Council bosses in North Yorkshire are facing calls to explain why a new council tax system will cost taxpayers millions of pounds a year more to run than the current system.
North Yorkshire County Council has revealed the cost of administering the unitary authority’s council tax scheme is expected to be £37m, £2.4m more than the current structure run by North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils.
A cross-party group of councillors has proposed unifying council tax bills across the seven districts over the next two financial years as some areas are paying higher rates than others.
Yesterday the Stray Ferret reported on how the Harrogate has the highest council tax in North Yorkshire.
The move would mean Harrogate’s average bills for a band D property would fall by £23.47 during each of the two years on a current bill of £1,723.27 whilst other areas might see a rise.
The proposed increases and cuts in council tax charges do not include what increases the new unitary authority, police and fire services and parish councils may levy from April 1.
The county council’s executive member for finance, Councillor Gareth Dadd said the authority was acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under with rising inflation and the cost of energy and food soaring.
He said:
“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”
As part of the proposals, the executive committee will consider providing up to 100 per cent reductions on council tax bills for households on the lowest incomes.
However, opposition politicians said the rising cost of administering the new council tax system raised a red flag, particularly after as the county council had estimated savings brought about by creating abolishing the district and county councils and establishing a unitary authority should reach £252m over its first five years.
Councillor Andy Brown, the authority’s Green Party group coordinator said:
“We were assured that combining into one council would be simple and would reduce costs. We are already seeing how complicated it is and how hard it is to achieve the cost savings.”
Leader of the council’s Independent group, Councillor Stuart Parsons added:
“Big is supposed to be better. One is supposed to be cheaper than eight and this is an area where one is certainly not cheaper. How many other areas will there be.
“This is against all the logic of the massive savings that they claim would result from unification. What other extra costs are envisaged as a result of local government reorganisation and what savings are envisaged to come up with the magnificent £50m a year they have claimed would be found.”
Cllr Parsons said it would take many years for the new authority to iron out inequalities between services in the seven boroughs.
He added:
Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close“I would like a full explanation of how the council has come to this £2.4m figure and how they are going to make it cost neutral. Eventually they should be able to make savings on staff as they establish a single team, but it’s going to take a long, long time.”
Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites has issued a plea for help to businesses after warning it might not survive another year.
The community organisation, which saves food from landfill, has helped thousands of people struggling to get by since it started in January 2018. It operates Give As You Can cafes and shops in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Founder Michelle Hayes appealed for support at last night’s Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting. She said Resurrected Bites had generated £87,000 and spent £91,000 this year, adding:
“A huge number of people rely on us so we need to look at ways we can still be around in 12 months’ time.
“Since the jubilee, our food supplies have dropped off. We are going to have to start paying for it.”
Michelle Hayes speaking at last night’s chamber meeting.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret afterwards, Ms Hayes said Resurrected Bites currently had sufficient income to survive another six months.
She said it was becoming harder to find supplies because more people were buying reduced price items from supermarkets that might otherwise go to Resurrected Bites.
Ms Hayes also said some supermarkets’ decisions to scrap best before dates was a good move overall but it contributed to there being less food waste in the system for organisations such as Resurrected Bites. She said:
“Fundraising is more challenging because of the economic challenges people are facing.
“We’ve got six months’ income left. I don’t wan’t to go much below that.”
Harrogate district council tax set to fall by £23 under devolution
Council tax bills for a Band D property in Harrogate are set to fall by £23.47 for the next two years as part of the transition to the new North Yorkshire Council.
Harrogate Borough Council currently charges the highest council tax of the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.
An average band D property in the district is currently £1,723.27, compared with £1,586.83 in Hambleton, which has the lowest level of council tax in the county.
The seven councils will be abolished on April 1 as part of the government’s devolution agenda and North Yorkshire County Council is to meet next week to discuss ways to harmonise the level of payment across the county.
Under plans being drawn up, Band D bills in the Harrogate district would fall by £23.47 a year for two years while Hambleton’s bills would increase by £89.49.
However, the rises and falls due to harmonisation do not take into account the annual increase in council tax bills, which is set to be approved by county councillors in February. The figures also relate to just the precept for county and district authorities, and do not include money for North Yorkshire Police, the county’s fire brigade and parish or town councils.
If a Harrogate town council is formed, the precept for people living in the town council area would increase.
The advent of a new council covering the whole of the county in April means there is a legal requirement to ensure all council taxpayers in North Yorkshire are charged the same amount.
The proposals to phase this in over the next two years will be considered by members of North Yorkshire County Council’s decision-making executive when they meet on Tuesday next week. They are based on recommendations by a cross-party working group of councillors.
The working group, which was established by the county council’s executive in June, considered a range of proposals, including harmonising council tax bills over a period of up to eight years.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who is also the authority’s deputy leader, said:
“The challenge to harmonise council tax bills across the county is obviously a significant one, but it is an issue we have to address before the new North Yorkshire Council is launched in April next year.
“We are acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under not just in North Yorkshire, but across the whole country, as we see inflation rising and the cost of energy soar along with the price of food and drink and other essential items.
“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”
There would be huge variations in the amount of funding generated if the decision was taken to opt for moving council tax levels to the lowest amount seen in Hambleton or choosing to adopt the highest level in Harrogate.
If council tax bills were brought in line with Hambleton, there would be an annual reduction of funding in the region of £21 million, falling from the current level of £401.8 million to £380.4 million.
By comparison, an extra £11.3 million would be generated by increasing council tax bills to the level currently paid in the Harrogate district, with the average across North Yorkshire for owners of a Band D property paying £1,723.27 instead of £1,676.32.
Funding from council tax is used to finance services ranging from waste collection and recycling to highways maintenance and adult social care.
North Yorkshire has third highest speeding offence rate, research reveals
A survey of all police forces in England and Wales has revealed motorists in North Yorkshire are the third likeliest to record speeding offences.
The average number of speeding offences in the county is 4.54 per 1,000 residents, according to the research.
Only Lincolnshire, where the rate is 5.43 offences per 1,000 residents, and South Wales, where the figure is 5.23, are above it in the league table of 43 police force areas in England and Wales.
At the other end of the scale, Durham has the fewest speeding offences committed on average each year, with just 0.95 per 1,000 people.
Price comparison website Forbes Advisor compiled the latest speeding offence data from data.police.uk spanning 2010 to 2020 across each police force area in England and Wales to establish an annual average of speeding offences made.
This was cross referenced with population data from ONS to find the areas with the most speeding offences per 1,000 residents.
North Yorkshire was found to have an average of 3,774 speed limit offences per year from a population of 831,600.
Kevin Pratt, from Forbes Advisor, said:
“Get caught speeding and, if convicted, you’ll get points on your licence, and these will likely stick for four years.
“Rack up a total of 12 or more and you could be banned from driving. On top of that, you’ll need to declare your points when applying for or renewing your car insurance, with an increase of around 5% on the cards because you’re now perceived to be a riskier prospect.”
North Yorkshire Police today announced a two-week blitz on speeding motorists.
The constabulary said in a statement traffic officers will be targeting excess and inappropriate speed on county roads “over the next couple of weeks”. It added:
“Twenty-four-hour enforcement activity will take place across the county, with an aim of catching those who put other road users in danger.”
Today marks the start of a three-week nationwide speed enforcement operation, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which represents British chief police officers.
The initiative, which includes National Safe Speed Day on October 19, highlights the risks of speeding and encourages motorists to slow down.
Between January 1 and December 31 last year, there were 85,610 speed violations captured by safety camera vans and safety camera bikes in North Yorkshire.
Expect to see more police speed vans over the next two weeks. Photo by Martin Dawes
The last speed enforcement campaign in January this year resulted in almost 5,200 speeding violations during that month alone.
Traffic Constable Ali Hoyle said:
“These figures show just how much of an issue speeding is here for us in North Yorkshire and this is not a huge surprise as we have a vast road network across the county including hundreds of miles of rural roads.
“The reason why we do these types of deployments is because we are trying to prevent serious collisions on our roads and make them as safe as they can possibly be.
“There are so many dangers associated with excessive speeding, not least because it’s a major cause of fatal road traffic collisions. By slowing down and making sure you drive to the conditions of the road, you have more time to react to other drivers and hazards.
Book collection launched across district to support teenagers’ mental health
Books that support the mental health of teenagers have been put in libraries across the Harrogate district.
The North Yorkshire’s library service initiative coincides with today’s World Mental Health Day.
The pandemic’s disruption to young people’s lives, alongside issues such as growing concern about global warming, has increased uncertainty about identity, position in society and future plans.
In 2020, almost half of young people said they did not feel in control of their lives and almost a third felt overwhelmed by feelings of panic and anxiety on a daily basis, according to North Yorkshire County Council.
The new books, which are recommended by health professionals as part of the Reading Well initiative, cover topics such as body image, bereavement, social anxiety, boosting confidence, surviving online, sexuality, gender identity and mental health.
They cater for a wide range of reading levels and formats to support less confident readers and encourage engagement.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said:
“Our libraries have embraced the Reading Well scheme for some years, already focusing on mental health, dementia and issues facing young people.
“This latest collection adds another strand to the support that young people can find at their library, again showcasing their important role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve.”
Every library in North Yorkshire, including Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Ripon, will be displaying titles from the new collection and any title which is unavailable can be requested and borrowed free of charge.
The Reading Well collection is curated by The Reading Agency in partnership with experts from organisations and professionals including NHS England, leading mental health charities and library staff.
More information about the Reading Well collection can be found here.
‘Theatre on your doorstep’ returns to communities across Harrogate districtA touring theatre company is making its return across the Harrogate district this autumn – and doing so on a scale it has never attempted before.
Badapple Theatre specialises in bringing shows to small venues and usually tours three shows a year, with a break between each.
But a “post-covid lag” has left the company putting on three productions almost at the same time.
Two one-hander shows, Yorkshire Kernel and The Land Girl, complete their tour in Harrogate next weekend, just after The Frozen Roman gets under way in Aldborough on Friday. Meanwhile, rehearsals continue for The Marvellous, Mystical, Musical Box, which runs throughout December.
The busy season aside, artistic director Kate Bramley said the company had managed to keep operating during the pandemic, when many arts organisations struggled.
“We have been very lucky, or perhaps enterprising, or both, over the last few years. We went outdoors when we did some filming, some podcasting, we brought the youth theatre back outdoors and then indoors when we could.
“We really had to think very hard about it. Very early on we had to cancel our big tour. The Arts Council have funded us for a long time, now through our projects and they were amazing with the level of understanding about what was happening.”
Kate Bramley of Badapple Theatre
As restrictions began to be relaxed, Badapple was able to respond quickly and take advantage of any change in regulations. It went from online work to outdoor performances to socially-distanced indoor theatre.
What was less possible was performing in its usual small venues: Badapple specialises in pop-up theatre in “your village hall or aircraft hangar or wherever”.
Now, with all restrictions lifted, its small teams of three actors and a stage manager can get back to the kind of venues they are used to. Village halls in Tockwith, North Stainley and Bishop Monkton, along with the Green Hut on Harrogate’s Harlow Avenue, are typical of the places to be visited by the upcoming tours.
Kate said:
“We went back to our theatre roots during covid and now we’re returning to the ‘theatre on your doorstep’ concept.
“I just really like going to places where people don’t expect us to be. It does tend to be a social event, more than a theatre event, and that breaks down some of those misconceptions people have about going to the theatre and how you have to behave and what you have to wear and so on.”
Alongside its performances, the team at Badapple did all they could to ensure the thriving youth theatre was kept alive through the pandemic. Having rehearsed outdoors for some time, its 35 members – all aged between seven and 14 – are now back to their usual weekly classes and ‘play in a week’ summer school.
Badapple’s thriving youth theatre
One of the appeals of the youth theatre is that it is treated with the same respect as a touring production. Full costumes, proper lighting and good set design are all on show when the youngsters put on their performances at Green Hammerton Village Hall.
There are no auditions or casting calls and it is open to all children, whether they are keen to be actors or want an encouraging space to boost their confidence.
The youth theatre may be back to full strength, but Kate said the wider theatre industry is still seeing audience numbers around 20% lower than before. With the company’s 25th anniversary to be marked next year, she is hopeful things will continue to improve.
A tour of Badapple’s popular show Eddie and the Gold Tops will begin in the spring to start the celebrations. Kate said:
Stray Views: why build Maltkiln when Flaxby would be better?“Beyond that, we’re just waiting to see. This autumn and winter season will help everyone figure out what’s best for community delivery and live events. Everyone’s coping with the cost of living and what if covid comes back.
“We just need to see what happens next. I’m hoping it’s a new, buoyant bubble, people keen to come out and have a life and enjoy themselves with friends. We’re low threat, as a theatre event. I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
In March, Harrogate Borough Council planning officer Kate Broadbank said the development would have a negative impact on the district’s natural environment as well as harming views from the nearby Temple of Victory, which is Grade II* listed.
Ms Broadbank wrote:
“The scale and layout are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact upon the district’s natural and historic environment.
“In addition, the application site is not considered to be accessible to local services nor is it demonstrated that an acceptable connection to public utilities can be achieved.”
It begs the question what the council has against the development of Flaxby considering the incinerator can be used to provide heating and hot water to homes. Much better than using the development of Maltkiln to widen the A59 also trains do not go to the nearest significant shopping centre Clifton Moor.
Catherine Alderson, Harrogate
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
Harrogate council spends £400,000 on bin worker overtime
Harrogate Borough Council has spent £408,000 on overtime for bin workers over the last three years.
The Stray Ferret sent a freedom of information request to the council after a refuse collector got in touch to express concerns about overtime spending.
The council spent £138,246 on overtime in 2019, £135,636 in 2020 and £134,196 in 2021. The figures do not include casual workers.
The council, which will be abolished in just under six months, employed 93 waste and recycling drivers and loaders in 2020, compared with 95 in 2021 and 100 in 2020.
David Houlgate, secretary of the Harrogate local government branch of public sector union Unison, said the council had been “in a recruitment and retention crisis for some time”, adding:
“There are a number of factors for this crisis but primary it is, in our view, because of pay freezes and below inflation pay rises for over a decade or more as a result of chronic under-funding from central government who do not appear to care about public services.
“Consequently, some services such as environmental services have endured staffing issues for a number of years. Your readers may have noticed on some occasions that their refuse or recycling collection has been late or not happened at all, as a result.
“Staff may have been asked to work overtime to alleviate the problem but more concerning is that there has been an over-reliance on agency workers to deliver some services.”
Mr Houlgate said Unison submitted a freedom of information request around the costs of agency workers in 2019 and later wrote to the council’s overview and scrutiny commission asking it to look into the “excessive” sums.
The committee agreed to undertake a review but this was delayed by covid and in July this year Unison was informed it was “unlikely that the agency workers piece of work will be undertaken”. Mr Houlgate said:
“The staffing situation has arisen because council staff have been underpaid and undervalued for well over a decade and the situation now with the cost of living crisis has reached a breaking point.”
The Stray Ferret asked the council what the overtime pay rate is for waste and recycling staff and whether it was able to manage the service better to reduce costs.
A council spokesperson said he didn’t have an answer for the pay rate but added:
“Our waste and recycling service has around 30 rounds out per day collecting household waste, recycling, garden waste and trade waste from the 500 square miles of the Harrogate district.
“There are a number of reasons why overtime is required to support the delivery of this service.
“On a day-to-day basis this could range from roadworks, delays or breakdowns leading to rounds finishing late and employees working over their contracted hours. Short or longer term driver and staff shortages also require additional time to be worked by employees to ensure the delivery of this service.
“It is fair and right that additional time worked by employees over contracted hours – that equates to less than five per cent of the overall delivery of the service – is paid at the appropriate rate in-line with our overtime policy. Equally, where hours are worked on bank holidays to ensure rounds are completed, overtime is rightly paid to employees.
“Without the good will and support from staff to work these additional hours we would struggle to deliver the existing quality of service that our residents and business customers expect to receive.”
Business Breakfast: 1,000 people attend Harrogate business conference
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
More than 1,000 people attended a business conference in Harrogate yesterday.
Brand Yorkshire held its 12th annual business conference at Pavilions of Harrogate at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Nearly 60 businesses had stalls at the event.
Staff from companies all over the country networked at the event, which attracted many local firms.
Georgina Pogge-von Strandmann, solicitor and branch manager at Ison Harrison in Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret:
“The event has been great to attend. We’re here to explain all of the services we can offer at our new Harrogate branch as a full-service law firm. We’ve spoken to a lot of people, everyone is really friendly.”
Sally Bendtson, who owns Limelight HR, said:
“It’s been really good so far, there is a nice mixture of people we know and people we haven’t worked with yet. Last year we just had a stand but this year we’ve got a stand and I’m doing a talk.”
Brand Yorkshire has been holding business events for more than a decade. They are run by Richard and Mona Norman.
Ms Norman told the Stray Ferret:
“People are still wanting to meet people face to face, especially in Harrogate. We have more than a thousand booked to attend.
“What is music to my ears is when the stand holders come to me, even when the day hasn’t finished yet, to say they are already getting business from the event.”
The Crown Hotel
Boroughbridge Chamber of Trade is to stage business networking event on Tuesday next week.
The event will also feature a presentation from Kevin Charity, the new chief executive of The Coaching Inn Group, which recently bought the town’s Crown Hotel.
Coaching Inns took over the historic 37-bedroom hotel in February after its parent company, RedCat Pub Company, purchased the building from Best Western for an undisclosed fee. It is investing about £450,000 in refurbishing the site.
The event takes place at the Crown Hotel from 5.30pm to 7pm. Non-chamber members are welcome.