North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information to find a wanted man with links to Harrogate.

Andon Llalla, 40, is wanted on recall to prison. It is unclear what Llalla was jailed for.

Police initially asked for information on the whereabouts of Llalla in October. Officers today renewed their appeal to the public to come forward if they have seen him or know his whereabouts.

He also has links to Halifax and Brighouse in West Yorkshire.

A police statement added:

“If you see him or have information for the police, call North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12210179751.

“To report information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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A North Yorkshire County Council-controlled pension fund invests over £20m in two of the world’s largest tobacco companies, despite the council being in charge of public health and running its own quit smoking service.

The revelations come as part of a series of investigations by the Stray Ferret into controversial investments made by the North Yorkshire Pension Fund, which is controlled by the council.

You can click on the links to read our previous reports on how NYCC’s pension fund invests in fossil fuel companies and arms companies.

The Stray Ferret obtained a full list of the companies the pension fund invests in through a freedom of information request.

The NHS estimates smoking kills more than 1,000 people every year in North Yorkshire but the council’s pension fund holds £12.4m worth of shares in British American Tobacco and £8.9m in Phillip Morris.

Matt Walker, an NHS manager from Knaresborough who is also a Liberal Democrat campaigner, told the Stray Ferret he has seen first-hand the damage smoking has had on people’s health, including his own grandparents.

He said:

“If I was lucky enough to have a private pension then I certainly wouldn’t want it invested in tobacco companies. I don’t smoke for a good reason; I saw the painful premature death of my grandparents who both died within days of each other from smoking-related diseases.

“As someone who has worked in health locally for nearly two decades, I know that in North Yorkshire smoking continues to be the biggest preventable cause of ill health and early death.”

‘Live its values’

NYCC has a document called the North Yorkshire Tobacco Control Strategy for 2015-2025.

It says the council has a “proven record of success” in the provision of stop smoking services, with rates falling, in part thanks to its quit smoking service called Living Well Smokefree. The service is available to anyone aged from 12 and offers one-to-one help to quit.

Cllr Caroline Dickinson and LivingWell Smokefree team members.

The report says the county still has work to do, particularly with young people and those with mental health issues. It says:

“The impact of tobacco is felt most by the poorest in the county, not just on the smokers but also on their children and their communities. We must protect the health of future generations by ensuring smoking prevalence continues to fall.”

NHS manager Matt Walker called on the council to “live its values” and divest from its holdings in tobacco companies.

He added:

“The council also has smoking policies to protect the health and wellbeing of its staff. It’s important that any organisation lives its values. North Yorkshire County Council fails at the final hurdle as its pension fund holds over £20million in tobacco companies.”

‘Not an issue’

Harrogate Borough Council Conservative councillor Jim Clark has sat on the Pension Fund’s committee of councillors since 2001.

He told the Stray Ferret that he “doesn’t think there is an issue” with the council pension fund profiting from tobacco companies whilst at the same time being in charge of public health.

Cllr Clark pointed to the way tobacco giants such as British American Tobacco have diversified in recent years.

The companies now sell, what they market as, healthier alternatives to cigarettes, such as vapes and oral nicotine products.

Philip Morris’ chief executive Jacek Olczak said he hopes half of the company’s revenue will come from these smoke-free products by 2025.

Cllr Clark said:

“We know there’s a health issue with tobacco but some of these companies have other activities. It’s very difficult to get a company that deals in one activity now.

“We must remember, if we have shares in these companies, we can help to inform the debate.”

Responsible investment policy

As we have reported this week, the pension fund investments are managed by a private company called Border To Coast.

Government guidelines say fund managers can take ethical, social or environmental concerns into account when it invests, providing the fund’s finances do not suffer.

However, North Yorkshire’s responsible investment policy, last updated in July 2021, states that it will not implement an “exclusionary policy” against companies for ethical or social reasons.

It says:

“Whilst the Fund recognises that there is the potential for investment in certain sectors to cause harm, it will not implement an exclusionary policy against investment in any particular sector or company purely based on social, ethical or environmental reasons”.

Divesting from tobacco

The Greater Manchester Pension Fund, currently the largest local authority fund in the UK, divested from tobacco stocks in 2014.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the health charity ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) told the Stray Ferret that North Yorkshire should follow suit.

Ms Arnott said:

“Local authority pension funds have a legal duty to get the best deal for their pensioners, but that doesn’t mean they have to invest in tobacco companies.

“Greater Manchester, the largest fund in the Local Government Pension Scheme disinvested from tobacco stocks years ago, on the basis that the tobacco sector is relatively small as a proportion of world equity markets and the Fund’s investment managers’ views were that such exclusion was unlikely to have a material adverse impact on returns.

“What’s true for Greater Manchester’s pension fund is equally true for North Yorkshire.”

Gary Fielding, treasurer of North Yorkshire Pension Fund for North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“The pension fund needs to get the balance right on responsible investment and ensuring funds are available to pay pensions without further call on local taxpayers

“Rather than divesting from companies, the fund believes active engagement gives it, in collaboration with other pension funds, greater influence in effecting change within companies.”

Do you pay into the North Yorkshire Pension Fund and have an opinion on our investigation? Contact thomas@thestrayferret.co.uk 

The leader of Ripon City Council has said it’s “appalling and disgusting” that a volunteer-run children’s swimming club won’t be able to use the city’s new £15m pool after Harrogate Borough Council tripled its fee.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Ripon City Swimming Club has been offered space at the Jack Laugher Leisure Centre, but only if it stumped up £12,500 a year — almost three times what it was previously paying. This has effectively out-priced them.

The pool will be run by Brimhams Active, the arms-length leisure company set up by Harrogate Borough Council last year.

The club said it was ‘absolutely gutted” it won’t be able to afford to use the pool, which is due to open this month although no date has yet been set.

Ripon council leader, Cllr Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret that the move by Brimhams Active sent a negative message to young families in Ripon. He said;

“I couldn’t believe what I was reading in the Stray Ferret article.

“The idea they want to charge a commercial rate to local volunteers who are trying to provide something to local children. They should be given the pool free of charge. It’s disgusting and appalling.”

Read more:

• Swimming club ‘mortified’ after Harrogate council hikes fee for new pool
• Ripon pool delay not linked to sinkhole issues, says council

Brimhams Active had wanted to amalgamate the club, which taught children to swim at the now-closed Spa Baths as far back as the 1930s, with its own swimming lessons. However, the club declined because it wanted to remain separate from the council.

Cllr Williams accused Brimhams of “exerting its commercial position unfairly”. He said he plans to raise the issue at the next Ripon City Council meeting in February.

“They didn’t come under the council’s umbrella with Spa Baths, so why now? It doesn’t wash at all. Brimhams wants to monopolise swimming lessons in the district.

“The situation has been badly handled by Brimhams and Harrogate Borough Council.”

The council’s response

A spokesperson for Brimhams Active said:

“Our Learn to Swim programme that is accredited by Swim England – the governing body for swimming – teaches swimmers how to be competent and confident in the water, and follows a recognised framework that provides a love for swimming and the skills and motivation required to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. It also provides reassurance to our customers that they will receive the highest level of coaching and safety standards.

“We have offered to work with Ripon City Swimming Club, enable them to fit into this district-wide development pathway and become a Swim England accredited recreational swimming club for children who have completed the fundamentals of our Learn to Swim programme.

“The club have also been offered the use of the pool at the same rate they were previously paying, should they wish to work with us and accept this offer.

“Should the club not wish to accept this offer, they are welcome to explore the hire of the pool at the commercial rate.”

A North Yorkshire County Council pension fund invests £15m in arms companies that have built weapons for the deadly Saudi Arabia-led bombing campaign in Yemen.

The revelations come as part of a series of investigations by the Stray Ferret into controversial investments made by the North Yorkshire Pension Fund, which is controlled by the council.

The Stray Ferret obtained a full list of the companies the pension fund invests in through a freedom of information request.

The council’s pension fund is now facing renewed calls to divest from arms firms. However, its own responsible investment policy, last updated in July 2021, clearly states that it will not implement an “exclusionary policy” against companies that are deemed by some to be questionable.

It says:

“Whilst the Fund recognises that there is the potential for investment in certain sectors to cause harm, it will not implement an exclusionary policy against investment in any particular sector or company purely based on social, ethical or environmental reasons”.

Ethical questions for council

The fund has an investment worth £11m in the UK’s largest arms manufacturer BAE Systems.

Company reports analysed by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) found BAE Systems, via the UK government, has sold at least £15bn worth of arms and services to the Saudi military since the Yemen conflict began in 2015.

According to UNICEF, over 10,000 children in Yemen have been killed in the conflict, which is between a Saudi-backed Sunni group and Shia Muslims.

Professor Anna Stavrianakis is an expert on the global arms trade and is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex. She told the Stray Ferret the pension fund’s investment in BAE Systems raises ethical questions for NYCC.

She said:

“The basic ethical premise of investment is that you invest now to secure a better future for yourself. If you do that by investing funds in a company that in an extremely direct way has contributed to the deaths of other people, it is not that much of a stretch to say there’s an ethical issue there.

“If I was a council employee I would be asking where is my money being invested, and at whose expense is my future being secured? They can be painful questions to answer.”

‘Death and destruction’

North Yorkshire Pension Fund also holds £3.7m in Raytheon Technologies, an American defence company that manufacturers the controversial Paveway bomb.

Fragments of the bomb were found following a 2019 Saudi-led air strike in Yemen that killed six civilians, including three children.

A Paveway bomb being dropped. Credit – Raytheon

In 2019, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) submitted a 300-page document accusing European arms executives at firms, including BAE and Raytheon, of “aiding and abetting” alleged war crimes in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition.

Kirsten Bayes from the Campaign Against Arms Trade, called on North Yorkshire County Council to reconsider its pension fund’s investments into arms companies.

As well as BAE Systems and Raytheon, the pension fund also invests £7.3m in Safran and £6.9m in Rolls Royce, which are both major manufacturers of military equipment.

Ms Bayes said:

“Arms companies make their money from death and destruction. Council tax payers and pensioners in North Yorkshire will be shocked to learn that their funds are invested so heavily in such a violent industry.

“We would call on the trustees of the pension fund to reconsider their investments in weapons makers. Their money could instead be helping to create new, green jobs in the high growth industries of the future. That would be a better deal for everyone.”

Councillor defends the investment

Harrogate Borough Council Conservative councillor Jim Clark has sat on the Pension Fund’s committee of councillors since 2001 after a career in finance. He represents all the district councils in North Yorkshire.

He defended the investment in BAE Systems when asked by the Stray Ferret. He said the £11m holding represents a “very, very small” part of the fund’s total investments and that the fund’s main responsibility is to maximise its value, although he said “various people have different views on that”.

Cllr Jim Clark

Cllr Clark believes by remaining as an investor in companies that are deemed by some to be controversial, it can use its power to influence decision-making.

He said:

“Theres no point saying ‘just sell the shares’. If you have no shares you have no way of influencing decisions made, people tend to forget that when they make comments that haven’t been properly thought through.

“Successful companies will always listen to their shareholders. It’s very important that they do.”

Cllr Clark was unable to provide evidence of how the North Yorkshire Pension Fund has influenced decision-making at BAE Systems.

BAE Systems and council respond

The Stray Ferret approached both BAE Systems and Raytheon for comment.

A BAE Systems spokesperson said:

“We provide defence equipment, training and support under government to government agreements between the UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.‎ We comply with all relevant export control laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate and our activities are subject to UK government approval and oversight.”

Gary Fielding, treasurer of North Yorkshire Pension Fund for North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“The pension fund needs to get the balance right on responsible investment and ensuring funds are available to pay pensions without further call on local taxpayers.

“Rather than divesting from companies, the fund believes active engagement gives it, in collaboration with other pension funds, greater influence in effecting change within companies”.

In the final part of our investigation into the council’s pension fund, we reveal it holds over £20m in cancer-causing tobacco companies despite the council being in charge of public health.

Harrogate Borough Council officers will meet residents groups and parish councils today to discuss the long awaited West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The plan describes the infrastructure requirements associated with up to 4,000 new homes due to be built in the western arc of Harrogate.

A draft version of the delayed plan has now been published and circulated by the council to groups including Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association, North Rigton Parish Council, Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council and Zero Carbon Harrogate. The Stray Ferret has also been sent the document.

At over 100 pages long, the document paints a broad brush vision of how the area will be transformed by new housing.

It includes proposals for two new primary schools and a possible new GP surgery — which have been previously announced.

Howard West, chair of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council, told the Stray Ferret the plan lacked detail on addressing traffic and congestion.

He added:

“The parameters plan draft is in nice developer-speak but there’s no answer to the problems arising from building 4,000 homes around Harrogate’s western arc.”

Hapara and Zero Carbon Harrogate both said they would comment on the plan after today’s meeting.

Hapara previously said it was unhappy about the level of consultation offered to residents by the council during the process.

Read more:

• In Depth: Where is the infrastructure plan for 4,000 homes in west Harrogate?
• Harrogate planning committee ‘shambles and embarrassing’, says residents group

Beset by delays

The council initially said the parameters plan would be published in October 2020. But it was delayed until March 2021, then September 2021.

The draft plan is still to be ratified by the council.

A council spokesperson said:

“The development of west Harrogate provides an exciting opportunity to deliver quality place-making, a wide-range of private and affordable homes to meet the current housing demand, while also ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure to support these future communities.

“Once approved, the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan will create clear goals and objectives by identifying what infrastructure is required. For example, first-class community facilities, school provision, green infrastructure and sustainable travel opportunities.

“A number of suggestions have already helped shaped the WHPP and I’d like to thank those local residents groups and parish councils for their valuable feedback.”

A North Yorkshire County Council-controlled pension fund invests millions into fossil fuel companies whilst the council promotes carbon reduction policies, the Stray Ferret can exclusively report.

Over the last two years, the council launched its “Beyond Carbon” plan that sets a target date of 2030 to reach net-zero neutrality.

It has also been instrumental in developing sustainable travel schemes in Harrogate such as the Otley Road Cycle Path, the Station Gateway and the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

But away from the public gaze, the council is investing millions in fossil fuel companies with a pension funding policy that is directly at odds with its public messaging and sustainable transport plans.

What is a pension fund?

Staff from Harrogate Borough Council and 30 other district, city and town councils in the county pay into the North Yorkshire Pension Fund through their salary. The fund is administered by NYCC.

The council is legally obliged to invest cash from its pension fund after contributions have been collected and pensions have been paid.

It chooses to invest this into the stock market and its entire portfolio is worth over £2.7bn.

The Stray Ferret obtained a full list of the companies the pension fund invests in through a freedom of information request.

The fund has sizeable holdings in 11 fossil fuel companies

The fund has a sizeable £7m holding in oil firm Shell and £5.5m in BP, which Greenpeace has called “climate criminals” due to its contribution to climate change.

Investments also include £5m with Occidental Petroleum, which operates oil drilling rigs in the United States, Canada and Chile.

The investments mean thousands of council staff will have their retirements part-funded by the companies.

“Hypocritical”

Conservative county councillor Don Mackenzie is in charge of highways at the council and has been the public face of the various active travel schemes.

He has been quoted calling climate change a “global priority” and has repeatedly emphasised the need to move away from transport that is powered by fossil fuels.

But NYCC is now facing accusations of hypocrisy due to its massive investments into the very companies that it is trying to guide residents away from.

NYCC is behind the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood

Andy Rickard, chair of Harrogate and District Green Party told the Stray Ferret he was “angry and frustrated” by the council’s “hypocritical” investments. He called on NYCC to divest from fossil fuel companies immediately.

He said:

“It’s hypocritical of them to produce carbon reduction strategies at the same same time as investing in companies that cause damage to the environment.”

York Liberal Democrat councillor Christian Vassie is one of 11 councillors that sit on the North Yorkshire pension fund committee. He told the Stray Ferret that “we have to sort this out”.

He said:

“People are horrified of idea their long term future is being safeguarded by [some of these companies].”

How the fund works

The pension fund is not managed directly by North Yorkshire County Council.

Instead, a private company called Border To Coast acts as the manager of the fund.

Government guidelines say council pension fund managers can take ethical, social or environmental concerns into account when it invests, providing the fund’s finances do not suffer.

However, the North Yorkshire Pension Fund’s responsible investment policy, last updated in July 2021, clearly states that it will not implement an “exclusionary policy” against companies that damage the environment.

It says:

“Whilst the Fund recognises that there is the potential for investment in certain sectors to cause harm, it will not implement an exclusionary policy against investment in any particular sector or company purely based on social, ethical or environmental reasons”.

‘Council must show courage’

Cllr Vassie joined the pension fund committee in July 2020. He also chairs York’s climate change policy and scrutiny committee.

He said he has tried to steer the fund towards greener companies, but because the primary focus of the fund is to make money, he said the fund has to be presented with alternatives that will offer at least the same financial return.

York Liberal Democrat councillor Christian Vassie

A study published ahead of the COP26 climate summit in November suggested half of the world’s fossil fuel investments could become worthless by the mid-2030s due to the transition towards net-zero.

Cllr Vassie said the pension fund needs to have “the courage of its convictions” to leave fossil fuel investments behind in favour of greener alternatives.

He warned if they don’t, the council could be left lumbered with “stranded assets”.

Addressing climate change

North Yorkshire is not alone in investing its pension fund into fossil fuels. Friends of the Earth says £10bn is invested in total by UK local authorities.

However, several councils, including Luton Borough Council and Southwark Council, have recently passed motions to set a firm date for its pension fund to divest from fossil fuels.

David Houlgate, Harrogate branch secretary at UNISON, the union that represents staff at Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret the union has asked the Pension Fund to divest from its investments in fossil fuels.

He said it must then secure suitable alternative investments that address climate change whilst protecting the value of the fund.

Mr Houlgate added:

“UNISON is only able to try and influence the Pension Fund’s approach – we do not have the final say on these matters.”

Divest from fossil fuels

Cllr Vassie said he hopes North Yorkshire will divest from fossil fuels within the next five years, but the pension fund’s own climate change policy stops well short of making any firm commitment to divest.

It says:

“Once the Fund divests, its ability to influence both the short term and long-term direction of individual companies is severely curtailed.

“If the Fund divested from the oil and gas or other sectors with heavy carbon footprints, then it would not reduce emissions (or climate change) but rather simply shift the emissions onto another investor who may be less engaged and therefore reduce the pressure on such companies to change.

“[The Fund] considers active engagement with companies a more productive approach to effecting change.”

A BP oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit – BP

For campaigners like Andrew Rickard from the Harrogate and District Green Party, progress is not coming quick enough.

He said there is “little evidence” to support the fund’s claim that its “active engagement” has had any effect whatsoever on the way fossil fuel companies operate.

He added:

“Divesting from fossil fuels is the moral and right thing to do, it’s also the sensible thing to do.”

Council’s response

Gary Fielding, Treasurer of North Yorkshire Pension Fund for North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“The Pension Fund Committee recognises climate change as a significant financial risk and this is detailed in its Responsible Investment Policy.

“The policy sets out an approach to managing assets that takes environmental, social and governance factors into account in investment decision-making and in the role an investor plays as an asset owner. 

“The pension fund’s holdings in oil and gas companies have reduced significantly in recent years.

“At the same time, the fund has committed further funds to the Borders to Coast Infrastructure Fund, which holds an ever-increasing range of renewable energy investments in the UK and abroad, including wind farms and solar power farms, geothermal energy plants and energy from waste facilities.

“The pension fund also needs to get the balance right on responsible investment and ensuring funds are available to pay pensions without further call on local taxpayers

“Rather than divesting from companies, the fund believes active engagement gives it, in collaboration with other pension funds, greater influence in effecting change within companies, such as those in the oil and gas sectors or others with heavy carbon footprints.”

Tomorrow, we reveal how the Pension Fund invests £15m in arms companies that have built weapons for the controversial Saudi Arabia-led bombing campaign in Yemen, killing thousands of civilians.

Two influential national heritage groups have issued strong objections to plans to demolish the former Debenhams building on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient is behind a proposal to demolish three buildings and replace them with 50 high-end apartments along with two commercial units.

The site has been home to different retailers on Parliament Street for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

But in documents submitted to the council, the developer said the buildings need to be demolished as their size means they are no longer viable for retail.

‘Historic and architectural value’

Campaign group and charity Save Britain’s Heritage submitted an objection to the plans this week, saying the developer had failed to provide “clear or adequate justification” for demolishing the 1902 and 1920 era buildings.

Another building next to Westminster Arcade that was added in the 1960s is also set for demolition.

The group says the two older buildings have “considerable historic and architectural value” and “add greatly” to the character and significance of Parliament Street.

“No evidence or analysis has been provided to show unequivocally why the buildings cannot be retained and refurbished. Demolition is an extreme response to development in such a historic context, and therefore sets a commensurately high threshold for justification.”

Busby’s on Parliament Street. Copyright: Walker-Neesam Archive.

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Read more:

• Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams

• What next for Debenhams building in Harrogate?

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In December, the public body Historic England also submitted an objection to the plans.

Whilst welcoming the regeneration of the site, it said there should be a “sensitive conversion” of the two older department store buildings.

It said:

“We have particular concerns over the proposed demolition of the early 20th century buildings on the corner of Oxford Street and Parliament Street contributing positively to the appearance and character of the conservation area, for which there is no clear and convincing justification.”

A CGI view of the new apartments on Parliament Street.

Stirling Prescient said in planning documents:

“The proposals as a whole will strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.

“The proposal represents a sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning planning permission should be granted without delay.”

The number of people receiving out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district has continued to fall.

Latest monthly figures by the Office for National Statistics show 2,145 people were claiming the benefits on December 9, falling by 80 from November’s figure of 2,225.

The figure, however, remains considerably above pre-pandemic levels. In January 2020, 1,410 people claimed the benefits, which includes Universal Credit.

Universal Credit can also be claimed by people who are in work but on low incomes.

The furlough scheme ended on September 30 and supported around 28,600 jobs in the Harrogate district for 18 months.

Read more:

• Hot Seat: Leading the college for the Harrogate district
• Harrogate College meets local firms to fix skills gap

Meanwhile, this month Harrogate College announced it will be offering free haircuts and manicures to jobseekers.

The college, at Hornbeam Park, is providing the treatments to anyone who has secured a job interview.

Haircuts can be booked now between 3pm and 7pm on Wednesdays. Manicures will be available on Thursdays, starting on January 27, from 10am.

Students will provide the services at the college’s professional standard training salons.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said he hoped the initiative would boost the participants’ job prospects.

Budding entrepreneurs in the Harrogate district can take part in a free seven-week project to help them hone their business skills and win a £2,500 prize.

The Strive project is being run by social enterprise Enterprise Cube, which will have a team of experienced business people on hand to guide 30 local people through a series of workshops, individual advice sessions and start-up challenges.

It is being part-funded by Harrogate Borough Council and is free to anyone in the Harrogate district who has a business idea or a fledgling business.

Read more:

• Harrogate can be economic driver for North Yorkshire after devolution, says council chief
• Harrogate vegans on Veganuary, restaurants and why they chose plant-based diets

During the seven weeks, the group will learn about creating a brand, taking payments, building an online presence, and tackling all the legal and tax issues involved in starting a business. £2,500 will be handed out in prizes at the end of the seven weeks.

Strive was first run in 2012 and has supported over 5,000 people in the UK.

Laura Mumford, director of Strive, said:

“We’re really excited to be bringing Strive to Harrogate. My roots are here, and I love that we’ve got such a strong independent business scene in the area – so it’s great to be able to support it.”

You can find out more and apply at: www.homeofstrive.com/harrogate.

Members of a historic club that teaches children how to swim in Ripon say they are “mortified” they won’t be able to use the city’s £15m new pool after Harrogate Borough Council tripled its fee to use it, effectively outpricing them.

Ripon City Swimming Club began by teaching swimming lessons in the River Ure before the Spa Baths was built in 1904, which its members helped to build.

Since the 1930s, the volunteer-run club ran classes on Thursday evenings at the Spa Baths. The swimming lessons were run separately from HBC’s own classes, with the council charging the club £4,500 a year to use the pool.

Families were looking forward to being able to use the pool at the state-of-the-art Jack Laugher Leisure Centre, which is set to open this month.

However, the club was left shocked after the council offered space at the new pool, but only if it stumped up £12,500 a year — almost three times what it was previously paying.

Nicola Horner, speaking on behalf of the Ripon City Swimming Club committee, told the Stray Ferret that HBC has “completely outpriced” the swimming club from using it. She believes the council views the volunteer-run club as competition to its own classes.

She added:

“For such a long-standing club to be outpriced, it’s disgusting.”

Different generations

Ripon City Swimming Club’s teachers are all Swim England qualified. The council initially told the club it wanted to amalgamate it with its own swimming lessons, but the club declined.

Ms Horner said they wanted to keep the family-oriented club separate from the council.

“We’re volunteers, we charge kids for the use of the pool but we keep prices low for families.

“Different generations have learnt to swim with us.”

Read more:

• Ripon’s parish precept is frozen for second year running
• Ripon city centre pub closes for ‘forseeable future’

With the club unable to pay the £12,500 a year that the council was demanding, it looked like the historic club would have to fold.

But Ripon Grammar School has offered the club space to continue lessons at the school’s pool on Tuesday nights.

Although the club has found a new home, Ms Horner said the move by the council to drastically increase its fee stings as its members supported and campaigned for its bid to build the new pool.

She said:

“We are all mortified. Whilst we’re grateful we’ve been able to find somewhere, we are absolutely gutted we won’t be able to use the new facility.”

Council’s response

Brimhams Active is the new council-controlled company that has taken over leisure centres in the Harrogate district, including the Hydro in Harrogate and Knaresborough Swimming Pool.

A spokesperson for Brimhams Active said:

“Our Learn to Swim programme that is accredited by Swim England – the governing body for swimming – teaches swimmers how to be competent and confident in the water, and follows a recognised framework that provides a love for swimming and the skills and motivation required to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. It also provides reassurance to our customers that they will receive the highest level of coaching and safety standards.

“We have offered to work with Ripon City Swimming Club, enable them to fit into this district-wide development pathway and become a Swim England accredited recreational swimming club for children who have completed the fundamentals of our Learn to Swim programme.

“The club have also been offered the use of the pool at the same rate they were previously paying, should they wish to work with us and accept this offer.

“Should the club not wish to accept this offer, they are welcome to explore the hire of the pool at the commercial rate.”