Police investigate Harrogate Lib Dem leader for racism and anti-semitism

Police are investigating Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh for racial and anti-semitic social media posts.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this morning it was looking into posts shared on X, formerly Twitter, which are believed to have been shared between Wednesday, January 24 and Sunday, February 18.

It added it was “investigating the incidents of hate crime and is appealing for anyone with information to come forward”.

Neighbourhood policing inspector Nicola Colbourne, of Harrogate neighbourhood policing team, said:

“North Yorkshire Police takes hate crime extremely seriously and we are committed to identifying those responsible.

“We are following all available lines of enquiry and would ask anyone who has any information that could support our investigation, other than seeing the tweets, to please come forward.”

Cllr Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, described Jews as “vile” and “horrendous” in a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The long serving Liberal Democrat leader in Harrogate and Knaresborough and former mayor of the Harrogate borough was suspended by the party yesterday but has said she will continue to serve as an Independent councillor. She has deleted many of her tweets.

A Lib Dems spokesperson described her views as “appalling” and said a swift investigation would follow.

Antisemitism campaigner Steve Cooke highlighted some of her posts, which included comments saying, ‘It is shameful the world is silent and the Jews are horrendous’, ‘I hope the Jews fell proud of this, they are evil’, and ‘how many other people are out there slaughtering babies and children as the Jews are at the moment’.

An account on X called Business Yorkshire said it had reported Cllr Marsh to the police and it was “taking it very seriously”.

I’ve just reported her to the police and they are taking it very seriously!

— Business Yorkshire (@Businessyorks) February 19, 2024

Issue raised in Parliament

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, reiterated claims in Parliament last night that other Lib Dems must have known about the posts.

In a Commons debate about anti-semitism, he said the “most senior Liberal Democrat councillor in Harrogate and Knaresborough has been exposed for tweeting horrendous antisemitic comments for the past five weeks”, 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.

“They must have known, but in the five weeks she has been tweeting, they did nothing until it was exposed in the media today.”

Police urged anyone with information is asked to contact North Yorkshire by calling 101, quoting job number 12240031057.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.

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Pat Marsh refuses to resign as councillor following antisemitism row

A defiant Pat Marsh has said she will not resign as a councillor following comments on X about Jews that have been widely condemned as antisemitic.

In a series of posts made over the past month related to the conflict in Gaza, Cllr Marsh described Jews as “vile”, “evil” and “a disgrace to the world”.

It led the Liberal Democrats to suspend her from the party yesterday but she denied the comments were antisemitic and said they were made to highlight her opposition to the ongoing war and the deaths of thousands of children.

Despite senior councillors on North Yorkshire Council calling on her to quit, Cllr Marsh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this morning that she intends to sit as an independent for the remainder of her term of office, which is another three years.

She claimed she had received emails of support from residents urging her to carry on serving them in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division.

Cllr Marsh said:

“I do not intend to resign I will complete this term of office as an Independent. I am receiving quite a few emails of support from my residents asking me to remain as their independent councillor.

“I have worked for my residents and the wider community for 33 years and will continue to do so until my term of office ends.”

However, Cllr Marsh’s comments about Jewish people may find her in breach of the council’s code of conduct which all councillors sign up to.

This includes ensuring councillors do not discriminate against any person, treat others with respect and must 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.

Council leader Carl Les said a complaint has been made to the council’s monitoring officer which could lead to a referral to North Yorkshire Police.

Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones raised Cllr Marsh’s comments in the House of Commons yesterday evening during a debate about antisemitism.

He said:

“The most senior Liberal Democrat councillor in Harrogate and Knaresborough has been exposed for tweeting horrendous antisemitic comments for the past five weeks.

“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.

“They must have known, but in the five weeks she has been tweeting, they did nothing until it was exposed in the media today.”

A Liberal Democrats spokesperson said there was “literally no evidence” to back up Mr Jones’ “unsubstantiated” claims.

They added:

“Ms Marsh was removed from her role in the party long before Andrew Jones made a comment. Andrew Jones had never raised these appalling remarks with the Liberal Democrats, until this afternoon in a press comment. These antisemitic views have no place in our party or our country.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism said the party had acted in a “swift and decisive” manner following the Tweets.

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Special guests revealed for Harrogate crime writing festival

The special guests for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate has been revealed today.

The event, which is the world’s largest celebration of crime fiction, will be held for the 21st time at the Old Swan from July 18 to 21. .

Curated by bestselling crime writer and 2024 festival programming chair Ruth Ware, the special guests include Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman.

Organised by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals, the event offers fans from around the world the chance to hear from the biggest stars of the genre, discover new talent and enjoy a programme of panels, talks and creative workshops.

Ruth Ware said:

“I’m so proud of the incredible roster of special guests appearing at this year’s festival- together they showcase the strength, breadth and sheer excellence of the crime-writing landscape.

“Harrogate has always been a festival with readers at its very heart, and there really is something for everyone in this glorious celebration of our brilliant and bloody genre.”

Festival highlights

Vaseem Khan, award-winning author of the Baby Ganesh Agency series and the Malabar House novels and last year’s festival programming chair, will open the festival in conversation with Abir Mukherjee, author of the globally bestselling Wyndham & Banerjee series.

Ruth Ware will interview author and television presenter Richard Osman about his multi-million copy bestselling Thursday Murder Club series.

International bestseller Shari Lapena visits from Canada to talk about her latest thriller What Have You Done with Liz Nugent, winner of four Irish Book Awards and fellow Irish crime writer Jane Casey will be in conversation with Erin Kelly, whose new novel The Skeleton Key is published in April.

Big name thriller writers Chris Carter, the bestselling author of the Robert Hunter series, and Dorothy Koomson – the ‘Queen of the Big Reveal’ – unveil their latest novels and festival favourite Elly Griffiths will discuss her new standalone mystery The Last Word.

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“Ruth has curated a thrilling programme with every crime fiction reader at its heart.”

Simon Theakston, chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, said:

“It continues to be a privilege to support the world’s best crime writing festival as we have over the last 21 years.”

The full programme will be announced in Spring 2024.

Pic credits: Gemma Day, Conor O’Leary and Sara Reeve

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Andrew Jones MP says Lib Dems ‘must have known’ about local leader’s anti-semitic tweets

Andrew Jones MP has questioned why the Liberal Democrats failed to act sooner on anti-semitic posts by the leader of their party in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The Lib Dems today cut ties with Cllr Pat Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, after she described Jews as “vile” and “horrendous” in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.

It has since emerged Cllr Marsh’s X account contains hundreds of similar comments about the Israel-Gaza situation dating back a month.

Conservative MP Mr Jones said:

“Cllr Marsh chose to express herself in clearly antisemitic terms.  It is reasonable to assume that because of the repeated language she uses over a sustained period that these are her real views.

“I was shocked and appalled by her views.  I was shocked too that she has been doing this nearly a month and it seems no-one in the Liberal Democrats sought to stop her from doing so or questioned it.

“They must have known; she has hundreds of followers on Twitter among them were senior local Liberal Democrats.  She has secured invites as her civic guest to constituency events for Tom Gordon, their parliamentary candidate.  She was the most senior elected Liberal Democrat in Harrogate and Knaresborough chairing the planning committee and the area committee.  They must have known.”

Mr Jones added he had raised concerns previously with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey about a breach of councillor standards by Cllr Marsh. He said:

“Since December last year I have written to him four times identifying appalling behaviour by other local Liberal Democrats too.  He didn’t even reply to my letters.  Perhaps he might reflect on that.

“There was an opportunity for him to act on these complaints and sort out the problems which have taken hold of the local Liberal Democrats of which these tweets are the most serious and appalling manifestation.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Gordon, who will bid to unseat Mr Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election, if he wished to respond to his rival’s comments. We also asked Cllr Bryn Griffiths, the leader of the Lib Dems on North Yorkshire Council.

We received a response from a party media spokesperson saying:

“Ms Marsh was removed from her role in the party long before Andrew Jones made a comment. Andrew Jones had never raised these appalling remarks with the Liberal Democrats, until this afternoon in a press comment.

“These antisemitic views have no place in our party or our country.”

The Lib Dems also flagged up a tweet by the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism, which commended the Lib Dems on its “swift and decisive handling of this matter”.

‘I have not been treated fairly’

Cllr Marsh, a former Harrogate borough mayor and councillor for more than 30 years, criticised the Lib Dems after the party disowned her.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Obviously I do not feel I have been treated fairly by a group who believe in freedom of speech.

“I believe I have every right to express my feelings. I cannot watch the slaughter of 14,000 children and say nothing. I want the world to come together to stop this now and get a safe resolution for all.”

Anti-semitism campaigner Steve Cooke highlighted Cllr Marsh’s tweets today.

Another Lib Dem councillor embroiled in antisemitism scandal over ‘vile Jews’ comments https://t.co/iwIdVcwTrl via @JewishNewsUK

— Steve Cooke (@Steve_Cooke) February 19, 2024

Although Cllr Marsh is no longer part of the Lib Dem group, she remains a North Yorkshire councillor.

Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, suggested Cllr Marsh’s comments could be criminal.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“I think the tweets she has made may be criminal, that’s for others to investigate and decide. I would think she should consider her position. The comments I have seen are outrageous and offensive.

“I understand a number of complaints have been made to the monitoring officer. I don’t follow Pat Marsh’s Twitter account so I haven’t seen these before, but I understand there is a number of them.”

Chris Watt, who hopes to get the Labour Party nomination to stand against Conservative Julian Smith in Skipton and Ripon at the next general election, said:

“We are appalled by Cllr Marsh’s racist comments and the material she has reposted in support of.
“Antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s clear she can no longer represent the local community. Her lack of recognition of the harm she has caused only makes matters worse. She should resign immediately.”

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Lib Dems axe Harrogate and Knaresborough leader over anti-semitism row

The Liberal Democrats have removed Pat Marsh, their leader in Harrogate and Knaresborough, in a row over anti-semitism.

Cllr Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodfields and Hookstone, described Jews as “vile” and “horrendous” in a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A spokesperson for the Lib Dems said this morning:

“These appalling antisemitic views have no place in our party, Ms Marsh has been removed from the council group and has been reported to the council’s Standard Officer.”

Cllr Marsh’s account made a series of comments about the conflict in Palestine.

Antisemitism campaigner Steve Cooke highlighted some of her posts, which included comments saying, ‘It is shameful the world is silent and the Jews are horrendous’, ‘I hope the Jews fell proud of this, they are evil’, and ‘how many other people are out there slaughtering babies and children as the Jews are at the moment’.

Another Lib Dem councillor embroiled in antisemitism scandal over ‘vile Jews’ comments https://t.co/iwIdVcwTrl via @JewishNewsUK

— Steve Cooke (@Steve_Cooke) February 19, 2024

Mr Cooke tweeted:

”I’m guessing North Yorkshire councillor Pat Marsh has strayed from official Lib Dems policy when she says Jews are ‘evil’, ‘vile’, ‘horrendous’, ‘a disgrace to the world’ and claims “Israel owns the USA. It looks like antisemitism to me.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Marsh this morning who denied the posts were anti-semitic. She said she could not stay silent while children were being killed, adding:

“I’m not anti-Jewish, I’m anti-people killing people and that happens to be Jews.”

However, shortly afterwards a Lib Dem spokesperson contacted with the message saying Cllr Marsh had been removed from the party.

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Reform UK backs Independent Keith Tordoff for mayor

The Reform UK parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough has backed Independent Keith Tordoff to be Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Mr Tordoff, from Pateley Bridge, is the sole Independent candidate standing for election on May 2.

Reform UK is not fielding a candidate but Richard Brown, who will stand for the party in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election, has given his support to Mr Tordoff and suggested the alliance could extend beyond May. He said:

“My focus is on becoming the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, so working strategically with Keith would be beneficial, not just to both us, but the whole region”.

“Having spoken to Keith, I have got to know about him and what he believes in. Working with him now, and going forward would be very useful.

“I think people want to see the country come together. They also want parties to work together, where there is common thinking, to give focus on delivering for the people.”

Mr Tordoff said:

“While I am not affiliated to a political party as an independent, I do of course need to work with other parties going forward.

“It is certainly true that many are watching the development of Reform UK, some welcoming the possibility of change and others still unsure — Reform UK does though, have the potential to change UK politics fundamentally and in my opinion for the better.

“I share their views that there needs to be fundamental change to how politics operates in this country.”

In a statement today announcing the news, both men highlighted concerns about the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme, which has recently been scaled back after North Yorkshire Council admitted its initial plans were legally flawed.

Mr Tordoff said it “has been fraught with problems from day one, and now we have a project that is proceeding with little focus over the benefits”.

He added:

“Fundamentally it’s an example of a mismanaged project, without a clear set of objectives, and it seems to divide the community, but North Yorkshire Council are pushing ahead regardless.”

Mr Brown described the gateway as a “fiasco”, adding:

“I think we need to develop a better understanding of how the Station Gateway project has gone wrong for Harrogate, and what that means for the project going forward.

“It will give important learning for similar projects that come under the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. We need to do much better than we have done, or are doing.”

Whoever is elected mayor will oversee a new combined authority, and a multi-million budget in areas such as housing, transport and the police and fire services.

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Heritage groups back plans to convert Harrogate Debenhams

Harrogate Civic Society and Historic England have supported plans to convert the former Harrogate Debenhams building into shops and 34 flats.

Debenhams closed on Parliament Street in 2021 after the company went into administration.

Wetherby developer Stirling Prescient initially applied to demolish the building and build 50 flats but withdrew these plans in May 2022 after widespread opposition.

But Harrogate Civic Society and the non-departmental public body Historic England, who were among those objecting, have backed latest proposals submitted to North Yorkshire Council in November last year.

The new application is to convert the first floor into 34 flats and use the ground floor and basement as a ‘flexible commercial space’ or a ‘drinking establishment’.

It also proposes erecting a rooftop extension, the removal and replacement of canopies, shopfronts and the slate roof, and re-cladding the part of the building with a 1960s facade. The plans also include a secure cycle store and seven car parking spaces.

Stirling Prescient has said the development would “provide a high quality and vibrant new residential development” as well as “a new focal point along Parliament Street”.

The civic society submission to council as part of the consultation process says it is pleased demolition is no longer being proposed, adding:

“We are content with the currently proposed uses of the building and are keen to see it returned to beneficial use and retain its positive place in the conservation area

“Loss of the existing façade of the 1960s building next to the Westminster Arcade will not be mourned, likewise the ugly canopy that does the conservation area no favours.

“Overall, we are very pleased to see this proposal for re-use of the building and look forward to it making a positive contribution to the conservation area and the vitality of the town.”

The HArrogate branch of Debenhams, which has filed for administration

Debenhams on Parliament Street closed in January 2021.

Suzanne Lilley, inspector of historic buildings and areas at Historic England, said in its consultation submission the site at 22-30 Parliament Street “forms part of an iconic commercial street-scene”, adding:

“The proposals have benefited from pre-application engagement with Historic England and we now welcome the approach taken by the applicant.

“There is an exciting opportunity here for a positive restoration and conversion scheme which enables these buildings to be appreciated and enjoyed by the public.”

You can view details of the application on North Yorkshire Council’s planning portal here, entering the reference number ZC23/03273/FULMAJ.

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Council to spend £115,000 on Kex Gill repairs

North Yorkshire Council is to spend £115,000 on repairing the A59 at Kex Gill — but has still given no indication when it will re-open.

The council closed the road at short notice on Friday, February 2 due to a cracked verge.

The A59 is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton and the closure has created an eight-mile detour that can increase journeys by 30 minutes.

Councillors will be asked this week to approve adding £115,000 to the annual highways capital programme that was approved in August to tackle the problem at Kex Gill.

A report to councillors says £100,000 will be spent on repairing the landslip and £15,000 on monitoring.

The report says:

“Although advanced planning is maximised through the implementation of a three-year rolling capital works programme, there are occasions when it is necessary, for sound operational reasons, to introduce new schemes into the forward programme.

 

“The recommendations will enable council officers, working alongside North Yorkshire Highways and partner organisations to develop designs and deliver the schemes listed.”

The report, however, does not mention how long the work will take.

Neither did a council social media post on Friday, which denied the closure was due to work on its £68.9 million scheme to construct a three-mile section of road nearby in the landslip-prone area.

A previous social media post about the verge attracted several sceptical comments, including one by Harrogate man Alex Minett, who posted before and after pictures of the affected area and said:

“There is no way this is purely a result of water from the southern slope causing a slip. Removal of the vegetation and verge is the main cause.”

The Kex Gill before and after photos.

The council’s latest social media post said:

“The closure is a result of land instability due to the heavy rainfall experienced over a prolonged period this winter and is not related to the ongoing construction works.”

It added the A59 at Kex Gill has “a long history of landslips and instability” and this crack had appeared between the carriageway and the northern verge.

The realignment work, it said, would prevent landslips.

The post said:

“We understand the impact the closure of the A59 at Kex Gill is having and we would like to assure road users that we are doing all that we can to carry out the repair as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Our investigations have shown that this repair has several engineering challenges that we need to overcome before we can reopen the road. We are currently conducting further detailed site investigations, including topological and geotechnical surveys, to determine the best course of action to get the road opened as quickly and safely as possible.

“We will provide a further update as soon as we have determined the exact detail of the repair scheme and the time it will take to complete. We will also ensure to provide regular updates as work progresses, and would once again like to apologise for the impact this closure is having.”

The Kex Gill realignment is the most expensive capital project the council has undertaken.

It is being funded by a £56.1 million Department for Transport grant and £12.7 million from the council.

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Readers’ Letters: Hookstone Woods being turned into a ‘light-polluted disco’

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

I have walked in Hookstone Woods with my beloved dogs for over 30 years. For several decades it has been a sea of tranquillity in south Harrogate and an opportunity to enjoy the local nature while taking in the fresh air.

Unfortunately, in the last few years the squash club seems to be on a mission to make it its own territory. Not content with the noise pollution caused by their padel court (which has turned the ponds into an area which can feel like I am at a local shooting range on some days) and light pollution from that court and their new floodlights for the outside gym area, in recent months they have regularly decided to turn the woods into a disco with thumping music that can be heard throughout the area while they run outdoor classes.

It is such a shame that the club is now choosing to put a handful of people exercising ahead of the Harrogate community and wildlife by acting in such an anti-social manner. One of the purposes of Yorkshire Agricultural Society is to protect the environment but in the last year they seemed to have dropped that aim whenever they or one of their tenants can make some extra money.  This is very sad as the society has been a stalwart for Harrogate for many years.

I just hope someone can save this ancient woodland before its character is destroyed forever.

Tim Johnson, Harrogate

Ripon Cathedral urged to bring ‘sham of a proposal’ to halt

This letter was sent to a member of North Yorkshire Council after plans to develop an annexe near Ripon Cathedral were halted. We have covered the ongoing saga extensively. 

We, the undersigned, must reiterate our strong objections to the current delay from the cathedral and ask that you intervene to end this sham of a ‘public consultation’, which consists of: no significant changes to the original submission; newly formatted leaflets with no new information; 70% of ‘drop ins’ during the working day and a lack of record keeping from cathedral staff of comments and suggestions by the public.

We feel that we must question the validity of this ‘pause’ when answers which are received on fundamentally important matters such as the ‘300 trees’ and where they are going to be planted are conflicting. For the majority of 2023, the cathedral claimed that this off-site area would be ‘at Studley’, this changed in 2024 to ‘near Studley’ and now the cathedral state ‘outside the city.’ This is a core pillar in the cathedral’s mitigation plans and there is no evidence of this- indeed the cathedral communications team told me today that the evidence of this planting would not be forthcoming and that:

‘Regarding the off-site land for planting trees: there is an agreement which is between the private landowner and the cathedral and is a private matter.’

This is in direct contradiction to the position from November 2023, when they stated that this evidence would go into the public domain ‘at the appropriate time’.

The cathedral states there is a ‘40 -year-management plan in place.’ For this to be valid, it needs to be covered by a Section 106 agreement, setting out specific locations and specific actions and also giving a cash value for the planting and the cost of the management plan. The cathedral has failed to do this.

As this ‘off-site planting’ is supposed to be compensation to the people of Ripon for the trees felled at Minster Gardens, it is not a private matter, but very much a matter of public interest. This is a material consideration to the proposal.

We urge you to use your powers to intervene and bring this sham of a proposal to a halt before further embarrassment is caused to the city of Ripon.

With best wishes,

Jenni Holman, Andrew Burns, Pat Waterfall, Kevin Hill, Brian McHugh, Valerie Sheldon, Helen M Smith — Ripon

Rewilding the Stray would ‘give back what we have stolen’ from nature

The next two letters follow a feature published by the Stray Ferret last weekend. It discussed rewilding the Stray, in Harrogate, and received a huge response.

Let’s encourage wildlife; we’ve destroyed so much of it.

We need to take accountability and give back what we’ve stolen. I would love to see birds, bees and wildflowers.

The Stray isn’t just for us, it’s for our grandchildren and their children. It would be lovely if we could leave a positive legacy.

Maggie Boyd, Harrogate

Time to listen to the King and David Attenborough

I read the article about the idea of introducing wilder areas to The Stray and have some sympathy for people like Judy d’Arcy Thompson and Pam Grant. Change is often difficult when you’ve had to fight to preserve the status quo (more or less) year after year and when so often, change seems just for the sake of it.

However, the suggestions for The Stray are not just for the sake of it and are not even wholesale.  In this case it’s to provide actual benefits to the whole community (and not even just wildlife). For example, you don’t even need ponds (though they would be great); simply re-introducing boggy areas would not only provide homes for some beautiful plants but also insects and other invertebrates which would help provide food for other animals.  But not only that: bogs help soak up excessive water in the environment but also store water in times of drought.  And we know how floods and droughts are hitting the area.

When the King has said “the greatest challenge we face is to reform our relationship with nature, to put sustainability at the heart of our economy and to recognise that the conservation of nature is not a luxury but a necessity”, and David Attenborough, “surely it is our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on earth” then surely we need to listen and change what we’re doing?

It’s so many of us doing the same thing over and over again which has led us to where we are now but time is running out.

I would like to suggest it’s time to act differently – and that’s not only individuals but also politicians, organisations, town and building developers, businesses etc.  We need development that is built and developed to actively help biodiversity and the environment – rather than to suppress it or pay lip service to it.

Friedy Luther, Spofforth

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

North Yorkshire fire service PFI costs spiral by nearly £5m

Building projects funded by the private finance initiative look set to cost North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service almost £5 million more than originally expected.

The fire service, which is preparing to shed four Harrogate firefighters to save £210,000 a year as part of wider cost-cutting, signed a 25-year ‘buy now, pay later’ PFI deal with asset managers Semperian in 2001.

It will soon be paying more than the sum it will save from axing firefighters in Harrogate purely to service the extra inflation costs on its PFI repayment costs. The contract price increases each year in-line with the retail price index, which has soared over the last 12 months.

The fire service’s 25-year deal with Semperian, which runs from 2022 to 2027, funded a fire station at Huntington, near York, and a fire station and training school at Easingwold.

The contract was initially estimated to cost £27.16 million to repay by 2027. But it is now expected to cost £31.8 million — £4.64 million more than the original figure.

A spokesperson for the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said the figure had risen due to the high level of inflation.

Total payments remaining to be made to Semperian from April 1, 2024 are estimated to be £5.8 million.

However, the fire service is having to budget an extra £195,000 in 2024/25, £240,000 in 2025/26 and £300,000 in 2026/27 just to cover the rising costs of inflation.

PFI controversy

PFI deals have proved controversial because of the way they saddle organisations with long-term loans to repay.

Conservative Chancellor Norman Lamont first implemented PFI in 1992 and it was later widely used by the Labour government between 1997 and 2010 to fund building programmes.

Semperian, which is a major funder of PFI deals, agreed to design, build, finance and operate the fire stations and training centre on behalf of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

During the contract period Semperian and its contractors are responsible for maintaining the training centre and providing services such as cleaning,  grounds maintenance and pest control. Fees are deductible if minimum standards are not met.

The two parties could agree to extend the contract or the fire service can purchase the land and buildings at a nominal cost of £10 in 2027.

The latest PFI inflation figures are contained in a report by Conservative Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to the police, fire and crime panel that scrutinises her performance. The pressure on fire service funding was discussed at the panel meeting.

Ms Metcalfe’s office provided further details on the figures after the meeting but has declined to comment further. The PFI deal was signed 20 years before she became commissioner.

The fire service is having to dip into its reserves to avoid the need for further cuts to frontline services. However, the axing of Harrogate firefighters, first revealed by the Stray Ferret in 2022, is still due to go ahead despite union opposition.

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