Councillors have deferred a decision on plans to erect bollards and planters outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens, leading to the eventual closure of the road. Impala Estates, which bought the building from the council for £4m in...
How to vote in today’s mayoral election
Polling stations across Harrogate and Craven open at 7am today for residents to choose the first-ever mayor of York and North Yorkshire. Here is everything you need to know about the election. What will the mayor do? The mayor will lead a new public body called the...
North Yorkshire Council increases library fines for first time in a decade
North Yorkshire Council has increased the fine for an overdue book at its libraries from 30p to 35p per day. The council said it was the first increase in almost a decade and was being made “in the light of increased pressures on finances”. The changes will only apply...
Harrogate College’s £22m rebuild plans approved
North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to demolish the main building at Harrogate College and build a hub to train students in green technology. The £22m proposals will see new state-of-the-art facilities at the Hornbeam Park college including a mock hospital...
Council has pumped almost 3,000 tonnes of grout into Ripon void
North Yorkshire Council has revealed it has pumped almost 3,000 tonnes of grout into a void underneath Ripon leisure centre as part of ground stabilisation works that began last summer and have cost £3.4 million to date. The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre...
Empty Harrogate bar unit could finally have a new tenant
North Yorkshire Council says it has accepted an offer to rent out the former Potting Shed bar unit in Harrogate which has stood empty for more than five years. The unit is next to JD Wetherspoon and is part of the vast council-owned Royal Baths estate. The council had...
Harrogate’s newest councillor says town ready for a Lib Dem MP
Andrew Timothy says his victory in the Stray, Hookstone and Woodlands council by-election is a sign that Harrogate and Knaresborough are ready for a Liberal Democrat MP. Earlier this month, Cllr Timothy beat his Conservative rival John Ennis by 326 votes — and with a...
Councillors reject last-ditch bid to save Fountains Earth school
Councillors have rejected a bid to ‘call in’ the decision by the Conservative-run executive to close Fountains Earth primary school in Nidderdale. North Yorkshire Council’s executive met last month in Northallerton to approve the closure following a consultation. It...
Mayoral candidates hoping for a cleaner, greener Harrogate
Three candidates hoping to be the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire were in Harrogate this week for an environment-themed hustings. It was organised by charity Zero Carbon Harrogate with Felicity Cunliffe-Lister (Liberal Democrat), Keith Tordoff (Independent)...
Campaigner launches crowdfunder to battle Harrogate Spring Water
The woman behind a campaign to stop Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion into Rotary Wood has launched a crowdfunder to raise money for site surveys, monitoring equipment and printing flyers. The Danone-owned water company has lodged plans with North Yorkshire Council...
Council asked to reconsider Fountains Earth school closure
Senior Conservative councillors could be asked to reconsider the decision to close Fountains Earth primary school in Nidderdale. North Yorkshire Council’s executive met last month in Northallerton to approve the closure following a consultation. The school in...