Liz Truss may have only just entered Downing Street but opposition parties in Harrogate and Knaresborough have begun manoeuvrings for the next general election.

This week the Green Party became the first to name its prospective parliamentary candidate. The Liberal Democrats are expected to follow suit by the end of the year.

Conservative Andrew Jones has won four successive elections in Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010, securing 53% of the vote at the last campaign in 2019.

The next election is widely expected to take place in 2024 — and some think his biggest threat comes from opposition parties working together rather than splitting the vote. But the early signs are this is unlikely to happen.

There was little appetite for a pact at a Green Party hustings event this week. Paul Ko Ferrigno, the only candidate standing for leadership, insisted he was fighting to win, and even if he didn’t he was more interested in shaping the debate than doing deals.

Asked if he was willing to risk letting the Tories in with this approach, Mr Ko Ferrigno said:

“Yes — but if what I’ve done is shift the conversation so the next time round the Tories are being more green in their approach, more forward in their approach, because of the way we have been campaigning, then that’s OK.”

The Greens still harbour ill feeling from the last election, when their candidate, Shan Oakes, stood down.

Green Party members at this week’s hustings.

Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn for the Greens on North Yorkshire County Council, told this week’s meeting:

“We had a national agreement with Lib Dems. Shan agreed to stand aside. The problem with that is you have to trust the people you deal with.

“The trust for us has disappeared. That’s not good for a future progressive alliance.”

Cllr Warneken added, however, that a final decision on pacts would be taken locally.

Labour and Lib Dems

The Stray Ferret asked Chris Watt, vice-chair, Harrogate & Knaresborough Labour Party, which took 11% of the vote in 2019, if it would consider an opposition pact. He replied:

“Being a much larger party, Labour operates a national system with local parties making the final decision on their candidate.”

Mr Watt added Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour “have asked to move forward with selecting a candidate as soon as possible”.

Read more:

• Green Party chooses man to fight Andrew Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough
• Andrew Jones MP hits back over sewage vote

The process to select a Liberal Democrat candidate is being re-run after the national Lib Dems upgraded Harrogate and Knaresborough to a target seat.

“I’m hoping to have the procedures completed Christmas time.”

A Porsche driver who killed a cyclist while allegedly using his phone has been found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

James Bryan, 37, was rushing to get some shopping for his parents during the covid lockdown when his Porsche Carrera 911 ploughed into the back of a bicycle ridden by married father-of-two Andrew Jackson, 36, on the A168 between Wetherby and Boroughbridge, York Crown Court heard.

The prosecution claimed that at the time of the collision, Mr Bryan had been using his mobile and pointed to evidence that showed his Facebook and Instagram accounts were open.

A jury essentially had to decide the case on the single issue of whether Mr Bryan had been using his phone at the time of the fatal crash, which occurred on the afternoon of May 10, 2020.

Mr Bryan denied he was using his phone.

After deliberating long into the afternoon today (Friday, September 23), the jury found him not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. However, he had already admitted causing death by careless driving and will be sentenced for that offence in October.

Social media claims

During the trial, which began earlier this week, prosecutor Anne Richardson alleged that in the moments before the crash at Allerton Park, Mr Bryan must have been distracted by “something” because Mr Jackson was clearly visible.

She claimed that evidence showed he must have been looking at, scrolling through, or reading posts on social media.

Mr Bryan had taken cocaine and been drinking at his friend’s house in Cheshire the night before the fatal collision at Rabbit Hill Park.

A roadside test in the aftermath of the crash showed that although he wasn’t over the limit for either drink or drugs, there were traces of cocaine, or a cocaine breakdown product, in his system.

Ms Richardson claimed that Bryan, who celebrated his 35th birthday just two days before the accident, would have been impaired by the drugs in his system and from being hungover and tired from the alcohol and festivities the night before.

Read more:

• Harrogate Porsche driver who killed cyclist was ‘scrolling’ through social media
• Harrogate district planning rules could be ‘radically streamlined’

He was on the way to drop some groceries off at his parents’ house who were isolating during the covid lockdown when the accident occurred at about 1.40pm. Ms Richardson said:

“The front of the Porsche collided with the rear of Mr Jackson’s bike and Andrew Jackson came off his bike, went up in the air and hit his head on the windscreen and roof of the car, and landed on the road behind the car.

“He was pronounced dead at the scene by an off-duty intensive-care consultant.”

“This is an incredibly sad case. A young mother has lost her husband and father to two (very young) children. Her in-laws have lost their only son.”

Mr Bryan, of St Mary’s Avenue, Harrogate, was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He denied the allegation but admitted causing death by careless driving in that he didn’t leave enough room to drive around the bicycle.

Ms Richardson claimed Mr Bryan’s driving was dangerous because he “wasn’t looking at the road ahead of him” as his car approached Mr Jackson.

Died from head injuries

Mr Bryan – who had been at a birthday barbecue in Wilmslow the night before and set off for home early the following morning – called 999 moments after the accident and told a call operator he thought the cyclist was dead.

Other motorists, including the off-duty doctor and his medically trained wife, were on the scene in minutes and called police and an ambulance, but Mr Jackson had already died from head injuries.

Forensic analysis of Mr Bryan’s phone showed that it was unlocked in the moments before the crash and the Instagram and Facebook apps were open.

Mr Bryan was taken in for questioning and told police that Mr Jackson, who lived locally, “came out of nowhere” but then claimed the cyclist had veered into the middle of the road and that he had tried to overtake him, only for the cyclist to “swerve into my path”.

An accident investigator who carried out a reconstruction of the accident said the bike was not in the middle of the road, but on the edge of the carriageway, near a grass verge, and that Mr Bryan had not tried to move around the bicycle.

In one message found on Mr Bryan’s phone on the way back from Cheshire, he told a friend he was hungover from the night before and was “concerned about being late for his parents with their shopping”.

In another sent by Mr Bryan to a female friend while he was at the birthday party the previous night, he told her: “I’m so drunk I can’t see.”

Defence barrister Sophia Dower claimed that Mr Bryan was in a “fit and proper state” to drive and was not using his phone at the time of the crash.

She claimed that Mr Jackson’s bike had veered right from the edge of the road into the path of Mr Bryan’s black Porsche, and that her client “didn’t have enough time to react”.

The off-duty doctor who was at the scene said Mr Jackson had suffered a serious head injury and his helmet was broken.

Mr Bryan will be sentenced on October 21.

Jackson family statement

The Jackson family issued the following statement yesterday after the verdict:

“The outcome from today doesn’t change anything for us; we are still learning to live with the gaping hole in our lives left by Andrew.

“However, it is important we were here to represent Andrew, to get justice for him and to show just how much he is still loved and missed.

“We all deserve to feel safe on our roads and to make it home to our loved ones.

“We respectfully ask for time and space for our family to process the events of this week as we continue to grieve for our husband, father, son and friend.”

Businesses in the Harrogate district could receive major tax cuts and fewer restrictions on building as part of a government announcement today.

Ministers revealed North Yorkshire County Council is one of 38 local authorities it is talking to about becoming investment zones.

The government has said the zones will “will drive growth and unlock housing across the UK by lowering taxes and liberalising planning frameworks”.

However, a union has warned they could lead to poorer public services and a race to the bottom on employment terms.

The government has written to local leaders in every part of England inviting them to begin discussions on setting up zones in their area. Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire County Council was today confirmed as one of 38 that are keen to be involved.

The government has said the zones will receive lower taxes and ‘radically streamlined’ planning rules.

Businesses will get 100% business rates relief on newly occupied and expanded premises, full stamp duty land tax relief on land bought for commercial or residential development and a zero rate for employer national insurance contributions on new employee earnings up to £50,270 per year.

To incentivise investment, there will be a 100% first year enhanced capital allowance relief for plant and machinery used within designated sites and accelerated enhanced structures and buildings allowance relief of 20% per year.

Kwasi Kwarteng

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“That is an unprecedented set of tax incentives for businesses to invest, to build and to create jobs right across the country.

“If we really want to level up, we need to unleash the power of the private sector.”

‘Race to the bottom’

But the zones, which build on the government’s freeports initiative, was criticised by the North Yorkshire branch of Unison.

A spokesman for the union said:

“Our nervousness, which is probably shared by residents of North Yorkshire, is around a race to the bottom by deregulation.”

The spokesman said the zones set local authorities against each other and would be bad for public services, as well as ushering in a “lower standard of planning”.

He also warned it could lead to businesses in non-zone areas cutting wages and standards to compete. He added:

“I don’t blame local authorities for applying but what we need from government is a strategy that goes for a high skill, high wage economy rather than pitting one local authority against another.”

North Yorkshire County Council has been approached for comment.

Artificial intelligence is to be employed on Harrogate district roads this winter to keep traffic moving during severe weather.

North Yorkshire County Council revealed yesterday it was working with Finnish weather technology firm Vaisala to improve monitoring of its network of 5,800 miles of road.

Vaisala will use a combination of artificial intelligence, computer modelling and live data to survey road conditions more quickly.

A council news release said:

“As highways officers drive the network, the video technology automatically surveys the roads and identifies defects. It processes the data within a few hours.

“This gives the highways team a visual snapshot of the whole network, capturing useful data about the road condition and road signs very quickly and enabling them to target resources most efficiently.”

The authority is trialling Vaisala Wx Horizon, which uses real-time weather information, historic weather and road condition data alongside computer modelling to help identify required winter treatments.

It is also investigating Internet of Things sensors to provide feedback on road surface temperatures and moisture levels.

Read more:

• More weather stations give North Yorkshire ‘best coverage in UK’
• Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire

Last year the council spent £500,000 on measures including installing 27 weather stations across the county to provide up-to-date information to help the council make decisions about when and where to grit roads.

The B6265 at Greenhow near Pateley Bridge and the B6267 Low Burton near Masham are among the areas with weather stations.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the former executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, pictured at a weather station last year.

The stations include solar-powered cameras that relay live images of road conditions to the county council’s website, where they help people plan their journeys.

‘Vital to everyday lives’

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said:

“North Yorkshire’s extensive highways network, which includes many rural roads, is vital to the everyday lives of the county’s residents, its businesses, tourism industry and wider economic prosperity.

“That’s why we have a strong track record in putting ourselves at the forefront of technological advances that enable us to make quick, well-informed decisions to help to keep our roads open and people on the move during winter weather.

“These latest developments with Vaisala continue that long-standing approach and demonstrate our commitment to ongoing improvement to enable our dedicated teams to support residents, businesses and visitors across the county.”

Jarkko Sairanen, Vaisala’s executive vice president for weather and the environment, said:

“I am convinced the county and its people will benefit from the latest advances in mobile and Internet of Things technologies to help keep the road network safe and accessible, while minimising the cost and carbon footprint of efficient winter maintenance operations.”

The Stray Ferret has asked the council how much the new measures cost but has yet to receive a figure.

Picture: At one of North Yorkshire’s weather stations are (from left): Mike Francis of NY Highways; Erik Sucksdorff, sales director at Vaisala; Jo Wright, sales manager at Vaisala; Richard Marr, highway area manager at North Yorkshire County Council; Nigel Smith, head of highway operations at NYCC; Barrie Mason, assistant director, highways and transportation at NYCC; Jarkko Sairanen, Vaisala’s executive vice president for weather and the environment; and Alan Palfreyman, technical officer at NYCC

The owners of Ainsty Farm Shop have said if a new Prime Minister had been appointed sooner it could have saved their business.

This morning, the government announced a huge package of support for businesses that will see energy bills cut in half for the next six months.

Despite the energy crisis growing all summer, the measures were only announced after the two-month Conservative Party leadership battle between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

For the farm shop off the A59, which closed last week, it’s come too late.

The Stray Ferret reported in August how farmers Lily and Stuart Beaton had run the popular store for 22 years but planned to close due to spiralling bills.

They had been given an energy quote of £90,000 — a massive increase from the £20,000 a year they had previously been paying.

Ms Beaton said:

“In all honesty, if they’d got on with choosing the Prime Minister quicker, and made the announcement [on energy bills] sooner, we might have sat down and worked out the figures and looked if we’d be able to go on. gone on.

“I think we would have had a go at putting our prices up and seeing what the reaction was from people.”

Read more:

• Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire
• £70,000 energy bill increase forces Harrogate district farm shop to close

The package of support will last for six months, which Ms Beaton described as a “stay of execution”.

She is worried that next winter, businesses could again be placed in a perilous position with no guarantee of another government bailout.

She added:

“I think there are a lot of businesses that will benefit but I feel it’s moving the problem on. In six months time we won’t have all the renewable power in place, that’s the way we need to go.”

The couple are now busy removing the fridges, tills and shelving from the store as they prepare to simplify their business.

They will continue to sell meat and produce from their farm via an online mailing list and through their online shop.

The government is set to award North Yorkshire County Council £336,000 for bus services just five months after rejecting a multi-million pound funding bid.

Ministers wrote to council officers to offer a grant to cover the costs of staffing in its enhanced partnership team, which helps to draw up funding bids and work with bus operators to improve services.

The move comes after the Department for Transport rejected a £116 million funding bid as part of the authority’s Bus Service Improvement Plan for the county.

In a letter to council officials, the government said the grant would help it continue to work with bus companies.

It said:

“We understand that this funding does not replace BSIP funding to spend on transforming your bus services.

“But we do hope it will help to support your ongoing work with operator partners, especially working through an enhance partnership or franchising arrangement, to deliver better bus services (whether they are commercial or tendered) and enable you to use local bus funding to best effect and attract future bus funding as it becomes available.”

Failed funding bid

The move comes after the county council failed in a bid for bus improvement funding back in April.

Ministers rejected a £116 million bid from the authority which would have funded new bus lanes, more affordable fares, real-time passenger information and a simpler ticketing system for services across North Yorkshire.

The government said it refused the scheme because it “lacked ambition”.

Read more:

• Harrogate park and ride ‘still possible’ despite £116m funding failure
• Harrogate park and ride plans could finally be revealed next year

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for transport at the council, warned in July that bus services were “facing a potential cliff edge” due to loss of government subsidies.

Despite the failed bid, Cllr Duncan said previously that the council would continue with some of its plans for transport – such as a park and ride in the district.

He said:

“While we suffered a setback with our Bus Service Improvement Plan bid to the Department for Transport being unsuccessful, we are working to identify potential sites along the A61 corridor and elsewhere in town.

“This will build on the work we’ve already undertaken as part of the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study that was completed in 2021.”

The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire County Council to ask whether it felt the latest bus grant was sufficient, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Businesses in the Harrogate district will breathe “a temporary sigh of relief” after the government announced a cap on energy bills, a local business group has said.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the intervention by ministers to tackle the sky high cost of gas and electricity was welcome.

The scheme will see the government fix wholesale gas and electricity prices for businesses for six months from October 1.

It means bills are expected to be cut for firms by half their predicted level this winter.

Mr Simister said he hoped the move would prevent businesses from closing down.

He said:

“Today’s announcement by the government is extremely welcome, and there will be many businesses breathing a temporary sigh of relief.

“Over the last few weeks we have seen businesses pull the shutters down because of rising energy costs, and I hope today’s intervention will prevent many more from doing likewise.

“At the end of the week, the Chancellor will be unveiling a mini budget which I am hopeful will further take into account the needs of businesses.

“However, one thing we do have to bear in mind is that this money is being borrowed and therefore will have to be paid back at a later date.”

Rising energy bills has already forced some businesses in the district to close. 

They included Ainsty Farm Shop, which closed last weekend after its owners were told their annual energy bill was set to jump from £20,000 to £90,000 a year.

Read more:

• Harrogate council could dip into reserves to cover soaring energy costs

• Help for Ripon residents confused about energy rebates

Meanwhile, ministers announced that the cut in energy bills would also apply to hospitals, charities and schools.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“As with every other area of society, hospitals are not immune to rising energy costs, and as part of our annual budget planning we do our utmost to take into consideration any potential rises.

“Additional support provided by government during the current energy crisis will help alleviate some pressures that we face so that we can continue to provide the best possible health care for our community.

“We cannot simply rely on cost capping energy bills and our trust is committed to reducing costs, becoming more energy efficient and lessening our environmental impact by becoming a greener, more environmentally friendly organisation.

“A number of major projects have been undertaken as part of our £14 million Salix investment. This work includes insulating our roofing and replacing glazing across the Harrogate District Hospital site to help reduce our energy consumption.”

Kwasi Kwarteng, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

“We have stepped in to stop businesses collapsing, protect jobs, and limit inflation.

“And with our plans to boost home-grown energy supply, we will bring security to the sector, growth to the economy and secure a better deal for consumers.”

Two Ridings Community Foundation has launched a fund aimed at helping communities in North Yorkshire as the cost of living crisis deepens.

The charity is set to open applications for the fund next month and has already received £210,000 worth of pledges towards it.

The fund will give grants to groups who provide practical, financial and emotional support to people struggling to manage bills, with their day-to-day existence and the emotional impact of constantly worrying about finance, debt and their loved ones’ wellbeing.

It comes as people across the Harrogate district have seen energy bills increase and inflation hike the prices of goods and services.

Two Ridings Community Foundation is one of 47 community foundations in the UK which co-ordinate local charitable giving. Its new initiative will help people in north and east Yorkshire.

James Lambert, founding donor of the crisis fund and high sheriff of North Yorkshire, urged others to donate to the fund.

He said:

“As a local businessman I urge everyone who can to donate to this crucial fund.

“As high sheriff I have seen the amazing work that local charities do and know that any money donated is used wisely and well, where it is most needed.”

Read more:

• Community invited to ‘fill up a parking space’ with food amid cost of living crisis
• Vulnerable people in Harrogate district having sleepless nights over rising bills

The fund will also ensure charities can cope with the impact of the cost of living on their own costs, so they can continue to offer support.

The fund will open for applications from North and East Yorkshire community organisations from early October 2022. Full details will be available on the Two Ridings website.

A Porsche driver from Harrogate knocked down and killed a cyclist while scrolling through social media posts on his phone, it’s alleged.

James Bryan, 37, was rushing to get some shopping for his parents during the covid lockdown when his Porsche Carrera 911 ploughed into the back of a bicycle ridden by married father-of-two Andrew Jackson, 36, on the A168 between Wetherby and Boroughbridge, a jury at York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Anne Richardson said that at the time of the collision, Mr Bryan’s Instagram and Facebook accounts were open.

She said Mr Bryan must have been looking at, scrolling through, or reading posts on social media in the moments before the crash at Allerton Park.

She said that Bryan had been taking cocaine and drinking at his friend’s house in Cheshire the night before the fatal collision at Rabbit Hill Park.

Although he wasn’t over the limit for either drink or drugs, there were traces of cocaine in his system.

Ms Richardson said that Bryan, who celebrated his 35^th birthday just two days before the fatal crash, would have been impaired by the drugs in his system and from being hungover and tired from the alcohol and festivities the night before.

‘Incredibly sad case’

Ms Richardson said that forensic analysis of Mr Bryan’s phone showed that at the time of the collision he had his Facebook and Instagram apps open.

He was on the way to drop some groceries off at his parents’ house. They were isolating during the covid lockdown when the accident occurred at about 1.40pm on May 10, 2020.

Mr Jackson was wearing a helmet on a straight stretch of road where visibility was good. Ms Richardson said:

“The front of the Porsche collided with the rear of Mr Jackson’s bike and Andrew Jackson came off his bike, went up in the air and hit his head on the windscreen and roof of the car, and landed on the road behind the car.”

“He was pronounced dead at the scene by an off-duty intensive-care consultant.

“This is an incredibly sad case. A young mother has lost her husband and father to two (very young) children. Her in-laws have lost their only son.”

Mr Bryan, of St Mary’s Avenue, Harrogate, has already admitted that he caused the death of Mr Jackson by careless driving in that he didn’t leave enough room to drive around the bicycle, but he denies causing death by dangerous driving on the grounds that he wasn’t using his phone at the time.

Head injuries

The prosecution insists that Mr Bryan’s driving was dangerous because he “wasn’t looking at the road ahead of him” as his car approached Mr Jackson. Ms Richardson said:

“If he had been (looking ahead of him) he would have had an uninterrupted view of the road (for) over 500 metres.”

Mr Bryan, who had been at a barbecue the night before to celebrate his birthday and set off for home early the following morning, called 999 moments after the accident and told a call operator he thought the cyclist was dead.

Other motorists, including the off-duty doctor and his medically trained wife, were on the scene in minutes and called police and an ambulance, but Mr Jackson had already died from head injuries.

Police arrived at the scene and arrested Mr Bryan, who was “very distressed” and appeared to be in shock.

A roadside drug-impairment test showed that Mr Bryan was positive for cocaine but not over the specified legal limit.

Read more:

• Cocaine dealer jailed for ‘peddling misery’ in Harrogate
• Man to appear in court charged with arson at Knaresborough pub

Subsequent forensic examination of his phone showed that it was unlocked in the moments before the crash and the Instagram and Facebook apps were open.

Mr Bryan was taken in for questioning and told police that after arriving back home from Cheshire he decided to do some shopping for his parents who were shielding because his father had cancer.

He said that Mr Jackson, who lived locally, “came out of nowhere” but then claimed the cyclist had veered into the middle of the road and that he had tried to overtake him, only for the cyclist to “swerve into my path”.

An accident investigator who carried out a reconstruction of the crash said that the bike was not in the middle of the road, but on the edge of the carriageway, near a grass verge, and that Mr Bryan had not tried to move around the bicycle.

Mr Bryan told police he had gone to Cheshire the day before to view a “potential development site” and that he wanted to become a property developer.

In one message found on his phone on the way back from Cheshire, Mr Bryan told a friend he was hungover from the night before and was “concerned about being late for his parents with their shopping”.

In another sent by Mr Bryan to a female friend while he was at the birthday party, he told her: “I’m so drunk I can’t see.”

‘Fit to drive’

Defence barrister Sophia Dower claimed that Mr Bryan was in a “fit and proper state” to drive and was not using his phone at the time of the crash.

She claimed that Mr Jackson’s bike had veered right from the edge of the road into the path of Mr Bryan’s black Porsche, and that her client “didn’t have enough time to react”.

Witnesses including the off-duty doctor and his wife said they saw the cyclist with torn clothes lying on his back in the road.

The doctor said that when he checked for a pulse there was none, and he certified him dead at the scene.

He said that when he told the Porsche driver the cyclist was dead, he “moved backwards, crouched down and put his hands on his head”.

He said Mr Jackson had suffered a serious head injury and his helmet was broken.

The trial continues.

Owners of second homes in North Yorkshire are set to pay a 100% premium on their council tax.

Senior councillors on North Yorkshire County Council yesterday approved the measure, which is expected to come into force within two years.

The council’s executive unanimously backed the plans, which would effectively double council tax bills for second home owners, and the proposals will now be considered at a full council meeting.

The move will see the premium introduced for homes which have been sat empty for a year or more.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said the move would help local people access housing.

He said:

“There is no simple solution to the issue of affordable housing, second homes and the impact they have on housing for local communities.

“But we recognise that bold and decisive action needs to be taken to deal with the affordable housing crisis in North Yorkshire, and that is why the executive has decided to pursue the policy of a council tax premium.

“It may not be popular with everyone, but that is not the key factor in this decision. We need to act to try and ensure more local people have access to housing in their own communities, and the premium on council tax bills for second homes will be a significant step towards achieving that.

“Second homes and the impact they can have on the availability of housing has been a long-running problem that has affected communities not just in North Yorkshire but across the country, and this was reinforced by the findings of the independent North Yorkshire Rural Commission.”

Analysis by the county council showed the introduction of a 100% premium on council tax bills for second homes in North Yorkshire could generate in excess of £14 million a year in additional revenue.

Read more:

• Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge
• Second homes council tax premium plan gets mixed reception
• 793 Harrogate district second-home owners face double council tax charge

The research said that Richmondshire could generate about £1.8 million through the second homes premium, while the Craven, Harrogate and Ryedale districts could each provide about £1.5 million in extra revenue.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who is also the authority’s deputy leader, said: 

“We know that there is an acute shortage of housing for local people in many communities in North Yorkshire, and this has been an issue that has long affected their opportunities to actually buy their own home.

“Places such as the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors as well as coastal towns such as Scarborough and Whitby are without question wonderful places to live.

“But with that comes the fact that these areas also see very high numbers of second homes, which affects the availability of housing for local people.

“The scheme to introduce the council tax premium will ideally see these second homes brought back into use for local people. But if not, then there will be a valuable new revenue stream created that will help fund council priorities, such as helping introduce more housing for local communities.”