In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the debate over a planned new 3,000 town in the Harrogate district called Maltkiln.

When Harrogate Borough Council unveiled a planned new town on the edge of the district, which could be home to 10,000 people, it was always likely to generate a mixed response.

The development, which was revealed to be called Maltkiln this year, promises up to 3,000 homes, two primary schools, as well as shops and employment space.

The aim of the scheme near Hammerton and Cattal is to make a dent in the district’s housing demand.

However, this year It faced questions over its green credentials, the lack of secondary education and criticism over a council-run consultation.

The layout for Maltkiln, which is centred around Cattal Station

From the start, there were eyebrows raised over the name itself – but that was the tip of the iceberg when it came to critics of the scheme.

Since the start of the consultation in October, Cllr Arnold Warneken raised questions over the process and its transparency.

First there was a plea to extend the survey after it emerged that some details in the housing document had been changed part way through.

It was enough for Cllr Warneken to threaten the council with a judicial review.

In a letter, he said:

“As you will appreciate, use of that sort of terminology starts to take us into legal areas such as judicial review.

“We have no wish to go there. If nothing else, it would be a huge waste of public money. However, please don’t underestimate the level of frustration of local residents.”

The borough council eventually agreed to the extension.

Then the authority was forced to apologise after publishing personal details of those who had submitted views to the consultation.

But the debate surrounding Maltkiln did not stop at an administrative process.

Read more:

• Consultation extended into new Harrogate district town after legal threat
• Harrogate council apologises after publishing personal details
• ‘Let’s make the best of it’: Hopes and fears for 3000-home Maltkiln settlement

Much was made over the fact that the development – which is the size of Thirsk – had no secondary school.

Instead, council officials confirmed that those students of a secondary school age look set to travel to Boroughbridge High School.

As a result, councillors raised questions over how this reflected on the the scheme’s green aims.

As Cllr Pat Marsh, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency committee, said in November:

“Why are we saying this is a sustainable community and yet expecting children to travel at 11 to Boroughbridge?”

A vibrant community

The council has maintained that it wants Maltkiln to be a “vibrant new community in its own right” which compliments the surrounding villages.

It has also pointed out that the plan for the new town is spread over 30 years.

For some villagers, there is hope that the new scheme will inject young blood into the area.

Keith Welton, 74, who lives in Cattal, told the Stray Ferret in July that he was taking a pragmatic approach to the new town by hoping the new North Yorkshire Council is firm with developers by ensuring affordable homes are built.

He said:

“There’s an acute need for affordable housing. Many of our young people come out of university and want to go to Leeds, Manchester or London. They settle down, and they want to come back. We need to capitalise on that talent and make housing available for them.”

“I’m 74 and you can’t have a village full of 74 year olds!”

For Harrogate Borough Council, choosing the area for 3,000 new homes is arguably one of its biggest decisions ahead of its abolition in April.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Digital Innovation Award, which is sponsored by ASE Computers.

This award is designed to highlight those businesses which are leading the way in the digital world.

These businesses have embraced digital and grown the business as a result.

This innovation can come in many forms, including putting your business online, developing an app or using other digital applications like social media.

Companies looking to enter for the Digital Innovation Award need to provide examples of the success your business has had with digital, including any statistical data to support.

Do you know a business that deserves to win the Digital Innovation Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 16. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

Next year will see the start of seismic political changes in North Yorkshire.

On April 1, seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, will be abolished, along with North Yorkshire County Council. and be replaced by a new unitary authority called North Yorkshire Council.

These changes will pave the way for something potentially even more significant in 2024, when North Yorkshire is likely to elect a mayor and become the 11th place in England to get a combined authority.

Words like ‘combined authority’, ‘devolution’ and ‘mayor’ don’t slip down as easily as mulled wine at Christmas and the temptation is to ignore them.

But James Farrar, chief operating officer of York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, thinks the political changes will bring economic benefits — especially to those who grasp the significance of what’s going on. Mr Farrar says:

“This is huge. There will be significant investment on an ongoing basis right across North Yorkshire.”

Mr Farrar, who is from Huby and went to primary school in North Rigton and secondary school in Harrogate, heads one of 38 local enterprise partnerships.

LEPs sit between local and national government to stimulate economic growth. York and North Yorkshire LEP, which employs 40 staff, is mainly funded by £375,000 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and £250,000 from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

It invests in capital infrastructure that provides conditions for growth, such as the upgrade of junction 47 on the A1(M) at Flaxby. It also invests in skills and business support.

Right now, devolution is by far the biggest game in town.

James Farrar

Mr Farrar, who has worked in economic regeneration for two decades, pinpoints two major benefits — long-term funding and a closer dialogue with national government. He says:

“Currently organisations are constantly bidding for funding from government for one, three or five years. When you are constantly bidding it’s very hard to take long-term strategic decisions. Thirty-year funding gives certainty. Having been stuck in a cycle of short-term bidding, it will make a massive difference.

“Also, areas with mayors have a constant dialogue with government. It will put us round that top table. There will be an ongoing, permanent relationship between North Yorkshire and Whitehall.”

Mr Farrar describes the proposed 30-year, £540 million devolution deal, which is expected to be ratified in the new year, as “a really, really good deal compared to what other areas got at the beginning”.

It will mean an £18 million a year mayoral investment fund, plus there will be separate funding for specific areas such as transport. He says it will “enhance rather than erode” the powers of North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, which will continue to handle areas such as highways and planning.

Read more:

• Devolution could end ‘half a century of under investment’ in Ripon
• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials

The creation of a mayoral combined authority has led to fears too much power will be concentrated in too few hands.

The authority will be chaired by the mayor and have two members each from North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council plus the chair of the LEP.

Mr Farrar says the fact the mayor will need re-electing to maintain office will act as a democratic check on his or her power.

‘Be on the front foot’

Mr Farrar, whose brother still farms in Huby, acknowledges people will only value devolution “when they see real change” but he insists it’s coming.

He also thinks businesses and councils need to be ready.

“My message to any area is it’s important to be clear about your priorities. Think about what investment they need to make sure town centres are vibrant, what will make businesses want to relocate there and what are the barriers to that.

“My experience is that places with a plan attract investment. If you wait for the money you will be waiting a long time. Be on the front foot.

“We have some amazing towns in North Yorkshire but they are going through a lot of problems and change. Their USP is the quality of places and if they get this right they will see significant progress.”

Mr Farrar also predicts a “big change in agriculture because of environmental changes and leaving the EU”, which will have a particularly significant impact on rural North Yorkshire and further reshape the county’s economy.

But he insists the outcome of all the changes will be worth it, with more prosperous towns and a more politically tuned in county. He also reiterates a point he made in a speech to Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce last month — that there are  successful businesses in York looking to relocate and alert nearby towns in the Harrogate district could benefit.

The LEP is based in York and Mr Farrar says:

“York is constrained by its geographical size. We have businesses wanting to grow and we don’t want them to move outside the area. Whether it’s Knaresborough or Boroughbridge in the Harrogate district or somewhere else like Selby and Easingwold, there are opportunities to be part of that growth.”

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the district’s ongoing multi-million pound leisure projects.

Spades hit the ground this year as an overhaul of leisure services in the district continued.

Since taking over the reigns of facilities in 2021, Brimhams Active has slowly pressed on with shaping a new look leisure offering.

Harrogate Borough Council is spending more than £40 million on new pools in Ripon and Knaresborough and on a major refurbishment of The Hydro in Harrogate.

Those projects made progress this year, although the saga over Ripon’s ground instability coloured the debate over whether the site was suitable for a new pool.

The investment in leisure is the largest the district has seen.

In Harrogate, the Hydro will be expanded and in Knaresborough an entirely new facility will be built.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret in March, Mark Tweedie, director of Brimhams, said he expects the transition to the new pool to be “seamless”.

Both projects are set to cost around £28 million.

Delays and cost hikes

But, while they represent ambitious schemes, they have not been plain sailing.

The reopening of the Hydro has been delayed and is set to cost more than originally planned.

This month the borough council revealed it is set to cost £12.8 million – £1 million more than planned.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, Cllr Phil Ireland, Alliance Leisure business development manager Sean Nolan and ISG project manager Julian Donnelly outside the Knaresborough Leisure Centre construction.

Meanwhile, the facility is not expected to reopen until the summer.

The opening of a gym at Ripon has also been beset by delays as the council carries out ground stability work.

On top of that, a temporary gym which is expected to be put in place during the works will not arrive until the new year.

Despite the issues in Ripon, the decision to build on the site was defended by Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the borough council, amid concern over the future of the centre due to instability.

While the projects may be ambitious, the revolution over leisure in the district is taking time to come to fruition.

Read more:

• Delayed opening for temporary gym at Ripon leisure centre
• Ripon Leisure Centre ground works will cost £3.5 million

This week we have a selection of photographs celebrating Christmas day across the Harrogate district.

Photographs by Kate Filippi and Brittany Thompson

Photographs by Helen Sunderland and Jenni Foley

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, the final day of our appeal, we look at its success and the difference your donations will make to this vital organisation.

The fundraising page remains open. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help. 

The last four weeks have seen an incredible £25,000 donated to the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal.

The campaign has been supported by Techbuyer, which generously offered to match fund up to £5,000 of donations from the public and other businesses.

With their contribution now added, the total raised through the appeal is more than £30,000. Helen Blakey from Techbuyer said:

“Techbuyer have been involved with Resurrected Bites in various capacities over the last couple of years donating IT hardware and providing monetary donations.

“As champions of the circular economy, we think it is important that every resource is properly used – especially when precious food can help sustain someone in need. That’s why we chose to work with Resurrected Bites as their values really resonate with ours.

“We are amazed at the generosity of local people and businesses that have helped increase the total. It is reassuring to know that, with the success of this appeal, many more people can enjoy as merry a Christmas as possible.”

Thank you to everyone who has given any amount, large or small, to our appeal. Every penny will go directly to Resurrected Bites and will make an enormous difference to local people.

Thanks to your generosity, Resurrected Bites goes into 2023 with a more certain future.

Not only can it continue to support the customers who rely on its community groceries and enjoy its pay-as-you-feel cafe, it can welcome more people through the doors.

Times are hard for many and, with the cost of living set to rise further next year, it is likely more people will find themselves struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table.

Some of the stories we have heard have shown just how easily people can fall into a situation where their incomes do not cover all their outgoings.

Take Ickle Mills, mum to a young son, who found her maternity pay was nowhere near what she had expected. Despite her partner’s steady job and good income, the family suddenly struggled to afford food after the added expense of a baby. She said:

“All of a sudden, we were hundreds of pounds down a month on what I would have earned.  

“We were at the point of incurring a lot of debt. Thanks to Resurrected Bites, we didn’t. It was the only thing that kept us from having to fall into quite bad debt.” 

Resurrected Bites enabled the couple to buy milk and other supplies for their son, as well as putting food on the table for themselves. As he moved onto solid food, Ickle found she had access to produce she might otherwise not have been able to buy, giving him a varied, healthy diet – all while reducing the amount of food going to landfill.

Then there was Justin Hardcastle, for whom a series of bereavements led to a mental health crisis – and Resurrected Bites was among the organisations that stepped in to help, alongside housing charity Lifeline. Now volunteering in its grocery and cafe, he told us:

“I love coming here. It gives me a purpose. Everyone is so friendly and I feel like I’m giving something back.

“It’s heart-warming and beneficial for me, just to be part of a team and know I’m appreciated…

“I feel like I contribute – I give as much as I can. Thinking about where I was, if it wasn’t for Resurrected Bites, Lifeline and my network of friends, I don’t know where I would be now.” 

Justin Hardcastle, left, and Lara Rundle

For single mum of four Lara Rundle, the problems began when her youngest child went away to university.

A small pay rise from the NHS meant she was no longer entitled to benefits, leaving her £90 a month worse off – and health problems for her and one of her children further impacted on her finances.

Speaking to her GP practice about the challenges she faced, Lara was referred to Resurrected Bites. She told the Stray Ferret:

“You feel you are paying something, so it’s not a hand-out. It’s fresh fruit and vegetables. They’re the kind of things I can’t afford to buy.

“If I go to the supermarket, the only thing I have to buy is cheese and butter, sometimes meat. There’s stuff there I could never have afforded to buy even if I wasn’t in this situation.” 

The impact on her mental health has been significant, taking away the pressures she was feeling. She said:

“It has made such a massive difference. I know I don’t have to worry.

“If you have an extra fiver you put it on your account so you don’t have to worry about paying next time.

“I just can’t thank them enough. They’re angels. The service is a life-saver.”

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: How high standards help to feed hungry families
• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: Making hearty meals from food waste
• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘It’s our privilege to care for each other’

Resurrected Bites also has plans to extend its service and reach more people in new communities.

In early spring, founder Michelle Hayes hopes to open its third pay-as-you-feel cafe, this time at Killinghall Methodist Church.

Like the others at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough and Harrogate’s West Park United Reformed Church, it will use food that would otherwise go to waste. Ingredients collected from supermarkets and other commercial outlets will be turned into delicious, filling hot meals.

A roast beef dinner at Resurrected Bites’ pay-as-you-feel cafe in Knaresborough

They’re sold on a pay-as-you-feel basis: if anyone can’t otherwise afford to eat out, they can contribute whatever they are able for their meal. The cafes are also open to those who can afford to give more, as cafe manager Ian Booth told the Stray Ferret:

“Often, people don’t come because they think it’s just for people who are struggling. We’re absolutely dependent on people who can afford to give generously.  

“At the same time, it’s great when people come who can’t afford to, knowing that someone who is struggling has had a good hot meal.” 

As Ian begins to look towards retirement, Resurrected Bites is recruiting cafe managers for both the new Killinghall cafe and the West Park cafe. Ian knows just what a privilege the roles will offer:

“I always think one of the best things about my job is the people I work with.

“We’re totally reliant on volunteers. The sort of people that volunteer are nice people, kind and caring, thinking of others.

“I just feel so blessed to have so many nice people to work with.”

To find out more about Resurrected Bites and the paid and voluntary roles it has available, visit its Facebook page.

While the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal has officially ended, the donation page will remain open over the Christmas period.

Click here to contribute now. Thank you. 

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the May elections and the signing of a multi-million pound devolution deal.

From senior councillors being ousted to council chiefs putting pen to paper on a deal which will change the scope of politics in the district forever, the last 12 months proved to be a seismic year for the Harrogate district.

While much of the major change in local government will come in 2023, the past year has been full of landmarks which have paved the way for what is to come.

In May, the electorate voted with their feet and opted to vote out some senior Harrogate councillors.

Among the political casualties were Conservative Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, who failed in his bid to get a seat on the new North Yorkshire Council.

With the borough council being abolished in four months time, a seat on the new authority would have helped he Tories keep a grip on local power.

But while some were turned down by the public, other seasoned politicians decided the upcoming shake-up of local government was their last stand.

Conservative Graham Swift gave a consolation speech after failing to win a seat on North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Richard Cooper, Conservative leader of the borough council, decided against standing.

Meanwhile, long-standing county councillor and highways chief, Cllr Don Mackenzie, called time on his political career.

The move was symbolic and suggested changing times for local Conservatives and the political make-up of Harrogate.

Devolution

But while there were gains for the opposition Liberal Democrats locally – some aspects of local governance remained the same.

Conservative Cllr Carl Les was re-elected leader of North Yorkshire County Council unopposed and will go on heading the council into April.

Part of his reasoning for standing was to get over the line a £540 million devolution deal for the county and oversee the biggest shake-up of local government since 1974.

Pictured: Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Greg Clark MP and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council sign the document.

Cllr Les, who has sat on the authority for 25 years and been leader for seven, was among the political leaders present in York in August when council officials signed on the dotted line with the then levelling up minister, Greg Clark.

The deal has lit a bomb under the political landscape, with an elected mayor and combined authority promised for the coming years.

Along with the abolition of the borough council, it could prove to be pivotal for the future economic prospects of the district.

Read more:

• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials
• North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?
• North Yorkshire leaders set up devolution decision making body

The new North Yorkshire Council is set to face a £30 million shortfall in its first year, despite increased funding from government.

Michael Gove, Levelling Up Secretary, unveiled £60 billion worth of funding for councils across the UK on Monday — a 9% increase on last year.

The council is set to receive an additional £22 million from government as part of the announcement.

However, soaring inflation and the impact of the covid pandemic is still set to leave a blackhole in the authority’s finances.

A council press release said the shortfall would be met “by the one-off use of reserves as well as some savings”.

Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of the council, said:

“We are faced with the biggest financial pressures which I have witnessed in all of the time I have been a member of the county council since I was elected more than 20 years ago.

“While the extra funding from the government is extremely welcome, it will still not be enough to alleviate the extraordinary challenges which we do need to tackle in the coming financial year.

“The pressure on budgets will be felt across all of the directorates which provide key services for the hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in North Yorkshire.

“However, we are committed to ensuring that we can continue to provide the best possible services to the public in the face of these immense financial challenges.”

Read more:

• Harrogate set to get town council after 75% back the idea
• Harrogate district’s garden waste collection to remain county’s most expensive

The new council, which comes into force on April 1, is set to inherit £18 million in deficits from the seven district authorities which will be abolished, including Harrogate Borough Council.

However, increased costs from inflation and growing demand on council services such as adult social care is expected to add an additional £50 million.

Authority officials estimated that, once government funding, council tax and savings are factored in, the council will have a shortfall of around £30 million.

In order to plug that gap, it is expected that the council will have to dip into its reserves and find savings from streamlined services.

A budget for the upcoming North Yorkshire Council is expected to be set in February.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Sustainable Business Award, which is sponsored by the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

This award recognises those businesses that have put sustainability at the top of their agenda.

These businesses are helping drive change and leading the way by reducing their impact on the environment.

Companies looking to enter for the Sustainable Business Award need to provide details of the changes the business has made, the impact the changes have had on the business and wide community with any details of any planned changes.

By giving vital recognition to those who have sustainability at the heart of their business, we hope others will follow their example.

Does your business deserve to win the Sustainable Business Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 16. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

The cost of garden waste collection in the Harrogate district looks set to rise to £43.50 next year.

The service currently costs £41 a year, which is £15 a year more than people in Richmondhsire pay and is also higher than charges in the other five districts. Selby’s is free.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is currently responsible for the service, will be abolished on April 1.

North Yorkshire county councillors, who will transfer to the new single unitary authority North Yorkshire Council on the same date, look set to agree a six per cent increase in the cost of the service.

It would mean Harrogate district households that choose to pay for the service will see the charge increase by £2.50. Hambleton households will pay the next highest at £40, followed by Scarborough and Ryedale at £38, Craven at £36 and Richmondshire at £25.

The service is currently free in Selby.

Read more:

• Model boaters in Valley Gardens call for public support to stop fountain
• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP to ‘submit case’ for River Nidd bathing water status in 2023

Garden waste is a discretionary service, which councils are not legally required to provide.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for business and economic development, Cllr Derek Bastiman, whose portfolio includes the management of waste disposal, said the service would be fairer because currently households in some districts that didn’t use the service subsidised those who did.

He said:

“This is a service people choose to opt into and it is important that we are clear on the need for it to pay for itself, alongside our commitment to continue to provide it to those residents who would like to receive it.

“There are real benefits to the service, including the environmental benefits of recycling garden waste and the convenience of not having to take your own garden waste to a recycling centre. It may well be cheaper than paying the fuel to get there, too.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive members will be asked to agree the new rate when members meet on January 10.