A senior county councillor has said It would be morally wrong for a council’s leadership to dispute the findings of an independent panel recommending how much elected members of a new unitary local authority should be paid.

A full meeting of North Yorkshire County Council next month will decide whether to accept setting annual allowances for the 90 elected members of the new council at £15,500.

However, the figure would be a fall for those dual councillors who currently sit on both the county council and district authorities.

The decision follows the county council’s executive supporting the findings of the five-member panel which concluded the workload of councillors would increase by about 25% in serving the unitary authority compared to the county council, which last year paid councillors a basic allowance of £10,316.

The panel, members of which have no connection to the council, said it had also taken inflation and allowances paid in comparable unitary authorities into account when making the recommendation.

The panel said it recognised the economic challenges being faced within the community and had been guided by and taken into consideration the average pay awards in the public sector of four to five per cent.

The panel’s report states: 

“Councillors volunteer for their roles. They are not remunerated at a commercial rate for their time, as if they were employees. However, the allowances should not be set at a level which acts as a disincentive to conscientious performance of duties, or which does not reflect the considerable time commitment required for the role.

“It is important that the council feels able to attract high quality candidates to stand as councillors, from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“There should also be no financial barrier to anyone who wishes to stand for election.”

Read more:

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• Explained: North Yorkshire Council’s plan for council tax

As the total cost of basic allowances paid over the last year to the county’s 319 county and district councillors is about £2m, the panel’s recommendation represents a saving of £636,000.

The issue is often among the most contentious decisions councillors are faced with and Cllr David Chance, executive member for corporate services, called for allowances to be set nationally in future.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s deputy leader, told the meeting the panel had made its recommendation after taking evidence from elected members as well as from comparable local authorities across the country.

He said: 

“I don’t think it is morally right for us to set an independent panel up and not accept its recommendations.”

Cllr Dadd said elected members would not have to take their full allowances.

He said while people may have a view on how much of an allowance councillors should be given, in approving the panel’s recommendation for consideration by the full council, executive members had to decide whether what was being proposed was “clearly absurd”.

The Thirsk councillor added the panel’s recommendation was “within the realms of reasonableness” and that it would be a dangerous move for the executive effectively to suggest their own pay rates.

Schoolchildren from Follifoot have helped to bury a time-capsule to mark 50 years since the Mackaness family bought Rudding Park. 

The capsule was placed in the ground alongside a time-capsule planted in 1997 to mark the 25th anniversary of the family’s ownership of the estate.  

Replicating the format from 1997, schoolchildren from Years 1-6 at Follifoot C of E Primary School were invited to enter a competition to create a piece of artwork which depicted a winter’s day in Follifoot. The winning entries would be included in the time-capsule, and this time round, the winners would also be invited to private cinema and pizza party. 

Seven winners, William, Imogen, Alex, Florence, Olive, Florence and Beatrice, were selected, and came along to see the time-capsule being planted.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park, said: 

“As a local business, we recognise the importance of reaching out to our local community. Children at the school helped us plant our first time-capsule in 1997 and we made a promise to invite the next generation of schoolchildren to help us mark the next 25 years, so to see that come to fruition is quite something.

“The children created some fantastic entries and it was very difficult to make a decision, however were delighted to welcome the winners to help us plant the time-capsule today.”  

Winning entries were placed inside the capsule, along with a number of Rudding Park branded items to reflect the times including: a face covering, Christmas bauble, a medal from the inaugural Rudding Park Race 10K, a silk scarf work by the reception team, and a copy of the Rudding Review – a newspaper with an overview of 2022.  

Rebecca Holland, headteacher at Follifoot Church of England Primary School, said:  

“We are extremely lucky to have Rudding Park on our door-step. They have generously supported the school with numerous fundraising activities over the years, so to be approached to involve the children one again in such an important milestone was an absolute thrill.

“We look forward to continuing our relationship and hope to be invited to plant a third time-capsule marking their 75th anniversary.”

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Keane Duncan is only 28 but he has already packed a lot into his political career.

At 19 he was selected as a Conservative candidate for election on to Ryedale District Council. The following year he was elected and at 24 he became council leader.

At 22, he became the youngest ever North Yorkshire county councillor and after being re-elected in May last year he was appointed executive member for highways and transportation — the most high profile role on the executive besides the leader. Criticism — often fierce — is part of the brief.

He says:

“The role I have got right now has been the biggest political challenge I’ve had. We cover an area five times the size of Greater London.

“Everybody has got an opinion on transport and everybody wants to express it. It is difficult to switch off because I feel very heavily the weight of responsibility that I’ve got.

“But it’s my home area. North Yorkshire is where I’m born and bred and an area that I want to do everything I can to improve.”

The role includes oversight of major schemes including the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway, the £70 million realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill, introducing a Harrogate park and ride and the headache-inducing Otley Road cycle route.

He became the youngest ever North Yorkshire county councillor at the age of 22.

Cllr Duncan, who was born in Malton in Ryedale, has also got six other districts besides Harrogate to worry about, not to mention countywide problems such as potholes and trying to prevent a mass cull of bus services at the end of March.

Councillors aren’t paid but they do receive allowances. Cllr Duncan currently receives a basic allowance of £10,316 per year plus £15,939 for his executive portfolio. These sums are set to rise to £15,500 and £19,554 respectively when North Yorkshire County Council is replaced by North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

When he isn’t on council duty he works as deputy news editor of the Daily Star, writing recently about everything from a monster python attacking a child to the death of former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev — who left power before Cllr Duncan was born.

He says:

“I work full-time in my journalism role and I would say I work full-time plus in my executive role so there is a lot of pressure. It does take a lot of time but I’m committed to my council duties.”

‘I believe in Conservative principles’

Cllr Duncan, a keen gym-goer, was the most eye-catching appointment to leader Carl Les’ 10-person executive, which is effectively his Cabinet, not least because he was 45 years younger than his predecessor Don Mackenzie.

During our interview, Cllr Duncan gave updates on the Otley Road cycle route and the gateway but we also wanted to know what has driven him since his teens to pursue politics so vigorously and what kind of Conservative he is. Even his degree is in politics. He says:

“Fundamentally I believe in Conservative principles — that is people taking responsibility, low taxes, everything you would expect from a Conservative.

“I do think I look at things slightly differently to some of my colleagues. That is maybe a result of being from a younger generation but I have always been prepared to make my own mind up on things. That isn’t always easy but I have done this for eight years through university and all my working life so far.

“I enjoy being a councillor and serving the public and for people who aren’t involved in local politics that’s difficult to explain and articulate. But it’s something I can’t imagine not having in my life.”

Pictured in Harrogate

Here’s what he had to say on the key local transport issues.

Kex Gill start ‘imminent’

Realigning the landslip-hit A59 at Kex Gill is “the most ambitious highways capital project that the county council has ever embarked on”, says Cllr Duncan.

Work has been delayed many times but the scheme is due to start any day. He said it was a deceptively complex project:

“On a map it looks very simple but we know there are all the engineering challenges this scheme presents. But we are committed to delivering this scheme.”

‘More comprehensive’ active travel schemes

The council’s commitment to active travel has been questioned by Harrogate District Cycle Action after Cllr Duncan indicated the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route won’t proceed.

Other cycling schemes on Beech Grove and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate have failed to progress, along with another scheme for Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

It seems they may now be shelved too as wider, more ambitious plans are drawn up after the council submits a bid to the fourth round of funding by Active Travel England, which funded the schemes.

He said:

“We are progressing on those schemes but there’s the prospect of further funding in active travel round four and there might be a case for using funding we have already secured and funding we might secure in that round to deliver much more comprehensive active travel schemes in the future. So we are really just waiting to see the outcomes of that.

“We are looking to improve those corridors but there might be more comprehensive things we can do in those locations but they would require further funding so we are working closely with Active Travel England, discussing our plans and proposals, and they are saying ‘don’t deliver a scheme just because you have funding for that element of a scheme, take a step back and look at the bigger picture and if you need further funding to deliver a more comprehensive scheme then we want to work with you to provide that’.”

Read more:

• Local Liberal Democrats could determine fate of £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Cycling group questions commitment to active travel in Harrogate district
• Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway: next phase looks set to be shelved

Speaking at County Hall in Northallerton

Park and ride location uncertain

The council previously said it had identified two possible sites for a park and ride in Pannal on land near Pannal Golf Club and the Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.

These were identified as they connect to the 36 bus service which runs between Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds on the A61.

But it seems this too is under review. Asked about the Pannal options, Cllr Duncan said:

“As far as I’m concerned that is one of many sites that have been explored so I wouldn’t want to rule anything in or out at this stage but certainly work is ongoing at this stage in the hope that we can get a positive outcome from it.

“I’m open minded about that and want to wait and see the outcomes of the analysis we are doing. I have not yet had confirmation as to when this is expected to conclude.”

Buses face ‘cliff edge’

Although funding for the 24 service between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate was secured for another year this week, Cllr Duncan says 79 services in North Yorkshire are at risk of reduced frequency of service or ceasing altogether.

D-Day is fast approaching. He says:

“Passenger numbers are 80% of where they were before the covid pandemic on average.

“Operating costs and staffing costs have increased significantly and that has created this perfect storm. The scale of that challenge will far exceed the £1.6m of subsidy we set aside every year which has been the case since 2016.

“The cliff edge moment is going to be March when the central government funding comes to an end. But when the people of North Yorkshire are for whatever reason not using buses, it wouldn’t be right to then ask the public to pay more to subsidise services they are not using. That is not sustainable.

“The only real way forward is passengers. Passengers are the key to this problem and we need people to use buses.”

From Oxford Street to West Park, Harrogate has seen a flurry of recent planning applications to build flats above town centre shops.

Over the past few years, developers have turned their attention to local high streets – specifically to unused retail space.

It’s part of a trend across the UK which has grown since the covid pandemic.

Instead of new build estates on the outskirts of town, developers see town centres as key for both tackling the housing market and revitalising the high street.

Alex Goldstein, an independent property consultant who works in Harrogate and London, said the trend would be good for the town centre, particularly for younger people who want to live closer to their workplace.

He added that the move was also a chance to regenerate Harrogate’s high street, which has fallen on hard times in recent years along with other towns.

Alex Goldstein, property consultant in Harrogate.

Mr Goldstein said:

“I see this as a good thing. I have been banging on about it for years.

“We need to stop building new builds on the outskirts of town.”

Mr Goldstein added that the trend was replicated in bigger cities, such as London, where people want to be close to “cafe culture” and working remotely.

Harrogate following the trend

Cities such as Lincoln prepared for the changing high street as long ago as 2006, when City of Lincoln Council published its masterplan for the city centre.

It aimed to keep people in the city centre by offering a mixture of retail and “experience”, such as coffee shops and cinemas.

The move is a far cry from the usual consumer retail units, such as Primark and River Island, which high streets have become known for.

The aim of keeping people in the city centre would partly be done by creating more residential space, the council said.

Harrogate is not immune to this trend.

On West Park, space above the now closed Orvis store is proposed to be converted into six new flats.

Read more:

• Harrogate council refuses James Street aparthotel plan
• Plan approved to create five flats above Cambridge Street shops

Just a stone’s throw away on Cambridge Street, new apartments are proposed above a former phone shop and multiple applications have been submitted to convert the former post office on Cambridge Road into accommodation.

Meanwhile, the government recently stepped in to approve a redevelopment of the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street into three new flats.

A 17-bedroom aparthotel scheme on the floors above the new Oliver Bonas store on James Street was also planned, but was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council.

Left, the rear of the property on the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street currently; right, the proposed alteration.

In a report by estate agents Savills, Paul Wellman, residential researcher at the firm, estimated 36,000 new homes were built close to town centres across the UK in the five years to June 2020.

Since then, the move to think differently about retail on the high street has “accelerated” due to the covid pandemic.

Mr Wellman said:

“The truth is our towns and city centres were already changing.

“In 2020 these changes accelerated. As the need for particular uses and businesses usually found in the heart of towns and cities reduces, opportunities arise to remodel and revitalise those places.

“Whilst covid has given some the desire for countryside and green open spaces, for others it has meant convenience and being part of a community.”

An opportunity for young people

Much of the discussion around converting unused retail space into housing has centred on getting people in closer proximity to bars, restaurants and offices.

While cities such as Manchester and Leeds may have a wider retail offer to youngsters, Harrogate has its own selling point.

Allessandro Biraglia, associate professor of marketing at the University of Leeds, said Harrogate had its own independent retail sector, which bigger cities may not have due to expensive rates and bigger franchises dominating the high street.

As a result, he said living within a smaller town centre may offer an opportunity to “young professionals” who want to get their business ideas off the ground.

He said:

“Having the possibility to live above the shop and having everything in one place would be enticing for many young professionals.”

‘The high street is shifting’

The legacy of covid has led to estate agents, property developers and businesses rethinking how they use the space available to them in town centres.

While larger developers will continue to opt for strategic housing sites, others will see chances to create homes in the heart of the high street such as Harrogate.

For Mr Goldstein, the move is a good thing for town centres.

“The high street is shifting from the usual.”

Businesses around Harrogate town centre could get money towards a spruce-up thanks to money from Harrogate Business Improvement District.

The organisation is offering match-funded grants of up to £750 for members looking to upgrade their frontages, as it aims to make the town centre welcoming and attractive.

Businesses could use the money to update paintwork and signage, or to improve their accessibility, as part of the 2023 scheme.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate BID is delighted to continue its support to members’ paying businesses, helping them make improvements to their street frontages and the accessibility of their premises, thanks to these match-funded grants.

“We are constantly aspiring to make Harrogate a desirable place to do business, as well as an attractive place to visit. Our match-funded improvement grant supports our efforts to make Harrogate ‘safe, clean and welcoming’, as outlined in our business plan.

“As long as the work enhances a façade, or makes it more accessible for disabled customers, we will consider it. As there is a limited budget for the 2023 town centre improvements grant scheme, they will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.”

Last year, jewellery business Fattorinis received £750 towards the refurbishment of its Victorian canopy on Parliament Street, with the addition of a new facia board and signage.

The changes helped to raise the profile of the business after it changed hands last year. Others to benefit from the grant scheme included The Den, Cold Bath Brewing, Drum and Monkey, and the Coach and Horses.

Any business interested in applying for a grant should submit a request to Harrogate BID with a description of the work to be carried out or the equipment needed, along with quotations and an expected completion date.

Read more:

• New chair to take the reins at Harrogate BID
• Business rates to reduce for majority of Harrogate firms, says BID

Just 44% of 999 calls in North Yorkshire are being answered on time, according to figures in a new report.

The report by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner‘s office said the national target is for 90% of 999 calls to be answered in under 10 seconds.

But between November 2021 and November 2022, only 44% were answered within this time in the county.

The document also revealed that between February and December 2022, the average non-emergency 101 call answer time ranged from 4 minutes and 3 seconds to 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Unlike for 999 calls, nationally there is no imposed target for answering 101 calls.

Police, fire and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has described the figures as “unacceptable”.

Her office has awarded the force control room  a £1.8 million a year to improve the times.

The report, which will be debated by North Yorkshire County Council‘s police, fire and crime panel on February 6, said:

“This investment will enable the Chief Constable to fund 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.”

Read more:

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The document highlights how call volume has increased, saying:

“Nationally there has been a 16% increase in 999 calls to the police, and 2022 saw the highest number of emergency calls to North Yorkshire Police ever in one month (over 10,000 in July and August).”

The report also said the commissioner “wants the force to explore how they could deliver a long-term programme of public education and awareness about when to contact the police, and the most appropriate method for doing so”.

North Yorkshire Police usually receives over 10,000 emergency 999 calls a month.

Harrogate Borough Council has refused plans for a longstanding garage in Hampsthwaite to relocate.

Simon Graeme Auto Services Centre, which is based on Grayston Plain Lane, had submitted a planning application to relocate onto the opposite side of the road.

The move would have seen a new purpose built facility built and the current MOT centre and car park demolished.

The new garage would also have included units for MOT servicing, training space and a reception and office. Fifteen car parking spaces would be provided, including six electric vehicle charging points.

However, the council has rejected the plan on the grounds that the development site was in open countryside and considered to be “unsustainably located”.

It added:

“By virtue of its scale and the introduction of built development into an open landscape the proposal is considered to create a significant level of landscape harm to both the open countryside and the views into and out of the Nidderdale AONB.”

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said the larger building was needed in order to “respond to changes in the automotive industry”.

It said:

“The business has outgrown the site and given the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles, together with need to maintain services for the farming community, there is a clear need for a larger, more bespoke building.

“This would also enable the building to be future proofed in terms of electric vehicle charging.”

The garage, situated just off the A59 near to Hampsthwaite, has been established for over 25 years.

Read more:

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Police are appealing for CCTV footage around the Granby Road area after a man was assaulted in Harrogate.

The victim was approached by an unknown man on Granby Road and assaulted, leaving him with minor injuries to his hand, wrist and ankle.

It happened on Monday, January 23, around 2.20pm.

Police describe the man they want to speak to as white, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, and around 6ft tall with dark, mid-length hair. He was wearing a red coat and carrying a dark rucksack.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’re now requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, our officers are keen to hear from any local residents that may have CCTV or doorbell cameras which may have caught the incident.”

Anyone with information that could help the investigation should email beth.long@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call 101, select option two, and ask for Beth Long.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 12230013525.

Read more:

• ‘No suspicious circumstances’ in sudden death in Harrogate, police say
• Harrogate’s former Kimberley Hotel being used for drugs and crime, say police

Six Conservative councillors have denied a councillor from the same party the chance to receive a prestigious civic title.

Harrogate Borough Council has the power to bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwomen to past members who have given over 15 years of good service.

The impending abolition of the council on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire unitary council means a host of councillors can be considered.

The list includes Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, who has been a borough councillor for 15 years but had been the subject of a standards investigation following comments he made.

During a meeting last month, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper proposed a successful motion to change the council’s constitution and effectively ban councillors from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they have fallen foul of the council’s code of conduct but have then refused to take any of the recommended actions such as apologise to members.

The authority’s general purposes committee met yesterday evening and voted on which councillors would be recommended for the title.

Read more:

• Long-serving Harrogate councillor banned from becoming honorary alderwoman
• Former Harrogate councillor made Honorary Alderman for North Yorkshire

Before voting on Cllr Brown, head of legal and governance Jennifer Norton read out a statement on his behalf that said the councillor believed he had no outstanding course of action to take following his investigation.

Ms Norton said:

“The decision notice identifies two actions, the first one being to draw the process to a close as it’s not been possible to reach a satisfactory conclusion or an apology — and the second one is to recommend to Cllr Brown that he reflects on the concerns raised and considers whether the points he was trying to make in a submission were well served by his style of presentation or use of injudicious language.

“Cllr Brown advises me that he’s reflected on the concerns raised and has also informed me that on September 24, 2021, he sent an email to all his colleagues with an informal apology. In this way he feels there are no outstanding courses of action for him to take when you assess that against the decision notice.”

However, six Conservative councillors on the committee — Richard Cooper, Tim Myatt, Rebecca Burnett, Matt Scott, Ed Darling and Sam Gibbs — all voted against recommending Cllr Brown for the honorary alderman title.

Ripon independent, Pauline McHardy, Liberal Democrat, Philip Broadbank and Cllr Brown himself voted in favour.

Longest serving female also excluded

By six votes to three, the committee also voted against recommending Liberal Democrat member for Hookstone, Pat Marsh, who is the longest-serving female councillor on the authority with 33 years’ service.

Cllr Marsh was found to have breached the council’s code of conduct after she made comments to a resident, that were secretly recorded, about council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

A standards panel at HBC asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology but she refused, citing her right to free speech and accusing the panel of not being politically balanced, having two Conservatives and one independent councillor.

By five votes to four, councillors voted against former Ripon councillor and current county councillor Andrew Williams from becoming an honorary alderman despite his 20 years of service.

The full list of councillors put forward for the title and how long they have served is below:

Philip Broadbank, Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck (44 years)
Nigel Simms, Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard (24 years)
Margaret Atkinson, former Conservative councillor for Fountains and Ripley (23 years)
Jim Clark, former Conservative councillor for Harlow (22 years)
Trevor Chapman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange (19 years)
Michael Harrison, Conservative councillor for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite (19 years)
Sid Hawke, Ripon Independents councillor for Ripon Ure Bank (18 years)
Stuart Martin, Conservative councillor for Ripon Moorside (18 years)
Christine Willoughby, Liberal Democrats councillor for Knaresborough Eastfield (17 years)
Matthew Webber, Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park (16 years)
Robert Windass, Conservative councillor for Boroughbridge (15 years)

The 24 bus route between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate has been saved until at least April next year.

The service provides a lifeline for many people in rural parts of Nidderdale, including Birstwith, Darley and Summbridge.

North Yorkshire County Council warned this month it was one of about 80 bus routes in North Yorkshire facing uncertain futures at the end of March.

But councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said today:

“The 24 is a key route that many people rely on so I am pleased to announce that we have been able to step in to support this service.

“When the operator notified us that it planned to withdraw most services on this route, we secured short-term funds to cover these until April 2023.

“This allowed us time to investigate a longer-term solution. We have now secured continuation of the service until April 2024, operated by Transdev (The Harrogate Bus Company).

Read more:

• Talks to save 24 bus from Pateley to Harrogate as cull looms
• £2 cap on Harrogate district bus fares starts today

Cllr Duncan added the timetable will continue unchanged, but with most journeys now receiving financial support.

“We hope that passengers will support the 24 service and that usage will build over the coming 12 months.

“This positive outcome on the 24 is part of our efforts to support several at risk routes across North Yorkshire.

“We will continue to work closely with operators in order to protect as much of the bus network as we can through a period of unprecedented pressure.”