A decision on whether to create a Harrogate town council is unlikely to be made until at least 2024, a meeting heard last night.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, outlined the lengthy legal process to members of Harrogate Civic Society.

Mr Sampson said North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence on April 1 next year, would have to undertake a community governance review before any changes to Harrogate’s governance can take place.

This would involve two stages of consultation, likely to take place next year, followed by a final recommendation on whether to approve a town council.

If approved, a legal order would be made, followed by other processes before implementation.

Last night’s meeting.

Speaking at last night’s packed meeting, at which he and Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, discussed local government reorganisation and devolution, Mr Sampson said:

“It’s really difficult to say how long that process will take but our best guess is 15 months to two years. If it happened by 2024 that would be a good timeframe.”

Mr Sampson also said elections for a mayor for the combined North Yorkshire and York regions would “probably” take place in 2024.

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Last night’s meeting discussed the implications of the momentous changes brought about by North Yorkshire devolution and local government reorganisation.

Harrogate Borough Council and six other district councils, along with North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished next year when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into being on April 1.

8,000 council staff

Eight thousand staff will be brought together into what will be one of the largest councils in the UK, in a move estimated to save about £30m a year.

The loss of Harrogate Borough Council has led to concerns that Harrogate may lack a political voice after the changes, with most key decisions set to be made by North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton.

Last month Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader for Harrogate and Knaresborough, called for the process to create a Harrogate town council to begin “as soon as possible, within the next couple of months” but this seems unlikely to happen.

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harrogate Starbeck on North Yorkshire County Council, attended last night’s meeting and said afterwards the party would continue to push for the process “to be done as quickly as possible” but he accepted it would take time.

Cllr Swift told the meeting that Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre at Knapping Mount “won’t be a white elephant” after the authority is abolished and would continue to be used by staff employed by North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s going to continue to save you £1m a year forever.”

Bilton Working Men’s Club is to be renamed Bilton Club in an attempt to broaden its appeal.

The club revealed last month it planned to change its name for the first time since it was founded in 1913.

Names such as The Bilton and The Club @Bilton were among those suggested.

But Alan Huddart, the club treasurer, said the choice of Bilton Club was almost unanimous and would probably come into effect at the start of July. He said:

“We want to make the club as inclusive as possible.”

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The club has also appointed Phil Smith to the newly created post of manager.

Mr Huddart said Mr Smith, who previously managed Sports Direct in Harrogate, would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, which is on Skipton Road.

He will also be involved in moves to convert some of the unused space on the first and second floors into commercial and residential use.

Mr Huddart said the club was expecting “huge increases” in its energy bills and needed to find ways to generate more income.

Anyone can visit the club but members, who pay £10 to join and then an annual £10 fee, are entitled to 50p off the price of a pint. Membership costs half as much for seniors.

The club belonging to the Harrogate and district branch of the Royal Air Forces Association is to close after 56 years.

The local branch of the charity, which supports the RAF community, formed at a meeting in August 1945 at Harrogate YMCA.

Membership has dwindled in recent years and trustees felt they could no longer justify the expenditure required to retain the current three-storey building on Harrogate’s East Parade.

A special general meeting agreed to sell the club and donate the proceeds to the national RAFA charity.

A farewell party will be held on June 25 at the club. Members and their family and friends are welcome to drop in between noon and 10pm for a cup of tea, a light buffet and some comradeship.

Harrogate air cadets will also be in attendance during the afternoon.

Philip Crebbin, chairman of the branch, said the club was simply no longer viable.

He said the branch had 100 members but few of them visited the club often, particularly as the building wasn’t suitable for some older members.

But he said the branch would continue to operate and meet monthly at new premises.

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History of the club

RAFA members in the early years met in several places in Harrogate, including the North Eastern Hotel and the Home Guard Club.

Towards the end of 1957 they moved to ‘The Rear Turret’ at the back of Albert Street, which was a rented cottage, and transformed it into headquarters.

Membership increased and eventually the thriving branch and club moved into its current premises, at 6 East Parade, in 1966.

Me Crebbin, a retired squadron leader, said:

“Although the club is closing, Harrogate’s RAFA branch will endure and will continue to undertake its charitable endeavours including welfare support and charity collections.

“The branch will also continue to provide representation at association conferences and parades as well as holding numerous activities, including its flagship annual events: the Battle of Britain commemorative parade at Stonefall Cemetery and the annual dinner.”

An elderly woman had to be freed from her car by firefighters after a crash in the Harrogate district last night.

Both Harrogate crews were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision at Spring Lane, Kearby at about 8.20pm.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, two elderly occupants of a Volkswagen managed to get out the car but returned to the vehicle to await the emergency services.

A man in his 20s, who was also involved in the incident, was out of his BMW when the firefighters arrived.

The incident log adds:

“The elderly male then exited the car and after assessment the ambulance crews requested the roof removal of the VW to extricate the elderly female due to suspected injuries.

“All occupants were transported to hospital for treatment mainly for minor injuries. Fire crew used 2 sets of e-draulic cutters, stabilisation blocks, windscreen cutter, sharps kit and crew power.”

Kearby is near Kirkby Overblow, between Harrogate and Wetherby on the fringes of the Harrogate district.

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A log burning stove is believed to have caused a fire at a former dairy building in the Harrogate district.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the building at North Rigton at 4.45pm yesterday.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post last night:

“Crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, thermal imaging camera, Harrogate’s aerial ladder platform and Tadcaster’s Water Bowser.

“Fire was believed to be caused by a log burning stove.”

More pictures from the scene taken by Harrogate firefighters

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A Harrogate kitchen caught fire yesterday when a dog jumped up to grab some sausages and set a tea towel alight.

Harrogate firefighters were called to Meadow Place in Starbeck shortly before 4pm following reports of fire.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“The fire started when the dog of the house attempted to jump up on a kitchen bench to snaffle some sausages and knocked a tea towel onto onto a hob that had just been turned off.”

The incident log adds that the smouldering tea towel caused smoke damage to the kitchen but it is not believed any people — or dogs — were injured in the blaze.

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A number of Harlow Hill residents have questioned why North Yorkshire Police took 18 hours to offer any reassurance to families after alleged gunshot last weekend.

Residents have also criticised police claims that they responded immediately, saying armed officers took about 45 minutes to arrive and the police helicopter was deployed later still.

Police say they were called to reports of “loud bangs” in the Pinewoods at 5.01pm on Friday.

Armed officers attended and were stood down shortly after 7pm. But another 16 hours passed until police issued a five-paragraph media statement at 11.04am the following day.

An armed officer at the Pinewoods entrance on Friday.

The Stray Ferret has received calls from several residents saying children had been playing in the Pinewoods at the time of the noises and people were frightened. They were therefore disappointed not to be kept informed by police.

One person said:

“There was no reassurance whatsoever. We are a community very close to Harrogate police station and I would have thought some form of panic prevention and reassurance would have been issued.”

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Residents praised the police for sending armed officers and a police helicopter but said the following day’s media statement, which said ‘officers immediately attended and carried out an extensive search in the area’, was misleading.

They said two plain clothes officers turned up after about 10 minutes but the length of time it took armed officers and the helicopter to arrive, although understandable given that those involved had to travel, allowed plenty of time for anyone responsible to leave the Pinewoods.

‘Proportionate response’

Andy Colbourne, Chief Inspector for Harrogate and Craven, told the Stray Ferret the force control room assessed 999 calls to ensure a proportionate response and he was satisfied the right action was taken in this instance. He said:

“We provided a response that was suitable to the information we had at the time.”

Chief Inspector Colbourne added he did not know exactly when the armed officers and police helicopter arrived on the scene.

Police at the scene.

He said a male in the area was searched on the night but released because “nothing was found on him that would link him in any way to the incident”.

Chief Inspector Colbourne added he would look into the delay in issuing any update to the community, adding:

“If we are getting calls from the public about something that could be significant I would expect they will get an update quickly.”

A referendum to decide whether Harrogate should create a town council will be held “as soon as possible,” the county’s leader has said.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only major places in North Yorkshire not to be parished and could be given control over areas including parks, tourism and events when the seven county and borough councils are abolished in April.

Councillor Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said he has faced calls from local politicians, businesses and community groups for the town councils to be created.

But he added it would be up to residents to decide via a vote whether the plans should go ahead.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“I’m a great advocate of parish and town councils, and I do believe Harrogate and Scarborough would be well served if they had them.

“That said, it is for the people to decide whether they want them or not.

“I’m very keen that we start the process as soon as possible and we will go to the public in Harrogate and Scarborough at the earliest opportunity.”

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The creation of town councils would require a community governance review and it is understood that legal powers to start the process have been handed to the county council’s new executive.

Cllr Les said the legislation was now being examined and the authority would work alongside Harrogate and Scarborough’s borough councils.

Could take a year

He also said it would be “logical” for the town councils to be created after the new North Yorkshire Council launches next April.

His comments come after Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats, called last week for the process to start “within the next couple of months”.

When asked when the referendums could be held, Cllr Les said this was currently unclear but he added it would be “as soon as possible”. He said:

“We are getting a lot of requests about town councils made to us from people including local politicians, as well as the business community and groups like Harrogate Civic Society.

“There is clearly an appetite to do something about this.

“And of course the sooner we can do it, the sooner we can find out whether there is an appetite amongst the general population.

“They are the key people in all of this. They have to be asked for their opinion and will say yea or nay.”

Councillor Les also said there was a possibility that more than two town or parish councils could be created – if that’s what voters wanted. He said:

“Another aspect to this of course is – how many councils?

“Would Harrogate or Scarborough just want one town council each, or perhaps there are options to consider about the various parts of the towns being parished.

“This is all part of the work that will have to be done.”

North Yorkshire’s Chief Constable issued an apology today after admitting that policing “still contains racism, discrimination and bias”.

Lisa Winward was speaking in response to the publication of the Police Race Action Plan, which covers all forces in England and Wales.

The plan outlines proposals, such as mandatory training for all police officers and staff about racism and Black history.

However, although it admits failures, it does accept that forces are institutionally racist, which has drawn criticism from the father of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993.

Chief Constable Winward said in a statement:

“On behalf of North Yorkshire Police, and all our current and former employees, I accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias.

“I apologise for where North Yorkshire Police has fallen short of the standards we hold ourselves to, and the impact that this has had on individuals, communities and police colleagues.

“However, there is also frustration – both inside and outside of policing – that we have not been able to tackle the accusation of being institutionally racist.

“We have fantastic officers and staff supporting the communities of North Yorkshire who come to work every day to make a positive difference to the lives of everyone we have responsibility for.

“The national Police Race Action Plan proposes that racist bias continues to persist in policing due to our processes and systems. We can’t begin to tackle this issue until we accept that there is a problem in how our force operates.

“We are going to use the Plan to shine a light on the disparities that exist in how we police our communities and individuals and explain or amend our ways of working.”

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Chief Constable Winward added North Yorkshire Police would put plans in place “to challenge our own policies, procedures and practice” and would “work closely” with North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe on making changes.

‘Right and courageous’

Ms Metcalfe said in a statement:

“There should be no place for racism in North Yorkshire and York, and no place for racism in North Yorkshire Police.

“This action plan, the response of police forces nationwide and reaction of North Yorkshire’s Chief Constable is welcome.

“Unless we recognise there is a problem, not enough will be done to address it, so it is right and courageous for Lisa Winward to accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias.”

She urged people to take part in a national survey on the plan, which has gone out for consultation. It can be completed here.

Education officials have said there should be “sufficient primary places” in Bilton if Woodfield Community Primary School closes, even though most nearby schools are full.

A report to councillors today will recommend they approve beginning a consultation on closing Woodfield by December 31 this year at the earliest.

The report recommends the consultation is shortened from the usual six weeks to four weeks because of “the urgency of the position and the need to provide as much clarity as possible to parents before the summer holidays”.

It says parents and carers of the 37 pupils remaining at Woodfield will be asked to apply for the preferred school that they would like their child to transfer to in the event of closure, adding:

“Once the full picture of all preferences is known, the local authority would liaise with the schools regarding potential allocations, and seek to meet the highest stated preferences wherever possible.”

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Woodfield has a capacity of 150 pupils — 113 more than it currently caters for. Many parents have moved their children amid the ongoing uncertainty.

Nearby schools full

Nearby Bilton Grange Primary School, Grove Road Community Primary School and Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School are all currently operating beyond capacity, the report says, while St Robert’s Catholic Primary School is one pupil below capacity.

Woodfield’s closure would therefore put pressure on nearby schools but the report to councillors at tomorrow’s North Yorkshire County Council children and young people’s service committee says:

“There are no significant housing permissions within the Woodfield school catchment area, although there are several housing developments underway or planned in neighbouring school catchment areas.

“If the closure proposal went ahead, there would be a reduction of 150 primary school places available in the local area.

“Given current forecasts, including the likely demand from new housing, and current patterns of parental preference, there would appear to be sufficient primary places available in the local area, should the closure of Woodfield school be approved, as overall birth rates are falling in Harrogate district, and pupils living in the Woodfield school catchment area already attend a wide variety of primary schools.”

The report says pupil numbers determine school funding and Woodfield is forecast to have a budget deficit of £97,000 this year and a cumulative deficit of £229,000 by 2023/24.

Future of site unclear

A decision on the future of the school site has yet to be made. The report says:

“The county council owns the school site, which also accommodates Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton children and family hub, and Oak Beck House.

“Decisions about the future use of the school premises will be taken after the closure proposal has been determined.”

Woodfield was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020. It subsequently failed to find an academy sponsor and a proposed merger with Grove Road fell through this year.