North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has resigned as a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council.

The news has not been publicly announced yet. However, the council’s website confirms she is no longer a councillor.

The Stray Ferret was alerted to the news by another councillor and has attempted to contact Ms Metcalfe directly, as well as the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Harrogate Borough Council for further details. So far only Harrogate Borough Council has replied to clarify there won’t be a by-election.

A spokesman said:

“Under the terms of the Structural Changes Order we are unable to run by-elections to fill vacancies arising after September 30, unless the total number of unfilled vacancies exceeds one third of the whole number of members.  Therefore there will not be a by-election for this seat.”

Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, was elected to the £74,000 commissioner’s role in November last year after her predecessor Philip Allott resigned.

At the time she represented Claro on Harrogate Borough Council and Knaresborough on North Yorkshire County Council.

Read more:

• People waiting up to an hour for 101 calls to be answered, says North Yorkshire Police
• Criminals in North Yorkshire could make written apologies to victims

She did not seek re-election to the county council in May’s local elections but retained her borough council seat. Her departure today comes four months to the day before the borough council is abolished to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

Ms Metcalfe has strong local connections: she was born in Ripon and now lives in Aldborough, near Boroughbridge.

She joined the Conservatives in 2014 and has twice stood unsuccessfully for Parliament: first in Doncaster Central and then in Leeds West.

A fire service review she led this year generated controversy because of its decision to reduce the number of fire engines stationed at Harrogate from two to one overnight.

Morrisons supermarket has blamed a faulty fridge on a lack of stock at its Ripon store.

Heather Rowlatt, a former staff member at the branch contacted the Stray Ferret this week, claiming more than one department was without produce.

She attached a photo of a closed-off fruit and vegetable counter and said there was also no meat, bread or bakery goods.

Ms Rowlatt said:

“My partner asked staff, but all they said was ‘I don’t know’. He had to shop elsewhere.”

It follows comments on community social media channels, which have questioned dwindling stock levels at Morrisons in both Ripon and Boroughbridge in recent weeks.

A Morrisons spokesperson said:

“After talking to colleagues at both stores, it seems that Boroughbridge haven’t reported any issues with stock, however the Ripon store have unfortunately had a broken fridge – which can be seen in the photo.

“I can confirm that this is all fixed and the Ripon store is fully stocked once again.”

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced his autumn statement, which included scrapping planned investment zones in the Harrogate district and across the country.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours were also revealed, which is set to include district MP Nigel Adams.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

• On November 10, Andrew Jones debated the possibility of the River Nidd at Knaresborough achieving bathing water status in the House of Commons.
• Mr Jones called for a debate on green building regulations in the House of Commons to be “sped up”.
• Mr Jones asked for reassurance from ministers on November 15 that park home residents would get support for energy bills amid concern over rising prices.
• In response to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement on November 17, Mr Jones said he felt Mr Hunt had made some “difficult decisions but right ones”.
• In response to new IPSA guidance over expenses for festive decorations, Mr Jones said he has “never used parliamentary expenses to pay for festive decorations or parties and I never will”.
• On November 28, Mr Jones asked whether ministers would focus education funding on “creating estates to deliver the skills needed in the growth sectors of the future” after Harrogate College announced a £16 million estates scheme.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith made three spoken contributions in the House of Commons in November on matters relating to Northern Ireland.
• On November 8, Mr Smith tweeted that he was pleased that Ripon Museums had secured a grant from Arts Council England.
• Mr Smith commemorated Armistice Day by placing a tribute on behalf of Skipton and Ripon in parliament’s garden of remembrance.
• Mr Smith also laid a wreath on Remembrance Sunday in Ripon as part of commemorations on November 13.
• The Ripon MP paid tribute to local constituency Cllr Margaret Atkinson on November 14, who died suddenly. He said she had “a passion, focus & dedication to public service which she pursued for many decade”.
• Mr Smith made no public comment on Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement, but he retweeted the Treasury Twitter account announcing measures included in the statement.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On November 8, it was revealed by The Times newspaper that Nigel Adams is in line for a peerage in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours.
• On November 23, Mr Adams asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for more support for bus services as he warned that 80 services across the county were at under threat.
• Mr Adams spoke only once in the House of Commons in November, which was to ask the Prime Minister for support on buses in North Yorkshire.
• He made no public comment on Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.

Read more:

• Harrogate district MP Nigel Adams to step down at next election
• Harrogate district MP in line for peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours

North Yorkshire Police is urging people to alert the force to suspected drink drivers amid concern over increasing cases.

The force, along with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, today launched its Christmas drink and drug drive campaign.

Called ‘Save a life and call It In’, it encourages people to ring 999 if they suspect someone is behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs.

The campaign, which runs until January 1, will also see officers patrolling the county in marked and unmarked police vehicles and carrying out roadside checks.

Superintendent Emma Aldred, head of specialist operations for the force, told the Stray Ferret:

She said:

“We do drink drive campaigns throughout the year, but we do see an increase around the festive period because people come together a lot more and there are office parties, house parties and with the cost of living we are seeing a lot more home drinking.

“We are seeing increased drinking and people thinking they are okay to drive the next morning or that night, which is just not acceptable.”

‘We are seeing an increase’

During last year’s campaign – which ran from December 1 to January 1 –  there were 137 people arrested for drink or drug driving in the county.

From the 137 arrests, 120 were men and 17 were women. 72 people of the 137 were charged with an offence. A total of 25 of the arrests were made following a crash. 

Tony Peel, group manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Tony Peel, group manager for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, also said that the service was now seeing an increase in drink driving incidents across Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

He said:

“We are starting to see a slight increase.

“I think with the messages we did many years ago, it [drink driving] did go down. But it does seem to be growing a little bit and we are seeing an increase.”

Read more:

• Criminals in North Yorkshire could make written apologies to victims
• Harrogate man jailed for spitting on pensioner at train station

The plea to call out drink and drug drivers has been endorsed by actor Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle in television soap Emmerdale.

Mr Charnock took part in a mock car crash at Harrogate Fire Station this week to demonstrate the impact that drink driving can have on someone.

Mark Charnock was cut from a car as part of a demonstration at Harrogate Fire Station.

The demonstration saw him cut out of a car by fire crews and put onto a stretcher before being lifted to safety.

Mr Charnock said:

“If this was real, if you add in real horror into the mix of what I’ve just been through, I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like.

“You just would not wish it on your worst enemy.”

The campaign against drink and drug driving will run from December 1, 2022, until January 1, 2023.

Harrogate Borough Council is paying some of Harrogate’s larger town centre hotels to provide accommodation to homeless people.

The Stray Ferret approached the council a month ago after a well-placed source revealed the names of some of the town’s best-known hotels that are being paid to put up homeless people. We asked the council how many homeless people it was helping, why it was having to use town centre hotels and how much it was paying the hotels.

The council, which has duties to prevent and relieve homelessness, confirmed it used hotels “as a last resort” but declined to reveal costs.

A council spokesperson said:

“Should someone become homeless we have a number of options available to help them find somewhere safe to stay on a temporary basis. As well as helping them plan for the long term and secure permanent accommodation.

“We have hostels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough as well as Fern House in Starbeck, our purpose-built temporary accommodation with 19 self-contained bedrooms.

“Should someone be placed in a B&B or hotel, they are only ever done so on a temporary basis and as a last resort when no other suitable accommodation is available.

“Currently, 16 people are being temporarily accommodated in B&Bs and hotels, and 82 in hostels, until we find a more permanent solution.”

The spokesperson added the council worked with partners “to find more secure accommodation” while it provided temporary relief.

Fern House, which cost £2.3 million to build, opened 18 months ago to help provide more accommodation for homeless people.

We once again asked the council to provide details of how much taxpayers’ money it was paying the hotels. But despite subsequent requests, it has not revealed how much it spends on hotels.

The spokesman initially said he “didn’t have the costs to hand” and it “wasn’t a straightforward answer”.

Three weeks ago he said he had asked a colleague in finance to collate the information and they would “pull it together as soon as they can”.

But no further details have been provided.

The Stray Ferret has submitted a Freedom of information request.

People with disabilities in the Harrogate district have been invited to attend a debate tomorrow night about accessible housing.

Harrogate-based charity Disability Action Yorkshire has assembled a panel of four experts for the event, which will take place at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate at 5pm.

Titled ‘Accessible Housing for Everyone in North Yorkshire’, the event gives disabled people the chance to have their say and influence decisions on assisted living.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said:

“The aim of the evening is for disabled people to tell us, and more importantly our panellists, about their housing needs.

“Our hope is that their comments will help influence future assisted living decisions made by the new North Yorkshire Council, which in turn will deliver benefits to those disabled people looking to live in their own homes.”

The panel includes:

• Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council corporate director for health and adult services
• Sarah Roxby, Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group‘s associate director of health.
• Cllr Mike Chambers, Harrogate Borough Council cabinet member for housing and safer communities
• Christina McGill, Habinteg Housing Association‘s director of social impact and external affairs

Disability Action Yorkshire chair, Neil Revely, will head the panel.

New 36-bed home

This year, Disability Action Yorkshire, in partnership with Highstone Housing Association, was granted approval by Harrogate Borough Council to replace its 20-bed care home on Claro Road, Harrogate with a new 36-bed care home.

The £7.5 million complex will also include a base for Disability Action Yorkshire staff, who will be on site 24-hours a day.

Read more:

• 34 Claro Road to be demolished under plans to build more homes for disabled
• Harrogate disability charity explains why some crossings don’t beep

Ms Snape said:

“Our assisted living scheme, which will be completed by this time next year, is one of the most significant developments in our 85-year history. It fulfils one of our key ambitions, to give disabled people the independence they crave.

“Whilst our panellists have a wealth of expertise in this area, we believe it’s vital that they hear from the district’s disabled community. These are the people who more often than not need some form of assistance to live independently, and we need to ensure these needs are properly met.”

If you would like to participate in the debate, contact Jackie Snape via email or telephone at: 01423855410.

The breaking ground ceremony at Claro Road with, from left to right, Disability Action Yorkshire chair Neil Revely, The Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate Cllr Victoria Oldham, Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, and Highstone Housing Association executive director Joanne Hawley.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  Please read Vicky’s story about the charity below and give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas.  They need your help. 

This Christmas, there are local people – colleagues, neighbours, friends – young, elderly and working age people — who will not be able to put food on their tables. 

There is help at hand from local organisation Resurrected Bites – but it’s facing a tough time too. 

Just weeks ago, it warned it faced an uncertain future: its own costs are rising, the amount being donated had dropped, and more and more people are looking for help. 

That’s why, from now until Christmas, the Stray Ferret is calling on everyone to give their support to this vital local organisation to help us secure its future. 

All donations go directly to Resurrected Bites and will be generously match-funded by Harrogate firm Techbuyer, up to the value of £5,000. 

Over the next four weeks, I’ll bring you stories that show just how important the work of Resurrected Bites is. Please read them, share them, and donate whatever you can.

The story of Resurrected Bites

“Harrogate is a really difficult place to be poor.

“There’s this perception that it’s all rosy, but that’s not the case for a lot of people.”

It was this realisation that prompted Michelle Hayes to do something to make a difference across the Harrogate district. 

The former research scientist founded a food waste café as part of her role as mission and outreach worker, employed by St Mark’s Church but covering the whole of Harrogate. 

Resurrected Bites began life in 2018 in the foyer of the church on Leeds Road, using food from supermarkets and some local hospitality businesses which would otherwise be thrown away. There was nothing wrong with the food, other than perhaps passing its ‘best before’ guidance date – but it would have ended up in a bin. 

She was inspired by the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds, founded by Adam Smith. Not only was it reducing food waste, it was making a significant difference to people. Michelle said: 

“It literally saved a guy’s life. He had lost his job and had no money, and he couldn’t see a way forward. He was contemplating ending his own life. 

“He walked past the café, went in and got a meal, and ended up becoming a volunteer. It saved his life.” 

The Harrogate café proved to be a success. Not only did it reduce food waste across the Harrogate area, it provided hot meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis to local people, and offered an opportunity to soclialise too. 

Michelle turned it into a community interest company, meaning it is run for the benefit of the community and its income is used to continue this work. 

Expansion

In 2020, Resurrected Bites began to expand, with a second café at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough launching in January, followed by a third at West Park United Reformed Church, in early March. 

Then, of course, everything changed. 

The arrival of covid meant the cafes all had to close immediately, but Michelle and the small team of volunteers knew there was still a role for them. They began distributing food parcels to the many local people who suddenly found themselves out of work and short on money. 

Just a fraction of the food donated to Resurrected Bites every week during covid lockdowns

At the height of covid, they were intercepting three tonnes of food waste every week and ensuring it reached people who would otherwise not have enough to eat. 

Michelle said: 

“I realised the scale of food poverty in the area. It was shocking. 

“I knew then that once we stopped doing the deliveries, we still had to have a mechanism to get things to people who really needed it.” 

Community groceries

While restrictions were still in place, Michelle began working on the next stage of the project: community groceries. 

Using the same principle as the cafés of taking food that was still perfectly edible but would not be sold commercially, they were designed to help households who could not afford enough food. 

The community groceries allow people to choose their own food from the shelves. Members pay a small fee – £3 for a household up to three, £6 for four or more people – and for that can select a set number of fresh, frozen and packaged goods, as well as toiletries and household products. 

Two groceries opened in autumn 2021, at Gracious Street and New Park Community Hub. Demand has grown enormously in the year since, as their reputation has spread. 

The number of customers at the cafés has also risen and there are plans in place to open a third, in Killinghall, in the new year. Michelle said:

“When I set up the cafes, the community groceries weren’t even on my radar.

“Resurrected Bites has been a lot more successful than I had anticipated. It is meeting a lot of need in our community.”

It’s clear the cafés and groceries are badly needed. With the cost of living crisis hitting and recession looming, that need is only likely to grow. 

It already costs £7,500 every month to deliver those vital services. Please donate to the Stray Ferret’s Christmas appeal to ensure Resurrected Bites can continue supporting people who badly need it in 2023 and beyond.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas. 

Whatever you can donate will help local people to feed themselves – and prevent food waste too. 

Just £10 can pay for a family’s weekly shopping in the community grocery. Click here to contribute now. 

Read more:

• Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close
• Volunteer sets up artisan market in Knaresborough to support food waste charity

Harrogate Borough Council chief executive Wallace Sampson is in line for a £101,274 redundancy package when the local authority is abolished at the end of March.

Mr Sampson looks set to receive a contractual redundancy payment of £71,633 plus £29,641 for a 12-week notice period he will not have to work.

Harrogate Borough Council is one of seven district councils which, along with North Yorkshire County Council, will cease to exist on April 1, when the new North Yorkshire Council takes over.

Harrogate Borough Council’s council’s chief officer employment committee has been recommended to approve the settlement when it meets next week.

A report to the committee says Mr Sampson, who joined the council in 2008 and is a member of the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers union, will be “effectively stranded” by the council’s abolition.

It says he is contractually entitled to be paid for his notice period, but there will be no role for him to perform due to the council’s abolition.

The report also says lawyers Browne Jacobson have advised Mr Sampson is entitled to be transferred under TUPE regulations and to dismiss him before March 31 would “inevitably lead to an automatically unfair dismissal claim causing unnecessary conflict, impact on senior officer time and a waste of public funds as explained in the appended business case”.

Read more:

• Harrogate council refuses to say if chief executive will get payout package
• Questions raised as Harrogate Royal Baths loses £2.5m in value

It is therefore recommended Mr Sampson be paid in lieu for his 12-week notice period:

The report says:

“In short, the proposal in the report recognises this and is a practical and pragmatic solution.”

All the district council leaders in North Yorkshire will lose their jobs at the end of March, in a move that it is claimed will save about £1m a year.

Richard Flinton, the current chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, will become chief executive of North Yorkshire Council on a salary of between £180,000 and £197,000

The report says:

“The proposed settlement is considered to represent value for money by ensuring that the chief executive remains in office and engaged to enable the council to continue to deliver its services until 31 March 2023; that there is a smooth transition to the new authority; and contractual and statutory payments to the chief executive are paid to him as a result of the termination of his employment on the grounds of redundancy.”

The Salvation Army headquarters in Ripon is attempting to deal with a ‘tsunami of need’ as its Christmas appeal faces its most difficult challenge in 30 years.

Pat Clark, a leader at the Lead Lane church, told the Stray Ferret:

“With the cost-of-living crisis biting hard and people struggling to pay their increased energy, food, mortgage and rent bills, the call for assistance across the Harrogate district is growing by the day.

“This has been our most challenging year since we started the annual appeal in 1992 and at present we are attempting to keep up with the calls for assistance, but are dealing with a tsunami of need.”

Last year, with goods donated from Ripon Cathedral, churches across the district, businesses and individuals, 250 bags of tinned and packaged food items, including sweet and savoury goods and Christmas treats such as cake, mince pies and chocolates, were provided for families in financial difficulty.

In addition, 150 bags containing brand-new donated toys and presents for children and adults, were distributed and these, like the food bags, were given to recipients recommended by health and other community-based agencies acting as a link between the Salvation Army and the families.

Alison Hewitt, Salvation Army corps assistant at Lead Lane, said:

“The calls for help this Christmas are already proving greater than in previous years and we are seeking donations of food items such as tinned vegetables and meat, tinned and packaged soups, pasta, cereal, coffee, tea and long-life milk.

“We have already prepared 170 food bags ready for distribution, but still have some way to go and we hope that the community can assist us once more by making donations of both goods and gifts that will go to families who need a helping hand.”

Donations can be dropped off at the church on Lead Lane between 10am and 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays up until December 21. More details are available by calling 01765 692 657.

The value of Harrogate Royal Baths has fallen by £2.5m since it was acquired as a commercial investment by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018.

A council report reveals the Grade II listed building, built in the 1890s, was valued at £7m in March this year, compared with £9.5m when the local authority bought it. The council paid £9m but was prepared to pay £10m.

The report also reveals the Baths had only generated a 1.82% return on investment by September 30, which marked the end of the second quarter of the financial year.

The depreciation of the asset, along with the low rate of return on investment, has sparked fresh questions about the council’s decision to buy the Baths and its ability to manage commercial assets.

Last year Conservative county councillor Richard Musgrave said he was “absolutely speechless” to learn the council had paid £9m, adding “the performance looks very, very poor” and describing it as a “trophy investment”.

Speaking about the latest figures, Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the council’s Independent group, said local authorities should aim for investment returns of between five and 10 per cent and although times were hard the 1.82% figure was not acceptable. He added:

“The main problem is local authorities should not really own these properties because they don’t know what they are doing.

“I just don’t think there’s enough commercial nouse in the local authority to be running these sites.”

Figures contained on p134 of the council report.

Cllr Parsons said the new North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence in April, should “hire proper commercial people” to run key assets like the Baths and the loss-making Harrogate Convention Centre, which he said had been “a millstone around Harrogate Borough Council‘s neck for a long time” and in danger of becoming a “white elephant”.

He added:

“This should be the last chance. Give commercial people a couple of years to turn them around and if they can’t, the council should think about disposal. There has to be a proper policy.”

‘Severely impacted by covid’

Asked about the latest figures, North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate director for strategic resources, Gary Fielding, said:

“This particular investment was an opportunity to invest not only for a direct financial return but also in our locality. To the end of the last financial year, returns have been in excess of our standard treasury investments. The issues experienced have been the result of a global pandemic and more recently other issues beyond UK borders.

“Investments are made for the longer term — balancing risks that can reasonably be foreseen and having sufficient cash flow and reserves to deal with shorter term shocks.

“As we move towards a new unitary council from April 1, 2023, we will see the freehold of Harrogate baths pass to the new council. Whilst the investment from North Yorkshire County Council will cease at this point, the ongoing relationships with tenants will continue.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Royal Baths: the council’s under-performing ‘trophy investment’
• Council accused of ‘trophy investment’ for £9m purchase of Harrogate’s Royal Baths

Mr Fielding indicated the council would take a tougher line on commercial tenants to maximise income.

“The hospitality sector has been severely impacted by the covid pandemic and the council has done all it reasonably can to support its tenants through these difficult times for the benefit of the local economy and taxpayers generally.

“We work with our tenants to understand their circumstances in order to maximise the income into the council. However, it is not the council’s responsibility to support tenants indefinitely, and if businesses are not sustainable then we work with tenants to bring tenancies to a close.

“We have seen improvement over the last six months which is encouraging. However, with the ongoing cost of living crisis, the hospitality sector may unfortunately experience further pressures.”