Third consultation begins on Harrogate town council

A third consultation has been opened on plans to create a Harrogate town council.

The town council would be formed for administrative purposes from April 1, 2025, and the first elections would be on May 1, 2025.

North Yorkshire Council has said residents could expect to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to pay for the new council.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only part of North Yorkshire which do not have a parish or town council.

Harrogate was due to get its own town council this year but it was delayed for a year after councillors asked to redraw the ward boundaries.

Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which were based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward on the town council with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.

But Conservative councillors raised concerns, including Cllr John Mann, who represents Oatlands and Pannal. He said accountability to residents would be better served by single councillor wards. 

He told a council meeting at the time:

“These arrangements will be with us for many decades to come and we need to get it right.”

Cllr Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat councillor subsequently told the Stray Ferret the concern over ward arrangements was a “red herring” and later urged the council to speed up the process.

Cllr David Chance, the council’s executive member for corporate services, said in a statement yesterday:

“The public consultation already carried out has shown that there is widespread support for town councils to be created for both Harrogate and Scarborough.

“We now want to get the wards right so are asking for views on that before the end of this month. Then we can take a final decision to introduce the town councils which will provide more democratically-elected voices for both areas which is vital as we deliver key services.”

You can take part in the consultation here.

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Harrogate charity hails ‘heroine’ Elaine for saving its building

The quick-thinking of a member of staff prevented major flooding at the headquarters of a Harrogate mental health charity.

Wellspring Therapy & Training provides affordable short and long-term private counselling for the Harrogate and district community.

During Monday night’s downpour that flooded about 30 homes in Knaresborough, Wellspring employee Elaine Wright decided it would be wise to check on the building at 78 High Street, Starbeck.

She and her husband Ian discovered water had got into the Garden Room and the downstairs basement area, causing extensive damage.

They were then able to alert others and act to prevent more severe damage.

Nick Garrett, Wellspring’s interim chief executive, said:

“Thanks to the foresight, heroics and commitment of Elaine, a major disaster has been averted. Had she not checked, it is likely the flood damage could have affected the whole building. That would have severely comprised all our counselling sessions, with devastating results.

“As it is, we will be able to carry on as normal, although some training sessions which are normally held in the basement will have to be relocated.

“Thankfully a water pump helped to contain the damage, but if it continues to rain heavily, we are vulnerable to further flooding. We are now busy drying out the whole affected area, assessing the damage, working out short-term prevention measures and sourcing new locations for bookings in the Garden Room and basement.

“She found it flooded and immediately rang me and Paul Tinsley, our operations manager. She then, together with her husband Ian and Paul, spent hours cleaning up all the flood damage. I can’t thank them all enough.”

Wellspring, which currently counsels 170 people, offers affordable counselling that is not widely available on the NHS.

Ms Wright added:

“As soon as I saw the rain, I said to my husband we need to get round to Wellspring double quick. The flood damage was awful, but we managed to stop it getting worse. I’m so glad we can stay open.”

Wellspring flood damage

Wellspring’s counselling sessions are unaffected, but the Garden Room and the downstairs basement area are expected to be out of action for months.

A charity spokesperson said the estimated cost of the repairs is £6,500.

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Councillors defer decision on Crescent Gardens road closure plan

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 2020, wants to block traffic from entering to the front of the building, running between Swan Road to the west and Montpellier Road to the east.

The developer already has planning permission to convert Crescent Gardens into office and restaurant space.

However, to close the road in front of the building would also require a separate ‘stopping up order’ from the Department for Transport, requiring a public consultation.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee considered the application to erect the planters and bollards this afternoon in Harrogate but were uneasy at the potential ramifications of their decision.

The road would be closed to the public.

Local resident Patrick Turner urged councillors to refuse the scheme and said he and other residents use the road to get to their homes.

He said:

“It’s a useful road providing access to and from the Duchy estate and beyond. It also takes some traffic away from busy roads nearby. It’s a quiet road, so why is there a need to stop it up?”

Planning agent Hamish Robertshaw spoke on behalf of Impala and described how measures would be put in place to stop vehicles from entering.

He added:

“[The application] conforms to relevant policy, causes no harm or impact and provides benefits to town centre and Crescent Gardens development.”

But Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge and Claro, said he didn’t understand why the application had been recommended for approval by a council officer in a report.

He said:

“Are we going to be anti-car totally so we don’t let cars down roads? There have been numerous objections to this. A lot of people feel very strongly. It’s absolutely bizarre.”

Cllr Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Fairfax and Starbeck, added his concerns and said a public right of way that has existed for almost a century could be lost.

Councillors heard that a deal had been agreed between Harrogate Borough Council and Impala Estates to sell the road but Cllr Paul Haslam (Independent, Bilton and Nidd Gorge) said he wanted the plans to be deferred so more information could be received about the deal and whether the restrictions would be limited to vehicles.

He added:

“We will make a small decision with potentially enormous consequences.”

Councillors unanimously voted to defer the application to a future planning committee pending another report.

Meanwhile, at the same meeting councillors were due to consider a plan for 8 apartments at Stockwell Road in Knaresborough but the developer withdrew the application before the meeting.

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Zoe Metcalfe departs as crime commissioner

Zoe Metcalfe’s term as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner ended at midnight last night after the role was transferred to the new Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Labour’s David Skaith, who won the inaugural mayoral election on Friday, will now take on responsibilities for policing and crime.

Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative who held the post since November 2021, was the final directly elected commissioner for the county.

She was elected after the departure of Philip Allott, who succeeded fellow Tory Julia Mulligan — the county’s first commissioner from 2012 to 2021.

David Skaith, newly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

David Skaith, newly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire who will take on the commissioner’s responsibilities.

Ms Metcalfe pledged to tackle issues such as violence against women and girls.

She also oversaw the controversial introduction of the risk and resource model for the fire service, which included plans to cut the number of overnight fire engines based in Harrogate from two to one.

The move was met with criticism from the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, which warned that such a decision would lead to a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk”.

The Stray Ferret requested an interview with Ms Metcalfe to reflect on her tenure as commissioner, but a spokesperson for her office said she was unavailable due to “the volume of her commitments in her final few days”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Metcalfe said it had been an “absolute privilege and pleasure” to represent York and North Yorkshire.

As I step down from my role as Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner at midnight, it has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to represent the communities of York & North Yorkshire. Congratulations to @DSkaith and best wishes for your term in office.

— Zoë Metcalfe (@zoe_metcalfe1) May 6, 2024

The commissioner’s office has now been rebranded the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning after the mayoral election.

Mr Skaith is expected to make a decision on whether to appoint a deputy mayor to take on policing and crime powers.

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Grants totalling £1 million available for small businesses in North Yorkshire

Businesses in North Yorkshire have the chance to apply for £1 million in funding through a new package of capital grants.

Small and micro businesses can apply for the small business grant scheme, administered by North Yorkshire Council through thennational government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The scheme is focussed on increasing business growth, productivity and resilience. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available.

This is the second round of funding, following the first round in the last financial year which saw £750,000 awarded to businesses across the county.

Micro businesses, with less than 10 employees, and small firms with less than 50, can access free support through the business advisory teams at the council and the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, which provides business support.

There are more than 32,700 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises alongside 90 large businesses in the county.

Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative council leader and the chair of the shared prosperity fund board in North Yorkshire, said sole traders, start-ups, home businesses and social enterprises, as well as landlords and people looking to diversify their farm businesses and limited companies, were among those welcome to apply.

He added:

“This time we have allocated an even larger funding pot to the scheme to enable it to be bigger and better and have used learning from last year to improve the application process.

“Our ambition is to see a broad range of applications which seek to make long-lasting improvements to our small and medium businesses across the county.”

To aid businesses with their applications, the growth hub with partners at the social enterprise Enterprise Cube has organised two webinars on writing a business plan and a cash flow forecast which will take place on May 16 and 17.

Carolyn Frank, development manager at the York and North Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“This scheme has provided a practical way that the local authorities have been able to work together with us and other partners to unlock government funding and get it directly to businesses in our area, to help them to innovate and grow.”

The closing date for applications is Friday July 12. To find out more click here.

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Council faces calls to reconsider charging parents £792 for school bus

Opposition groups are calling on North Yorkshire Council to reconsider a move to increase the basic home to school transport charge for post-16 students to nearly £800 a year, saying access to education is supposed to be free and equal.

Criticism of the proposed six per cent rise to be put to meeting of leading councillors behind closed doors on Tuesday (May 7) comes as the council this week received a petition from several hundred parents over its cost-cutting plan to limit free transport for under-16s to a child’s nearest school.

Both proposals have emerged as the council looks to stem impact of the cost of providing home to school transport, which continues to rise faster than inflation, increasing by more than £3m in the last year.

Meanwhile it is tackling a recurring annual deficit of about £40m in its budget, of which school transport is the third largest item of expenditure at £42m a year.

If the post-16 proposal is agreed, school transport would cost families an average between £2.04 and £7.33 per day – up to £792 a year for each child. The charge would represent a 60 per cent rise since 2018/19.

An officer’s report to the corporate director and executive members’ meeting states an above inflation increase was discounted because the Department of Education is expected to publish fresh guidance on post-16 transport later this year, leading to potential major changes.

However, it underlines a 50 per cent discount on the charges should be offered to low income families.

The report states North Yorkshire’s geography presents challenges for young people who are expected to remain in education, employment or training until aged 18.

It adds:

“The council’s current decision to provide assistance beyond year 11 is a discretionary commitment to improve access to education for young people aged over 16.

“The application of adopting a single contribution fee, irrespective of distance travelled is to ensure that young people in rural communities are not disadvantaged when compared to those living in towns.

“The recommendation to offer a reduction to low-income families increases the opportunity for young people to move into further education and supports aspirations of higher education and employment.”

The authority’s executive member for education, Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, has been approached for comment.

Leaders of the authority’s opposition groups said while access education was supposed to be free and equal to all, parents of post-16 not in walking distance of a school, college or training venue were facing huge bills.

Independent group leader Councillor Stuart Parsons said while the Government was insisting post-16 children remained in education or training parents were facing having to pay a “ludicrous amount of money”.

He said:

“It’s almost like paying bed and breakfast rates in prison. This will impact on many low income families. Children will feel guilty they are costing their parents a fortune. Rishi Sunak’s government is penalising youngsters who live in rural communities.”

Councillor Steve Shaw Wright, who leads the Labour group, said high post-16 transport costs would put some families off.

He said:

“In North Yorkshire unless you live in a town with a sixth-form you are in trouble. If we don’t encourage people to go, then it becomes only the people with money who can go.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Bryn Griffiths said the council had received a Government funding windfall which could have been used to offset home to school transport costs rather than being “parked in the authority’s reserves”.

He added:

“For families who are struggling it is getting silly and is another nail in the coffin for people who are trying to do their best by their children. So much for free education in this country.”

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Harrogate pub to expand accommodation

A pub near Harrogate is set to expand its accommodation offering.

Shoulder of Mutton, in Kirkby Overblow, submitted a change of use application to North Yorkshire Council in January.

It outlined plans to convert a former women’s clothing store on-site, Best Kept Secret, into accommodation. The building is adjacent to the pub.

The council approved the application last Monday (April 29).

The building has been vacant for several months after Best Kept Secret moved into the centre of Harrogate in December.

The pub and on-site properties are owned by Heineken, but business owner Kate Deacon, who has been at Shoulder of Mutton for 20 years, today told the Stray Ferret the converted building will become a “junior suite”.

She said the construction work is “mainly cosmetic”, since the building is already in place, and the room will include a seating area, a super king size bed and ensuite bathroom.

Shoulder of Mutton began offering accommodation before lockdown, which Ms Deacon said has since “really taken off”.

It already offers three rooms in what was formerly a barn.

Ms Deacon said the converted suite will be open for use by June 1.

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Business Breakfast: Ripon company raise £20k in memory of former director

A memorial fund in honour of former businessman Andrew Lupton is set to beat its fundraising target of £20,000.

Ripon-based Econ Engineering set up the Just Giving campaign to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation following the death of their sales director in 2022.

Mr Lupton, ran the family business alongside his brother Jonathan and was 56 years old when he died of a heart attack. Founded by their father Bill 55 years ago, Econ is a manufacturer and supplier of winter maintenance vehicles.

Econ’s managing director, Jonathan Lupton said:

“We have been proud to partner with the British Heart Foundation and absolutely delighted that we have been able to support them with our fundraising. This is particularly poignant given the sad death of Andrew and we want to do as much as we can to increase awareness of heart disease and raise vital money for the charity, in his memory.

“We may have reached the £20,000 mark, but we are not finished yet. A team of Econ employees will be tackling the Three Peaks in May and we hope people will continue to support the memory of Andrew by donating to their efforts.”

To support the Econ Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge click here.

Investment management and stockbroking firm win management award

(L-R): Charlotte M, Sharon G, James I, Evelyn J, Richard R, Katie J, James W, Mary C, James S. A and Grace P-B.

Redmayne Bentley received the London Stock Exchange Award for Best Execution-Only Stockbroking at the City of London Wealth Management Awards 2024.

This year’s awards were highly contested. The awards were decided by public vote, with over 50,000 cast, the greatest number of votes the process has ever received.

Lawrence Fisher, head of investment said:

“As we approach our 150-year anniversary, this outcome reinforces the success we’ve enjoyed over many years in our industry, rewarding the personal service the firm provides to clients.

Traditional stockbroking is where Redmayne Bentley first began in 1875. Our services have expanded over time however our values remain at the centre of everything we do. This award reflects the excellence and teamwork delivered by Redmayne Bentley colleagues across the firm every day.”

Knaresborough clinic celebrates 20 year anniversary

Staff at Castle Clinic, left to right: Chris Horsman, Anna Mackay, Hilary Clissitt, Brit Watson, Seb Contreras, Sarah Chisem, Jon Rebanks

Castle Clinic has celebrated its 20th anniversary.

The clinic first opened in April 2004 as the vision of acupuncturist, Janice Miller, to bring together a range of therapists and disciplines all under one roof.

Tony Cowley bought the Knaresborough clinic in 2009 and retired at the end of 2022, selling the clinic to osteopath, Seb Contreras, who has worked at the clinic since July 2004.

Mr Contreras embarked on a clinic wide renovation plan refurbishing and adding to the site. The business now offers more than 1200 appointments every month in acupuncture, audiology, chiropractic, physiotherapy, podiatry and osteopathy.

Harrogate bus company announce charity partnership

Transdev bus company collaborates with Yorkshire Cancer Research

Yorkshire Cancer Research has been named as the charity partner of Transdev bus company.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:

“We’re so grateful to have been chosen by Transdev as their charity partner for the coming year. The partnership kicked off with a visit from a Transdev bus and we’re looking forward to many more opportunities to bring the two organisations together to raise awareness of cancer research in Yorkshire.

Transdev will show support for cancer research with activities including training for employees on the signs of the most common cancers, collections at local bus stations and getting involved in Yorkshire Day celebrations. The company will also be adding the charity’s branding to a new bus to help raise awareness of the charity.

Harrogate company wins Broker of the Year

Synergy Car Leasing was named Broker of the Year award as well as the Best Customer Service Award at the Broker News Awards 2024

Ralph Morton, editor of Broker News said:

“Synergy Car Leasing has absolutely nailed customer service. In their category, they were winners by a significant margin with enough points to ensure they also carried off the Broker of the Year title.

“For a leasing business that has also been awarded a Feefo 10 Years of Excellence Award for 10 successive years of attaining the Trusted Service Award earlier this year, it is fitting that they should be recognised with the Broker of the Year title.”

Have some news to share about your business? Send it to us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Free gym classes for children in Harrogate and Knaresborough this month

Children and young people can access free fitness classes in Harrogate and Knaresborough this month.

The move comes after North Yorkshire Council said this week it hopes to encourage young people to “get active” following statistics released by Sport England.

In a press release, the council said the data showed 2.2 million young people do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per day.

To tackle the problem locally, the authority is offering free fitness classes throughout May at the two Brimhams Active-run leisure centres, which reopened last year following a multi-million-pound revamp.

Children aged six to 12 can take advantage of the offer.

The council’s corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said:

“We have a wide range of programmes and activities for children in all our leisure centres as we foster increased participation which is not only good for their health and wellbeing but encourages social activities too.

“Those classes range from our learn to swim programmes and junior gym sessions to our new music classes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

“We also have a range of local sports clubs that deliver variety of sports and fun sessions in our swimming pools and sports halls.”

The council said the ‘Born to Move’ classes will offer sessions merging movement and play to “experience the joy and vitality of moving to music”.

One of the teachers, Zoe Murray, added:

“These are really great classes for getting young people into a group exercise environment and feeling really comfortable with it at a young age. All the kids have a great time.”

The offer is free throughout May and sessions will cost £5 thereafter. Born to Move classes will be broken down by age groups.

Sessions will be held on Fridays at 5pm in Harrogate and 10.30am on Saturdays in Knaresborough.

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Call to halt succession of North Yorkshire rural school closures

Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative-led North Yorkshire Council to place a moratorium on school closures until the first county-wide Local Plan development blueprint is adopted in 2028.

Members of the 14-councillor political group have tabled a notice of motion for the next full meeting of the authority later this month to highlight “the loss of key facilities from our communities” across North Yorkshire.

The motion follows the council repeatedly launching consultations over the closure of village primary schools, saying Department of Education rules leave it with little option but to recommend they close their doors despite communities developing action plans to rescue them.

Last autumn, the authority’s children’s scrutiny committee heard the succession of rural school closures was “only likely to get worse” with a looming oversupply of places, despite attempts to prevent an increasing number of schools going into the red.

Andrew Smith, the Diocese of York’s director of education, issued the bleak situation facing many communities in North Yorkshire as councillors were told some 16 primary schools had closed in the past six years.

Some of the closed schools include Drax, Horton in Ribblesdale, Rathmell, Ingleby Arncliffe, Swainb, Ings, Burnt Yates, Arkengarthdale, Clapham, Whitby, Kell Bank, Weaverthorpe, Baldersby St James, Harrogate, Hovingham and Skelton.

Councillors heard financial pressures on the county’s smaller schools were rising, with the average school deficit soaring from £16,400 in 2015 to £57,900 last year year.

Meanwhile, the number of primary school age pupils was set to fall in every area of the county except the Selby area and Craven.

The proposal underlines how the closure of rural schools in North Yorkshire has many significant negative social impacts on residents, communities and children – an observation which has regularly been raised by some prominent Tory members of the authority.

The motion states:

“The loss of schools and other associated infrastructure leaves villages without the necessary services to support families now and into the future.”

Liberal democrat councillor for Amotherby and Ampleforth division Steve Mason said:

“The recent news about the potential closure of St Hildas in Ampleforth, following the closure of Hovingham school last year highlights the need for NYC to step in to protect these valued services for the future.

“In the past five years alone we have lost 11 primary schools in North Yorkshire and no doubt more will follow. Clearly something is broken.”

Councillor Andrew Murday, who represents Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale, said the council had a responsibility to support the county’s many rural communities.

He said:

“Primary schools are a vital component of those communities and without them the community gradually collapses. We need the council to rethink its policy otherwise there will be progressive depopulation. Only last month we saw the loss of Fountains Earth School at Lofthouse. It should not be allowed to continue.”

The council’s Conservative leadership have been approached to comment.

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