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.

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.

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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

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”.

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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.

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.

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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.”

Conservative councillor Nick Brown has told the Stray Ferret he was left deeply disappointed by the dispute over making him an Honorary Alderman of the Borough of Harrogate.

This week many Conservative councillors voted in favour of giving him the civic title, going against a motion put forward by Harrogate Borough Council‘s Conservative leader Richard Cooper.

The title is being bestowed on councillors who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority, which is being abolished next week after 49 years.

Cllr Brown said:

“I am honoured that most of my Conservative colleagues voted for me to become an honorary alderman despite the attempts of the council leader to block my nomination.”

Cllr Cooper’s motion proposed blocking any councillor from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they refused to take actions recommended by the council’s standards panel.

The row over Cllr Brown’s Alderman status centred on the outcome of a standards investigation into comments he made about Cllr Cooper.

Following the investigation, Cllr Brown issued an apology to the council leader, which he shared with all Conservative councillors.

But his apology was not accepted by Cllr Cooper, who said advice from the council’s Independent Person deemed the apology “not acceptable”.

Cllr Brown said:

“Although I made an apology, in the final decision by the external, independent, deputy monitoring officer appointed by the council, there was no necessity for an apology, or for it to be agreed by the council’s Independent Person.

“Many Conservative members of the public supported me and feel the whole issue created unnecessary division in the party locally on what should have been a harmonious final council meeting.

“I hope Cllr Cooper reflects on this.”

Cllr Brown said he now wished to put the matter behind him and focus on his new role as the councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton on the new North Yorkshire Council.

Read More: 

• Honorary alderman row overshadows final Harrogate council meeting
• Harrogate councillors block fellow Conservative from civic title as standards row continues

Harrogate is home to one of Britain’s most famous sporting dynasties — the Mills family.

Dad Danny played football for England and Leeds and while his 19-year-old son Stanley is forging a career with Everton, 23-year-old son George is making a name as an international middle distance runner.

George was 1,500 metre British champion in 2020 and has realistic ambitions of representing the UK at the World Championships in Budapest this year and at the Olympics in Paris next year.

Like most international athletes he lives a nomadic life, spending winter training in South Africa and then alternating between there, Leipzig in Germany and St Moritz in Switzerland during the summer race season.

Training in St Moritz

But his roots are firmly in Harrogate, having lived in the town for most of his childhood when he attended Ashville College, Brackenfield School and St Aidan’s Church of England High School. His youngest brother is still at St Aidan’s. George says:

“St Aidan’s is where I got properly into running. I was in Year 7 and I went to a lunchtime cross-country club every week. I started doing local school races and joined Harrogate Harriers when I was 12 or 13 where I had my first proper coach.”

Under Jo Day’s guidance at Harrogate Harriers, he improved rapidly and became under-18 European 800 metres champion at the age of 17 by running a remarkable 1 minute 48.36 seconds.

Jo recalls:

“Everything I asked George to do he did. I had to pull the reins in on him at times because he wanted to work so hard.

“He was incredibly focused. If you are going to do something in the Mills family, you do it 110%!”

George in a Harrogate Harriers shirt with coach Jo Day

In September 2017 George moved to Brighton to attend university and transferred to Brighton Phoenix, the club 1980 Olympic 800 metres champion Steve Ovett ran for. But injuries kept him off the track for three frustrating years.

He bounced back in 2020 to win British indoor and outdoor titles at 1,500 metres — the distance he now focuses on.

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But international athletics is a brutal and unforgiving sport. His senior British debut at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade last year turned into an “absolute disaster” when he thought he’d recovered from a bug only to fade to seventh in his heat.

He was then tripped in his second senior international appearance at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul this month.

George, however, doesn’t dwell on these disappointments. He says:

“You learn to roll with it. There’s always setbacks in sport. It’s how you deal with them that counts.”

Instead he is focusing on doing everything he can to have the best chance of success in the 18-month run-up to the Olympics. And we mean everything: he runs up to 180 kilometres a week in training, which even by the standards of the Mills family, where everybody exercises at least five times a week, is extreme. He jokes:

“They think I’m a bit of a weirdo because it’s so time consuming.”

Parental support

His parents are, however, totally behind him and occasionally watch him race. George, who is now a member of On Athletics Club Europe’s elite team of young runners, says:

“Having a dad from a high level sporting background was positive. He taught me about discipline and training — how I have to eat, sleep and train right and recover right. Being a professional sportsman is a 24/7 thing.”

Running may have usurped football but the bond remains strong. He grew up kicking a ball and admits he was “an absolute glory hunter as a kid” who supported Chelsea but now just supports his brother, who made his Everton debut last year.

George runs up to 180km a week

Athletes may be the financial poor relations to footballers but the route to the top is every bit as hard.

British middle distance is currently the strongest it’s been since the 1980s golden era of Ovett, Coe and Cram so even qualifying for major championships is tough.

George, however, is up for the challenge of being an Olympian in 2024.

“The level is incredible at the moment but if I said to you ‘I don’t believe I will make it’, I would be lying. It’s my sole focus. Paris next year is the big goal. But it’s way easier said than done.”

One thing is for sure, he won’t shirk the challenge.

“I’m very much a believer in mindset and the people you surround yourself with. Success breeds success.”

The owners of Harrogate’s Leon site have remained tight lipped over its future amid speculation it could become a Starbucks.

The Stray Ferret revealed this month the Wetherby Road fast food venue would cease trading, with the loss of about 20 jobs, on April 2.

The site is operated by EG Group, which has a chain of forecourts across the country.

They include franchise partners such as Starbucks, Greggs and KFC.

The Stray Ferret approached EG Group to ask for an update on the site and if any replacement had been found for Leon, but we did not receive a response.

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However, a source within Leon have told the Stray Ferret that a Starbucks drive-thru is the likely option for the site.

The company considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before Leon was announced instead.

Initial plans for Starbucks

Planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council back in 2019 proposed a drive-thru “to be operated by Starbucks Coffee Company” on the site.

However, following planning approval on appeal, EG Group announced a Leon would open at the site.

Residents near to the drive-thru raised concern that the scheme was not as advertised in the initial plan.

The Stray Ferret asked the borough council in April 2022 how the company was able to build the scheme as a Leon drive-thru when the original approval for the site showed a Starbucks coffee shop.

At the time, a borough council spokesperson said:

“Permission was granted by the Planning Inspectorate for a ‘coffee shop to include a drive-thru’, not specifically for a Starbucks. 

“The Inspectorate did not add any conditions to the permission they gave restricting the use of the premises solely to a coffee shop, so it can legally be used for any other use within the same use class, which includes a drive thru food and drink establishment. 

“So permission is not required for any change of use. However, the building being built differs from the one given planning permission. Therefore, a planning application has been submitted for these changes and is under consideration.”

Three Harrogate shops will feature in an episode of  BBC One’s Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr next week.

The ‘Chatty Man’ was seen filming the programme outside Westmorland Sheepskins, in Harrogate, last summer.

The episode will showcase the transformation of three independent stores – Westmorland Sheepskins, Daniel Footwear and another women’s clothing store.

The 8-part programme follows 10 designers competing for a commercial interior design contract.

The contestants take on a new interior design challenge up and down the country each week, ranging from shops and restaurants, to beach huts and bars.

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Each unit had a unique brief and design requirements, and the designers pitched their plans to the Harrogate shop owners, who decided their favourite idea and nominated a lead designer.

The designers had a budget of £3,000 and just two days to transform the allocated space.

Pic: Daniel Footwear as seen on BBC’s Interior Design Master

Westmorland Sheepskins said:

“The cats out of the bag — you probably saw the front of our shop on this week’s episode.

“It was a new experience for us that we thoroughly enjoyed, and we cannot wait to see the final edit”.

The episode will air next Tuesday at 8pm on BBC One. 

Sadly, Westmorland Sheepskins has announced the closure of its Harrogate store this week.

This story is sponsored by Myrings Estate Agents 

Accidental landlords should avoid the temptation to go it alone when letting out their property, one of the best-known names in the district’s estate agency sector has warned. 

Charles Myring, of award-winning Harrogate estate agent Myrings, said people who find themselves in the rental marketplace by chance – for example by inheriting a property – often try to do things on the cheap, but it’s a false economy. He said: 

“It’s pretty much the same as engaging in DIY dentistry – it’s not easy and it’s very likely to hurt.” 

The boom in the rental market over the last decade has seen a sharp upturn in accidental landlords, as people coming into property seek to use the rental income as an extra revenue stream. It is believed that as many as 30% of rental properties in the UK are let by accidental landlords. 

Mr Myring said: 

“The main thing to bear in mind at all times is that renting out property must be treated as a proper business – not a fascinating hobby like stamp-collecting. There have been so many changes to rules, regulations and taxation in recent years that you’ve got to take letting seriously, and the best way to do that is by enlisting the help of experts like Myrings.” 

The list of items landlords are required by law to secure has expanded in recent years to include Right to Rent checks, gas safety certificates, energy performance certificates and electrical installation condition reports. Properties also need to be inspected regularly, and repairs need to be carried out promptly. 

Mr Myring said: 

“Boilers don’t tend to go wrong at 9 o’clock on a Monday morning – they have a nasty habit of breaking down at 6 o’clock on a Saturday evening, and you need to be able to deal with that straight away. 

“Tenants are not paying guests – they are buying a clearly defined service – i.e. accommodation – as part of a two-way legally-binding contract. It’s a symbiotic relationship and you’ve got to hold up your end of the bargain. 

“But we can do all that for you. We’ve been operating successfully in Harrogate for over 25 years, and we’ve built up good relationships with lots of traders, so any work that needs to be done urgently can be taken care of without any hassle.” 

Last year, Myrings picked up four awards from TV property expert Phil Spencer at the ESTAS Customer Service Awards 2022 – the biggest awards in the UK property industry – including Best in County. 

This year it has been awarded Gold in both the Sales and Letting categories by the Best Estate Agent Guide 2023. 

Mr Myring added: 

“There is a steady stream of new laws and regulations for both professional and accidental landlords, and non-compliance to ever more legislation can have serious and costly consequences. 

“That’s why accidental landlords need to choose a very good letting agent (I recommend Myrings!) to help you manage a huge asset and do everything to optimise your income, collect your rent and help you sleep soundly at night.”

Find out more:  

If you’re a Harrogate homeowner or involved in the local property market in any way, call Myrings on 01423 566400 for a free no-obligation chat about its residential sales and lettings services, or visit the website: myringsestateagents.com. 

Harrogate’s struggling Royal Baths could soon have two new tenants.

North Yorkshire County Council bought the site as an investment asset for £9 million in 2018 but it has not generated the returns hoped for.

When the council bought the site, the units were occupied by J D Wetherspoon, The Potting Shed bar, the Viper Rooms nightclub and Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant.

But the Potting Shed has been closed for years and the sudden demise of the Viper Rooms in December left half the units unoccupied.

Days after the Viper Rooms closed, the council said the site had attracted “significant interest from potential tenants”. But three months on it remains empty.

In an update today, Gary Fielding, the county council’s corporate director for strategic resources, said:

“A unit which did house the Viper Rooms is continuing to attract significant interest, and an agent has been appointed to co-ordinate discussions with potential tenants.

“A lease has been signed for the final unit and a dialogue with the tenant is continuing to establish when the new venture will be launched.”

The new North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the Grade II listed Royal Baths on April 1 when the county council, along with seven district councils including Harrogate Borough Council, ceases to exist.

Read more:

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Harrogate’s skies were transformed into a dazzling display of colour last night due to the Northern Lights.

The Met Office said yesterday the arrival of fast solar winds could mean the aurora borealis would be visible in Scotland and possibly northern England.

Sally Margerison, a keen observer of the astral phenomenon, was once again on hand to capture it beautifully from her house in Harlow Hill.

Ms Margerison follows the Aurora Alerts twitter site, which predicts the lights could be seen again tonight over the Harrogate district. She said:

“If the aurora ovation is KP 5 or above it’s likely to be visible in northern England.

“The KP was 6 last night so I am lucky to have a good view of the northern horizon from my loft window and can easily see it if there’s clear skies.

“It’s predicted to be a high KP tonight as well.”

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