North Yorkshire County Council has faced pressure from opposition councillors to reconsider how its environmental actions are managed before postponing a decision on whether fracking is appropriate in the area.

A full meeting of the authority saw a North Yorkshire Climate Coalition, which includes 18 environmental groups, calling on the authority to move “further and faster” over environmental issues, and drop party politics to introduce measures more rapidly.

The coalition pressed the council – which declared a climate emergency in the summer – to address the twin climate and ecological emergencies and to harness “huge economic opportunities” during a transition to a cleaner, greener economy.

The meeting was told that the authority’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, had this week called for people to support the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Change Commission move to declare an ecological emergency, before his Conservative group voted to stop the creation of a biodiversity crisis working group at the council.

Councillor Greg White, executive member for climate change and customer engagement, said the authority did not want to be judged on what it said, but rather its actions, and that its plan for cutting carbon was “bold”.

Coun White added while the council was working to introduce carbon-cutting measures it also needed to focus on its main purpose, which was to provide much-needed services.

A young Harrogate politician has spoken for his constituents in the House of Commons on the need for better mental health support.

Fourteen-year-old Brando Halloum is the Member of Youth Parliament for Harrogate and Craven.

Now a Year 10 student at Harrogate Grammar School, he moved to the UK in Year 5 having previously attended school in the United Arab Emirates.

He was one of more than 200 MYPs aged 11-18 who attended the meeting on November 4 in the House of Commons, the first of its kind since 2019.

Speaking of the experience, Brando said:

“To be elected as MYP and have the chance to represent my constituents in Westminster was a surreal experience – debating issues that matter most to my generation at the heart of our democracy, Parliament.

“It is now for decision makers, local and national, to ensure action is taken to address these issues. Ensuring no decision about my generation is made without us and that we remain at the heart of these integral conversations.”

Brando was invited to speak by the speaker of the house, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. He spoke of the need for improved mental health services across the UK for young people, telling the house of the racial abuse he had received and the lack of support he was given afterwards.

In the House of Commons, he said:

“I was unfortunately the victim of racial and Islamophobic abuse… When I reported this experience, people doubted me and I was given a plaster response, just put a quick band aid over the problem. It didn’t help.

“I spent months waiting for counselling which never came. I am calling for young people to be given adequate treatment and adequate response to racism and all forms of discrimination across this country and give mental health support to those who need it.”

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Brando was elected by more than 9,000 young people to be the MYP of Harrogate and Craven this March, voted on through the Make Your Mark initiative for young people. Members of Youth Parliament are elected every two years.

He regularly campaigns with his fellow MYPs throughout the country to represent his constituent’s voice and debate issues and policies.

The primary campaign issue for Members of Youth Parliament this year is the cost of living crisis.

He said:

“The cost of living crisis is at the fore of my generation’s minds, and I am concerned about the clear and disproportionate impact this is having on my constituents’ mental health and wellbeing.”

Brando is also a member of the North Yorkshire Youth Council, in addition to being an RAF cadet.

The full morning session in which Brando spoke is below. He began speaking around 37 minutes into the session.

During the current climate, we all need a bit of sparkle in our lives.

And what better way to inject some festive cheer than switching on the Christmas lights.

Here are the dates for your diary for switch-on events across the district:

Harrogate – Thursday, November 17

The countdown to Christmas in Harrogate will officially get underway this evening, with Harrogate BID flicking the festive switch.

There will be no official switch-on event this year, however Christmas lights around the town centre will start to dazzle for the first time this evening.

The whole town will be illuminated by the weekend.

Ripon – Saturday, November 19

Ripon’s festive season gets into full swing this weekend, with the switch-on of the city’s Christmas lights on Saturday.

The city’s Market Square will be a hive of activity from 1pm, ahead of the lights switch-on, which takes place at 5pm.

The reindeer, which proved popular when they visited Ripon for last year’s event, will be returning with Santa and once again there will be free fairground rides and a climbing wall for children to enjoy.

The Ripon City Council event will also provide free musical entertainment from 2pm.

Knaresborough – Friday, November 25

Boroughbridge – Wednesday, December 7

Santa’s sleigh out and about in Boroughbridge in 2018.

The annual late night Christmas Shopping and lights switch-on event, organised by the town’s Chamber of Trade, will take place on Wednesday, December 7.

The event kicks-off with the official switch-on of the Christmas tree lights in Hall Square at 5.30pm, followed by short performances by school choirs.

Boroughbridge Lions will have Santa and his sleigh on display and there will be children’s rides, along with the Scouts’ roast chestnuts and Brighter Boroughbridge with a mulled wine and mince pies stall. There will also be a hog roast.

The shop window display competition theme this year is “A Christmas Panto”.

The lights on the Christmas tree will be switched on by BBC Radio York’s Georgey Spanswick and the Mayor, Sean Hynes.

Local organisations are in unison with their reaction to the autumn statement, warning there will be a ‘tough winter’ ahead of us.

Small businesses are expected to struggle as result of this morning’s autumn statement, with consumers predicted to cut disposable spending.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce chief executive David Simister said the statement was “exactly as previewed”:

“Whilst it will no doubt have reassured the markets, there seems very little to support businesses when they need it most.

“The cost of running business will continue to rise and these increases will have to be passed on to the customers, who in turn are worse off with soaring inflation and eye watering energy prices…

“I’m afraid to say many businesses are looking at a very bleak future.”

David Simister

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson echoed the chamber’s projection:

“There was little in today’s autumn statement to boost our high street economy… Everyone is going to have less disposal income, this will mean consumers pairing back on their spending, which will shrink the economy further.”

Mr Simister and Ms Ferguson also agreed that the £13.6 billion business rates relief package would help soften the blow of April’s expected rise.

Sara Ferguson

Read more:

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• ‘It’s still too high’ – Harrogate residents on the government’s energy announcement

Ripon BID welcomed some elements of the statement, such as the increase to pensions and benefits in line with September’s inflation rate as well as the early news of the rising national living wage for over-23s.

In a statement, the organisation said:

“The UK falling into recession was expected and Ripon BID hopes that the chancellor’s measures to reduce inflation will be in his words ‘as short and shallow as possible’, however we would welcome any help available to businesses from the government and urge them to come up with non-inflationary measures which would aid them.

“Now more than ever it is important that we try and support our local businesses by shopping locally and giving support to our Ripon city region independents.

“Ripon BID is here to help BID businesses and would urge those businesses to get in touch with us to enable us to help promote their business and any promotions over the festive season and into the new year.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the autumn statement earlier today. Millions across the country will face rising taxes and Mr Hunt spending cuts have been made to “tackle the cost of living crisis and rebuild our economy”.

The hosepipe ban across the Harrogate district will remain in place despite today’s heavy rainfall.

Yorkshire Water confirmed it will keep the ban in order to help refill its reservoirs ready for dry weather in spring and summer next year.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Although we have had some rainfall recently, reservoir levels are still significantly below where we would expect for this time of year and are only around half full.

“Winter is the best chance our reservoirs have to refill and be ready for the warmer and drier months in spring and summer next year.

“We’re grateful to our customers who have been saving water where they can this summer, it’s important that we all continue to do so over winter too. Our teams are out 24/7 fixing leaks and moving water around the region to where it’s needed.

“The hosepipe ban is still in place to help protect the environment and give our reservoirs the best possible chance at returning to healthy levels.”

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for heavy rain across the district today and into tomorrow morning, saying there is the possibility of localised flooding.

Read more:

• Met Office issues weather warning for rain in Harrogate district
• Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district

Meanwhile, extensive surface water has appeared on the Stray in Harrogate and there are reports of small patches of flooding on roads across the district.

One hardy resident was out this morning trying to clear leaves from blocked drains on Leadhall Lane, in an attempt to clear the flooded road between the junctions of Leadhall Road and By-ways.

Spotted a problem caused by the weather? Email us the details to let others know.

Calls have been made for North Yorkshire to consider keeping local taxi licence zones amid a proposal to move to a single policy.

Cllr Andrew Williams, county councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside, called for assurances that council officials would look at retaining local licensing zones after concern from cabbies.

Under proposals already put forward, the new North Yorkshire Council would create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It would mean drivers in Harrogate could operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

Cllr Williams told a council meeting yesterday that local drivers had raised concern that the changes would lead to taxis flocking to areas during high demand, such as a large event, leaving customers in other areas struggling to get a cab.

He said:

“I have been approached by taxi drivers who I represent who are very concerned that any form of deregulation could lead to problems in terms of actually being able to get a taxi because taxi drivers will move from rank to rank depending on when there is a busy day in a certain locality.”

Read more:

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Cllr Williams added that fare rates for the entire county should be based on the highest charged otherwise drivers could lose out on income.

The council said previously that fares for hackney carriages would be reviewed at a later date.

In response, Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said that all views submitted to a consultation over the changes would be considered.

He said:

“I think they are all valid points.

“Hopefully they will all come out in that consultation and then we will make the decisions when we have heard what people have actually said.”

Changes will cause “chaos”

The move to propose a single licensing policy has caused concern for cabbies in the Harrogate district.

Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for 28 years, told the Stray Ferret previously that the planned changes would see drivers “swamp” areas during the busiest times of day.

Mr Fieldman said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

He said:

“It will mean that any taxi can work in any area.

“You are going to have swamps of taxis in busy areas at busy times. That in itself brings chaos.”

A consultation into the policy changes is open until January 19, 2023. You can have your say here.

More measures are needed to help North Yorkshire County Council’s finances despite support from government on council tax, says the leader of the authority.

Cllr Carl Les said the council needed grants from central government in order to help balance its books.

His comments come as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce an increase in the threshold in which authorities can increase council tax by without a local referendum.

Currently, the threshold is 2.99% – but Mr Hunt is expected to hike this to 5% in today’s autumn statement.

Cllr Les told a meeting of the county council yesterday that while the measure would be welcomed, more support would be needed.

He said:

“It will give us flexibility, but I don’t think that it’s the only leaver that we need to pull.

“Government grants has got to be part of that answer as well.”

The move comes as county council leaders warned in June that the upcoming North Yorkshire Council could face a blackhole of £50 million in its finances.

Read more:

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Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive member for finance at the county council, said the situation was largely due to deficits it will inherit from district councils and high inflation.

The new unitary authority will replace Harrogate Borough Council, the county council and the remaining six districts.

Although he did not estimate the total structural deficits that the seven second tier authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council, would have accumulated by the time the new council is launched in April, he said it was believed it would be “substantial”.

It has been estimated the combined ongoing deficits of the district and borough councils could be in the region of £10 million.

In addition, ahead of the recent increasing inflation rate the county authority had been prepared to cover a deficit of up to £20 million.

With inflationary pressures, which include the council’s gas and electricity bill rising by some £3m, it is believed the total deficit could nearly reach £50 million.

Cllr Dadd said at the time:

“That is a frightening figure, but nonetheless, I think we are right to raise that at this stage.”

The Harrogate district is braced for heavy rain today as a weather warning has been issued.

The Met Office has put a yellow warning in place for rain across much of northern England until midnight.

It says that the adverse weather may affect public transport and possibly cause flooding.

The warning says:

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

“Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

“Should flooding occur, delays or cancellations to train and bus services are likely.”

The warning covers much of the district including Harrogate, Ripon and Boroughbridge.

Heavy rain and a moderate breeze is forecast throughout the day in the district.

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North Yorkshire is set to become the one of the country’s first areas to adopt a mandatory 100% council tax premium for second homes as part of efforts to tackle the housing crisis.

The groundbreaking move, which has been approved at a full meeting of Conservative-led North Yorkshire County Council today, will see the premium introduced for council tax bills on second homes from April 2024, should Royal Assent be given to legislation to give local authorities extra powers.

The county has the highest number of second homes in the region, and concerns have been voiced that the trend is undermining the availability of housing for local communities as well as inflating property prices.

The North Yorkshire Rural Commission, which was established to look into a host of issues affecting countryside communities, last year highlighted the affordable housing crisis as among the greatest challenges to resolve.

The meeting today heard an impassioned debate in which numerous concerns were raised over whether the levy would tackle the issue and the housing crisis blamed on Conservative governments selling off council housing and not building sufficient homes to replace them.

As some opposition councillors described the levy as “far from perfect” and “a serious and credible start” to trying to resolve the lack of affordable homes in areas such as Harrogate, the North Yorkshire coast, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, leading members of the authority nodded in agreement.

The meeting was told it is hoped the premium will provide a £10m boost to finance council priorities, including to help introduce more housing in areas particularly affected by the affordability crisis.

Research has shown the Harrogate district, along with the Craven and Ryedale areas, could each provide about £1.5m in extra revenue through the premium.

‘We feel we are being penalised’

While the authority has claimed the measure is “ultimately aimed at bringing second homes back into use for local communities”, the meeting heard from second home owners in Nidderdale who told councillors the move would create financial difficulties for them.

One couple told the meeting they had converted a chapel, increasing the housing stock in the dale for future generations, but were now facing a penalty for having done so.

The residents stated: 

“We feel we are being penalised for something that is not of our making.”

Independent Cllr John McCartney said the tax premium would amount to “tinkering at the edges”, while Independent group leader Cllr Stuart Parsons said “penalising those who aspire” was the wrong way to deal with the problem.

He called on the council to buy houses and put local occupancy restrictions on them and said there were still simple loopholes for second home owners to avoid paying either council tax or business rates, so the authority looked set to “cut its own throat”.

However, Upper Dales member Councillor Yvonne Peacock said the policy was vital as many people could no longer afford to rent or buy properties in her division.

Read more:

• Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge
• 793 Harrogate district second-home owners face double council tax charge

The council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said the premium would be levied consistently regardless of second home owners’ circumstances, so the authority could do all it could to incentivise people not to own second homes in the county.

He said there would always be exceptional cases and officers would have the ability to grant reductions if certain criteria were met.

Cllr Dadd said the overwhelming majority of second home owners would be faced with either releasing their properties into the rental market or providing funds for key council services.

Ahead of a majority of members passing the levy, he said while he did not support greater taxation, he was absolutely committed to the move which “would help local people to live and remain in the county”.

A Ferris wheel previously situated in York is to be moved to the centre of Harrogate as part of the town’s Christmas activities, it was revealed last night.

The wheel, which has 24 gondolas, including one VIP and one for people with disabilities, was previously at St Sampson’s Square in York.

John McGivern, destination events manager at tourism body Destination Harrogate, told businesses the 32-metre high wheel was likely to be situated next to the war memorial.

Mr McGivern said Destination Harrogate, which is part of Harrogate Borough Council, was in discussions with the Royal British Legion over the location. The decision to situate a helter-skelter alongside the memorial upset some veterans at Christmas last year.

The wheel, an ice rink, a Christmas fayre, the Candy Cane Express road train and a carousel are among the highlights of Harrogate’s festive offering.

John McGivern at last night’s meeting.

Speaking at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly meeting last night, Mr McGivern said the ambition was to “position Harrogate district as a first choice Christmas destination” and to attract high spending visitors on day trips and overnight breaks.

He said Destination Harrogate planned to distribute 20,000 printed guides with a map as part of its marketing campaign, which also includes media advertising, press and influencer visits and a dedicated Christmas webpage.

The installation of the ice rink at Crescent Gardens is due to start on Friday. The rink will open on December 2 and close on January 3 — five days before the other attractions.

Harrogate during Christmas last year.

The carousel will return.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which will have 50 stalls, will start to be installed on November 28 and be open from December 2 to 11.

It will be open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays.

Market Place Europe and Harrogate Borough Council, which jointly operate the Christmas fayre, will once again provide a stall for charities.

Artizan International, Carers Resource, Dementia Forward, Girlguiding North Yorkshire West, Harlow Hill Men’s Shed, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) Community Charity, Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre, Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, Samaritans of Harrogate and District, and Ripon Walled Garden are all set to use the stall to either sell products they produce or use it to provide more information to visitors.

Read more:

• Guide to Christmas markets in the Harrogate district
• Bettys unveils Christmas cracker window display in Harrogate