Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 359 of 1041

Fears for vulnerable families after changes to Harrogate district children’s centres

Concerns have been raised about vulnerable children and families missing out on vital support in the Harrogate district.

Parents and professionals have told the Stray Ferret changes to children’s centres, including the health visiting service, have led to a decline in the support available.

Mum Jen Earl said the support on offer after her son was born in April 2020 was a fraction of what it had been following the birth of her daughter in September 2018.

She said the difference is apparent when looking through her children’s record books, which showed regular checks at health visitor drop-in sessions for her daughter, but barely anything for her son. She said:

“I really missed that input. I didn’t have anywhere to go. You could ring the health visitor and leave a message and sometimes it would be two weeks before someone would phone back. Really, the type of questions you’re asking, you need a quick response.”

She used to attend a weekly breastfeeding support group in central Harrogate in 2019, where there was “always a friendly face and you could ask questions”. She also went to workshops about weaning and baby sleep.

She added:

“It’s so sad when I think of all the first-time mums who have missed out.

“It must be so frustrating for the health visitors because they went into their profession to support mums and babies in that initial phase. To not be able to do those basic things like weighing babies must be hard.”

Bilton Children’s Centre is based on the site of the former Woodfield Primary School

Mum Emily Clough, whose son was born in December 2020, said all her contact with the health visiting service was positive and useful, but she still suffered because of the lack of face-to-face opportunities.

“I felt supported by them directly, although there was no weigh-in, no face-to-face clinics – there was no social space. That’s what was missing for me.

“I’m glad I didn’t have any real long-standing challenges in breastfeeding or my son didn’t have any drops in weight. We didn’t have any concerns, but had those clinics been on, I would have taken him to be weighed.

“By default, that would have initiated other conversations.

“When I say I didn’t struggle, in hindsight I struggled in terms of being really isolated.”

One perinatal mental health professional, who asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret local services were already seeing an impact from the reduction in face-to-face health visiting support.

She said she had worked across North Yorkshire for several years and the Harrogate district had previously had the best mental health support in the county, such as through the Mums in Mind support group.

Since covid, she said, there had been a rise in demand for perinatal mental health services. She believes this is because opportunities to spot problems at an early stage are no longer available.

She said:

“A lot of our referrals came from health visitors and midwives. That has significantly dropped. They’re just not out there seeing those women.

“We’re seeing people a lot more in crisis now than we ever did before.”

She added the impact of the changes had also affected health visitors, who she said were no longer able to carry out their roles as effectively as they wanted. She added:

“It’s just complete devastation and absolutely heartbreaking.”

‘Blended approach’

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for support to families including the health visiting service, said children’s centres across the Harrogate district remain open.

Cllr Janet Sanderson, executive member for children and families, said:

“The majority of our children centres are now open and delivering targeted activities to children and their families where a need has been identified. The way we deliver activities has evolved as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Over the past two years, the Early Help service has redesigned the delivery of activities to support children and their families, moving to a blended approach of virtual and face-to-face activities.

“This has enabled the delivery of countywide virtual activities which families are able to access from their home, reducing the need for the number of premises.”

The council has already announced it will consult on the closure of five children’s centres across North Yorkshire, including Pateley Bridge, which have not been used since the pandemic. If that closure goes ahead, the facility is likely to be used by St Cuthbert’s Primary School, based in the same building.

Cllr Sanderson said the council was working alongside voluntary and community groups to develop activities in their areas. She said the Get Going Grant scheme had been used to support 93 groups in the last year.

Meanwhile, she said NYCC had invested in a programme to support parents with their mental health and it was also being used in schools and early years settings to increase access.

A Grow and Learn project was being run with libraries to deliver activities to support children’s early communication, she said, adding:

“As part of this work, we have developed a training programme which is accessible to all services working with children and families, including the voluntary and community sector.

“That enables agencies to access training to support them with their Early Help offer to children and their families.”

Ms Sanderson said virtual health visitor drop-in sessions had been available online since last summer instead of face-to-face sessions, while the new model of delivery also included sessions on topics including breastfeeding, weaning and other infant advice.

She also said any families with concerns can call the 0-19 service from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, on 0300 303 0916.

Have you been affected by the changes to children’s centres and the health visiting service? Email us or call the newsdesk on 01423 276197.

Concern over tree felling as part of Kex Gill reroute

Concern has been raised over tree felling as part of the £69 million Kex Gill realignment.

The project, which is North Yorkshire County Council’s most expensive and ambitious, will reroute a landslip-blighted road between Harrogate and Skipton.

As part of the scheme, the authority has started to clear woodland off the A59.

However, residents have raised concern that the move is “disproportionate” to the highways project.

Sheenagh Powell, who lives nearby, said the move was “distressing”.

She said:

“Hundreds of trees have already been felled which appears totally disproportionate to the scheme.

“The environmental impact is huge.”

However, county council officials have defended the move and said site clearance had been undertaken now to avoid the bird nesting season.

A spokesperson added:

“The stretch of the A59 at Kex Gill runs through important habitats including a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

“Plans are in place to mitigate the impact on wildlife in the area such as barn owls, bats, nightjars, wild game, toads and badgers.”

The A59 at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. Since 2000, the route has been closed 12 times following landslips.

Ministers at the Department for Transport gave the final go-ahead for the route last month.

The move will see the road rerouted to the west of Blubberhouses and is expected to be completed in May 2025.

The scheme has faced numerous delays and, following tender returns, the estimated cost of the scheme increased by £7.2 million to £68.8 million, which the council attributed to inflation affecting constructions costs.

The project will be funded by a £56.1 million grant from the Department for Transport, with the council covering the rest from its reserves.

A further £11 million has been factored into the budget to cover any issues with ground conditions or bad weather.

Business Breakfast: Lawyer retires after 30 years in Harrogate

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

LCF Law held a party at Piccolino in Harrogate to say farewell to partner Tim Axe, who will retire at Easter after 30 years as a lawyer in Harrogate.

Planning specialist Mr Axe is a partner in the law firm, which has offices in The Exchange building on Station Parade in Harrogate as well as in Leeds, Bradford and Ilkley.

Managing partner Simon Stell paid tribute to Mr Axe, who plans to go travelling with his wife in a camper van.

Harrogate finance firm appoints new commercial officer

A Harrogate financial firm has hired a new chief commercial officer.

Dan Baines has joined Tower Street Finance and has been tasked with spearheading the firm’s growth in the probate lending sector.

Dan Baines, new chief commercial officer at Tower Street Finance.

Mr Baines is widely credited as being a driving force behind Age Partnership’s rise to market leadership in the equity release sector and was also a founding director of award-winning equity release provider, Pure Retirement.

He said:

“I’m delighted to be joining the team at Tower Street and look forward to helping this exciting market to reach its potential.

“As was the case with the equity release sector some 15 years ago, I see in the probate-lending market an innovative product set that can significantly improve the lives of customers.

“Probate lending is already the fastest-growing UK consumer credit market, and this is despite consumer awareness still being low.”

Robert Husband, chief executive officer of Tower Street Finance, added:

“We are thrilled to have Dan come on board at this exciting time in our development.

“We have already experienced significant growth and made good strides towards building this new and innovative sector. Dan brings a wealth of experience which will help us to continue this journey.”

Harrogate council’s biggest moments: A shopping revolution, Royal Hall rebirth and controversial new offices

With Harrogate Borough Council in its final days, the Local Democracy Reporting Service looked at five major moments that defined it.

From controversy over the Harrogate conference centre to the move from Crescent Gardens to the Civic Centre — the council has played a major role in the look, feel and development of the district for the last 49 years.

As well as searching the archives of the Harrogate Advertiser we spoke to some of the people who were involved at the time to give a picture of how these five events unfolded.

1992: The future of shopping comes to Harrogate

Speak to a Harrogate resident over the age of around 40 it’s likely they will talk with fondness about the town’s former indoor market that was demolished in 1991.

For some, shopping has never quite been the same since the council approved the demolition so it could be replaced with the £50m Victoria Shopping Centre.

The old market was well-loved and included butchers, fishmongers, florists, needlecraft shops, second-hand book and record shops and much more.

But the late 20th century was the era of the shopping mall and there were hopes in Harrogate that a more modern facility would revitalise the town centre and attract major national brands. The market traders would be invited to take the space downstairs as part of the project.

Funding came from National Provident Institution and it was developed in partnership between Harrogate Borough Council and Speyhawk Retail plc.

The plans included a council-owned 800-space multi-storey car park on the other side of the train tracks with a bridge to connect shoppers.

But the scheme was developed during the recession of the early 1990s that hit the town hard.

Harrogate’s bus station had been boarded up due to financial difficulties and the letters pages of the Harrogate Advertiser was full of fears about the town becoming a wasteland of empty shops and buildings.

During construction, market traders were moved to a temporary market on Station Parade while they eagerly awaited their new home to open.

Excitement was building and in early 1992 the Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce suggested good times were finally around the corner. It called on the Harrogate public to be more positive.

The business group had a punchy statement published in the Advertiser. It said:

“We’ve had enough! We’re sick and tired of the Harrogate and district moaners. All they do is complain, complain, complain and never look for the encouraging signs all around us.”

The Victoria Shopping Centre was designed by architects Cullearn & Phillips and was inspired by Palladio’s Basilica in Vicenza.

But its most controversial aspect were the sculptures depicting customers and staff on the balustrade around the roof line.

Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam desribed the statues as “quite hateful” resident Simon Townson told a reporter they were “grotesque and not for Harrogate” and the Harrogate Civic Society led calls to see them removed.

However they are still there to this day after the developer insisted they were a fundamental part of the design.

In the summer of 1992, Speyhawk revealed that 40% of the units had been filled by brands including Tie Rack, Levi’s and the Body Shop.

The underground market hall was opened on October 20 by then-mayor of Harrogate Barbara Hillier, with the rest of the shopping centre opening on November 9.

There was a wave of optimism from shoppers who described the town’s new venue as the future of shopping.

There were 54 units for market traders on the ground floor and they were quickly occupied. Butcher Brian Noon told the Advertiser in 1992:

“I think its brilliant! The developers have thrown a lot of money at it to make sure the building is tip-top.”

Harrogate Wools owner Bill Lee was similarly optimistic about the building’s future. He said:

“It will bring people back to Harrogate because they definitely have not been coming. I haven’t heard one complaint.”

The Victoria Shopping Centre was built in the years just before internet shopping took hold, which was perhaps not to have been foreseen.

Enthusiasm slowly ebbed away during the 1990s and 2000s as the market traders on the ground floor left one-by-one.

Today, the Victoria Shopping Centre still features big high-street names like WHSmith, TK Maxx and HMV. The town’s post office also moved there in 2019.

It’s now owned but not run by Harrogate Borough Council. The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last year its value has fallen by more than 80% in 10 years.

Harrogate Borough Council said it could receive a boost in shoppers if another controversial scheme, the Station Gateway, goes ahead.

But that will be a decision for North Yorkshire Council.

2008: A dilapidated Royal Hall brought back to former glory

The Royal Hall’s halcyon days saw it host the likes of the Beatles as well as the music, arts and comedy stars of the time.

But by the turn of the twentieth century, Harrogate’s grandest council-owned building had fallen into rack and ruin. In 2002 it closed to the public after part of its famous ceiling collapsed.

It’s downfall was in part, due to the town’s conference centre being such a drain on the council’s resources, according to the book Kursal – a History of Harrogate’s Royal Hall.

Royal Hall by Jim Counter

It was in such a poor state of repair that the unthinkable was being broached by councillors — after almost 100 years the Royal Hall could be condemned and demolished.

Refurbishment was originally estimated to cost £8.56m with the council likely to having to stump up £2m from its own coffers. The remaining amount would come from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

However, there were fears the risky project could potentially bankrupt the authority.

Its emotional importance to the town was not only felt by residents in the town but by performers too.

David Hirst, who led the world famous brass band the Brighouse and Rastrick Band, made his plea from the stage of the Royal Hall in 2000.

He urged the audience, reduced in capacity because the theatre’s upper circle has been closed due to the crumbling concrete, to “get those letters in” to the council and back restoration. He said:

“This building is part of the Harrogate heritage, part of the tone of Harrogate.”

The Royal Hall Restoration Trust was formed in 2001 after then-leader of the council, Cllr Geoff Webber, suggested to the chairman of Harrogate Civic Society, Lilian Mina, that the council would welcome the support of an independent organisation whose prime role would be raising money for the refurbishment.

Then followed tea dances, school concerts, charity balls and other events, which raised £2.7m for the restoration — far more than the £1m it originally expected.

Lilian Mina died in 2008 and Geoff Webber died in 2021 but his son Matthew Webber, who is currently a Liberal Democrat Harrogate councillor, paid tribute to those who spearheaded the campaign to save the Royal Hall.

It was officially re-opened by patron of the trust Prince Charles in 2008 after six years of works.

Cllr Webber said:

“I am very proud of the work done by my late father as council leader at the time in conjunction with the Lilian Mina and the Royal Hall Preservation Trust that led to the Royal Hall being returned to its continued use today.”

2017: Goodbye to Crescent Gardens and a new home

Like the conference centre throughout the 1980s, it was Harrogate Borough Council’s move away from Crescent Gardens that dominated council-business during the mid-2010s.

Crescent Gardens had been used by HBC since 1974 and before that was used by the predecessor council in Harrogate ever since it opened on Halloween 1931.

But by the 21st century, the neo-classical building was showing its age and had become expensive to maintain for the council.

In 2010, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government came to power and councils were ordered to find savings under its programme of austerity.

Harrogate Borough Council's Civic Centre

The civic centre at Knapping Mount.

For the council, Crescent Gardens was an obvious place to look.

The council put forward several proposals, which included refurbishing Crescent Gardens, but it ultimately decided to build new offices on land it already owned at Knapping Mount off King’s Road.

At the time, it said the build would cost £8m although the move, as well as the selling off of other offices, would save around £1m in year due to reduced costs involved with maintaining the older buildings.

Tantalisingly for the council, there were hopes it could sell Crescent Gardens to a luxury developer.

Then-council leader Don Mackenzie was quoted saying it could generate an investment of up to £30m into the district’s economy.

Another former Conservative council leader, Anthony Alton, told a meeting the move was probably the biggest decision the council has taken since 1974. He added:

“We are in a continuing economic downturn which means that we have to make every penny count.”

The move to the Civic Centre was always contentious.

The Liberal Democrats argued that £2.5m should be spent on a refurbishment of Crescent Gardens and the Knapping Mount site should be sold for affordable housing.

They also criticised its circular design, saying it would increase costs.

By 2015, rumblings of another local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire were beginning to gather pace and questions were being asked about what would happen to the Civic Centre if there was no longer a council in Harrogate.

Vicky Carr is a former reporter at the Harrogate Advertiser and current deputy editor at the Stray Ferret.

She remembers the subject coming up at a heated Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce meeting that year.

She said:

“Someone wondered whether it made sense to be spending millions on a new headquarters for a local authority which, under government policy, was likely to be abolished within a decade.

“HBC offered reassurances that, should devolution go ahead, a shiny new civic centre would make Harrogate an ideal place for a new unitary authority to have its headquarters.

“Fast forward eight years and, while North Yorkshire Council will use the civic centre for some staff and services, it is keeping its headquarters firmly rooted in Northallerton.”

In 2020, the Stray Ferret published an investigation that estimated the land at Knapping Mount was worth £4.5m to the council, taking the project’s overall cost to £17m. However, the council has always disputed this.

Apart from during the covid lockdowns, council staff have been using the Civic Centre since December 2017.

Crescent Gardens on the other hand is still empty, almost five years’ since Harrogate Borough Council moved out.

The council originally announced it would sell it to property developer Adam Thorpe who had plans for a £75m redevelopment including luxury apartments, an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool and restaurant.

But two years later, Mr Thorpe’s company ATP Ltd fell into administration with debts of almost £11m, including £24,394 owed to the council.

Crescent Gardens then went back up for sale and was eventually bought for £4m by Impala Estates in 2020.

The Harrogate-based developer was granted planning permission last year for a major refurbishment of the building that will see two-storey extension, rooftop restaurant, gym and new office space.

Stray Views: Residents ‘up in arms’ at Harrogate gateway traffic orders

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Town centre residents are once again up in arms regarding the announcement of road traffic orders for the Harrogate Station Gateway project.

Having raised concerns over the past 18 months by each person writing into object, they have written to every single councillor involved in the scheme and they have democratically voted against it.

The results of the last three consultations results show that the people of Harrogate Town as well as the Granville Road Residents Group are not in favour of this Scheme going ahead.

They have received an ‘Official Notification’ to raise their concerns again, about this scheme, along with any other residents in Harrogate.

However, the local Granville Road Area Residents have concerns on many levels about the whole scheme in its entirety including the construction works and access to their homes during this. Many of the town centre residents also run small businesses and need to access local roads.

They feel democracy is failing them in this ‘consultation process’ after already voting against this gateway scheme, in the last three consultations. Results have shown over 56% of the whole of Harrogate town have voted against the Harrogate Gateway Scheme.

They have now another opportunity to raise their concerns and vote democratically against it, but who is listening and taking notice of these results.

Rachael Inchboard, Harrogate

‘Ugly box’ destroys Knaresborough flower bed

Would someone please take a look at where Swish Fibre have placed an ugly large box at the junction of Manse Lane/York Road in Knaresborough.

Not only have they placed it directly in front of the flower bed (planted & looked after by Harrogate council) but in doing so have also destroyed lots of Daffodil bulbs.

Shaun Carrick, Knaresborough

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

County council will not fund ‘indefinite e-cigarettes habit’

North Yorkshire County Council has emphasised it will not fund people’s use of e-cigarettes indefinitely after agreeing to supply the electric vaporisers to those wanting to quit tobacco.

The authority approved supplying e-cigarettes to smokers who choose to adopt them as a method of quitting, as part of its Living Well Smokefree programme, which is being credited with enabling a dramatic decline in smoking across the county over the last decade.

While some 18% of adults in North Yorkshire smoked in 2011, by 2021 that had fallen to just 11%, significantly less than the national average of 13.3%.

The authority’s executive member for public health Cllr Michael Harrison said in order to meet the national ambition of a smoke-free population by 2030 access to all stop smoking aids was essential.

The move follows a pilot by the county’s Living Well Smokefree service finding a 93% success rate of 144 people set a quit date with the intent of using an e-cigarette as a harm reduction intervention.

When asked if the government’s ambition to have a a smoke-free population by 2030 was possible in North Yorkshire, Cllr Harrison said it would take “real action”, such as the Living Well Smokefree Service initiative.

He said:

“So many health complaints that people hace are still smoking-related, so it’s still one of the biggest concerns for the NHS and public health teams.

“It is right that we use public health monies to try and improve the situation. It’s great to see that there’s lots of people stopping, but there’s too many people starting smoking.”

A public health officer’s report states although the most recent evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking tobacco, they are not risk-free.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, as well as other ingredients such as propylene glycol, glycerine and flavourings.

Cancer Research UK says while some potentially dangerous chemicals have been found in e-cigarettes, levels are usually low and generally far lower than in tobacco cigarettes.

The charity says exposure may be the same as people who use nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum, which the county’s stop smoking service is already providing.

When asked if supplying e-cigarettes to people could lead to mixed messages, particularly following concerns that an increasing number of children were being attracted to e-cigarettes, Cllr Harrison emphasised e-cigarettes were “a short-term tool”.

He said emphasised e-cigarettes would only be given to people giving up smoking tobacco when they were on the 12-week programme, during which time the strength of the e-cigarettes would be reduced.

He said:

“There’s too many people going straight from not smoking to e-cigarettes, but that’s not a good idea. E-cigarettes are only a good idea in the short-term to help someone give up tobacco.

“Public health are not endorsing e-cigarettes, which evidence says are less harmful than tobacco, but the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown.

“We are certainly not going to fund someone’s e-cigarette habit. There is not going to be taxpayer-funded long-term e-cigarette use.”

Explained: What happens to leisure centres when Harrogate council is scrapped?

A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district next week.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Brimhams Active, an arms length company owned by Harrogate Borough Council, currently runs leisure services in the district.

In this article, we explain what will happen to leisure facilities under the new North Yorkshire Council.

Who currently runs leisure facilities in the district?

Currently, Brimhams Active operates leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.

The company was set up in August 2020 to run swimming pools and leisure centres.

This includes Harrogate Hydro, Knaresborough Pool, Starbeck Baths and the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon.

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

What will happen under the new council?

As of April 1, Brimhams Active will transfer over to North Yorkshire Council.

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

North Yorkshire Council will also undertake a £120,000 review of leisure services with the aim of creating a countywide model for delivering leisure and sport by 2027.

While people who use the centres may not see an immediate change, the ownership of the company will be different.

Harrogate council’s biggest moments: The council forms and the conference centre opens under a cloud

With Harrogate Borough Council in its final days, the Local Democracy Reporting Service looked at five major moments that defined it.

As well as searching the archives of the Harrogate Advertiser, we spoke to some of the people who were involved at the time to give a picture of how these five events unfolded.

1974: Dawn of a new council

Harrogate Borough Council was new and shiny once.

Its creation followed years of wrangling over boundaries. At one point, it looked like Harrogate and Knaresborough was even going to be incorporated into a Leeds council.

But the new two-tier system was launched at midnight on April 12, 1974 and it saw North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council share responsibilities in the newly-created Harrogate district.

Old rural councils as well as the councils for Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough were brought together to form Harrogate Borough Council and it put the town of Harrogate at the heart of decision-making in the district.

On April 6, 1974, the Harrogate Advertiser described “the great changeover”:

“At midnight on Sunday, local government old-style ended and the new style has given Harrogate and a huge surrounding area of 515 square miles a new district council, by which the council of the borough of Harrogate came into full operation and responsibility.”

When the council launched, it owned 7,000 council houses, almost double what it owns today, and it served a population of 135,000 residents.

Conservative councillor for Burton Leonard, Graham Bott, became the first mayor of the borough at a ceremony at the Royal Hall that month.

Cllr Bott described becoming mayor as one of the proudest moments of his life.

He said he hoped Harrogate Borough Council would abide by the motto of the Three Musketeers — “one for all and all for one.”

Crescent Gardens.

Sixty councillors were elected to serve on the first council and they were paid £10 to attend meetings that lasted over 4 hours, which dropped to £5 for shorter ones.

The council’s first chief executive was Neville Knox. He said the council’s size meant it would still be in touch with residents.

Mr Knox said:

“We are still small enough not to have lost contact with the rate payers. We have experienced officers in the branch who know the people of their areas.”

But even in the council’s formative days, questions were being asked about how the council in Harrogate would look upon the rest of the district.

A Harrogate Advertiser columnist from Ripon asked, “Is big brother Harrogate going to grab all the goodies for itself?”

It said:

“One fear is that the natural and historic assets of Harrogate’s neighbours will be used not so much to their own advantage but primarily as additional bait to enhance the attraction of the main centre and Harrogate as a tourist, trade fair and conference centre.”

This received a firm rebuttal from Tony Bryant, the council’s director of conference and resort services, whose comments draw parallels with what is being said by officials at North Yorkshire Council 49 years later.

Mr Bryant said:

“We shall no longer be a collection of small authorities trying with limited resources to sell itself, but a large body in which finance will be combined for the common good.”

There was much work to be done and the Harrogate Advertiser wrote in an editorial that the council “cannot afford the luxury of taking time to settle in” as there were huge traffic problems, car parks and the construction of new roads that had to be dealt with.

But a squabble over ceremonial robes dominated the council’s first meeting.

Councillors who had served on the old Ripon and Harrogate councils had the right to continue to wear their ceremonial robes at meetings on the new council.

However, Knaresborough councillor W Macintyre wanted to restrict this to just the mayor and deputy mayor as he said wearing robes would be “anachronistic” in the context of the newly formed council. His proposal failed by 18 votes to 29.

Although Liberal councillor for Granby, John Marshall, said that just because members in Ripon and Harrogate wore robes it did not mean they liked the custom.

He said he found the practice “acutely embarrasing”.

1982: the conference centre opens under a cloud

The story of Harrogate Borough Council will be forever bound to the town’s conference centre.

The venture was undoubtably the council’s boldest move but it’s fair to say that controversy has dogged what is now the Harrogate Convention Centre ever since the council decided to build it in the 1970s.

Harrogate was already known as a conference destination but the council hoped a new state-of-the-art facility in the centre of town would attract business and leisure visitors to the district for decades to come.

Harrogate Borough Council part-funded the investment through selling land it owned off Skipton Road to housebuilders. This would eventually lead to the building of much-needed new homes for Harrogate and the creation of the sprawling Jennyfields estate.

However, in 1979 when construction on the conference centre was underway, the UK was in the grip of a deep recession and Margaret Thatcher’s newly elected Conservative government raised the interest rate to 17%, in a bid to bring down inflation that was running at 13%.

Tim Flanagan was chief reporter at the Harrogate Advertiser during the 1970s and 1980s. He remembers the conference centre was rarely off the front pages during that time.

Mr Flanagan said costs for the conference centre spiralled from an initial £8m to £34m, which shocked the Harrogate public and led to a hike in council tax.

He said:

“Against the backdrop of recession, inflation and high interest rates, the council’s finances were stretched to the limit.

“This led it to it to make the decision to levy a supplementary rate to balance the books – a move that proved highly unpopular with ratepayers across the district.”

Harrogate Borough Council was bailed out by a £16m loan from the government to pay off the conference centre. It reduced what residents would have been asked to pay in council tax by 25%.

If the 40-year terms of the loan were followed, it means the council only finished paying back the government for the bailout last year.

Resident John Wynne would write to the Advertiser in 1982 that the conference centre saga had sullied his once-romantic view of Harrogate.

“I’m afraid the fiasco over the conference centre and sucessive high rate increases to pay for the thing have completely killed all the feelings I had for this town.”

Problems at the conference centre would mount throughout the 1980s as the hotel group originally chosen to be part of the development pulled out and it took until 1985 for what is now the Crown Plaza to be occupied.

The conference centre had become such a drain on resources that the council struggled to maintain prized assets such as the Sun Pavilion and Harrogate Theatre as they fell into disprepair.

Binmen were even asked to reduce their hours to save costs.

Eurovision 1982 held in Harrogate.

However, despite the controversies, what is now known as the Harrogate Convention Centre has been a cornerstone of the town’s economy for the last 40 years.

It will also always have its place in UK pop culture history after it hosted the Eurovision song contest in the venue’s first year.

The contest was eventually won by German singer Nicole and saw Harrogate showcased to hundreds of millions across the world.

Although a furious letter in the Harrogate Advertiser by resident JR Myers criticised the council for not selling tickets to the Harrogate public. He said instead, it gave them away to dignitaries and officials.

Mr Myers said this “reflects the cavalier way in which the ratepayers are treated” by the council.

Although in the same letter he also described the song contest as a “nauseating and mindless spectacle”, casting doubt on his claim that he really wanted a ticket in the first place.

We will feature the second part of this article on the Stray Ferret tomorrow

Volunteers needed to help disabled children ride ponies

A charity that helps children with disabilities enjoy the thrill of riding ponies is appealing for volunteers.

Riding for the Disabled Association enables children from four specialist schools in the Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon areas to ride each week.

But each child requires three volunteers to supervise and some children are missing out because of a shortage of helpers.

The charity is therefore hosting an open session on April 25 to allow people to see what’s involved.

It seeks people aged over 16 to give three hours of time on Tuesdays, particularly in the afternoon, during term times.

Experience with horses and children is not essential and training is provided. Sessions take place at Harrogate Riding Centre at Burn Bridge.

Children can only ride if they have three people supervising.

Shona Crichton, principal at The Forest School, Knaresborough, said:

“For some of our children at The Forest School, the experience of being on a pony is transformational. We see children as young as five who have incredibly complex physical and or learning needs overjoyed at the freedom of movement they can’t achieve on the ground.

“Positive mood changes, confidence, social development and building core strength are other vital benefits. We are really grateful to the Riding for Disabled volunteers who give their time to make this happen”.

Margaret Flannery, who has been volunteering for four years, said:

“I love it. Where else can I get my steps in for the day whatever the weather as we’re in an indoor arena, have a laugh with a great bunch of people, do something different to my normal routine and see what a difference I’m making to the children.

“We really need more volunteers to join us though if we are to keep the sessions running so I hope we can recruit some more much needed volunteers as I’d really miss it if we couldn’t keep going”.

About 10 volunteers are wanted. To find out more, contact Jane on 07786980195 or visit here.

County council rejects claim it is watching on as small schools close

Senior county councillors have rejected accusations that the authority is failing to prevent classroom closures as it pushed forward moves to axe two village primaries.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive saw members express sympathy with those wanting to maintain Skelton Newby Hall, near Boroughbridge, and Hovingham, near York.

But they said extremely low school rolls had left them with few options.

The accusations levelled by Skelton Cum Newby Parish Council’s chairman Guy Critchlow follow those from numerous other community leaders, including Hovingham, as a succession of small rural schools across North Yorkshire have been closed in recent years.

They include Kell Bank Church of England Primary School near Masham.

Urging the council to consider alternatives to simply closing the school, Cllr Critchlow said the school was “viable and valuable to the surrounding areas” and the fact that pupil numbers had fallen to a single child was “not organically driven”.

He said a policy was developing “on the side of closing small schools”.

Cllr Critchlow said while Skelton Newby Hall school had been failed by its federation with Sharow school, while it had been run by the council it not been marketed appropriately to attract new pupils.

He added:

“The community feel this was a consultation in name only. We are a canary in the mine for the very essence of rural communities in North Yorkshire and for the new North Yorkshire Council.”

The meeting heard despite parents of children attending Skelton school being advised to find places for their children elsewhere several months before a consultation to close it, neither the Sharow school or the county council had discussed the matter with the Skelton community.

Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative representing Wathvale and Bishop Monkton division, said:

“I would like to think in future that whenever a school is in danger of closing, because of the pattern of warning signs from falling school numbers, then this information should be shared with North Yorkshire councillors and parish and town councils, much much earlier, so they can help with any ideas that would help prevent closure.”

However, the meeting heard “sharing early information” about school concerns on other occasions had seen parents vote with their feet.

‘Stark reality’

Cllr Janet Sanderson, executive member for children and families, said the council was frustrated with the small school closures situation and the restrictions of the closure process that had been handed down to it by government.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, said no applications had been received for pupils wanting to attend Hovingham as their first choice school from September, and that as a long-standing institution in the village near Malton it would be greatly missed.

She said North Yorkshire had about 50 schools and academies with fewer than 50 pupils, which was a sign of the council’s commitment to provide education in deeply rural communities.

Cllr Wilkinson said:

“The stark reality is that many of our schools, particularly those in rural areas, are seeing pupil numbers reduce year on year.

“Low numbers not only make the school unviable to keep running, but it is not always possible to provide children with a broad curriculum and high quality education.”

Read more:

‘Blended approach’

Read more:

Harrogate finance firm appoints new commercial officer

Read More:

1992: The future of shopping comes to Harrogate

Read more:

2008: A dilapidated Royal Hall brought back to former glory

2017: Goodbye to Crescent Gardens and a new home

Read more:

Read more:

‘Ugly box’ destroys Knaresborough flower bed

Read more:

Who currently runs leisure facilities in the district?

What will happen under the new council?

Read more:

1974: Dawn of a new council

1982: the conference centre opens under a cloud

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

‘Stark reality’