A new era for social housing in Harrogate?

An uncertain economic climate for housebuilders could mean Harrogate Borough Council will buy more social housing like its unprecedented £4.5m spend on 52 homes on Whinney Lane.

HBC’s cabinet gave the green light for 36 of the homes to be made available for social rent with 16 transferred to HBC’s housing company, Bracewell Homes, to be sold under shared ownership.

The developer Stonebridge would not tell the Stray Ferret why it is selling the homes to HBC, but there have been signs locally that housebuilders are expressing caution in a market that has been thrown up in the air by coronavirus.

HBC’s planned purchase at Whinney Lane has been called its biggest investment into social housing in over a decade and could open the door to similar investments that will help people living in the district pay rent at a genuinely affordable price.

Waiting lists

The council has 1,523 households on its waiting list  — but in Harrogate, less than one in ten applicants are likely to be allocated a property each year.

This waiting list has swelled as Right to Buy sales have depleted HBC of its housing stock.

Introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, Right to Buy gives council tenants the option to buy the property they live in for a discounted rate.

But critics say it has trapped people into expensive and often poor quality private rented accommodation and has stripped councils like Harrogate of a vital revenue stream.

Affordable housing

HBC says that to create socially diverse communities, every large development in the district must include 40% “affordable” housing, which means homes sold at 80% of the market rate.

However, in a high-value town like Harrogate, an “affordable” home still costs over £300,000.

HBC’s own Draft Housing Strategy 2019-24 concedes that the town is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the town.

This means people earning a modest salary will never be able to get on Harrogate’s unforgiving housing ladder and could be trapped paying high rents forever, unable to save for a deposit.

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Liberal Democrat county councillor Geoff Webber told the Stray Ferret that he’s “ecstatic” HBC looks set to make the Whinney Lane purchase, and hopes there will be more to come.

He called on the council to usher in a “comprehensive programme of council house building”, where the homes are protected from Right to Buy and are available in perpetuity at a social rent.

Winds of change

Council estates have at times gained a reputation for bad behaviour which Mr Webber blamed on austerity and the closure of local housing offices.

Planners have avoided placing large concentrations of social housing together over fears of creating so-called “ghettos”.

But where once social housing was seen as politically difficult, it’s now firmly on the agenda. In each of the major political parties’ manifestos there were commitments on building more social housing.

After the second world war, the UK rebuilt itself with a massive programme of social housing and it’s been suggested that we should do the same to recover from coronavirus and deal with the housing crisis.

Locally, the mood music is also positive and at the cabinet meeting both council leader Richard Cooper and cabinet member for housing Mike Chambers enthusiastically backed the Whinney Lane purchase.

While the 32 homes at Whinney Lane will only represent a small dent into the council’s waiting list, Geoff Webber said building more social housing is a win-win for Harrogate.

He said:

“People living in council homes are no different to anybody else, they might have a little less money but they are no different. Some of them are absolutely essential to Harrogate’s economy.”

Strayside Sunday: The Yorkshire district councils need a clear devolution vision

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

I was in Westminster this week and senior sources close to Simon Clarke, the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, tell me he is committed to regional devolution – ‘it will happen.’  Devolution is seen by the government as a central pillar of its “levelling up” agenda, targeting economic growth, social inclusion and community engagement in the territories north of Watford Gap.

The theory is that elected Mayors, given new powers to form ‘development corporations’ specific to their region, supported by a single tier of regional unitary authorities of scale, will be much more agile and responsive to the economic and social needs of their local population than national politicians will ever be.  Almost total relaxation of existing planning rules look set to become a centrepiece of these new arrangements, opening the way for mixed use town centres.  The policy white paper outlining these plans in detail will land within the next week or two.

This is to be celebrated and offers the tantalising prospect of a £2 billion plus funding settlement for the region if, and it is a big if, our local leaders at borough and county council level can set aside their differences and agree on a devolution blueprint.  At the moment, this seems like a distant prospect, with the leaders of North Yorkshire County and Harrogate Borough Council engaged in a public relations ‘air war’ over their respective devolution plans.  NYCC leader Councillor Carl Les wants to lead a single large unitary council to include Harrogate and its districts (population 600,000 plus), while HBC leader Councillor Cooper proposes 2 smaller unitary authorities, with Harrogate leading 6 other local districts in one of them (population 400,000 plus).

In a press release on Tuesday, Councillor Les set out his pitch for unitary status: Clear accountability for service provision, millions of pounds of savings for the taxpayer by removing service duplication, the empowerment of town and parish councils and the creation of meaningful community networks.

In response, in a letter to local businesses this week, Councillor Cooper laid out his opposition to such a plan.  He contends that the devolved authority would create a ‘massive’ and remote bureaucracy; that employers would have less contact and influence on decisions affecting their future and that North Yorkshire risks spending its time in conflict with its government neighbour the City of York.  Let’s consider each of these contentions in turn.

First, some argue that although tiny, Harrogate itself is a remote bureaucracy.  And, as North Yorkshire pointed out in a press release on Tuesday, size isn’t everything.  Indeed, Labour-led Durham, which became a unitary authority 12 years ago, is consistently ranked among the best councils in the land.  This notwithstanding that it serves a population of well over half a million.  Setting aside the fact that Durham and North Yorkshire are neighbours and share a great many characteristics, if this is what a “mega” council delivers, then yes please, I’d like some of that.

Second, I’d like to hear why a smaller catchment for a devolved authority would be better for business and better for residents?  What is the substance behind the argument that cosy and intimate delivers more effective and cost-efficient government?  I challenge HBC to set out how its actions to date, demonstrate its responsiveness to local business and make it fit to sit atop a unitary authority.  What matters, surely, is vision, imaginative policies that give life to the vision, and local politicians with the competence and courage to behave properly and get things done.

Third, rejecting a course of action because of the possible risk of bad blood and behaviour between politicians  (for that is what it would be) must surely be wrong.  It’s up to us, the electorate, to expect and demand more from our elected representatives.

For my part I am fully persuaded (for now) of the merits of a single, devolved North Yorkshire unitary authority on the grounds that the North Yorkshire County Council bid has a positive and expansive vision for what it might do for residents and community.  This, rather than a myopic ‘not invented here’ perspective, that, absent a vibrant and fleshed out alternative vision for devolution, seems designed only to maintain a self-interested grip on the levers of power.

And time is running short for Harrogate Borough Council and its supporters to lay out a positive alternative vision for a smaller unitary authority.  If it is able to come up with a plan that places people and their wellbeing demonstrably at the heart of its thinking, invigorates business, fundamentally reimagines how services are delivered and reimagines our town centre, then I’m all ears.

Finally, in last week’s column I criticised Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Council, for following the Conservative lead in warning her team that they would be suspended, were they to be identified as the culprit who leaked the council’s confidential report into the dire financial state of Harrogate Convention Centre and the £46 million plans for its renovation.

I want to make clear that my criticism of her action was and is from first principles: the report should never have been marked confidential; neither the council nor the convention centre are private businesses, they are in fact funded with taxpayer money.  As such, reports into their performance should be made public, by definition, in my opinion.  The report was marked confidential to hide the dreadful financial performance it revealed.  Councillor Marsh should be calling this poor performance out, even if, as I accept, she felt her actions were constrained by the National Code of Conduct for councillors in respect of the leak.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

 

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What do you think of Paul’s column – contact him on paul@thestrayferret.co.uk

 

Harrogate district MPs silent on government planning reforms

Harrogate District MPs are remaining tight-lipped about the government’s planning proposals as a storm brews within the Conservative party over the reforms.

If passed, the proposals would have a big impact locally and could see Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan redrawn so land would fall into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.

The government could also set a fresh housing needs requirement for Harrogate if they think more homes should be built on brownfield sites within the district.

The Stray Ferret asked Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams whether they backed the proposals but none responded at the time of publication.

The BBC reported last week that one Tory MP is predicting “quite a battle” in the Conservative party over the issue.

Conservative MP for the Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he is worried the reforms will lead to “the slums of tomorrow” due to lower quality housing being built in affluent areas.

On the Today Programme this morning, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely even suggested that a large amount of new homes being built on the island could affect his majority at the next General Election.

James Jamieson, the Local Government Association’s chairman and a Conservative councillor also said a loss of local control over developments “would be a concern.”

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The government wants to see 300,000 homes built a year in the UK and housing minister Robert Jenrick said the proposals will “cut red tape” to deliver housebuilding on a faster scale.

But it’s been criticised by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who called the proposals “disgrace” and the Labour Party who called it a “developers’ charter”.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the government’s planning reforms won’t do enough for affordable or social housing in the district.

She said:

“Yet again, we are witnessing a Conservative-run government who are completely unwilling to understand what people need. Reforming planning laws will not aid those who are either stuck on waiting lists or struggling to get the funds together to buy their own home.”

Independent café opens in Harrogate Next store

An Italian independent café has opened on the top floor of Next in Harrogate town centre.

Caffe Masserella opened to the public for the first time on Wednesday. Next Harrogate is the fourth retail shop Caffe Masserella has moved into in Yorkshire.

Jake Earnshaw, Store Manager at Next, Harrogate said:

“Next were looking for some independents, mostly it’s chains in Next stores so they thought in Harrogate it would be nice to have an independent. It has been really busy, they exceeded what they needed to take on Wednesday. It has been buzzing.”

Caffe Masserella has a history dating back over 150 years when Giovanni Massarella and his brothers arrived in the UK from Italy.

Giovanni’s family downline used their Italian heritage to start an ice cream business in the 1950s before opening cafés across the UK.

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Aiden Gambles, Manager at Harrogate’s Caffe Massarella said:

“The opening was meant to happen post-lockdown but now the ball’s rolling. I like to make everybody happy spending time in my cafe. It’s slightly different with covid procedures but we’re getting used to it. It’s an exciting time for me and the team I have here.”

Caffe Masserella’s menu includes a variety of artisan sandwiches, sweet treats and hot drinks.

Services held across the district to commemorate VJ Day

People from across the district came together today to commemorate VJ Day on its 75th anniversary.

Today commemorates Victory over Japan which led to the end of World War Two.

Services were held in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough to remember all of those who served and sacrificed their lives in the Far East to bring an end to the war. A two minute silence took place at 11am to remember the fallen.

Similar to VE Day in May, celebrations had to be reduced to allow for social distancing.

In Harrogate, members of the public, local dignitaries and members of the armed forces gathered to pay their respects at the war memorial. The Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Stuart Martin, said it was an “honour” to lay a wreath this morning.

Harrogate Mayor lays a wreath on VJ Day

Harrogate’s Mayor, Councillor Stuart Martin, lay a wreath this morning to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. Credit: Ernesto Regatta.

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Members of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion arranged a service at the town’s war memorial in the castle grounds. During the service the newly refurbished commemoration bench was unveiled.

In Ripon, a small service was held within Spa Gardens with local representatives placing a wreath on the war memorial.

Ripon’s Mayor Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“On landmark days like these, we take a few minutes to remember what the men and women of the armed forces have done for us in every theatre of war and continue to do for us in keeping the peace.”

County council chair urges residents to commemorate VJ Day

North Yorkshire County Council’s chairman has encouraged residents to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Japan today.

Today commemorates the surrender of Imperial Japan on August 15, 1945, which led to the end of the Second World War.

Nationally, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will lead a two-minute silence from 11am at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and the Red Arrows will perform a fly past over Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London.

The BBC will also broadcast VJ Day 75: A Nation’s Tribute and screens in locations across the country will show a photo montage showcasing living Second World War veterans.

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It will include the Duke of Edinburgh who was present on board HMS Whelp in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese surrender.

Cllr Jim Clark has called on residents in North Yorkshire to also commemorate the anniversary.

He said:

“Whatever the reason for perhaps not marking it in the past, for this 75th anniversary I would like each and every one of us to take time to remember the events of 75 years ago in whatever way you feel appropriate.

“Remember all the brave service men and women who made great sacrifices, some the ultimate sacrifice, including those of our great county, so that we enjoy the freedoms we value so much today. Remember also the large number of innocent civilians, including many children, who died because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Finally, I would like to thank all of you who have gone the extra mile over the last few months, both paid staff and volunteers. It has been North Yorkshire communities at their best and once again I invite you to stand together in remembrance and thanksgiving; against hate and prejudice; and to build stronger communities.

“This will allow us all to face an uncertain future with hope and confidence.”

Colourful donut shop is a Harrogate ‘hidden gem’

Pink wafer donuts, Mr Whippy donuts and rainbow donuts are just some of the flavours on offer. This is far from your ordinary bakery. This bright and colourful donut shop tucked away on the back streets of Harrogate is the first of the Stray Ferret’s hidden gems.

Evie Jackson was worried about footfall when she opened her shop last year. But with an eyecatching social media presence she has managed to draw customers in.

Doe Harrogate on Bower Street serves up an ever-changing and wider range of donuts as well as bakes and speciality coffees.

A vegan friendly ‘cookie doe’ with vegan chocolate drizzle on top.

You may not have heard or seen Doe Harrogate but it is growing in popularity. So much so that the young businesswoman behind it is opening a second shop in York.

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With rainbow walls, glitter tassels, multi-coloured chairs and bright murals Evie has positioned the shop as “an Instagram dream“.

Miss Jackson told the Stray Ferret how Doe Harrogate has managed to get recognition in the town with more than 20,000 followers on Instagram:

“Obviously we are quite hidden away. But I think because we are so active on Instagram, we are constantly tagging where we are and showing our donuts. It spreads the word through social media and that is what we are built on. People like to come in and take photos of our donuts and our coffees.”

A selection of four Doe Harrogate donuts.

She is not afraid of changing things up in the shop. The latest change at Doe Harrogate is the move towards a wider vegan range. Half of the donuts are now vegan and they purposefully baked them bigger to make them stand out.

In fact, Doe Harrogate was changing the flavours up so much at one point that the shop started getting complaints from customers who were looking for donuts from the day before.

Coronavirus hit when the donut shop was still quite young. Doe Harrogate closed for a few weeks for a kitchen refurbishment and then expanded its delivery service.

“We embraced postal in a big way and it has been really positive. If something is not working then we will change it. I did not want to stay closed. I thought I could be sat at home or I could be doing something with my time. You have got to keep moving.”

This is the first in the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series. We are trying to highlight small independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eyecatching and unique product. Send us an email with your nominations.

More Harrogate district schools set to appeal A level grades

More Harrogate district schools and colleges have released data showing the a large number of A-level grades have been adjusted under the new standardisation process.

The figures paint a clearer picture of the scale of the issue.

Each congratulated students for their resilience during this unprecedented school term but expressed disappointment with the grading system.

St Aidan’s & St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form had more than 500 results adjusted after being sent to Ofqual, amounting to 38% of the total number of grades. The school said:

“Many students have asked about the possibility of appealing using their mock exam grades following the government’s last minute announcement this week. Clearly we have to wait for clarification of this process before we can offer guidance for specific individuals. We are truly proud of the students’ achievements and we are confident that they will move on to rewarding careers”

Harrogate Ladies’ College, it said 33% of its grades were reduced with a smaller number of grades going up.

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King James’s Sixth Form in Knaresborough saw 80% of its students have at least one grade changed. Head teacher Carl Sugden said:

“Whilst the vast majority of students have what they need for the next stage of their education there are some clear cases of the grades not reflecting the true potential of students and that has also negatively impacted on some individuals’ university entry. We are now waiting to see what right to appeal we will have for these students.”

Harrogate Grammar School reported yesterday that  35% of grades were changed after being sent to Ofqual.

Rossett School are planning to release this data at a later date and said they were “extremely proud” of each of its students. Helen Woodcock, headteacher, said:

“Whilst the school celebrated the achievements of all students, they were particularly disappointed in the disparities thrown up by the national moderation process. As many Rossett students have had their places confirmed today, others have been affected by national moderation, outside of the school’s control, and will be the subject of robust appeals. Along with other schools both locally and nationally, we have concerns about the methodology used to calculate the grades this year and the ‘triple-lock’ appeals process.”

The majority of those changed achieved a grade lower than the school anticipated.

The Stray Ferret put requests in to other schools in the district who are yet to publicise the data.

Council requests temporary James Street pedestrianisation

Harrogate Borough Council has put in a request to North Yorkshire County Council for a controversial plan to temporarily pedestrianise James Street.

At the same time as the request went to the county council, Harrogate Borough Council asked for views on the scheme from the BID.

In an e-mail to levy-payers, Harrogate BID said it had been contacted by the authority looking for support on the move which could see the street closed off to vehicles.

The email said the council’s reasoning for the move was for “safety and social distancing measures” and that it would be a significant benefit for shoppers, visitors and businesses.

It added that the pedestrianisation could improve the experience for shoppers and that there was “anecdotal evidence” of an increase in speed from cars on the street due to no parking.

However, this has been fiercely opposed by traders such as William Woods and trade body Independent Harrogate.

Mr Woods said the current widened pavements was already effecting businesses on James Street and the town’s masterplan, which includes a potential pedestrianisation, is out of date.

“It’s had an adverse effect and to say that it would be helpful to pedestrianise is nonsense.

“The masterplan is out of date and we want a well organised, structured plan which is up to date.”

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Any such closure of James Street would be made by North Yorkshire County Council and Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said the authority would respond to the borough council’s request shortly.

He said:

“I can confirm that I have received a letter this week from the HBC Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport, in which he requests a temporary closure of James Street. I have discussed the request with senior officers and we will be responding shortly.

“It is worth remembering that the successful bid to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund for the £7.9 million Harrogate Gateway scheme includes partial closure of James Street on which the County Council will be consulting in the near future.”

In its e-mail, Harrogate BID said it was looking for views from businesses before responding to the borough council.

It comes as James Street already has suspended parking spaces in order to widen the pavement for social distancing, which were put in place by the county council in May.

But the plan to pedestrianise fits into a wider strategy for Harrogate drawn up by the borough council in its 2016 Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan. It states:

“The council’s preferred option is for the full pedestrianisation of James Street. This option will serve to link the public realm schemes at Prospect Square and Station Square.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment on the proposal.

Harrogate gins take home gold, silver and bronze

Global critics have awarded Harrogate gins gold, silver and bronze in a competition deemed the Oscars of the drinks industry.

Slingsby Gin Marmalade bagged top of the class in England with an outstanding gold medal in the “other flavoured gin” category at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

Judging was done “double-blinded’ to ensure impartiality by drinks specialists including master distillers and global drinks business owners.

When awarding Slingsby Marmalade, judges said:

“Think thick cut marmalade with this beautifully balanced and elegant gin. A plump, jammy nose is met with fresh and concentrated flavours. A juicy gin with a marvellous flavour journey. “

Harrogate Tipple won a highly respectful 91 out of 100 in the “London Dry gin” category with its premium Downton Abbey gin and a bronze medal in the “other flavoured gin category” for its first entry with English Rhubarb.

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Founders of the distillery, Steven and Sally Green, use botanicals grown from Ripley Castle where they are based.

Mr Green said to The Stray Ferret:

“The ISWC is the most sought after award in the world. There’s a lot of awards that just want you to pay money but don’t really mean a lot. It’s the one to have, people know about it all around the world.”

Harrogate Tipple sent in premium gin to the 2018 ISWC awards where it won 85 points and scored silver. Since then the grade boundaries have increased, but so has Harrogate Tipple’s sense of competition.

“We entered our premium gin in the 2018 awards and won 85 points, this was before we had launched the Downtown Abbey range. We chose Downtown Abbey because it was mostly set in Ripley and Ripon and Jim Carter, who played Mr Carson, is actually from Harrogate. When I approached Downtown about the gin they were on board straightaway. Making it was a voyage of discovery. We took four or five months perfecting the rhubarb flavour.”

Harrogate Tipple's prize winning gins

Harrogate Tipple’s prize winning gins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 70 countries take part each year in the ISWC which launched in 1969. It was founded by a German/British man called Anton Masse. He was an oenologist, which is someone who studies the science behind wine and wine-making.

Mr Green said:

“We were supposed to be in Vegas tonight to collect two more awards at the Licensing International Excellence Awards which is huge, but obviously we can’t be there. We will be going out tonight and getting drunk to celebrate!”