‘Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate’, claims Ripon councillor

A Ripon councillor has suggested there is little for tourists to do in Harrogate after visiting the famous tearooms Bettys.

Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire County Council, was speaking at the final Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee meeting before the new North Yorkshire Council is formed on April 1.

He referred to the sometimes thorny relationship between Harrogate and Ripon and said reorganisation was a chance for the city to be presented in a different way to tourists.

Ripon is currently marketed as a tourist destination within Destination Harrogate — Harrogate Borough Council’s destination management organisation.

But Destination Harrogate’s future is unclear as the new council looks to set up a county-wide tourism strategy instead.

Cllr Williams was critical of how Ripon has positioned within Destination Harrogate. He said:

“[We need to] remove the idea that Ripon is somehow linked to Destination Harrogate. It should be Destination Ripon.

“We are two very distinct localities. We don’t want to be marketed as a day trip from Harrogate. We’re far more than a day trip from Harrogate.”

“Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate, quite frankly.”

‘Rose-tinted view’

Officers spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities in Ripon, which included a presentation on how the city’s economy has performed since covid.

Dave Caulfield, who will be assistant director economic development at the new council, said tourism was crucial to Ripon’s economy and the city’s offer would form part of a new tourism strategy that is being developed for North Yorkshire.

But Cllr Williams said the report presented a “rose-tinted view” of Ripon. He called on the new council to “listen to local people in Ripon and work with them rather than ignoring them”.

In response, Mr Caulfield said:

“It’s important we do listen as a new council. We want to look at opportunities to do things better when we can.”

There were also warms words for Ripon from David Staveley, Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent.

He told Cllr Williams:

“You are stepping out of the shadow of Harrogate and you will be equal partners here. Ripon has an awful lot to offer.”

‘An absolute nonsense’: Ripon’s £85,000 regeneration plan thrown into doubt

A Ripon councillor has strongly criticised Harrogate Borough Council after an officer confirmed a report costing £85,000 that was supposed to present a new vision for Ripon city centre remains unfinished — over two-and-a-half years since it was first announced.

At a meeting of the Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee yesterday in Skipton, officers at North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities for Ripon ahead of the new council forming on April 1.

But it was the current status of the Ripon Renewal Project masterplan that Ripon councillors Andrew Williams and Barbara Brodigan were seeking answers to.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded a contract to Bauman Lyons Architects in 2020 to draw up a vision for the future of the city.

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held in 2021 when residents, businesses and community groups highlighted problems in the city. These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

However, publication of the document has been beset by delays, which led Cllr Brodigan to accuse the council of letting it “gather dust” at an office in Harrogate.

Ripon City Council and Ripon BID have submitted freedom of information requests to HBC in an attempt to find out what has been produced.

The project is being co-funded by North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

‘No draft masterplan’

The borough council’s acting head of place-shaping and economic growth Linda Marfitt told councillors the project was initially delayed due to the consultation exercises taking longer than expected.

She said the council then tried to extend the contract with the architect but were not able to come to an agreement so had to “bring the commission to a close”.

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Ms Marfitt said despite the council not being in possession of a draft masterplan, officers have looked at what work has been done so far and will present a summary to councillors next week.

She added around £55,000 of the £85,000 that was earmarked had been spent.

Ms Marfitt said:

“It isn’t something that sits on a shelf, we’re proactively moving it forward. We’re working with the new council to see what can be done. There will be an update next week. I do apologise for the elongated time frame but we were trying to get a successful outcome.”

It was a response that exacerbated Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster & Moorside and the leader of Ripon City Council. 

He said:

“It’s astonishing that we’ve spent £85,000 of public money to get nothing, not even a draft executive summary from a consultant — that’s how bad this is.

“A lot of time has spent on this by organisations in the city but it’s fallen off a cliff-edge. It’s an absolute nonsense.”

A spokesperson for Bauman Lyons Architects issued the following statement:

“Following a positive and helpful period of community and stakeholder engagement, the initial stages of the project took longer than envisaged. This meant it was necessary for the council and Bauman Lyons Architects to enter into discussions about a new contract to complete the work. 

“An agreement on the terms could not be reached and the commission has now come to a close.”

Liberal Democrat announced as chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee

Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh will chair the new Harrogate & Knaresborough planning committee on North Yorkshire Council, it has been confirmed.

The Liberal Democrat member for the Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone division on the new council has been a councillor in Harrogate for over 30 years and sits on the current Harrogate Borough Council planning committee.

Because the Liberal Democrats is now the largest party within the Harrogate & Knaresborough constituency area it gets to pick the chair of the new planning committee.

The vice-chair will be Conservative councillor for Bilton & Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam.

The committee’s other members will be Chris Aldred (Liberal Democrat), Philip Broadbank (Liberal Democrat), Hannah Gostlow (Liberal Democrat), John Mann (Conservative) and Robert Windass (Conservative).

The committee will meet every month and will have the final say over large or significant planning applications in Harrogate & Knaresborough. It’s first meeting is on April 25.

Upcoming schemes include the 770-home Windmill Farm development on Otley Road and the controversial expansion of Harrogate Spring Water’s bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

Cllr Marsh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she feels “very honoured” to have been asked to take on the role. 

She said:

“I am keen to make sure Harrogate and Knaresborough get the right planning decisions.

“It is about having local knowledge that can make all the difference. I have done 33 years of planning none stop and been involved in formulating four Local Plans.

“I have never chaired a planning committee but I think I have a few years’ experience to bring to the role and I am looking forward to that new role.”

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A separate planning committee will be formed for Skipton and Ripon which will be chaired by Conservative councillor for Washburn & Birstwith, Nathan Hull.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee is chaired by Conservative member for Harlow & St Georges, Rebecca Burnett. It has one more meeting on Marsh 28 before the authority is abolished on March 31.

Harrogate council to write-off £83,000 of ‘irrecoverable’ debt

Harrogate Borough Council will write-off over £83,000 of debt it’s owed from businesses, residents and housing tenants.

Cllr Graham Swift, the council’s cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, approved two reports that said the debts would be “uneconomic to pursue further.”

The first report includes details of £44,167 worth of miscellaneous debt with the largest being two Harrogate Convention Centre invoices from Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd worth £19,940.

The report says the exhibitions firm has been wound up and “there is little hope of any remuneration”.

The company was due to organise The British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and British Craft & Design Fair at the convention centre until 2025.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the event owner affiliated to Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd has died.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:

“We are deeply saddened by the untimely death of the event organiser. We are hopeful the event will be purchased by an alternative organiser in the future.”

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The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the company’s liquidator, Opus LLP but it declined to make a comment.

Of the £44,167, there is also £3,717 worth of debt related to planning and £3,854 to waste and recycling.

The council will be able to recover £6,460.94 in VAT.

The report explains why HBC has decided not to pursue these debts any further:

“The costs involved are too great, the probability of success is too slim or there are simply no further legal options available.”

Meanwhile, a second report was approved by Cllr Swift related to writing-off £39,059.11 from former council housing tenants.

However, it says the ‘substantial majority’ of this sum will be written-off because the tenant has died.

Although the report adds that some debts are from tenants who “abandoned their homes and remain untraceable.”

‘Save our conference centre’: Harrogate’s Lib Dems and Tories make rare joint plea

Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors put their differences aside last night to call on the new North Yorkshire Council to back a £49m redevelopment of the Harrogate Convention Centre.

It came during Harrogate Borough Council’s final full meeting at the Civic Centre.

The council has previously warned that if the convention centre redevelopment doesn’t go ahead, the district could lose out on up to £250 million over the next 40 years in lost tourism and business spending.

A motion was proposed by the Liberal Democrat councillor for Fairfax, Chris Aldred, which was seconded by Conservative councillor for Valley Gardens, Sam Gibbs, to ask the new authority to confirm its support for a major refurbishment of the ageing facility.

It will take control of the building when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of the month.

The motion also asked that the new council “moves forward with urgency” in setting up a management board for the Harrogate Borough Council .

The project has moved to the design phase but where the money will come from to pay for it remains uncertain. North Yorkshire Council will make a final decision at a later date.

During the debate, councillors from both sides of the political divide lined up to give reasons why it should go ahead with many citing how the convention centre boosts the trade of Harrogate’s bars and restaurants.

Cllr Aldred said if the conference centre closed Harrogate would be “a very different town”. 

He said:

“We across this chamber must not allow this to happen. We need to send a message to North Yorkshire — Harrogate wants to continue to welcome the world — and the best way to do that is to ensure the HCC gets the resources it desperately needs to be the economic beating heart of the district.”

Conservative councillor for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite, Michael Harrison, who will sit on the decision-making executive of North Yorkshire Council compared the redevelopment to the £68 million re-routing of Kex Gill but said the benefits were not as visible.

He said:

“The damage if investment was not made isn’t as immediately obvious as a road collapsing into a valley. The spending is just as vital.

“I’m confident that members of new authority get it. They understand the benefits and the damage if the HCC wasn’t supported adequately. We do understand the benefits to the town, district and county that the HCC brings.”

Both council leader Richard Cooper and opposition leader Pat Marsh also addressed councillors about why they were backing the redevelopment.

Ann Myatt, the Conservative councillor for Ouseburn, was the sole dissenting voice from either the Tories’ or the Lib Dems’ benches.

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Cllr Myatt said she “has never been convinced” that the taxpayer should foot the bill for the redevelopment and that a focus on supporting the hospitality trade could hold Harrogate back. 

She said:

“I worry by asking North Yorkshire Council to support the refurb then we’ll still have a town that’s dependent on hospitality.

“It’s also a dampener on new industries and sectors to come. I’d like to see Harrogate be a silicon town or an IT hub. We have highly skilled people living in Harrogate but they all go somewhere else to work and people living outside come to Harrogate. 

“That brings difficulties. I don’t think we’ve really thought this through. Is there anyone in the private sector who could take this on? If there were that would give me confidence this is a viable long-term business.”

Ripon councillor calls it a “bottomless pit”

Many people in Ripon have been against the conference centre ever since it was first proposed in 1976, believing the facility offers few benefits for the cathedral city.

Ripon Independent councillor for Ripon Minster, Pauline McHardy told the meeting that the convention centre was a “bottomless pit” and the redevelopment should not go ahead. 

She said:

“The conference centre will be a noose around the neck forever and people will be fed up of propping it up while other parts of the district are going short-changed.”

The motion passed by 29 to 3.

Harrogate Borough Council has a final extraordinary meeting of the council scheduled for March 22 before it is abolished after 49 years of existence on March 31.

Plan approved to convert former Summerbridge chippy owned by councillor

Councillors have approved a plan to convert a former fish and chip shop in Summerbridge that was owned by a Harrogate councillor into an office and living space.

Tom Watson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Nidd Valley, ran Valley Fisheries for 40 years before it closed eight years ago.

In 2019, Cllr Watson submitted a plan to convert the building into a home but it was withdrawn due to concerns from planners that the house that would replace the chip ship was too small.

At the time, 90 residents signed a petition calling on the local chippy to be saved despite it having closed its doors more than half a decade previously.

A fresh application to extend the building into a larger home was approved in 2020 but it has lapsed.

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The new plan will see the former chippy form a home office and annexe for Lyndale Cottage, which is next door and also owned by Cllr Watson.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee met this afternoon at the Civic Centre in Harrogate to consider the application.

Cllr Watson sits on the planning committee and along with fellow Liberal Democrat councillors Pat Marsh and Hannah Gostlow he sat out on the vote to avoid a conflict of interest.

There was no debate and the plan was approved unanimously.

Council-backed Masham project to show how rural towns can keep young people

A group behind an ambitious project in Masham hopes it will become an example in how to keep young people living in rural communities.

MPs published a report last year found that rural economies can struggle due to a lack of affordable housing for young people.

It said the government’s definition of affordable housing was misleading with new builds often out of reach for many.

According to the report, this has resulted in young people moving away in their droves from the places they grew up in — taking their money with them, too.

To help tackle the problem, a not-for-profit company called Peacock and Verity Community Spaces (P&VCS) hopes to offer four genuinely affordable homes that will only be available to people with links to Masham.

However,  housing is just one element of the unique project. It will also include an Edwardian-style tea room, a grocery, a post office and a heritage centre.

P&VCS has already secured full planning permission to refurbish 15 Silver Street, a building with a long and storied history.

As reported in January, the project has won £222,000 in funding from Harrogate Borough Council and has also been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund with a £71,000 grant.

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The group’s chair Alan Hodges told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the project will have many benefits for Masham. 

He said:

“[If housing is unaffordable] it means you lose young labour out of the rural community but by providing four low-cost self-contained units we will be able  to keep people in.”

P&VCS’ mission statement states the homes in Masham will only be available to people with family, work or historic links to the area.

This means there’s no chance that the apartments could be rented out as holiday homes or be sold on for a profit.

Mr Hodges added:

“Our housing association, Karbon, will control the allocation policy. We’re very clear. The homes will go to local people who are already here. It’s something we’ll guard against.”

Storied history

Mr Hodges said the project will provide six full-time jobs and learning opportunities for residents and visitors.

The ground floor will be restored into a Victorian grocers from when the building was in its heyday and there will be an Edwardian-style tearoom inspired by the cafe that was part of the building in the 1900s.

Peacock and Verity Masham shop

An Illustration Of What Peacock & Verity Will Look Like Once Complete C Peacock & Verity.

It will also bring a Post Office counter back to Masham and create a new heritage centre celebrating the story of the town and the area.

It’s a back-to-the-future approach to development that Mr Hodges believes will show similar towns how community-led projects can grow rural economies.

And to give the project an even more local touch, it will tap into Masham’s rich  sheep-farming heritage by using wool to insulate the building with help from Leeds Beckett University. 

Mr Hodges added:

“Local farmers get less for sheep wool than it costs to shear. This creates an alternative use that’s both ecological and effective.

“We’re looking to the future and hope it will be seen as an exemplar project of how to do things.”

Harrogate Town’s stadium upgrade approved

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans by Harrogate Town FC to upgrade their Envirovent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

It will see almost 1,000 seats installed to bring the ground up to English Football League (EFL) standards.

To the south of the ground, the Myrings terrace will see 264 seats installed and the 1919 bar will be demolished and replaced with a new standing terrace.

A total of 603 seats were installed in the Black Sheep Brewery stand a few weeks ago.

The changes will not increase the overall capacity of 5,071 but will see the number of fans that can be seated rise from 1,193 to 2,060.

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This is to ensure the club meets an EFL requirement that grounds have a minimum capacity of 5,000 and 2,000 seats.

The 1919 bar has not been used on matchdays since before the covid pandemic. It has also been used for private functions.

The club recently opened a new bar next to the Black Sheep stand.

The ground on Wetherby Road has been used by the club for over 100 years and has seen significant investment over the last few years as the club looks to keep up with rapid growth on the pitch.

Simon Weaver’s side now play in the EFL after playing most of its existence in the lower leagues.

They currently sit in 21st in League Two and play Gillingham at home tomorrow (Saturday).

A Harrogate Town spokesperson said:

“As part of our wider stadium development plans, work will soon begin on a new South Stand at the Envirovent Stadium with the aim of being completed in time for next season 2023/24.

“The development will enable the club to reach the required EFL regulation of a minimum of 2,000 seats and will also help us provide for the increasing demand for seats which we cannot accommodate currently.

“We are seeing more young families and first-generation Town supporters, as well as first time fans visiting than ever before so we are delighted to be in a position to provide more seats and facilities to meet the growing demand. In turn, it will help deliver an enhanced match day experience for our loyal supporters and visiting away clubs too.”

Harrogate councillors approve transfer of council-owned companies

Councillors have approved the transfer of Harrogate Borough Council’s wholly-owned companies to the new North Yorkshire Council next month.

HBC’s Conservative-run cabinet met last night at the Civic Centre to discuss a report written by the council’s head of legal and governance, Jennifer Norton.

The report recommends that leisure company Brimhams Active and housing company Bracewell Homes are passed over to the new council on April 1.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on March 31 after being in existence since 1974.

The next day, a new unitary council for the whole of North Yorkshire will be created to deliver all the services currently delivered by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Wholly-owned companies

Brimhams Active launched in August 2020 when it took over control of leisure centres and swimming pools in Harrogate, Starbeck, Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge.

It has overseen major projects such as the redevelopment of the Harrogate Hydro swimming pool and the construction of new facilities in Ripon and Knaresborough.

The new council will add Selby’s leisure services to the Brimhams Active portfolio from September 2024.

This will be whilst it undertakes a £120,000 review of leisure services with the aim of creating a countywide model for delivering leisure and sport by 2027.

Bracewell Homes was set up in 2019 with the aim of turning the council a profit and delivering affordable homes.

It is expecting to deliver 43 homes by the end of 2023/24, which will exceed its target of 40 homes by 2024.

North Yorkshire County Council already has a housing company called Brierley Homes and what will happen to Bracewell inside the new authority is unclear.

‘They’ve done very well for Harrogate’

At last night’s meeting, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper said the two companies have done “very well” for the soon-to-be abolished authority. He said:

“This to me seems very much like a tidying-up exercise, things that we need to do, belt and braces, in order to make sure that the transfer of borough council-owned companies transfers smoothly to the new North Yorkshire Council.

“I hope they will look after them because they’ve done very well for Harrogate Borough Council thanks to the expertise of the officers who have been guiding them.”

Cabinet members Sam Gibbs and Stan Lumley did not take part in the discussion or vote as they sit on the Brimhams Active board.

Social workers recruited from Zimbabwe and South Africa begin work in Harrogate

Social workers recruited from Zimbabwe and South Africa to help plug the social care staffing crisis in North Yorkshire have begun working in Harrogate.

Adult social care has been experiencing well documented recruitment problems in recent years, which has left some providers struggling to hire qualified social workers.

It has previously been reported that on any given day there are at least 1,000 care jobs available across the county.

To address this, a North Yorkshire County Council report said the authority ran several large recruitment campaigns in the UK for more than 30 social worker vacancies but had “very limited” success.

It found recruits were also often newly qualified social workers and not yet ready to manage more complex work.

The report said that with full-time roles unfilled, expensive agency workers have also been used.

Since August, the council has overseen an international recruitment drive with the aim of hiring 30 social workers and five occupational therapists.

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The first cohort of social workers arrived in Harrogate towards the end of last year and the second cohort arrived in January and February of this year.

The new arrivals have been given three weeks of training and have also been allocated a “community buddy” to help them settle into their new country.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, who is also the Conservative councillor for Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, said:

“We have recruited 29 qualified social workers from South Africa and Zimbabwe using a network of specialist agencies and working alongside other councils.

“They will work across the county in what is a great opportunity to help this group of professional social workers further their career in North Yorkshire whilst filling vacancies in specialist areas where there is a national workforce shortage.

“We will monitor the success of this recruitment campaign closely, whilst continuing to advertise our current vacancies regionally and nationally.”