Zoë Metcalfe has confirmed she wants to stand as the Conservative candidate in next year’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.

Ms Metcalfe, who lives near Boroughbridge, is the current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The Stray Ferret reported on Saturday that she was believed to be planning a bid for election.

Ms Metcalfe is the first person to formally declare an intention to stand for the role of mayor, which is being created as part of the North Yorkshire devolution process. The election will be held in 14 months’ time.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.

He or she will also swallow up the commissioner’s role currently occupied by Ms Metcalfe, who was born in Ripon, educated in Harrogate and lives in Aldborough.

Speaking to the media

In a statement issued last night, she said she was “uniquely qualified” for the role and had the “necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth”,

Ms Metcalfe is a former Harrogate borough councillor who was elected to the commissioner’s role in 2021 following the resignation of fellow Conservative Philip Allott.

Since taking up the role on a salary of £74,000, she has overseen the introduction of a Risk and Resource Model for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which sets out how resources will be deployed from 2022 to 2025.

The changes included reducing Harrogate Fire Station’s nighttime cover from two fire engines to one.

‘Close links to Westminster’

Ms Metcalfe’s statement in full said:

“This is a really exciting role that I am uniquely qualified to do.

“The mayor will have responsibility for economic growth, transport, housing and regeneration, but will also see the integration of the responsibilities and decision making of my current role as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner within it too.

“There is a rich synergy between creating safer streets and economic growth, two areas that I am passionate about.

“I have the necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth. I will also continue the great work I have started in turning around community safety in York and North Yorkshire and I will see through the transformation of both the police force and fire and rescue service.

“I have always been a supporter of devolution as it will bring many exciting opportunities for York and North Yorkshire, it will be a great platform to enable and enrich the lives of our residents and businesses bringing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment into our region”.

Read more:

• Is crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe aiming to be North Yorkshire’s first mayor?
• Crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe resigns from Harrogate Borough Council

Quarry Moor playground in Ripon has closed to the public after vandals damaged equipment and daubed graffiti.

Ripon City Council, which manages the site, said on social media it had taken the decision today “for safety reasons”.

It added:

“Unfortunately the site has been vandalised, we’ve been left with damaged equipment and really unpleasant graffiti written on site.

“We are seeking quotes for repair and will provide an update on when the repairs will be undertaken when we can.”

Signs have been put up announcing the closure.

The 24-acre Quarry Moor limestone grassland was donated by Alderman Thomas F Spence in 1945, and held in trust for the benefit of the people of Ripon.

It was designated a site of special scientific interest in 1986.

The playground previously closed for six months from September 2021 due to rats.

Read more:

• Demolition completed of subsidence-hit Ripon flats
• Heritage watchdogs disagree over £6m Ripon Cathedral annex

The One Stop shop on Crab Lane in Bilton was forced to close this morning after a break-in.

Store manager Adam Crawford said would-be thieves smashed the front door at about 2am but left empty-handed after activating security fog designed to disorientate intruders.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret at 11.30am, Mr Crawford said crime scene detectives had just left and he expected the store to reopen in about an hour. The door has been boarded up.

The convenience store, which includes a post office, serves a wide range of customers in Bilton and Knox.

One Stop, which is part of Tesco, has over 1,000 stores in the UK.

Read more:

• Bilton bus services to merge under new route changes
• Man fined £872 for breaching covid lockdown rules in Harrogate

Campaigners bidding to buy land in the former Forest of Knaresborough and protect it from development have issued an urgent plea for support.

The community group Renaissance Knaresborough is leading the campaign, which aims to replicate the successful Long Lands Common initiative that raised £375,000 to buy 30 acres of land near Nidderdale Greenway.

It wants to acquire privately-owned land not currently accessible to the public between Beryl Burton Cycle Way and Harrogate Road and turn it into Knaresborough Forest Park.

The land would be owned by individual shareholders and open to the public for recreation and conservation.

A map showing the site

A fundraising campaign launched three months ago has so far generated about £510,000. The sum has been boosted by a large donation from the George A Moore Foundation in Leeds. George Moore, a successful businessman who died in 2016, was born and raised in Knaresborough.

Eight plots of land with a total guide price of £910,000 and covering 85 acres are being advertised and a sale of the land is believed to be imminent.

This has prompted the plea to raise more funds in order to bid to buy as many of the plots as possible.

An email sent to supporters by Renaissance Knaresborough says:

“The project will not only safeguard vital greenbelt land from further urban encroachment but will reinstate the initial part of the ancient Knaresborough Forest, with a long-term vision for it to expand.

“Unfortunately time is of the essence, as we have recently been informed that the closing date for the sale could be in a matter of weeks.

An illustrative sketch of the ‘ancient vista’ from the site, by George Eglese

Campaigner Shan Oakes said:

“Renaissance Knaresborough is aiming to buy as much of the land as possible for community forest to connect with Long Lands Common and to deter inappropriate development in this area of natural beauty so close to Knaresborough, Starbeck , Bilton, and Harrogate, but it all depends on what funds we can raise in the time we have available .

“Some of the land is in Starbeck so we are confident that Starbeck residents and businesses will be very keen to support this effort.

“Pledges are coming in thick and fast, so our hopes are high,  but the time available to raise the money is possibly very short…we don’t actually know although we are told it could be only a week or so before the sale is concluded.”

Anyone wishing to support the campaign can do so here.

The grieving family of 17-year-old Seb Mitchell, who died following an incident in Harrogate, have issued a photograph and a tribute to their ‘beautiful, funny, talented boy’.

Harrogate Grammar School student Seb died in hospital on February 21 following the incident on Claro Road two days earlier.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear in court again in the near future, North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today.

The police statement included the family’s tribute, which said:

“Seb was our beautiful, funny, talented boy.

“There are no words to describe how we feel now that he has been so cruelly taken from us.

“We will carry him in our hearts forever.”

Police social media plea 

North Yorkshire Police also issued a plea urging people not to speculate on the incident.

“We are aware of social media posts naming the boy who has been charged and also speculating on the circumstances of Seb’s death.

“It is really important that nobody does this.

“This is because once someone has been charged with an offence, it is illegal to publish anything that could influence a jury and affect a person’s right to a fair trial. This includes claiming to know what happened or speculating about the circumstances of his death. Publishing includes uploading posts and comments to social media.

“Also, suspects who are under the age of 18 have anonymity in law. Therefore it is illegal to name them on social media as the suspect in a case.

“We would therefore strongly urge anyone who has posted comments or photos naming the suspect in the case or speculated about the circumstances, to remove them urgently.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Grammar School pays tribute to Seb Mitchell
• Harrogate Mojo bid to open until 6.30am approved

King James’ School in Knaresborough has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in a report published today.

Government inspectors visited the 1,575-pupil school for the first time in six years on January 10 this year.

They described it as a “caring environment where pupils learn well” with “a strong focus on ensuring that everyone feels welcome”.

The report says the “vast majority of pupils are keen and engage confidently in their learning” and bullying is rare.

It adds the school, which dates back to 1616, supports children with special educational needs “extremely well”, enables sixth form students to “flourish” and organises “a rich range of extra-curricular visits”.

Staff are praised for their “excellent subject knowledge” and safeguarding is described as “effective”.

Reading concerns

However, the report says the school provides “insufficient opportunities for pupils to engage meaningfully with the world of work” and “pupils who struggle with reading do not receive effective interventions routinely” and is urged to improve in these areas.

This was King James’ School’s second ungraded inspection since Ofsted judged the school to be good in its last full inspection in December 2011.

Schools graded ‘good’ are usually visited once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection.

King James’ School, which has 242 sixth form students, is federated with Boroughbridge High School.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s Riverside Cafe owners bid farewell after 13 years
• Public meeting to save River Nidd in Knaresborough from ‘ecological disaster’

The owners of Knaresborough’s Riverside Cafe have sold the business after 13 years.

The independent cafe, situated under cliffs alongside the River Nidd on Waterside, is a favourite haunt for numerous tourists and cyclists, as well as local people.

Partners Phil Smith and Tim O’Hara will serve their last coffee and cake as owners tomorrow before Michael and Louise Bland, who own Vivido Bar and Restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent in Harrogate, take over.

The cafe is expected to close for a week before reopening, with the previous owners helping out for a short period.

Mr Smith said it felt like the right time to go, adding:

“We had no experience in catering when we took over but we have worked hard and learned by our mistakes to make it a successful business.

“It’s a beautiful place to work, overlooking the viaduct, and we have made lifelong friends.

“But it’s grown and grown and has become a bit of a monster.”

Mr Smith said regular customers from Wakefield, York and Lincoln were due to visit today to bid farewell and he expected tomorrow to be emotional.

But he said Mr and Mrs Bland would “breathe new life” into the business and he and Mr O’Hara would support them before taking life easier. The six staff will stay on under the new owners.

Read more:

• Public meeting to save River Nidd in Knaresborough from ‘ecological disaster’
• Knaresborough town crier Roger Hewitt to retire

Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said she and her husband had been friends with Mr Smith and Mr O’Hara for years and they “fell in love with the place” when they visited and later jokingly said they would like first refusal if the cafe ever came up for sale.

Vivido celebrated its fourth anniversary last week and Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said the Italian and Mediterranean venue was now running well and she and her husband were excited by the prospect of operating daytime and nighttime businesses.

She said she hoped to reopen the cafe next week but no date has yet been finalised. Ms Bland said:

“It’s a successful business so the plan is not to change too much. We need to have a little time to see how things work and we will only change things if we feel it can be improved.”

Creating a Harrogate town council could require 35,000 households to pay an additional council tax charge of between £40 and £60, it was revealed today.

Under proposals put forward, elections would take place on May 2 next year to elect 19 councillors in 10 wards.

People living in the wards would face an additional charge on their annual council tax bills to pay for the new local authority.

North Yorkshire County Council today opened a second round of consultation on the proposals, which discussed how much council taxpayers would pay. It said:

“It is not possible to state an exact figure at this stage, but it is anticipated the amount could be in the region of £40 to £60 per year for a Band D property. This amount could give a total precept budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.”

Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon Town Council currently levy charges on households of £25.27 and £70.77 respectively for a Band D property.

The county council said the precept “will need to be sufficient to cover the set-up costs, administration and running costs and costs of service delivery for future years”. It adds:

“It is anticipated that there would be a surplus in year one, which would go to reserves for use in future years and enable the parish to begin on a secure financial footing.”

A total of 75% favoured setting up a Harrogate town council in last year’s first consultation but only 1,250 homes — 3.5% of those affected — responded. The low response rate triggered concerns about the validity of the response.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

The abolition of Harrogate Borough Council at the end of the month has led to calls to set up a town council to ensure local views are heard. But others say the cost will not be worth the limited power available the town council – which would have no more authority than a parish council.

The blue areas face an additional charge.

The consultation says the names of the 10 wards of the new council be the same as the names of the existing county divisions, with the exception of the unparished part of the Oatlands and Pannal division, which will be known as Oatlands ward; and the unparished part of the Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate division, which will be known as Saltergate ward. The ward names to be:

Bilton and Nidd Gorge
Bilton Grange and New Park
Coppice Valley and Duchy
Fairfax and Starbeck
Harlow and St Georges

High Harrogate and Kingsley
Oatlands
Saltergate
Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone
Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate

Councillor Greg White, the county council’s executive member for stronger communities, said:

“Town and parish councils give residents the ability to help to determine how the places in which they live look and feel. The benefits can be seen across our communities every day, so I urge people in Scarborough and Harrogate to seize the opportunity this consultation offers to have a say in shaping local empowerment where they live.”

Read more:

• Harrogate set to get town council after 75% back the idea
• Just 3.5% responded to Harrogate town council consultation
• Second consultation to be held on whether to form Harrogate town council

‘Strong support for proposals’

Cllr David Chance, the county council’s executive member for corporate services, said:

“Having received strong support in the initial consultation for the creation of new parishes and councils to serve them, we are keen to hear views from as many residents as possible on the detailed proposals we are now putting forward.

“If you took part in the first consultation, please share your views again on these detailed proposals. This is a separate consultation, so please make sure your views on the proposals are taken into account by completing the survey.”

You can take part in the consultation, which runs until Friday, May 5, here.

Or you can request a paper copy of the survey by calling 01609 536400 between 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, or emailing cgr@northyorks.gov.uk.

The cost of an annual season target from Harrogate to Leeds has risen to almost £2,000 following the latest rail price increase.

Yesterday’s 5.9% hike was part of the largest annual fares rise in Britain since 2012.

It means Harrogate commuters must now pay £1,928 for an annual season ticket to Leeds — an increase of £107.

The news prompted Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, to call for a fare freeze.

Mr Gordon said the annual season ticket price for Harrogate commuters was forecast to be £2,206 by 2027 despite reduced services compared to pre-pandemic timetables. He added:

“It is outrageous to hike rail fares in the middle of a cost of living crisis.  This Conservative government is completely out of touch.

“Ministers cannot keep turning a blind eye to these problems, especially given people are paying more for less on our rail network with fewer trains running or even on time.”

Tom Gordon at Knaresborough station

He added:

“I am calling for a fair deal for people in Harrogate and Knaresborough with an immediate fare freeze to help families struggling under the cost of living crisis this government created.”

“We should be making green forms of transport cheaper, yet this Conservative government is determined to make rail more expensive than ever before.”

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, if he wished to respond to Mr Gordon’s comments but he did not reply.]

Read more:

• The Lib Dem aiming to become Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP
• Local Tories and Lib Dems urge new council to back £49m Harrogate Convention Centre upgrade

Local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are to put aside political rivalries this week and urge North Yorkshire Council to support the £49 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the conference and events centre when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of the month.

Harrogate Borough Council has staunchly defended the venue, even though it has often made an annual loss, on the grounds that it supports shops, hospitality and tourism across the district.

But there are fears the new council, based in Northallerton, might not be as keen — particularly at a time when the centre requires a huge investment to remain competitive.

A notice of motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat Chris Aldred and seconded by Conservative Sam Gibbs, will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

Councillors Aldred (left) and Gibbs

The motion says “a thriving Harrogate Convention Centre is central to the ongoing economic prosperity of the Harrogate district” and urges North Yorkshire Council to urgently set up a new management board for it. It adds:

“Council asks the new unitary authority to confirm its in principle support for the redevelopment plan for the centre and further asks that North Yorkshire councillors representing divisions within the Harrogate district are consulted during this ongoing process.”

Cllr Aldred, who represents Harrogate Fairfax, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am worried. People from outside the district will be making big decisions about the future of the district.

“We are all conscious of the enormous impact the centre has on Harrogate economically and the new council has this major development project that needs funding.

“”We don’t know what North Yorkshire Council is planning and want some urgency.”

Bed and breakfasts near the convention centre rely heavily on it.

The motion is expected to be approved as it has cross-party support. But some councillors in Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge, which are further away from the centre and feel less benefit, may rebel.

If it is voted through one of Harrogate Borough Council’s final acts will be to write to North Yorkshire Council asking it to commit to supporting the redevelopment. But it is far from certain whether the new authority will do so.

In January, Richard Flinton, the incoming chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, said the venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

The same month, the UK government rejected Harrogate Borough Council’s bid for £20 million levelling up funds to support the redevelopment.