Harrogate Borough Council has charged North Yorkshire Police over £110,000 to check and supply its CCTV footage since 2016, the Stray Ferret can reveal.

The council has a network of 212 CCTV cameras across the district to help prevent and detect crime. It has a manned control room that operates 24/7.

But it does not supply footage to the police for free and last month the Stray Ferret reported it asks the force to pay a fee of £57 per hour for the service.

We submitted a freedom of information request to the council that asked how much it has charged North Yorkshire Police in total since 2016.

The answer revealed a total bill of £114,005, which amounts to about £20,000 a year on average. The sum fell noticeably during covid lockdowns in 2021/22.

The annual breakdown is below:

• 2016/17 £23,410
• 2017/18 £19,598
• 2018/19 £20,251
• 2019/20 £18,992
• 2020/21 £13,400
• 2021/22  £18,354

Crime prevention

Ripon has been plagued by well-documented anti-social behaviour and crime in recent years.

The council operates 10 CCTV cameras in the city but Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council and the North Yorkshire county councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside, said the charge deters police from following up crime reports.

He said:

“It is ironic that Harrogate Borough Council’s homes and safer communities team appears more interested in making commercial charges to the police, rather than working in partnership with them to help in the detection and arrest of criminals.”

Cllr Andrew Williams

Cllr Williams calculated that the £18,354 charge for the last financial year worked out at less than one hour of CCTV footage a day.

He suggested this means NYP is being selective in which footage it requests and could be missing out on catching criminals.

He added:

“When considering the size of the Harrogate district and the number of CCTV cameras installed across it, that indicates that police, with pressure on their budgets, are having to be selective in their purchasing of footage and only calling on the services of the HBC CCTV monitoring team for the most serious incidents that they are investigating.”

“At a public meeting in Ripon last month, police admitted that nobody had been arrested for the vandal attacks, in part because they could not pinpoint the exact time of each incident and would have to go through hours of footage, which would not necessarily provide the quality of footage required to identify an individual or individuals.”

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‘Shameful’ charges

Business owner Andrew Hart, who owns the Red Box post offices in Bilton and Starbeck, has previously raised concerns about anti-social behaviour in both areas.

Mr Hart has two private CCTV cameras in his post offices. He said he supplies any footage to the police for free if they ask for it and called the council’s decision to charge “shameful”.

The council currently operates one CCTV camera in Starbeck.

Andrew Hart

He said:

“We are often needing to refer back to our two CCTV systems on both police and private request. It is something we do out of a sense of duty to both the community and in our joint responsibility to fight anti-social behaviour.

“Yes, it takes time and costs us money but we all have to do our bit, surely. I think it is shameful that any council should charge our grossly overstretched police for this service.”

Council’s response

A council spokesperson said:

“CCTV across the Harrogate district, which is owned and managed by Harrogate Borough Council, has ongoing infrastructure and running costs.

“As well as the costs to maintain the service, there are also costs associated with a CCTV control room, staffing and the on-going safe storage of footage.

“Should anyone wish to obtain a copy of any footage, this would require an appropriate individual reviewing it first, followed by providing the footage securely along with a witness statement. All while adhering to the Data Protection Act 1998.

“Therefore, any third-party that wishes to view and use any CCTV footage – such as an insurance company, enforcement agency or the police – is charged to do so.”

North Yorkshire Police declined to comment.

Safety concerns relating to parking and vehicle movements close to two Ripon primary schools have prompted the city council to seek remedies.

Highways authority, North Yorkshire County Council, is being approached with a request to put double yellow lines on Highfield Road, close to the junction with Lead Lane.

A request is also being made for a 7.5 tonnes weight limit to be put in place on Quarry Moor Lane.

Greystone Outwood Academy Primary School is on the busy Quarry Moor Lane.

At last week’s full meeting of the city council, leader Andrew Williams, said:

“I am concerned that parents dropping off and collecting children from Moorside Primary School are creating problems for both pedestrians and other motorists, by parking close to the Highfield Road/Lead Lane junction.

“I have checked on the junction at the start of the school day and at school closing time when the junction is busy with cars parked on either side of the road and sight lines are affected, increasing the risk of an accident.”

Following a request from a resident living in Quarry Moor Lane, the council agreed that a weight limit on the road, which runs past Outwood Primary Academy Greystone, would reduce the risk for pupils attending the school.

Currently, heavy goods vehicles are able to use Quarry Moor en-route to and from the Dallamires Lane Industrial Estate.

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The phrase ‘I care about where I live’ is a guiding principle for Ripon Civic Society (RCS) as it looks to the future of a growing city.

The organisation that aims to protect and enhance Ripon’s heritage assets for the benefit of all, is currently formulating its views on the new £6 million plans for the cathedral, the city’s most important and iconic building.

Society chair Christopher Hughes, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have, of course, been looking closely at the proposals and will have our response in due course and hope that residents and visitors will look at the plans and make their views known as well.”

While the ancient building is the city’s dominant feature, RCS, now in its 54th year, is encouraging citizens to play a role in shaping  the Ripon of the future.

Speaking at the Civic Day 2022 awareness and recruitment event on Market Square on Saturday morning, Mr Hughes, said:

“We start with the simple proposition of ‘I care about where I live’ and look at what this means in helping to make the city an even better place.

“By the 2030s, Ripon is likely to grow by a quarter and we need to ask questions such as ‘what do we value of the city’s past?’ and ‘what is at risk?’

“That leads on to keeping a watch over vulnerable buildings and threatened trees and how we can enhance the green, blue and natural environment.”

Mr Hughes, added:

“We are not here to say ‘no’ to development, but to encourage those who are investing in Ripon, from retail to residential, to aim for the best possible design, with use of materials sympathetic to the city’s built and natural environment.”

RCS played a key role in setting up the Ripon Museum Trust 40 years ago, establishing an organisation that has developed the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Courthouse museums as linked heritage attractions, that bring the city’s history to life.

While protecting and promoting heritage, the society also had an eye to the future when it supported the construction in the 1990s of the city bypass, which helped in the development of the Dallamires Lane employment zone, where many businesses are based.

RCS has a healthy membership of 150, but welcomes new members and those who want to attend events as non-members. Further details are available at info@riponcivicsociety.org.uk.

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Eight Ripon-based charities are set to benefit from what promises to be a tremendous Transatlantic evening of entertainment in the city on Thursday (June 23).

The famous world championship-winning Black Dyke Brass Band, will be joined by the multi award-winning Lake Wobegon Brass Band from St. Olaf, Minnesota, USA in a concert being held at Ripon Cathedral.

As the bands and the cathedral are waiving their customary fees, all proceeds from the sale of tickets will be divided equally by the charities.

They range from Dementia Forward, which provides support, advice and wellbeing services for people living with dementia, to Ripon YMCA, which offers supported housing for young people aged 16-35 and space for community groups and projects to meet.

The other beneficiaries are: Jennyruth Workshop, Ripon City of Sanctuary, Ripon Branch of Christian Aid, Ripon Community Link & The Walled Garden, Ripon H.E.L.P, and Ripon Salvation Army Food Bank.

The award-winning band is travelling from Minnesota and playing free of charge to help raise money for eight Ripon-based charities. Picture: Lake Wobegon Brass Band

“We are looking forward to a Transatlantic treat, with a fabulous evening of musical entertainment provided by these two magnificent bands.

“Through their tremendous generosity in agreeing to perform without charging a fee, the eight charities, which support so many different aspects of life in Ripon, will gain maximum benefit from the event.”

Events sponsors are Ripon Cathedral, and Phil and Wendy Wilby.

Tickets, at £20 for adults and £5 for children under 16, are still available in the Ripon Cathedral Shop, or online at the Ripon Cathedral website.

City councillors have expressed concerns about a lack of consultation over Ripon Cathedral’s plans to erect a two-storey building next to the Courthouse Museum.

Re-elected and newly-elected Ripon city councillors, at their first full meeting since the May 5 local elections, said they have not been formally invited to see or be briefed about the £6m scheme.

The scheme has been brought forward as an alternative to the initial plans for an extension to the south side of the iconic building.

The new proposals, involving a standalone multi-purpose building including a cafe, toilets, gift shop and space for the cathedral’s choristers, are currently on display in the quire area, as part of a community consultation.

On May 24, the Stray Ferret reported that a model and exhibition panels focusing on proposals to develop the site to the north of the cathedral, were on display in the north transept.

The exhibition was temporarily removed from this location to make room for the cathedral’s platinum jubilee celebrations, which included the civic service for North Yorkshire and a timeline tea party for people born in each year of the Queen’s reign.

An architect’s design of the two-storey building.

Independent council leader Andrew Williams said:

“I’m afraid that sticking a model and plans at the far end of the cathedral, is not, in my opinion, the best way of seeking comment on proposals as important as these are.

“As the city’s elected representatives it is imperative that we as a body are fully briefed and have the opportunity to make our views known, but up to this point, we have not been engaged in the consultation process.”

Helen Tabor swam at Ripon’s Spa Baths for the last time on the morning of November 7, 2021.

For her, it was the end of an era dating back 40 years to her pre-teenage years, when she first swam in the ornate surroundings of the former Spa.

Early riser Helen, whose son Jamie was among tens of thousands of children taught to swim in the Edwardian building by Sylvia Grice, told the Stray Ferret:

“This place is very special to me, because it was part of my life, from the age of 12.”

She added:

“For me, it was always more than a swimming pool and became a place of reflection, relaxation and regeneration, as I swam alongside fellow early morning swimmers and did my 40 lengths.”

For Helen, it was not the last time that she was allowed into the Grade II listed building – once centrepiece of the Ripon Spa Quarter.

She was given permission to return with her camera to to take the photographs that now appear in her 32-page picture book, which has been produced in a limited edition first print of 150 copies.

The History of Ripon Spa and baths

The Spa, was opened in 1905 by the city fathers, in a bid to bring wealthy visitors to the city and support the local economy, but up against nearby Harrogate, with its established spa reputation and patronage from the royal houses of Europe, Ripon failed to gain a foothold.

As the last Spa in England to open, Ripon had missed the boat, even with the distinction of being the only one to be granted a Royal Opening, carried out on October 24, 1905, by Princess Henry of Battenburg – Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria.

In the 1930s, the Municipal Borough of Ripon took the decision to reconfigure the spa building and create the city’s first indoor public swimming pool, which opened in 1936.

Veterans of the Royal Engineers, some of whom served in the Falklands War, will be in Ripon this weekend to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the conflict.

They are former members of 11 Field Squadron, which used to be part of the 38 Engineers Regiment based in the city.

On Sunday, between 10.45am and 11.15am a short wreath laying ceremony will take place at the War Memorial in Ripon Spa Gardens.

No Ripon-based Royal Engineers died in the war, but the event, open to anyone wishing to attend, will give the chance to reflect and remember Royal Engineers from other parts of the UK who lost their lives fighting Argentinian land sea and air forces.

Before then, an informal reunion will be held tomorrow between 2pm and 7pm at Ripon Bowling Club on Bondgate Green.

Those wishing to attend the reunion at the bowling club are asked to contact Stan Darbyshire for further details and to register their attendance. He can be contacted on email at duffbudgie11@outlook.com or by phone on 07878 980630.

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The Royal Engineers have had a long and distinguished presence in Ripon, recognised by the fact that the Regiment was awarded the Freedom of the City in 1949.

This gives them the right to hold an annual Freedom Parade through Ripon.

Last year’s parade was held in September, when more than 200 soldiers took part in the march with a band playing and bayonets fixed, before a service in their honour was held at the cathedral.

Medals parade at Claro barracks

Mayor Sid Hawke meets the medal recipients.

Over 150 individuals from 21 Engineer regiment were issued HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medals for serving for over five years.

The medals were presented by Councillor Sid Hawke, the Mayor of Ripon with Major Daryl Murphy, the regimental second-in-command and Major Neil Chalmers, quartermaster, also handing out medals.

With most of the regiment deployed overseas in Poland and Cyprus, it was a greatly reduced medals parade. Those deployed had already received theirs last week.

There is anger and dismay in Ripon this week, following the announcement by Barclays that it will close its city branch in August.

Barclays has been present on Market Square East for generations and there has been a bank under various names at this prime location since 1785.

The anger is further fuelled by a Barclays report outlining the reasons for closure, which revealed that counter transactions went up in the two years to March 2020.

This week and last the Stray Ferret has been gauging reaction to the planned closure and among those to speak with us was 81-year-old Richard Tite, who has been a regular user of the bank’s counter services for 42 years. He told us:

“When they made their corporate decision to close Ripon and a number of other branches, Barclays showed that they just don’t care about people of my age, who don’t know how to use online banking and rely on the personal service.

“Having a human being that you can speak with and have your questions answered, is very reassuring and I must say that the staff here in Ripon are very good.

“I have no complaint about them, it’s the people above them that show that they simply look on people like me, who have been customers for more than 40 years, as if we don’t count.”

The decision to close Barclays’ long-established Ripon branch has brought an angry reaction.

“This is an absolute disgrace, I have been banking with Barclays for years, but I won’t be for much longer.

“I’m going to close all the accounts I have with them and put my money elsewhere.”

There was a similar response from another person, who also wished to remain anonymous. They said:

“I read in the Stray Ferret that the decision to close has been taken in spite of the fact the the Ripon branch has an increasing number of customers and that just doesn’t make any sense to me.

“Barclays sent me a round robin letter saying there are other branches, such as in Harrogate, that I can use,  but that is not a proper option, because, on top of the inconvenience, there is the increased costs of fuel if you drive over, then you have to pay through the nose to park, simply to get your hands on your own cash.

“The sooner I can transfer my money elsewhere, the better.”

Banking choices in Ripon

Banking choices in Ripon are limited. Besides Barclays, there is HSBC, the Halifax, The Yorkshire and Skipton building societies.

Banking services are also available at the Post Office in The Arcade.

The cash machine currently at Barclays will no longer be available after August 25, meaning that people wanting to make a withdrawal in the city centre will have to go to HSBC, the Halifax or Sainsbury’s.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Global role at finance giant Allianz for former Ripon student

Former Ripon Grammar School student Christian Mackintosh (pictured above), who was born and bred in the city, has been appointed by Allianz Global Investors as its global head of finance operations, based in Frankfurt.

Mr Mackintosh, who is 32, graduated from Durham University with a BA in Modern Languages (German, Russian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin) where he was the founding vice-president and secretary of Entrepreneurs Durham.

A former technology innovation leader in the UK wealth and asset management team at business consultancy EY, Mr Mackintosh left the firm after nine years to join KPMG, where he was a director in the wealth and asset management division.

The nature lover is a trustee of the countryside charity the Council for Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) in North Yorkshire.

Mr Mackintosh was a pupil of Ripon’s Holy Trinity Primary School before going to Ripon Grammar.

Double award success for Harrogate psychology practice

A psychology practice based in Harrogate has won two awards in the space of just a few weeks.

Evolve Psychology Services was named Independent Business of the Year at the Yorkshire Choice Awards, and Most Trusted Clinical and Forensic Psychology Clinic in Yorkshire and the Global Health and Pharma Mental Health Awards.

Founded by Dr Laura Powling eight years ago, the company offers neurodevelopmental, expert witness and wider psychological assessments and therapies.

Through its 28-strong team in Harrogate and Huddersfield, it works with individuals and families as well as courts, parole boards and immigration tribunals.

Dr Powling said:

“In 2021 we were awarded an NHS contract to support the NHS in significantly reducing their waiting times for neurodevelopmental (autism and ADHD) assessments in Yorkshire for children aged 0-19 which again have been impacted by COVID-19.

“This will make a significant difference to the children and young people, as well as their families. It’s fantastic that both the GHP and the Yorkshire Choice Awards have recognised this success and also the wider work we do within our communities in Harrogate and also Huddersfield.

“Awards like this help to raise the profile of the work we do and also the impact it can have.”

Two Ripon Air Cadets have completed and qualified on two of the most sought-after courses run by the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Sergeants Thomas Arcidiacono and Tobias Bennett have wasted no time after the Ripon unit’s return to normal parade activities following the covid lockdowns by applying themselves to some of the toughest training available to RAF Air Cadets.

Sgt Bennett was one of only a handful of cadets selected from 600 in the area to train and complete the Air Cadets Pilot Scholarship(ACPS) course at Tayside Aviation in Dundee.

Sgt Tobias Bennett (nearest camera) who passed his aviation course at in Dundee with flying colours

During his two-week course he passed aviation training and exams to go solo in the Aquila A221 at the age of just 16 years old.

Sgt Bennett said:

“It was a surreal experience that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

He hopes to join the RAF as a pilot to continue his passion for aviation. He also wants inspire fellow cadets and said the course has given him the ability to add a further level of depth to his teaching at the C&E Yorkshire Wing Aviation Centre.

Sgt. Arcidiacono had a very different experience as he was selected as one of only 50 cadets from around the country to take part in the Air Cadets Junior Leaders Course.

The squadron’s Officer Commanding, Warrant Officer Wayne Cobbett, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are all extremely proud of the achievements Tobias and Thomas.”

He pointed out:

“For Tobias to be qualified to go solo in the Aquila A221 at such a young age is a tremendous achievement.”

WO Cobbett added:

“The course taken by Thomas was not  for the faint-hearted. It is physically demanding and requires real commitment and determination and involves nine weekend training camps and an assessment week in leadership, military skills and tactics.

“It also involves the award of a Level Two Certificate in Team Leadership from the Institute of Leadership and Management.”

Sgt Thomas Arcidiacono (left) pictured giving instruction on the junior leaders’ course

Sgt Thomas Arcidiacono, said:

“The Junior Leaders’ course was easily the best thing I have done throughout my six years of being in the cadets.”

He thanked the support staff that ran the course, when he added:

“Even if they were tough at times; it is their support and guidance that drove me to do more and achieve what I never thought possible and become a Qualified Junior Leader(QJL).”

886 (City of Ripon) Squadron – Ripon Air Cadets, takes on cadets from age 12 (and in Year8) and are taking names for their September intake and Open Evening on Friday September 2, 2022.

For further information, contact the squadron’s Officer Commanding, WO Wayne Cobbett RAFAC on oc.886@rafac.mod.gov.uk

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