.

The first few home games of the season will be played at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium as the artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium is replaced with grass due to EFL regulations.

The club will welcome Walsall to the Keepmoat on September 19. Town will then play Port Vale away before welcoming former Premier League side Bolton Wanderers to the Keepmoat on October 3.

A Yorkshire derby awaits a week later away at Bradford on October 10. The first ever EFL campaign for Town will end away at Cheltenham Town on May 8.

Manager Simon Weaver said he and the players are looking forward to the season getting underway.

He said:

“It’s a long way to go, but we all get along so will enjoy the trip and look forward to what is a really big fixture for us in Southend away, the start of an intriguing season for us.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for all the staff and players, there’s been so much to sort in such a short space of time, but when the excitement levels are high we manage it and look forward to the prospect of competing in the Football League.”

“You look right down the fixture list and it is new territory for us all, we have to learn fast, stay together and ride the punches at times, who knows where we may end up at the end of the season!”

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Just weeks after celebrating promotion, Town also learned of the cup competitions which await them in the Football League.

Earlier this week, the group stage for the EFL Cup was drawn and Town will be pitted against Hull City, Grimsby Town and Leicester City Under 21s in Northern Group H.

A trip to Prenton Park against Tranmere in the Carabao Cup also awaits. The competition is expected to host first round fixtures on September 5.

Harrogate homelessness figures show need for eviction ban extension, say Lib Dems

Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats have called for an extension to an eviction ban after official figures show 53 families in the district are deemed at risk of homelessness.

According to official figures, 89 households in Harrogate are assessed as being threatened with homelessness with another 78 assessed as homeless from January to March this year.

33 of households who were homeless or threatened with homelessness cited the end of a private rented tenancy as the reason for losing their last settled home.

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Meanwhile, three households in the district were also revealed to be rough sleeping between January and March.

Cllr Trevor Chapman, housing spokesperson for the local Liberal Democrats, said the government must extend the eviction ban to prevent homelessness.

He said:

“Families in Harrogate & Knaresborough must be protected from homelessness. Instead, it seems like the Conservatives are happy to leave people to fend for themselves at a time when jobs are at risk and people are struggling.

“People deserve better. These figures are yet further proof the Government must rethink its heartless decision to resume evictions from August 23.”

Following the end of the government’s “Everyone in” scheme, Harrogate Borough Council has sought to work with those in temporary accommodation to find a permanent place.

Part of the council’s plan is to get more people into Avondale Hostel, which it has just bought. It plans to renovate the building and make sure that it is only families living there.

Another key part is the council’s new hostel on Spa Lane. The construction works have been delayed and the expected completion date of October has been moved back to early next year.

BTEC results delay an ‘unnecessary obstacle’, says Harrogate College principal

Harrogate College’s principal has described a decision to pull BTEC results as an “unnecessary obstacle” for schools and colleges.

Danny Wild, principal at the college, said the college has been able to offer those students who decided to stay with them a place ahead of the results being released and support those heading to university.

It comes as Pearsons, the exam body, decided to pulled its results for the qualification late last night in order to re-grade them in line with A-levels and GCSEs.

Both exams are now being graded via school-based assessments following a U-turn by the government.

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Pearsons has since apologised for the uncertainty that the decision, which is expected to affect 450,000 pupils across the UK, will cause.

Mr Wild said he has not received any further communication from Pearsons today, but added that the college would continue to support its students.

He said:

“It’s an unnecessary obstacle for schools and colleges to have to navigate and it’s massively distressing for students.

“We have continued to communicate with our students and support them.”

He added that those who did a BTEC at GCSE and were coming to the college would continue through the enrolment process ahead of the results being released.

Those who did the qualification equivalent to A-level and are staying on at the college would do the same. But those who are leaving for university will still receive support from the college in areas such as UCAS applications.

The move comes as students across Harrogate received their GCSE results today.

Having not sat exams, the grades awarded were based on centre assessments. So far, there has been much less controversy over the results than last week, which saw more than a third of centre-assessed results in the Harrogate district downgraded by the government’s algorithm.

The process has since been reversed and assessed grades reinstated – but it has left many students still uncertain over their university places.

North Yorkshire crime commissioner estimates £1.6m coronavirus shortfall

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has estimated a loss of around £1.6 million in income this year for the county’s police force due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The commissioner’s office said the estimated figure was an “early indication” and included areas such as a loss in speed camera income and no sports events to police.

In a report to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel, the commissioner’s office said it feared a lower collection rates for council tax could also leave a gap in finances in future.

It comes as both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council have also estimated their own financial gaps as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

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The report said the PFCC was preparing for financial uncertainty amid the pandemic and that it would keep the plans under review in the coming months.

Michael Porter, chief finance officer at the commissioner’s office, told a meeting of the police, fire and crime panel: 

“I think it would would be no surprise if I were to say that it is challenging times for all public sector organisations and organisations wider than that and some of that will start to play through into some of the financial reports.

“I think in terms of those challenges, you can see in relation to some of income forecasts at this point in time that there are a significant number of areas of concern for us in relation to some of the receipts we were expecting to receive in the current financial year.

“Forecasting for this year, we might be around £1.6 million short from an income perspective. That is a very early indication of those forecasts. There is an awful lot of information that we do not have in those areas. We are trying to be as robust as we can.”

Julia Mulligan, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire PFCC, said the force needed more certainty from central government over funding.

She said:

“We are in a very uncertain environment at the moment and the biggest risk that we have got which will be shared with local authority colleagues is council tax receipts and the impact that may have on our finances.

“That is applicable to both fire and policing. Although, I have to say, from a covid point of view the fire service is probably in a more robust position.

“We have lost quite a lot of revenue from various different parts from policing in particular and we would hope that some of that lost revenue will be compensated for.”

Two thirds of James Street businesses against full pedestrianisation, says BID

Harrogate BID has said it is disappointed in a council decision to pedestrianise James Street after it says more than two thirds of businesses on the street are against its full pedestrianisation.

In a strongly worded statement, the BID’s acting chair, Sara Ferguson, said she felt disappointed that Harrogate Borough Council appeared to have already made a decision on the measure without speaking to “the very businesses this will effect”.

She added that the town’s masterplan, which was written up by the borough council in 2016 and includes full pedestrianisation of James Street, “tinkered at the edges” and that the town “deserves a really ambitious plan”.

The BID was contacted by the borough council to ask for its views on the measure at the same time it had put a request into North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority said the temporary pedestrianisation of the street was needed to help “safety and social distancing measures”.

Since then, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has backed a temporary closure of the street which could be in place as early as next month.

But, the BID has said, while there was no overwhelming single consensus of opinion, a third of businesses are against any pedestrianisation of the street, another were in favour and a third supported partial pedestrianisation.

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Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“We are disappointed that without first speaking to the very businesses this will affect, Harrogate Borough Council appears to have already made its decision, namely that of pedestrianising the entire length of James Street.

“They asked us for our views, but before we responded to them, we wanted to speak to our members along the street. In addition to calling in to shops, we also emailed them too, which revealed a three-way split.

“Based on these responses, and for what it’s worth, we have now given this feedback to both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. We trust that before any long-term decision is made about James Street’s future, there is full and proper consultation.”

It comes as cones which blocked off parking spaces along James Street for social distancing were no longer in place this morning.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said its officers have not removed the cones. He added that the council will put them back in place.

Shop owners open-minded ahead of James Street pedestrianisation

Shop owners on Harrogate’s James Street remain open-minded after county council bosses gave their backing to a temporary pedestrianisation of the street.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has said the authority will support a trial partial closure of the road from Princes Street to Station Parade.

It comes after Harrogate Borough Council lodged a request to the county council to close the street to help “safety and social distancing measures”. The trial could see the street temporarily pedestrianised as early as next month and would involve daily closures to cars from 10am until 4.30pm.

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Jade Firth, assistant manager of The White Company on James Street, said it was difficult to say whether the measure would have a negative or positive impact on the store.

She said:

“I can’t say if it will be positive or negative, we haven’t been able to park along the street for a couple of months now.

“It’s not affected trade tremendously, of course covid in general has affected custom. In terms of not being able to drive down the street, it will have a parallel effect; I don’t think it will change.

“Our customers are already having to walk up so hopefully it should stay the same as it is now.

“Of course, everyone has the worries about people not being able to get down the street to the stores and this street is quiet due to people closing down but I think it will be fine. Customers are often walking five to 10 minutes anyway to get the free parking elsewhere.”

James Street, which has already seen its pavements widened, has been earmarked for pedestrianisation.

James Street, which has already seen its pavements widened, has been earmarked for pedestrianisation.

Meanwhile. Keiran Lancaster, head of fiction at Waterstones, said the move would more likely effect elderly customers parking on the street.

He said:

“With the population in Harrogate, it is a lot of elderly people and we have a lot of people who drive up outside to help their partner in or use a wheelchair so we have had people who have driven down James Street and couldn’t park. 

“So for our elderly customers it could have a negative effect and they wouldn’t be able to get near to the shop. 

“Comparable to Leeds with a younger population it would perhaps not have a big impact. Overall a slight negative impact on takings, but it wouldn’t be anything too much.”

Others, such as Ben Ogden, co-owner of Ogden of Harrogate Jewellers, felt the county council could focus on spending money elsewhere first.

He said:

“I would say to North Yorkshire spend the money-making Cambridge, Oxford and Beulah street look beautiful and see how that works and, if it looks great and it’s being applauded by the town, then look at James Street. 

“To do it properly and beautifully, it will take years, and electric cars are on the rise too, so the argument of pollution will go out of the window.”

In response to the borough council’s request to pedestrianise the street, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“There are hospitality businesses in this section of James Street, which could benefit from the additional space, which the closure would provide.

“Furthermore, if this partial closure proves to work well, and if it is found to be popular with the general public and businesses, full pedestrianisation of James Street can be considered. Such a step would require a process of consultation.

“As far as that part of James Street is concerned which would remain open to traffic, the suspension of parking bays to support social distancing will remain in place. Our highways team will continue to liaise with counterparts at HBC regarding the use of more suitable and attractive alternatives to cones for this purpose.

“The highways team has already arranged a meeting with an HBC officer for later this month in order to discuss the details of the introduction of the trial partial closure, which could be in place as early as next month.”

Cllr Mackenzie said the James Street pedestrianisation tied in with the Transforming Cities Fund Harrogate Gateway project, which could see significant changes made to the rail and bus stations and surrounding areas along Station Parade. A meeting to discuss its progress is expected to be held later this week.

County council proposes taking over Henshaws homes service

North Yorkshire County Council looks set to take over supported living services for adults with learning difficulties in Harrogate from Henshaws.

A report due to go before the authority’s executive next week will seek approval to transfer the service in-house from October this year.

The service provided by Henshaws currently has 10 properties in Harrogate with a capacity for 26 people in total.

In the report, the county council said it is not confident that handing over the service to another company would not result in the loss of services and that taking over would “ensure full continuation of services”.

However, it added that the move to bring the service in-house does not rule out handing it over to another company at a later date.

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It comes after Henshaws CEO, Nick Marr, told the Stray Ferret that the charity has been on a “knife-edge financially”. Latest financial accounts from August 2018 show it to be spending £12.3 million – £1 million more than its income.

No further accounts have been published by the organisation. However, it announced earlier this year it would not be reopening its arts and crafts centre in Knaresborough because of financial difficulties.

The county council said it became aware of the charity’s financial situation in November 2019.

Four months later, Henshaws gave four weeks’ notice on its supported living contract before the authority negotiated an extension until October in order to consider options for the future of the service.

Now, the report before senior councillors said the county council is determined to get the best outcome for families and the taxpayer.

It said:

“Following significant work with the existing provider, we cannot be assured that they can deliver a provider to provider transfer without resulting in some services being withdrawn. 

“There remains a lack of clarity on the current services being offered and due diligence has highlighted that the existing service is heavily reliant upon agency staff.

“In responding to these issues, the council is determined to get the best outcome for individuals and their families, for the local community and for the taxpayer.”

Senior councillors on the county council’s executive will vote on the proposal to transfer the service at a meeting on August 25.

Harrogate Nightingale contract extended until March 2021

Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital will remain in place until March 2021 after its contract has been extended

It comes after weeks of uncertainty after NHS bosses and Harrogate Borough Council negotiated for the hospital to remain in place until next year, but will review its need in October.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month announced £3 billion of funding for the Nightingale hospitals across the UK to be maintained until the end of March if needed.

The temporary hospital, which cost £15 million to build, has to yet to treat a single coronavirus patient but has been used as a facility for outpatient CT scans since early June. The NHS is not paying any rent to the council for use of the convention centre.

Now, the Nightingale will could remain in place for a further seven months amid fears of a second spike in coronavirus cases.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:

“We have agreed to the NHS’s request to extend the contract due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the challenge of the current level of infections and potential for a second peak.

“The convention centre will continue in its role as a Nightingale hospital until March 31 but this will be reviewed on October 1 to assess if there is an ongoing need for the hospital.

“The events industry remains in lockdown until at least October 1 and, if there is a further rise in infections, it is unlikely we will be able to reopen anyway.

“I look forward to welcoming back our customers from the April 1, 2021, at the latest when Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall will reopen.

“We are very proud to support the NHS and the response to Covid-19 but we continue to lobby government at every level for a post-Nightingale recovery plan for the venue, and the Harrogate district.”

Meanwhile, earlier today, Cllr Jim Clark, North Yorkshire County Council chairman, and Cllr Helen Hayden, chair of West Yorkshire Joint Health Scrutiny Committee, wrote to NHS England to request that Harrogate’s Nightingale is kept until next year.

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In a letter to Richard Barker, regional director at NHS England, the councillors call for the contract to be extended until April 2021 as it is needed to serve the Yorkshire area.

Inside of Harrogate's Nightingale Hospital

The convention centre is unable to plan ahead for future events whilst the future of the Nightingale is uncertain.

Cllr Clark and Cllr Hayden said they disagreed with “dismantling” the Nightingale amid the threat of a second wave of coronavirus.

They said:

“We know there is a view in some quarters that the Nightingale Hospital should be dismantled and that the building should revert to being a convention centre. 

“We disagree. The next seven or eight months, when we are likely to see a “second wave” of the virus, on top of a “normal” increase in demand from flu patients are likely to be very difficult. 

“We think it is very likely that the Nightingale Hospital at Harrogate will be needed either for covid-19 patients or for other patients who are unable to access beds in the other West Yorkshire hospitals (and beyond) because they are filled with covid-19 patients.

“We ask that the Nightingale Hospital remain as a resource for the health system until at least April 2021 as an important part of the strategy to see us through winter. 

“We also plan to include the Nightingale Hospital as an item on the agenda for our meeting on September 30 and we would welcome your attendance at the meeting to discuss the Nightingale Hospital with us.”

James Street pedestrianisation would be welcomed, says charity

A Harrogate-based disability charity has said disabled people would welcome a temporary pedestrianisation of James Street in the town.

Disability Action Yorkshire said the move would help to create more space for shoppers, particularly those who use wheelchairs, but added that parking would be an issue.

It comes as Harrogate Borough Council made a request to North Yorkshire County Council to temporarily close to street, which it said would help with social distancing and safety.

The proposals to pedestrianise the street have long being opposed by some traders in the town.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire.

But, Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire, said she believed the move would help disabled shoppers.

She said:

“I think it would be welcomed. James Street has quite narrow pavements and for wheelchair users there is more space because it is hard to manoeuvre two metres for social distancing.

“But I think parking would be an issue if you need to park close to the shops.”

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Meanwhile, Scope, a national charity which campaigns to change negative attitudes towards disability, said disabled people should not be left behind in any changes for social distancing.

James Taylor, executive director for strategy, impact and social change at the charity, said:

“We cannot allow disabled people to be forgotten. Local authorities must engage with disabled people about the changes they are making in their communities and fully understand the potential impact before they happen.

“At a national level, the government must factor disabled people’s needs into every step of its coronavirus recovery plan.”

Any closure of James Street would be made by North Yorkshire County Council and Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said the authority would respond to the borough council’s request shortly.

It comes as James Street already has suspended parking spaces in order to widen the pavement for social distancing, which were put in place by the county council in May.

But the plan to pedestrianise the street fits into a wider strategy for Harrogate drawn up by the borough council in its 2016 Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan.