Harrogate Borough Council has revealed plans for social housing at seven sites which it said would make a “small but important contribution” to the serious shortage of affordable homes.

With around 1,800 households on its housing waiting list, the council has made a push to bring forward new homes on small sites.

However, it has been criticised for not going further or faster enough to provide more homes for Harrogate’s low-income earners who are being driven out of the area by high rent and house prices.

The council’s latest plans include social housing at sites in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Huby.

The Knaresborough site off Halfpenny Close is the largest and could accommodate around 14 homes for market, social rent and shared ownership if approved. All of the properties would be classed as “affordable”.

Read more:

• Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge
• Plan to convert former Harrogate taxi office into flat approved

A total of £170,000 in government cash has been secured by the council to progress these plans, and some of the money has already been spent on site surveys.

There are also proposals for five shared ownership apartments at the former Cavendish House hostel on Robert Street, Harrogate.

The council said these apartments would be for “first time buyers unable to afford to access the property market”.

Also in Harrogate, two properties are planned for St Andrew’s Place where the council has admitted vehicular access would be “tight” on the single lane street.

Another home has been proposed for Gascoigne Crescent in the town.

On Knaresborough’s Charlton Drive, a garage site which has been described as in “very poor condition” could also become a new build.

There are also proposals for single properties on both Springfield Drive, Boroughbridge, and Kingsway in Huby.

A decision to submit planning applications for all six sites is set to be signed off by Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, at a meeting next Tuesday.

A report to the meeting said the development of similar sites has been “long established” and “makes good use of the council’s landholdings”.

The report also said the council would bid for extra government funding to develop the proposals if planning permission is granted.

It added:

 “There are circa 1,800 households on the waiting list for social/affordable rented housing and circa 650 first time buyers registered for shared ownership.

“These underutilised sites will make a small but important contribution to helping meet that need.”

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

This month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs. MPs also voted to override part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.

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

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

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

• On June 6, Mr Jones voted against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his confidence vote.
• Mr Jones spoke twice at Prime Minister’s Questions during June. On the 22nd, he urged the Prime Minister to introduce more apprenticeships in the rail industry. Yesterday he asked a question about the government’s Access to Work scheme for disabled people.
• Mr Jones had a stand at Starbeck Community Day on June 18 where he spoke with constituents.
• On June 22, Mr Jones met with young people from the charity Barnados in Parliament.
• On June 23, the MP wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel about “speeding up” measures to evict Travellers who break the law.
• On June 27, Mr Jones voted in favour of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which aims to override part of the government’s Brexit deal.
• On June 28, the MP paid tribute to Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam who died. Mr Jones said: “Malcolm was a Harrogate hero. He leaves a body of work that is impressive and an area much the better for all he did”.

Read more:

• Sir Ed Davey: Lib Dems will target Harrogate and Knaresborough as key seat

• Harrogate choir dropped at last minute by Barry Manilow

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

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

• On June 2, Mr Smith attended the Queen’s platinum jubilee service at Ripon Cathedral.
• The MP paid tribute to broadcaster Harry Gration, who died this month. He tweeted: “So sorry & shocked to hear this @BBCLookNorth – Harry was such a special person & at @riponcathedral recent platinum jubilee service was on cracking form – charming everyone.”
• Mr Smith retweeted pop star Taylor Swift, who criticised the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion law Roe v Wade.
• On June 15, Mr Smith was the keynote speaker at a Women in Business event in Belfast.
• On June 21, Mr Smith voted against a Labour Party motion that would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to appoint a new ethics chief within two months.
• Mr Smith, who is a former Northern Ireland secretary, abstained on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

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

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

• The sweary MP tweeted that there has been a “a lot of conspiracy b*llocks spouted” about Boris Johnson’s trip to Ukraine. Last year, Mr Adams made national news after he told Stop Brexit Man, Steve Bray, to “f*** off” outside Parliament.
• Mr Adams also paid tribute to Harry Gration. He said: “Harry was a lovely man and such a professional, fair broadcaster.”
• The MP criticised RMT Union chief Mick Lynch following the rail strikes. He tweeted: “Not sure stopping working class people getting to work is a vote winner Mick.”
• Writing on his website on June 28, Mr Adams hailed the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act, which he said will make it easier to stop Traveller encampments and hare coursing.
• In early June, Mr Adams visited Hyderabad in India on a trade trip.

The Harrogate district’s visitor economy has yet to recover to pre-covid levels last year, according to figures released yesterday.

The figures show the district attracted 6.47 million visitor numbers, generating an impact of £606 million, in 2019.

In 2020 — when covid struck — visitor numbers crashed to 2.81 million, generating an impact of £279 million, which was a 54 per cent decrease.

Last year, which began with another lockdown but gradually saw the economy open up again, there were more than four million visitor numbers, with an estimated economic impact of £457million, according to the data from Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body Destination Harrogate.

Destination Harrogate calculated the figures using data that measures the economic impact of visits to the district and hotel performance.

Gemma Rio

Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said the figures painted “a positive picture for the recovery of the visitor economy in the Harrogate district”, adding:

“Our destination management plan targets a full recovery of the visitor economy by 2023 and an increase in its value to £836.7 million by 2030.

“With some exciting events and marketing campaigns planned, together with a continued appetite for collaboration across the district, I’m confident that we will continue to see these figures move in the right direction for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

Data from 2019 shows that on average an overnight visitor stayed 3.3 days and generated £316 for the local economy. In 2021, this rose to 3.5 days and £344.

Read more:

• Harrogate tourism body makes health and wellbeing top priority
• Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam dies

According to Destination Harrogate, the 2022 peak season has got off to a “healthy start”, with figures indicating that in March, April and May, hotels were largely fuller and seeing a greater level of revenue per available room than they were in 2019.

Cllr Stanley Lumley

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“This is a really positive start to Harrogate’s visitor economy, ahead of the summer season.”

The Crown Hotel

Dan Siddle, general manager of Harrogate’s Crown Hotel and chair of Harrogate Hotel & Tourism Association, said:

“After such a tough period for the hospitality industry, it is wonderful to be enjoying some positivity with increasing occupancy levels across the hotels in Harrogate, and we welcome the work of Destination Harrogate to support this.

“Whilst not yet out of the woods, with challenges still in recruitment and staffing, we look forward to a busy summer season and welcoming visitors new and old to our hotels.”

Two of the three Harrogate district Conservative MPs have backed plans for the government to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A controversial bill passed its first hurdle in Parliament last night by 295 votes to 221.

The plans, which would allow ministers to scrap parts of the protocol, has proved controversial with some MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, who said it was not legal and would “diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world”.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, which includes some rural parts of Harrogate, voted in favour of the bill.

Read more:

• Ripon MP Julian Smith urges PM not to override Brexit deal
• Calls for action over ‘overwhelmed’ North Yorkshire children’s mental health services

But former Northern Ireland secretary and Skipton and Ripon MP, Julian Smith, abstained.

Speaking during last night’s debate, Mr Smith said the protocol enjoyed “significant support” among businesses in Northern Ireland, adding:

“We risk toxifying further the discussions we are having with the EU and member states, and we risk prolonging instability for Northern Ireland business, not to mention putting the whole of the UK at risk of trade and tariff reprisals.”

The bill will allow ministers to change parts of the protocol which were agreed as part of post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland in 2019.

Liz Truss, foreign secretary, said the government had no other option but to “fix” problems in the deal.

The government wants to fast-track the bill through the House of Commons before July’s summer recess but it is likely to face opposition in the House of Lords.

Children’s community mental health services need a root and branch review, officials in North Yorkshire have said.

North Yorkshire County Council’s director of children and young people’s services Stuart Carlton, said ongoing concerns over a lack of available support had been highlighted to the Department for Education.

It comes amid concerns the strategy to deal with a post-pandemic surge in youngsters requiring support is grossly inadequate.

Mr Carlton said increasing the amount of help for children with mental health issues ranked alongside child exploitation and online safety as the most significant challenges his colleagues were facing.

He was speaking at a meeting of the authority’s children and young people’s scrutiny committee a year after the NHS announced it was rapidly expanding children’s mental health services to offer support teams in schools to almost three million pupils by 2023.

At the time, the NHS said by intervening in mental health issues early it was hoped to prevent problems escalating into serious concerns.

Read more:

• Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found plans to reopen
• New covid advice after Harrogate district rate triples in June

Earlier this year the committee heard mental health services for children in the county and elsewhere were struggling to cope with an “exponential growth in demand” due to the isolation and upheaval of the pandemic, compounded by factors like pressure experienced by children on social media platforms.

In February, Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust bosses told the scrutiny meeting its community-based mental health team (CAMHS) was treating more than 2,500 children across the county.

They said referrals to its services for issues such as eating disorders had risen from about 100 a month at start of pandemic to more than 300 a month during 2021.

18-month waiting list

Four months on, a youth support worker told the committee the waiting list for CAMHS had risen to 18 months, which was not a sufficiently timely reaction to what children needed.

She said: 

“The biggest challenge we face on the ground is mental health. I cannot overestimate how challenging it is. Pretty much all the young people we work with have some element of mental ill health.”

When asked about a timeframe for getting mental health support teams into schools, Mr Carlton said the authority had told government officials the scheme was too being implemented too slowly and the ambition needed to be to get mental health teams available for all schools.

He added: 

“I just don’t see how that’s going to happen. I have called nationally for a fundamental CAMHS review because it is not working. It needs significant funding and significant review and enacting clearly across the whole of the country.”

Mr Carlton said the authority was providing support to schools through mental heath training while working with North Yorkshire NHS bosses to reassess what was needed from the service and how it could be modernised.

He said there had been promising collaborative work with the NHS, but financing extra support for children would be “very challenging”.

Mr Carlton said:

“We can see through the pandemic increased demand. The services are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed and overstretched and it’s an area of absolute focus.

“Any interaction with a child from a professional is a mental health opportunity. However, we need enough capacity for specialist support when it is required.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Well known deli and cafe celebrates refurb

Weetons in Harrogate has completed a refit and will be celebrating by hosting the ‘Weetons Weekend’ next week.

The premium Yorkshire food deli and cafe has been established on West Park for almost 20 years.

Rob Coutts, managing director of Weetons said:

“The biggest change is in the restaurant, we’ve got a completely new look. The tones of green and new lighting create a fresh yet warm and welcoming atmosphere.

“We’re also launching a new all-day menu which features our luxury Yorkshire Wagyu burger and our famous sharing board…

“We’re offering an open invite for foodies to come and join us across our Weetons Weekend to celebrate our refit… we’ll have our passionate suppliers in-store showcasing their produce with tastings and providing advice in their area of expertise.

“There will also be the chance to win a BBQ from our new outdoor living range with our deluxe BBQ meat box, along with other surprises .”

Weetons Weekend celebrations will be running across 4 days  from Thursday June 30 – Sunday July 3.

Read More: 

• Leon set to confirm Harrogate opening date for early July
• Goldsborough Hall secures place in Michelin Guide

Harrogate estate agent donates £5,000 to local hospice

Dacre, Son & Hartley has donated £5,000 to Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Saint Michael’s Hospice on Hornbeam Park in Harrogate provides care and support to families living with terminal illness and bereavement across the Harrogate district.

Saint Michael’s chief executive, Tony Collins, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Dacres for their generous donation.

“As an independent charity, Saint Michael’s is powered by local community support, with the majority of our care funded by the generosity of organisations and local people who choose to show their support in a variety of amazing ways.

“Our corporate partnerships are vital to helping us to continue our work helping local people and their families living with terminal illness and bereavement.”

Dacres has 19 offices across North and West Yorkshire supports a number of charities across the year.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“There is nothing better than being able to give back to the communities in which we operate. With a team of 125 at Dacres, we ensure that we select charities that our people have an affinity with.

The care that Saint Michael’s Hospice provides, helping people at the end of their lives and supporting their families is vitality important, and we feel proud to be able to help.”

A top North Yorkshire garden designer is launching a new school at Harewood House which will focus on northern landscapes.

Alistair Baldwin decided to set up the Yorkshire School of Garden Design after realising there were no similar schools in the north.

Opening its doors in August, the facility will offer a range of short courses throughout the year.

These will be aimed at garden design enthusiasts and those wanting to learn more about all aspects of the art, from landscaping to planting.

The school’s flagship professional Diploma in Garden Design, which will be delivered over an academic year, begins in September.

Mr Baldwin said:

“For too long the budding designers of the north have had little local choice when looking for a learning experience to broaden their skills and launch them into the profession.

“More often than not, students have had to make the journey to London to find the right course and I thought that needed to change.

“I have lived and worked in North Yorkshire for over three decades and have developed an acute understanding of how the terrain, geology, even climate and the way of working is very different in this part of the UK.

“The process within which gardens are designed and built in this magnificent landscape is very different to the south. So I want to share everything I have learned over the last 35 years and inspire a new generation.”

Alistair Baldwin. Photo: Eva Nemeth

The school will be based at Harewood House, which has more than 100 acres of parkland designed by eminent 18th century landscape architect Sir Lancelot Capability Brown.

Trevor Nicholson, head gardener at Harewood House, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that the Yorkshire School of Garden design will have its base at Harewood House, which we think is a fitting and inspirational venue for a school, which hopes to train the design professionals of the future.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome guests and inspire them with Harewood’s beautiful landscapes.”

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• Stray Gardener: Top tips for successful propagation
• Sensory garden for visually impaired to open in Harrogate

Mr Baldwin trained in garden design in Leeds. After graduating, he built an award-winning landscape design practice in Richmond, which delivers high-spec public and private gardens throughout the UK, as well as internationally.

Having spent 12 years teaching landscape and garden design at Leeds Beckett University, while also running his practice, he has a wealth of experience in nurturing the next generation of garden design talent.

Mr Baldwin added:

“I am delighted to announce that I will be joined by an eminent team of world class design consultants, who will work with me to deliver the  courses.

“Having a team of practising garden designers, all of whom have experience in creating rich and well-crafted gardens, means that students will get essential practical advice and insight straight from the horse’s mouth.”

The Terrace at Harewood House. Photo: Harewood House Trust and Lee Beal

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has rejected claims that proposed changes to Harrogate’s night time fire service will increase the risk to lives.

Ms Metcalfe is consulting on a three-year plan for fire services in the county in the face of severe financial pressure.

One of the proposals is to reduce the number of fire engines operating overnight at Harrogate and Scarborough fire stations from two to one.

This has been criticised by firefighters and trade unions, who fear it could cost lives.

But in her first interview with the Stray Ferret since she was elected commissioner in November, Ms Metcalfe said she disagreed with this assessment:

“From everything I’ve seen I’m confident that won’t happen. This is a genuine consultation. I would really urge everyone to engage with it.”

Ms Metcalfe’s Risk and Resource Model 2022 to 2025 Consultation, published in May, sets out how the fire service will deploy its resources over the next three years. It puts the emphasis on fire prevention, especially during the day when most fires occur.

Firefighters tackling a recent blaze in West Tanfield.

Harrogate and Scarborough currently both have an emergency fire engine and a tactical response fire engine operating 24 hours a day.

The model proposes both stations have two emergency response vehicles during the day but only one at night. They would lose their tactical response engines altogether.

Ms Metcalfe was accompanied at the interview by Dave Winspear, who is part of the senior management team at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Winspear, who is based in Ripon, said the changes would enhance the current fire service model across the county, adding:

“During the times when we know we are busiest we are providing additional resource into those two towns by bringing in a different type of fire engine.

“It improves the ability to respond to a wide range of incidents.

“We are looking to remove a fire engine in the evening when we are quiet but based on the fact that we have robust arrangements in around the Harrogate and Scarborough area from other fire stations that can respond into that area.”

He added the tactical response engine, which will be lost, had “limited response capability” compared to emergency fire engines.

Harrogate fire station

Harrogate currently employs 40 firefighters across four watches and five could be affected by the changes. Mr Winspear said they would be offered the chance to be redeployed.

Government cuts £8m a year

The new model for fire services is being drawn up against a bleak financial backdrop.

The government recently axed North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s capital grant, worth about £8m a year.

It means the service could have to borrow up to £31 million over the next five years. Steve Howley, Fire Brigades Union North Yorkshire brigade secretary, has said the service would be left struggling to buy basics.

Ms Metcalfe described the decision to cut the capital grant as “very unfair” at the time it was announced and this week told us she was “working hard for additional funding” to ensure the service didn’t end up in the position outlined by the union.

Zoe Metcalfe

Delays answering 101 and 999 calls

Ms Metcalfe, who was born in Ripon, went to school in Harrogate and now lives in Aldborough, also said she was working to reduce delays in answering 101 and 999 calls in the police control room.

Home Office figures last month showed that North Yorkshire police took on average 30 seconds to answer 999 calls — the third worst performance in the country. The calls should be answered within 10 seconds.

“Over the last couple of years there has been a huge increase in the volume of calls, especially 999 and they come first.”

The commissioner’s office has pledged £140,000 to address the issue. When will people noticed a difference?

The force control room should currently employ 146 full-time equivalent employees across communications and dispatch when it is fully staffed.

Read more:

• Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
• Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’

There are currently 141. With the commissioner’s additional investment, there will be a revised target of 161.

Ms Metcalfe said a third of calls to police involved mental health issues and it was important to understand the data better and work with other organisations to tackle the issues.

She said her background as a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council meant she was familiar with many of the agencies involved in mental health.

Asked whether she, as a senior Conservative politician, shared Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ lack of confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson, she said:

“I will leave that to MPs in the parliamentary party.”

You can find out more about the proposed changes and take part in the consultation here.

Harry Gration was loved  by many people in the Harrogate district and across Yorkshire. He touched many lives – last year he worked with us at the Stray Ferret in a competition to find Harry’s Heroes.

In the course of a few weeks he met the finalists and made podcasts with them – talking to them about what inspired them to work for others.  It was what Harry liked doing best — meeting people from all walks of life.

Tamsin O’Brien the director of the Stray Ferret worked with Harry at the BBC when he was presenting Look North.  Today she said:

“Harry was a one-off. He was fun and simply got on with everyone. A naturally gifted communicator.

“I worked with Harry in my previous career at the BBC and it was joy to work again with him last year on Harry’s Heroes. It’s hard to take in the news that he’s no longer with us.

“I speak on behalf of all of us at the Stray Ferret by sending Helen and his family all our love and thoughts at this time. There was only one Harry Gration.”

Susie Little from Covid Co-operation Harrogate, who was one of the nominated heroes, posted a picture on Facebook of herself with Harry and this message :

Susie Little with Harry last year for Harry’s Heroes

Harry Gration lived in York but was a regular visitor to the district.

He was a season ticket holder at Harrogate Town which posted this message:

Recently Harry spoke at a Harrogate Brigantes fundraising event. Today a statement was issued from the club’s Les Ellington:

“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Harry Gration MBE, who was guest speaker and auctioneer at our charity dinner only on 17 June, helping us to raise over £5000 for our Ukraine appeal.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues at the BBC. Rest in peace Harry and thank you from all of us.”

Do you have memories of meeting Harry Gration? Do send them to us and we will publish them in the coming few days. contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

At 27-years-old, Keane Duncan has been made responsible for one of the largest road networks in the country and an array of multi-million pound highways projects.

It’s been a baptism of fire for the young politician, who has gone from the debates of student politics to the senior councillor in charge of highways in a short space of time.

His new role includes the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, a £60 million scheme to realign the A59 at Kex Gill and the newly incorporated highways company, NYHighways, which will oversee thousands of miles of road.

For Cllr Duncan, the position is an opportunity but he’s also aware of that the role comes with intense scrutiny – particularly in Harrogate.

Youngest county councillor

A resident of the village of Norton and a councillor for seven years, Cllr Duncan began his political career while studying at the University of York.

He got involved with the local Thirsk and Malton Conservatives and asked to stand for council.

“I hadn’t really been politically active until that point.”

He was elected to North Yorkshire County Council and then later to his local district council in Ryedale.

For two years, he was leader of Ryedale District Council – one of the six districts which will be abolished next year to make way for North Yorkshire Council.

However, he stepped down in February 2021 over what he described as a “cruel and unnecessary” council tax hike.

He said:

“It’s a very challenging political landscape over in Ryedale. 

“There was no overall control for any party and that represents difficulties in sometimes getting decisions through and doing what we need to do for local people.”

Ahead of the abolition of the county council and districts, Cllr Duncan was a key figure in the debate over what should replace them.

He backed an east/west model for North Yorkshire, while current council leader, Cllr Carl Les, was a proponent of the single unitary model.

Cllr Duncan said:

“I was very much in favour of what was called the east/west proposal.

“I believed passionately in that proposal at the time. I believe passionately in unitary local government, so I wanted to deliver that.”

New highways chief

Fast forward to May this year and Cllr Duncan has been appointed the the executive and will now have a key role in the county’s highways department going into the new council.

While he is now both the youngest member of the council and the executive, Cllr Duncan said he had no expectation of being given the brief.

Read more:

• Another consultation to take place on £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Under-fire infrastructure plans for west Harrogate will cost taxpayers £25,000

He said he had “no hopes or expectations” of being given a senior position until he was asked by Cllr Les.

He said:

“I was focused on getting myself here on these seats in the council chamber. The leader asked me to join his executive and I was very happy to accept.”

Cllr Duncan added:

“My portfolio area is probably the most public facing. It is the area where we get the most public comments and complaints.”

Multi-million pound Harrogate schemes

One of Cllr Duncan’s pledges since becoming the highways chief is to visit each area of the county.

Earlier this week he visited Ripon and planned to do the same with Harrogate in the near future.

The Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

The role in the district will prove to be challenging for Cllr Duncan, who will oversee schemes such as the Otley Road cycle route, Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood and the Kex Gill realignment.

Perhaps the most high profile locally will be the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme, which is earmarked for a further round of consultation later this year.

When asked for his view on the scheme, which has proved controversial in Harrogate, Cllr Duncan said:

“I’m personally supportive of that scheme and we are wanting to progress it.

“We are going out to a third round of public consultation to ensure that everyone can have their say and their opinions.

“For me, my test on the ground is what do the local councillors think and feel? They are the representatives of their local community.”

Cllr Duncan said he felt that that “on the whole” the council was trying to get the balance right on the various schemes across the district.

However, he added that he was aware of concerns over some of the schemes such as the gateway project.

His new role will also be to field complaints and criticism from the public, but Cllr Duncan said he is determined to do his job well.

“It is a difficult portfolio to manage, but I’m determined to do that by hopefully ensuring that we’re listening to people on the ground.”