Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Police search for wanted man in Harrogate and Ripon

Police have now found the man they wished to speak to. We have amended our coverage.

The man, of no fixed address, is wanted in connection with a number of offences including stalking and harassment.

North Yorkshire Police said it has conducted extensive enquiries for him.

In a statement, the force said:

“We have carried out extensive enquiries to locate him and are now appealing to anyone who has seen him or knows where he is now to get in touch.

“Please call us on 101 and pass information to the Force Control Room for incident number 12240029930.

“If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“If you have an immediate sighting of him or know where he is now, please call us on 999.”

What does council’s culture review mean for Harrogate Theatre?

When North Yorkshire Council announced it was to review its arrangement with cultural venues, the decision painted an uncertain future for Harrogate Theatre.

The theatre’s long held agreement to programme entertainment at the council-owned Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre falls under the review.

The theatre has held its agreement to programme the Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre since 2011.

The review announced by the council is likely to have serious financial consequences for Harrogate (White Rose) Theatre Trust, the charity that operates the theatre.

The move would mean the council taking over programming for events, such as music, comedy and drama, at the Royal Hall and for larger scale entertainment events at the convention centre from 2025/26.

After receiving the news, the theatre said it intended to seek alternative funding models but declined to comment further. It leaves question marks over what approach it will take to adopt its financial model and what it will mean for Royal Hall and convention centre visiors.

Harrogate Theatre.

In neighbouring Leeds, much of the culture offering is provided by Leeds Heritage Theatres, which is the trading name of Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House Limited.

The charitable organisation is a council-owned company and manages three venues: Leeds Grand Theatre, Hyde Park Picture House and City Varieties Music Hall.

Much like Harrogate, the theatre makes the vast majority of its income from ticket sales. However, it employs 211 staff and made £17.2 million in income last year – of which it spent £16.5 million.

By comparison, according to its latest set of accounts filed with the Charity Commission for the year ending March 31, 2023, Harrogate Theatre generated £4.2 million income and spent £3.9 million.

Its biggest source of revenue was from incoming tours, which brought in £1.4 million, while its own produced work, such as the pantomime, generated £763,303. It also received grants from Arts Council England and the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

The Stray Ferret understands that concerns over the future of venues such as the Royal Hall is shared by staff.

North Yorkshire Council currently employs staff in Scarborough to put on productions at venues such as Scarborough Spa.

The council may be tempted to use this model elsewhere — however this would raise questions over where staff would be based.

A Freedom of Information request to North Yorkshire Council revealed other venues in the county may be affected as part of its review.

In response to the Stray Ferret, the council said:

“The review will affect all cultural venues that currently receive support from North Yorkshire Council.

“The review has not yet concluded and therefore the impact on individual organisations is not yet known.”

The council reiterated in its response that no decisions on the outcome of the review have been made.

Uncertain funding

The move is symptomatic of a wider challenge facing the theatre sector.

Cuts to local authority budgets across England mean no venue is safe from a reduction in funding.

This past week, Birmingham City Council announced dramatic cuts to funding for the culture sector – including a 50% reduction in funding to Birmingham REP Theatre.

The review unveiled by North Yorkshire Council is less drastic, but still requires the trust which runs Harrogate Theatre to scope for further funding options.

Darren Henley.

It’s a matter that has not escaped the attention of organisations like Arts Council England.

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, said budget cuts and the need for local authorities to save money had led to many theatre bodies looking to the organisation for help.

He said:

“We’ve heard the concerns of all people in the sector from board level to volunteers. There are worries about the lasting impact of the pandemic – with audiences unpredictable and with talent leaving. Inflation means higher bills for individuals and organisations.

“Pressure on our funds creates more competition. And there’s uncertainty about future investment, illustrated most starkly by some recent local authority section 114 notices.”

A spokesperson for Arts Council England told the Stray Ferret that it remained in contact with both Harrogate Theatre and North Yorkshire Council over the theatre’s future direction.

They added:

“We understand that organisations across the cultural sector, including theatres, are currently facing challenges, from rising fixed costs to the continued recovery from the pandemic and pressure on local authority budgets.

“At the Arts Council, we are doing all we can to support cultural and creative organisations, and to make the case for future investment, so the sector can continue to provide world class creativity for communities everywhere. Ensuring local investment in culture is vital, as we know it changes people’s lives for the better, and we are working with local authorities to support continued investment in the cultural sector.”

Council bosses in North Yorkshire may not have cut funding to cultural venues, but they have left organisations such as Harrogate Theatre in doubt about future finances.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the review had been launched in the first place and whether there was a timescale on when it would be complete.

However, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The council is aiming to save £70 million over the next three years. It has cast its net wide to make income and the culture sector is not immune.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Theatre what financial models it had looked at in light of the review announcement. A spokesperson said it did not “have any comment to make at this time”.

This drama, it seems, is still unfolding.

The Harrogate service helping to tackle the loneliness epidemic

Four years ago, a new service was introduced in Harrogate with the aim of tackling loneliness and the debilitating mental health conditions that come with it.

It was founded by the local branch of Mind, the mental health charity, and was called the befriending service.

The purpose was to match people who may feel lonely, anxious or isolated with a friend on a regular basis for walks, a cafe visit or any other public activity.

Two years into its operation, it expanded into neighbouring Ripon, Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

“It’s the highlight of people’s week”, says Dave Rowson, befriending co-ordinator at Mind Harrogate, who sat down with the Stray Ferret to outline how it was tackling loneliness.

Dave joined the charity in May 2022, around same time that the service expanded its reach.

Dave Rowson, befriending co-ordinator at Mind Harrogate.

With skills in recruitment and project management from his time at Leeds City Council, he was tasked with expanding the service and matching volunteer befrienders with people.

Currently, he has 21 pairs who meet on a regular basis and a further 10 volunteers in the pipeline.

For Dave, part of the reason for the demand for the service is the informality of it.

“Most of them want to get some normality back and that’s what they do.”

Isolated and anxious

Last year, the World Health Organisation declared loneliness a “global health concern”.

North Yorkshire Council estimates that 30,000 people aged 16 or over across the county experience chronic loneliness – around six per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, an Office for National Statistics survey in 2021 found that 4.7% of adults in the Harrogate District “often or always” felt lonely.

The result is voluntary organisations such as Mind coming up with new services for people in order to help already stretched mental health services.

Dave explains that some of those who use the befriending service are often referred from local community mental health services or their GP.

Part of the reason is to continue their recovery from conditions such as anxiety or low mood.

Others come directly to the charity to ask to use the service in order to get out and improve their mental health.

When matching people with volunteers, Mind carries out its own assessment of its participants to find out their interests, needs and what type of person they would like to be matched with.

“The first thing I’ll do is ring them, have a chat with them and find out if they are definitely interested in accessing the service.

“I will try and arrange a meeting with them. I tend to do it here [Mind office in Harrogate] or if they are in the remote areas, I’ll go to Ripon or Pateley Bridge.”

Dave then matches them to a particular volunteer who he feels would be suitable. He supervises an initial meet between the two before organising regular appointments.

His pairs take part in activities such as coffee shop visits to dog walking.

Much of the people using the service range from those with anxiety to young people with autism.

“Generally, it’s the isolated and anxious.

“People who struggle to get out and struggling with the motivation to get out. They see the befriending as a reason to get out. It almost forces them to take that step out of the door.”

‘It means more to them than you think’

The last two years have been a lesson for Dave.

By his own admission, he had a “simplistic idea” of how the service would work for people when he joined.

“At first I wondered ‘what the hell am I doing? I don’t know anything about mental health’.

“I had this very simplistic idea that people were stuck at home and then they would come out and then they would come to a group.

“But, suddenly you work out that these people are very different and some of them will never come to a group. They just want to be on a road to recovery.”

The service has funding to remain in place until 2025 – however Dave hopes it can last beyond then.

Some people have been on the befriending list for a while.

For Dave, the reward comes when he manages to match one of those waiting with a new friend.

“I think the value comes when you read some of the feedback of what it means to them and that it’s the highlight of their week.

“You read it and you’re like ‘wow’. It means more to them than you think.”

Harrogate hospital CEO: ‘I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about work’

In the second part of our feature length interview with Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, he talks RAAC, Ripon Community Hospital and how he handles stress. Read the first instalment here.

Aside from dealing with industrial action and the trust’s finances, Mr Coulter’s position also comes with responsibility for the hospital estate.

In September last year, the trust confirmed that its roof contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The material, popular between the 1960s and 1980s, was compared to “chocolate Aero” and made headlines after it was found in public buildings across the UK.

When asked if he was surprised to find the material on the hospital estate, Mr Coulter said:

“It became an issue a few years ago, about three or four years ago.

“Was it a surprise? Well, we built it with that and I guess some of the concerns about the safety and the stability of the RAAC was the thing that came out.

“Once we got that information, we then surveyed the site and identified areas where we have got RAAC in terms of the panels and put in place the steps to manage that.”

The hospital bid for £20 million from government to help eradicate RAAC across the hospital site as part of a trust-wide project.

The therapy services building at Harrogate District Hospital, which is set to be demolished

So far, it has received £2 million which will go towards helping to demolish the therapy services department by creating offices to relocate staff to.

Mr Coulter says the trust is currently awaiting confirmation on £9 million worth of funding, which will be used to hire contractors to flatten the building.

Ripon is still valued

The projects at the trust extend beyond Harrogate.

Ripon Community Hospital is due to open a new community diagnostics centre in April.

The project came as part of £1 million worth of funding from NHS England and means GPs will be able to refer more patients to the hospital for life-saving checks closer to home and be diagnosed for a range of conditions.

Despite the major projects in Harrogate, Mr Coulter says Ripon is still valued and that there are wider conversations with the primary care sector about how to make healthcare services more accessible in the city.

“It is absolutely something that we value as part of being in the middle of that community and the services that we need to provide there.

“We are gradually investing in bits of it in terms of diagnostics and maternity services. But, the bigger picture which might take quite a long time is to think how do we provide healthcare services in Ripon for the longer term. That includes primary care and that’s a much bigger conversation to have.”

‘I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about it’

Mr Coulter never saw himself becoming chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Rather, the opportunity presented itself to him in February 2022 and he took it.

The result of taking that chance has seen matters such as NHS strikes, RAAC, a multi-million deficit and an array of hospital projects come across his desk.

Does he find it stressful?

“No, it’s not stressful.

“It’s really important and it’s really important that we do well. There’s a lot to think about all of the time. But, if you have got a really good team and really good people working in the organisation, that’s how you manage it.

“We can only do so much and it’s really important. You’re accountable and responsible for a lot, but you have got to be of a personality that can allow others to manage that for you and do things for you.

“I understand why people would say it’s really stressful. But, on a personal level, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worried about it. I’m worried when I’m here in a good way in terms of making sure we do the right things.”

How an anti-semitism row left Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems in disarray

Pat Marsh’s string of tweets which ignited a row over anti-semitism left local Liberal Democrats in disarray this week.

At a time when the world’s eyes are fixed on the ongoing conflict in Isreal and Gaza, Harrogate’s most senior Lib Dem councillor was at the centre of a social media storm in relation to the war.

Cllr Marsh, who has been a councillor in Harrogate and Knaresborough for 33 years, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, over a five-week period to post about the plight of Palestinians.

Some included reposting tweets about the conflict. But others which were posted from January onwards described Jews as “vile”, “evil” and “a disgrace to the world”.

The matter is subject to a North Yorkshire Police investigation, a North Yorkshire Council standards process and an internal probe by the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Marsh, who was suspended from the party, has remained defiant and has refused to resign as a councillor.

But the matter left the Liberal Democrats in a politically sensitive situation.

Cllr Pat Marsh

Removal of responsibility

Political moves have already been made on North Yorkshire Council to remove Cllr Marsh from positions of responsibility.

She was replaced as chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee on Wednesday in her absence following a motion by Conservative Cllr Michael Harrison.

In the May 2022 local elections, jubilant Lib Dems celebrated taking control of the council’s area committee with eight of the 13 councillors elected in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee.

Following her suspension, and the earlier defection of Cllr Michael Schofield to become an Independent, the party now has six of the 13 seats on the committee.

As a result, the row over anti-semitism may dilute the party’s influence on major council matters, such as the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway project.

The local party has been tight lipped on the saga this week. A source close to the party told the Stray Ferret there had been “radio silence” from within the Liberal Democrats to its local members. Questions to parliamentary candidate Tom Gordon have been fielded by the national press office.

Meanwhile, Cllr Marsh is subject to a council standards investigation to determine whether she breached its code of conduct.

The code aims to ensure councillors do not discriminate against any person, treat others with respect and do not bring the council into disrepute.

The Local Government Association says a councillor can be removed from their role by the local authority should they be found to have committed a serious breach of the code.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council to ask what the investigation will involve.

In response, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said:

“I can confirm that our monitoring officer has received a complaint and will look at it in line with the council’s agreed code of conduct complaints procedure.

“In North Yorkshire we expect our elected members and officers to demonstrate strong and positive values and behaviours. Any complaints about comments that do not meet these standards will therefore be taken seriously.”

A council spokesperson added that it would be making no further comment on the issue.

Harrogate MP weighs in

The issue is politically difficult for the Lib Dems in the run-up to a general election.

Mr Gordon will contest the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency for the party against Conservative MP Andrew Jones.

Following this week’s events, Mr Gordon appears to have removed any picture with Cllr Marsh from his social media accounts, including Facebook and X.

However, Mr Jones wasted little time in raising the matter over Cllr Marsh in the House of Commons on Monday, describing the comments as “horrendous” and questioned why the Liberal Democrats failed to act sooner.

Mr Jones accused the Lib Dems of doing nothing to tackle the issue until it was exposed in the media, adding:

“She had hundreds of followers, including many senior local Liberal Democrats; she tweeted over 500 times on the subject, and those tweets were read over 10,000 times, so it beggars belief that no Liberal Democrat knew what she was saying.”

A Lib Dem party spokesperson described the Harrogate MP’s comments as “outrageous” and without evidence.

They added:

“It is telling that Andrew Jones doesn’t use his parliamentary time for the local crumbling hospital or lack of NHS dentist appointments, and instead pushes bizarre claims which have no shred of evidence.

“It just shows he is on the way out. Andrew Jones is yet again taking the people of Harrogate for granted.”

In a sign that the national party has been eager to get a grip on the matter, any enquiry to local Liberal Democrats has been met with a response from a press officer in London.

With Cllr Marsh still holding her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone seat, and further repercussions possible, the fallout is likely to continue.

How Andy’s Man Club is helping men in Harrogate to talk

Every Monday evening at 7pm, men arrive at Harrogate College to have a chat with a coffee and a biscuit.

While it may seem mundane, the same is happening at 172 other locations across England at the same time.

Andy’s Man Club was set up with the simple goal of helping men to talk through their issues and help each other deal with their mental health.

Its latest club at Harrogate College was set up in January and saw 63 people attend on its first night.

The Stray Ferret paid a visit this week and spoke with its facilitators Andy King and Jonathan Clipston prior to their third session of the year.

‘I just thought we have got to do it’

Andy and Jonathan, who are lead facilitators in Harrogate, arrive early to set up the room and have the coffee and biscuits prepared next to the entrance — an essential for any meeting.

Andy explains that he has been involved with the charity since January 2023 after losing a friend and work colleague to suicide.

He attended a meeting in Kirkstall and then later in Tadcaster after a particularly low point in his life. He then decided that he should set up a club locally.

“I just thought that we have got to do it.

“We don’t talk about challenges to our best mates. So I thought that this was a place to do that.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan first attended an Andy’s Man Club meeting in York in April 2022 and later trained as a facilitator for the charity.

He suffered a serious car accident some 30 years ago which led to his right arm being amputated below the elbow.

“There was nothing like this then.”

The charity itself was set up by Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler after Andrew Roberts, Elaine’s son and Luke’s brother-in-law, took his own life aged 23 in 2016.

Actor Dominic Brunt, aka Paddy from Emmerdale, has backed Andy’s Man Club’s new Harrogate branch.

It held its first session in Halifax, Andrew’s hometown, and now helps to support more than 3,000 men on a weekly basis at more than 170 locations.

Harrogate, which became the 173rd location, was launched with the backing of Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy Kirk in television soap Emmerdale.

The response has been dramatic. Some 63 men attended the branch on its first night and 47 on its second – 18 of which were attending Andy’s Man Club for the first time.

‘Andy’s Man Club saved my life’

The sessions follow a simple format.

Each meeting has five questions which include “how was your week?” and “anything to get off your chest?” The session then moves onto lighter topics, the questions of which change each week.

There is no obligation to speak, however those that wish to speak will be thrown a ball to signal that it is their turn to talk.

The idea behind the meetings is that they are judgement-free and held in a non-clinical environment.

Sessions are held every Monday from 7pm to 9pm, except on bank holidays.

Elliot, a facilitator at Andy’s Man Club in York, is in Harrogate helping Andy and Jonathan with their latest session.

He has been involved with the charity since 2019 and says he “would not be here” without it.

“Andy’s Man Club saved my life.”

He says part of the reason for the sessions is to let the men speak in their own time. But it’s also to create an affinity with each other.

“It’s about bonding the lads. That’s what is really important.”

The following day, the Harrogate club posts that 44 men attended the meeting — 11 of whom came to Andy’s Man Club for the first time.

On its website, the charity describes itself as “a bunch of blokes having a chat over a brew and biscuit”.

But, for some, it is much more than that.

How a Harrogate consultant helped change British elite sport

Harrogate’s Neil Tunnicliffe feels fortunate to have spent his career in sport.

From the London 2012 Olympic Games to women’s football, he has been involved.

Not as a player; rather, he has spent more than 20 years behind the scenes helping to put mechanisms in place for elite sportsmen and women to thrive.

Originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Neil has spent the majority of his life north of the county after his parents moved to Goldsborough while he was studying at Oxford University.

His younger years were spent playing rugby until he suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Despite the setback, he remained involved in student rugby league and was offered a job at the Rugby Football League in 1992. He says:

“It was a role without portfolio. So I sort of floated across the business and spent time working in pretty much every department.”

Six years later, he was appointed chief executive after Maurice Lindsay left to work for the newly created Super League.

His new role gave him a grounding in elite sport as he became involved in negotiating a £26.9 million broadcast deal for rugby league with Sky and BBC.

For Neil, the negotiations with television executives were very different compared to today.

“The landscape nowadays has changed beyond recognition where you have any number of different outlets who want to broadcast sport, including online.

“Back in those days, it was relatively straight forward. You had Sky who were the new kid on the block who had the dedicated sports channel that they needed to fill with content. They were competing with three or at the most four channels in the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

“The BBC were the longest standing partner of the game and had a real commitment to rugby league. There was a sort of ‘nice chap’ element to negotiations around that. Whereas Sky had a much more commercial approach and were much more hard headed about what they wanted from the game.”

Aiming for the Olympics

As he looked to consultancy and life after rugby league, Neil quickly realised that specialising in media was becoming a competitive market.

Instead, he looked to the National Lottery – which had not long been introduced by John Major’s government after the 1996 Olympics.

In the early 2000s, lottery funding required sports to have strategic plans in place in order to be distributed money.

Neil saw this as an opportunity to help not only sports, but also quangos such as UK Sport and Sport England.

The scheme was “relatively new”, says Neil, and sport councils were trying to figure out what to do with the funding.

“It was trial and error to a large extent across the landscape as a whole.

“But what provided a real focal point was in 2005 when London won the Olympic Games.”

The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in the UK capital provided an opportunity for Neil to help sports win funding in order to professionalise and put strategies in place to compete at the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Both UK Sport and Sport England saw the Olympics as an opportunity.

For Neil, much of the next seven years was spent trying to help 13 different sports, such as handball, netball and basketball, to reach the landmark event.

“They had not previously been represented at an Olympic Games because they had not qualified.

“But when you have a home Olympic games you automatically get a place there. So, we knew that there were going to be Great Britain teams in each of those sports. But you had seven years to get a team assembled and ready to compete against the best in the world.”

Neil described the process as building some of the sports from the ground up including putting strategies in place to employ coaches, sport scientists and training athletes.

The reward for the hard work was a successful Olympics for Great Britain and strategies remaining in place for those sports some 12 years later.

Women’s sport

Among Neil’s biggest achievements is his work in women’s sport.

In 2016, the FA commissioned him to carry out a review of the Women’s Super League amid concern over a lack of interest in the sport.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly playing for Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League.

The work played into a well trodden path for Neil, who had already helped to set up the women’s netball super league as well as other reviews into participation in women and girls sport.

“We looked at the Women’s Super League and realised that a lot of its problem was that it wasn’t being taken seriously by the clubs involved in it.”

Neil’s review found that players were training four hours a week – which was the same as Harrogate Rugby Club second team schedule at the time.

He told the FA that players had to be training up to 15 and 16 hours a week, which would amount to half-time, or in some cases, full time professionals.

The result has seen the competition catapult into the public’s conscience since then, with Harrogate’s own Rachel Daly among those to thrive from the increase in interest.

‘No stone left unturned’

These days, Neil’s workload includes helping the England and Wales Cricket Board with its academy system across the 18 county championship sides.

His career has spanned multiple sports across different levels and standards. But does he feel he still has more to do?

“I think I’ve been incredibly lucky, really. I’ve been a sports fan all my life.

“When I was young, I was fascinated by the way that sport worked. To be able to have a career playing with that has been an enormous blessing.

“Looking back, I’ve worked with sports that range from large to small. I’ve worked with some of the biggest governing bodies that we’ve got and then I’ve worked with sports like Boccia and British Equestrian Vaulting and things that only a handful of people nationally do.

“I’ve worked in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland. I don’t feel there is any stone left unturned.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Skills and transport: What does the Harrogate district need from the new combined authority?

This week marked the start of a new era of governance across North Yorkshire.

On Thursday, the newly created York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority launched, paving the way for a multi-million pound devolution deal to come to fruition.

The authority, which will be headed by an elected mayor after May, promises power over transport, skills and adult education.

In a packed Guildhall in York, politicians, authority and business leaders gathered to hear what the combined authority would mean for them.

Those in attendance came from all over North Yorkshire and York to brush shoulders with leaders who will be tasked with lobbying for millions in government funding.

Among them was Harrogate College principal Danny Wild.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Wild what Harrogate would need from the new authority and how it would help him and his students.

Danny Wild

He pointed to the adult education budget, which the combined authority will be responsible for from August 2025.

Mr Wild said funding to help people re-train and develop their skills will be important for the Harrogate district as they look for higher skilled jobs.

He said:

“What we are hoping is it will help our adults to upskill and feel they are making a contribution to society.”

However, equally as important is transport. Mr Wild said he has students who come from Boroughbridge who take more than an hour to get into college.

‘You need to connect people to opportunities’

The sentiment over transport and skills is one shared by James Farrar, director of economy and interim head of paid service at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

He said the combined authority and elected mayor will be armed with new money which will allow it to “be ambitious”.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Farrar if he recognised the concerns raised by Mr Wild over skills and transport in the Harrogate area.

He said:

“Ultimately, you need to connect people to opportunities. It’s fine creating opportunities, but if people can’t physically get there or if they don’t have the skills that those job require then local people are not going to benefit from those opportunities.

“The opportunity that the mayor brings is to operate and think at a place level. At the heart of our planning, we have great places. Obviously, Harrogate and Ripon are two great places in the region.

“We will be looking at those places and asking what it means and how people get around those places and what skills do they have.”

But how will the combined authority decide which area is most in need of investment in skills, transport or education?

For Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, the projects must be “equitable”.

Cllr Les, who was late to the event due to traffic on the A19 coming into York on Thursday, said a lot of his speech was due to focus on looking at North Yorkshire in its entirety.

He said much of the combined authority’s role will be “focussing on the whole” of the county.

“What we have to make sure is that the combined authority looks at the quality of the projects that we want to deliver and make sure that we deliver equitable projects across the piece.”

Harrogate hospital parking firm given five-year contract

Car parking company Parkingeye was given a five-year contract to operate Harrogate hospital’s car park, says the hospital trust.

The company was contracted to run the hospital’s new automated number plate recognition system car park in September 2023.

At the time, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the ticketless system would help to reduce congestion on Lancaster Park Road.

However, since then, the hospital has been criticised for hiring management firm Parkingeye to operate the car park.

The Stray Ferret has also received numerous letters and complaints that the company has issued unfair parking fines.

A Freedom of Information response from the hospital trust has revealed that the company was given no money as part of the contract as it receives all its income from parking fines.

Fees charged at the car park are kept by the trust itself.

The request, which was sent by the Stray Ferret, also said that the contract with Parkingeye runs until October 2028.

The move comes as patients have questioned the hospital’s choice of provider.

Derek Sendrove told the Stray Ferret that he had been landed with a £70 parking fine after problems trying to pay for 45 minutes worth of parking in October 2023.

He and his wife, Zhanna, appealed the fine but was refused. The pair have since taken the decision to Parking On Private Land Appeals, the industry arbitrator.

Mr Sendrove questioned why the hospital chose Parkingeye to manage its car park.

However, a hospital spokesperson previously defended its decision to bring in the company.

They said:

“Parkingeye has extensive experience of working with NHS organisations and currently manages parking at over 30 NHS trusts and more than 680 healthcare sites. After careful consideration Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust chose Parkingeye to provide a car parking management service at Harrogate District Hospital.

“Since the introduction of the new camera controlled barrierless system at Harrogate District Hospital, congestion has significantly decreased on Lancaster Park Road due to the improved access into our car parks ensuring that visitors can get to their appointments on time and visit their loved ones.

“On occasion a parking charge notice may be issued to motorists who do not follow the parking rules which are displayed on the parking signage.

“A motorist has the opportunity to challenge the decision through Parkingeye’s appeal process. Parkingeye will consider the evidence and circumstances and if it is appropriate may cancel a parking ticket.

“Should the motorist still wish to contest the decision, they can contact Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA), an independent organisation that allows motorists to contest the decisions of parking operators by visiting https://www.popla.co.uk/. POPLA will look at both sides of the appeal, consider the evidence provided and ultimately decide to uphold or overturn the ruling made by the parking management company.”

The long wait for Harrogate Town Council

Fifteen months ago, North Yorkshire Council went to the people of Harrogate to ask whether they wanted a town council.

The idea was to set up a parish authority following the loss of Harrogate Borough Council.

Since then, a new unitary council has been set up, a second consultation has been held and the UK has changed Prime Minister twice.

The length of time lapsed has also caused political friction.

The Stray Ferret has followed the saga since its inception. In this article, we take a look at why it is taking so long.

Town council

As part of a community governance review, North Yorkshire Council launched a consultation on setting up town councils in Harrogate and Scarborough in August 2022.

The purpose was to form a layer of governance in two unparished areas following the creation of the unitary authority in April the following year.

Over the course of two consultations, which looked at which areas would fall under the town council and how many councillors it would have, the public backed it.

However, the authority has yet to be set up.

In fact, a further consultation has been proposed – which has been criticised by some Harrogate councillors.

At a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on Monday, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, explained to businesses that the earliest that a town council could be set up is April 2025.

This was because the council was planning to hold a third consultation on the matter, which was approved by councillors in July 2023.

‘Red herring’

At the time, Conservative councillors raised concern over the ward system which was proposed for the town council. In particular, the proposal for two councillors to represent one ward.

Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which were based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward on the town council with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.

Conservative councillor for Oatlands and Pannal, John Mann, said accountability to residents would be better served by single councillor wards.

He told a council meeting at the time:

“These arrangements will be with us for many decades to come and we need to get it right.”

While the matter was agreed to hold another consultation, the issue has continued to bubble under the political surface.

This week, Liberal Democrat councillors who control the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee told Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, that the delay was unnecessary.

Cllr Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor who spoke at the committee, told the Stray Ferret that the concern over ward arrangements was a “red herring” and that the process was a waste of time.

He said:

“It’s a total waste of time and residents’ money – especially at a time when North Yorkshire Council is looking for £30 million of savings for the next three years, to balance its budgets.”

Andrew Jones pictured at Monday's meeting.

Andrew Jones MP pictured at Monday’s meeting.

However, the Conservatives say that Northallerton has to decide what the town council will do before it is set up and, ultimately, charges people council tax.

It has previously been suggested by the council that residents would pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to cover as yet undetermined services for the town council.

Mr Jones told the area committee on Monday that council officials needed to do more work on the planned authority.

He said:

“It is slightly odd to say that we’re going to create a public body which has got the capacity to take between £40 to £60 in terms of council tax, but we do not know what it is for.

“I think there is a bit of work to be done to say what it is for before you ask taxpayers to get their wallets out for you. I think that is entirely reasonable.”

The cost to conduct further consultation is expected to take the total sum for the process over £100,000.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council when it expects to undertake its third consultation and how much it will cost.

But, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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Town council

‘Red herring’

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