Andrew Jones MP hits back after Lib Dem rival Tom Gordon attacks schools funding

The Liberal Democrat bidding to be Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP has accused the government of failing local children after new figures revealed a decline in funding per pupil.

The National Education Union, which is the UK’s largest education union, published a county-by-county breakdown of school funding statistics last week.

It revealed school funding in North Yorkshire was set to fall by £14 million in 2024/25 compared with this year and 286 of 340 schools in the county will have less to spend. The cut will equate to a £188 reduction in funding per pupil in North Yorkshire.

Tom Gordon, who will bid to unseat Conservative Andrew Jones at the next general election, said the Lib Dems were calling for the government to review school funding after the Institute for Fiscal Studies said the purchasing power of school budgets in 2024 will still be about 4% lower than in 2010.

Mr Gordon said:

“This Conservative government has failed North Yorkshire’s children. Parents in our community should not have to send their children to schools which have had their funding decimated by a Conservative government that has lost interest in providing high-quality education.

“Investing in education is investing in our future but this Conservative government has let school buildings crumble and overseen a severe shortage of teachers. Far from preparing the next generation for the future, Ministers have totally abandoned them.

“The Liberal Democrats know that investment in education boosts our children’s futures. The Treasury needs to urgently look at increasing school funding”.

‘Hard facts’

But Mr Jones disputed the figures and said recent investments to local schools and colleges in painted a different picture.

He said:

“Rather than quoting figures produced by a national trade union we can look at some hard facts about local and national investment.

“The effect of educational investment since 2010 is clear in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  Harrogate High School has been completely rebuilt and we are about to see a £20m new campus for Harrogate college.  A new specialist autism school is opening on the site of the former Woodfield Primary School with a £3.5m investment from North Yorkshire Council.

“There is more evidence of local progress.  Look at the new sixth form centre at King James or the new lecture theatre at Harrogate Grammar.

“Rossett School and Bilton Grange have received grants to make classrooms warmer and more energy efficient.

“Just last year local schools received £2.5m to help with energy bills and teachers’ pay increases.”

He added:

“School spending was £35bn per year in 2010. For 2024/25 it is £58.8bn. That is a 68 per cent cash increase. The budget increase in 2022/23 was £4bn, for 23/24 it is £3.5bn. That is 15 per cent in just two years, taking the budget to a record high in real terms and per pupil.

“I am particularly pleased that the funding for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen by 50 per cent since 2019/20.”

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North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive salary set to rise above £200,000

North Yorkshire Council has proposed pay rises for its most senior officers, with chief executive Richard Flinton set to receive £205,897.

A report that details new pay deals will go before councillors on the Conservative-run executive next week before a final decision on whether to approve them is made by full council next month.

According to the document, nine staff will be paid a salary of more than £100,000 from the start of the new financial year in April.

When the council was set up last year, the Stray Ferret reported that eight staff would be paid more than £100,000, with Mr Flinton receiving £198,935.

This year’s list of staff receiving in excess of £100,000 includes directors Stuart Carlton (education), Richard Webb (health) and Karl Battersby (transport) who are all set to be paid £155,296, compared with £150,044 last year.

North Yorkshire Council is part of a national pay framework with annual pay awards set by different bodies.

Mr Flinton, who was previously chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, will receive a 3.5% pay rise, which is a figure determined by the joint negotiation committee for chief officers.

Salaries ‘not excessive’

It will be the second full financial year of North Yorkshire Council following the abolition of the seven district councils and North Yorkshire County Council.

Staff from the district councils transferred to the new council under their existing terms and conditions. However, the report notes that a “small number” of senior district council officers did so without a designated post at the new authority.

It says these people have been allocated duties “appropriate to their skills”.

The lowest paid members of staff at the council are set to be paid £22,366 with the average staff member being paid £27,334.

The report says the gap between the average salary and that of the chief executive has been reduced since last year.

It adds:

“The ratio between the median and the highest i.e., the ‘pay multiple’ has reduced again to 7.5:1, which compares well with the recommendation in the Hutton Report that the multiple should not exceed 20.

“North Yorkshire Council does not have a policy on maintaining or reaching a specific pay multiple but is conscious of the need to ensure that the salaries of the highest paid employees are not excessive and are consistent with the needs of the authority as expressed in this policy statement and its wider pay policy and approach.”

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Harrogate musical theatre company celebrates 100 years 

Harrogate musical theatre company HOPs is staging a series of celebratory shows and events this year to mark its centenary.

HOPs, formerly known as Harrogate Operatic Players, will perform Made in Dagenham from June 11 to 15 at Harrogate Theatre.

Its other plans include a centenary ball and afternoon tea to allow past and present members to come together and reminisce. 

Made in Dagenham follows sell-out performances of Chity Chitty Bang Bang and Kinky Boots in recent years. Musical director Jim Lunt and director and choreographer, Mike Kirkby, will return for the summer production. 

Mike said:

“HOPs will always have a special place in my heart and after 20 plus years, I am honoured to be back once again as director for this fabulous production.

“I am truly proud to bring this gritty and poignant story, steeped in reality and drama, to the stage.”

HOPs president Christine Littlewood said:

“I have watched so many people come and go over the years all with the same love and enthusiasm for this wonderful hobby.

“The friendships, support, camaraderie and enjoyment never changes and continues with the present membership.”

HOPs president Christine Littlewood

Formed in 1924

The Harrogate Operatic Players was formed in March 1924 and its first performance was Trial By Jury at the Winter Gardens in May 1924. Since then, it has performed almost every year. Its shows have included The King and I in 1966, Oliver in 1974 and My Fair Lady in 1978 and 2019. 

Understandably, the only years missed were 1940-45 during the Second World War. However, they managed to hold restricted performances of ‘Musical Squares – A Covid Concert’ during the covid pandemic. 

The trustees choose shows which accommodate all ages into the cast. 

In recent years, they have made a push to raise the quality of their costumes, sound and marketing. 

For further information on HOPS visit here and for more information on the production visit here.

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Harrogate singer Sarah Collins: ‘What a fantastic surprise and a memory of a lifetime’

Harrogate singer Sarah Collins stole the show on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show on Saturday night.

The Stray Ferret reported on Friday that Sarah would be appearing in front of millions of viewers on primetime BBC One.

But in a further twist, she got to perform with LeAnn Rimes at the end of her appearance as the show’s unexpected star.

Sarah’s husband nominated her for the regular unexpected star slot.

Led to believe she was on a trip to London, Sarah was stunned to discover she was actually on stage in front of an audience of 2,000 people at the Theatre Royal on London’s Drury Lane. 

She went on to perform How Do I Live at the end of the show and was surprised again when American singer LeAnn Rimes, who had a hit with the song, walked out on stage to join her.

Sarah posted on her Instagram page afterwards:

“Wow! What a fantastic surprise and a memory of a lifetime. Thank you @leanntimes.”

Speaking to The Stray Ferret before the show was broadcast, Sarah said:

“It was the most amazing experience ever, it was really emotional.

“It is a dream come true, like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from.”

The whirlwind continued today for the singer and mother-of-two when she appeared on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Radio 2.

Sarah has been singing most of her life from performing in musicals as a child and later joining a band as a teenager to then using music as a form of therapy. 

Shortly after having her daughter in 2012, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and a full recovery was not certain. 

During this time, her parents gifted her the vinyls she grew up listening to and she used music to help her recovery. She later set up a YouTube channel in 2014, which now has 45,000 subscribers. 

Sarah Collins

Sarah set up a Motown and soul band ‘Keep the Faith’ which performed worldwide until her mother became ill four years ago.

She has received support on social media from the likes of Paul Heaton, Billy Ocean and Candi Staton.

Her Big Show appearance is available on iPlayer and can be watched here.

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Woman’s decomposed body discovered at park home in Knaresborough

The partially decomposed body of a woman found at an over-50s retirement park in Knaresborough yesterday is believed to have laid undiscovered for about six weeks.

Neighbours at Nidderdale Lodge Park raised the alarm yesterday when they became suspicious about the length of time since they had seen the woman.

They alerted the emergency services after noting a smell when they lifted the letterbox to check on her welfare.

Bob Frendt, who lives at the 53-home retirement park for over-50s and used to chair the residents’ association, said:

“It’s really sad. It’s awful to think she died like this.

“People look out for each other here. The community spirit is very good but this woman kept herself to herself and nobody noticed she was missing until yesterday.”

Mr Frendt, who is well known for his aid trips to eastern Europe, said police checks indicated the woman’s phone had not been used since December 18, which was 41 days before her body was discovered.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today:

“Police were called by the ambulance service at 10.30am on Sunday, January 28 following the death of a woman in her 50s at Nidderdale Lodge in Knaresborough.

“Officers believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

“A file is being prepared for the coroner.”

Nidderdale Lodge Park was established in the 1960s as a caravan park and began providing park homes in the 1980s.

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Police seek man after woman ‘sexually touched’ in Harrogate bar

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak after it said a woman was “sexually touched” walking through a Harrogate bar.

In a statement today, North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened at Banyan Bar & Kitchen on John Street.

It took place at about 8.30pm on Friday, December 15.

The police statement said:

“Officers would like to speak to the man in the image as they believe he will have information that could assist the investigation.

“Anyone who recognises the person in the image or can help to identify them is asked to email katie.jacobs@northyorkshire.police.uk

“Or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Katie Jacobs or collar number 1131.”

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

Quote reference number 12230237996.

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New planetarium near Ripon brings the universe to life

Seven miles from Ripon is one of the best kept secrets in the north of England.

Lime Tree Observatory and Planetarium, which is located on a remote farm near Grewelthorpe, provides the kind of experience you previously had to travel hours for.

Here you can see the moon close-up through telescopes and lie on cushions and learn about the solar system while watching an ever-changing skyscape in the planetarium.

The project wasn’t set up by a large private company or a rich benefactor, but by three enthusiastic amateur astronomers who built it from the ground up, with the help of a community-minded landowner.

“It’s a hobby that got out of hand,” says Martin Whipp, who has worked alongside Chris Higgins and John Roberts on the project.

Harrogate Air Cadets in the planetarium this week.

Martin’s passion for the night skies can be summed up by the fact that whenever he goes on holiday, he visits a planetarium. So far he’s ticked off over 100 and although most are better known than his, it’s doubtful whether any is run by someone quite as committed.

The Stray Ferret has been trying to visit since we reported in 2022 that a planetarium, like a distant comet, was heading our way.

It opened later that year at Lime Tree Farm and although the guys love nothing more than spreading their infectious love of astronomy, they were somewhat reticent to invite us because of fears the place could be swamped.

Demand for tickets is already, well, astronomical. What’s more, the observatory is manned entirely by volunteers and only opens on winter evenings when it’s dark enough to stargaze by 7pm or 8pm. Bookings are by appointment-only and all 46 sessions from now until the end of March, when it closes for summer, are sold out.

When tickets went on sale this month for some extra events organised as part of this year’s Dark Skies Festival organised by Nidderdale National Landscape, formerly known as Nidderdale AONB, they were snapped up in a day. Book now and you’re unlikely to get in before March next year.

The planetarium holds 25 people and there is a minimum charge of £100 for eight people. Each additional person costs £12.50. Most bookings are by private groups but some sessions are reserved for individuals who can’t get a group together.

Another reason for keeping things low key is that a large commercial venture wouldn’t sit well with the ethos of Lime Tree Farm, which operates as a community interest company providing activities such as pond dipping, a campsite and stone circles alongside stargazing.

Martin Whipp Lime Tree Observatory

Martin Whipp

Martin Whipp (left) and Chris Higgins play with the telescopes.

‘I’m fascinated by the enormity’

Martin, who lives in Ripon, juggles his hobby with an NHS career in diabetes. He has been into astronomy since the age of four or five. “I’ve just always been fascinated by the enormity of it,” he says.

He joined York Astronomical Society when he was 14 and used to visit Lime Tree Farm, where the landowner — a keen amateur astronomer — invited hobbyists to look through telescopes on a site that is in the Nidderdale National Landscape and on the eastern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park which has International Dark Skies status. The only light pollution is from nearby Masham and Ripon.

The observatory opened to the public in 2016, with the purchase of a second-hand 24-inch reflecting telescope from Kent. The telescope is nearly 50 years old now and due to be replaced this year with a computer-driven model which will have far superior optics.

When the landowner said he was keen to find a use for a barn, Martin’s brain went into overdrive. Could it be converted into a planetarium? Even prohibitive quotes of up to £50,000 to build one didn’t deter the gang of three — instead they decided to make their own.

They found a company that sells domes and bought a mould for one section then built the other nine and assembled it. Throw in a sound system, a large screen and astronomy software called Stellarium, plus funding from Nidderdale National Landscape and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and after five years of toil the planetarium came to fruition.

Harrogate Air Cadets in the planetarium this week.

The cadets zoom in on the moon and Jupiter.

The presentations can be tailored to the audience: there was a creepy cosmos show at Halloween and a star of Bethlehem show at Christmas. Last year they also had an event that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album.

Chris Higgins, who has a PhD in pharmacology and used to have a small observatory in his garden shed at Bishop Monkton, says: “Someone drove all the way from Stirling for it and gave it a five-star review.”

We finally got to sample it this week when Harrogate Air Cadets let us tag on to a visit. We looked through telescopes and learned about constellations and supernovas, Orion and Sirius and got that sense of enormity that Martin mentioned. Did you know you can fit a million Earths into the sun, but the biggest star is a billion times bigger than the sun?

The cadets’ knowledge was impressive, or perhaps mine was awful, as they answered many of the questions posed during the presentation before heading outside to look through the telescopes. We visited on the day Storm Isha was passing and had to wait for gaps in the banks of cloud but the clarity of Jupiter through the lens drew gasps.

The 90-minute session was informative and entertaining — and there’s nothing like it for miles around.

Martin says: “Once we built the dome, we did think that’s really quite incredible.”

That’s an understatement. As local experiences go, it’s out of this world.

Watching the planetarium presentation.

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Editor’s Pick of the Week: Keane Duncan’s campervan caper and football mayhem in Starbeck

There are now just 96 days until we go to the polls to vote for the first mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The Liberal Democrats still haven’t named a candidate; Conservative hopeful Keane Duncan’s, by contrast, has been sending out press releases like billy-o.

Mr Duncan’s bid took a slightly farcical turn this week when he announced he would spend the final 100 days of the campaign trail living in a campervan “surviving on army-style ration packs and sleeping in the wilderness”.

Keane Duncan in his van.

Keith Tordoff, an independent candidate from Pateley Bridge, delivered a withering response.

My personal highlight this week was a trip to the little known Lime Tree Observatory and Planetarium, between Ripon and Masham, which you can read about today.

City fans (from left) Kev Butterworth, Tim Lund and Barry Johnson.

It was also fun mingling with Manchester City fans at Starbeck Working Men’s Club, where the club paraded the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup trophies. The queue was almost as long as the list of Premier League charges facing the club.

The fire I attended at Bettys & Taylors headquarters in Harrogate was a far more serious matter.

This week also saw plans for a major new bar on Harrogate’s Parliament Street and academics discovered some details about the mysterious Knaresborough Hoard.

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Keane Duncan’s campervan quest ‘a load of tripe’, says political rival

The battle to become York and North Yorkshire’s first mayor has started to heat up with independent candidate Keith Tordoff suggesting Keane Duncan will be secretly ordering fish and chips on his campervan tour of the county instead of surviving on “army-style ration packs” in the wild as claimed.

Conservative candidate Mr Duncan announced this week he is embarking on an “epic” 100-day quest in a campervan called Peggy ahead of the election on May 2.

He said he’ll be taking the vehicle around North Yorkshire to meet voters in person and to show that he’ll be a mayor for the whole county.

Mr Duncan, who is the councillor in charge of highways at North Yorkshire Council, even said he’d be eating ration packs and sleeping in the wilderness to get back to nature whilst he is away from home.

But his sceptical rival Mr Tordoff called it a “PR stunt” when speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service yesterday. He said:

“I’ve never heard such a load of tripe. Only the gullible will fall for that. He’ll be having pizza and fish and chips.”

Mr Tordoff unsuccessfully stood to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in 2021 and during the campaign embarked on a tour of his own around North Yorkshire in a smart car meeting the electorate and promoting his bid.

The former police officer from Pateley Bridge accused Cllr Duncan of copying his idea but wished him well on his journey.

Cllr Duncan has emblazoned Peggy with his campaign slogan “Keane for Mayor”.

But the van doesn’t mention the Conservative Party, which Mr Tordoff said might be deliberate due to negative perceptions of the national party and jokingly added might have invited wags to let down his tyres when he’s asleep.

He added:

“As the North Yorkshire Conservative councillor in charge of highways, at least if his mayoral campaign is unsuccessful he will have discovered first-hand the terrible state of the roads in the county. Happy camping!”

Responding to Mr Tordoff’s comments, Cllr Duncan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“My campaign is a positive one, focused on connecting with every community in North Yorkshire and representing all corners of our vast county.

“My campaign is also a respectful one. I will not trash my opponents or use offensive language. I feel this only reflects poorly on those choosing to do so.

“We now have 98 days to polling day. My epic tour of North Yorkshire continues, and I am loving every second of it.”

Who is standing to be mayor?

The Green Party has chosen former soldier Kevin Foster as its candidate.

Keith Tordoff will stand as an independent after previously announcing he would run for the Yorkshire Party.

Keane Duncan is standing for the Conservatives.

Labour has chosen business owner and chair of York High Street Forum David Skaith.

The Liberal Democrats has not yet decided who its candidate will be.

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Police seek woman after coats stolen at Harrogate TK Maxx

North Yorkshire Police has issued a CCTV image of a woman they would like to speak to after clothes were stolen from TK Maxx in Harrogate.

In a statement today, officers said a woman took four coats as well as a bag full of clothing without paying.

The items, worth £600, were taken from TK Maxx in Victoria Shopping Centre at about 3pm on November 29.

The statement added:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the woman in the image as they believe she will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email Jamie.Kennerley@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Jamie Kennerley.

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

Quote reference number 12230227510.

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