The historic devolution deal struck between North Yorkshire and the government on Monday will bring millions of pounds into the county — but it could have been more.

Signed off by Greg Clark, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, the 32-page document promises £540 million over 30 years.

It will also see North Yorkshire and York join other major counties and cities in getting its own mayor and a combined authority to oversee the funding.

Local leaders have lauded the deal as an opportunity not to be missed, but analysis of the document shows it could have offered more.

Guaranteed funding

In 2020, officials at North Yorkshire County Council started discussions with government over the potential for a devolution deal for the county and City of York Council.

This culminated in a 140-page document being drawn up listing the requests for new powers and funding from Whitehall.

It was formally submitted in January 2021 and included proposals such as a £750 million mayoral funding pot over 25 years and more powers over skills, transport and energy.

The funding pot, known as “gainshare”, is guaranteed annual funding from central government.

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Fast-forward 18 months and the fruits of the negotiations between ministers and council bosses have produced something slightly different.

Instead of the requested £750 million funding pot over 25 years, £540 million over 30 years has been agreed.

The initial proposal tabled by council bosses would have seen £25 million a year come into North Yorkshire and York – instead it will be £18 million.

North Yorkshire County Council’s offices in Northallerton.

However, more power over skills and transport will be devolved.

It will see whoever is elected mayor and the new combined authority have control over the adult education budget and the ability to draw up its own transport strategy.

Control over bus franchising has also been granted to the county and the power to set up Mayoral Development Corporations, which have the power to buy land for housing or employment to regenerate a defined area.

Much of the deal echoes what was given to Tees Valley in 2015, whose Conservative mayor Ben Houchen has since exercised his economic development powers to buy Teesside International Airport and Redcar Steelworks.

Extra funding for homes 

Aside from the £540 million over three decades, funding has also been allocated for specific areas.

For example, ministers have awarded £12.7 million towards building homes on brownfield sites over the first two financial years of its existence.

A further £2.65 million has been allocated specifically for low carbon and affordable housing.

It suggests that ministers were more happy to part with cash on housing schemes under the deal than in other areas.

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The only other area in the deal awarded specific funding was £7 million to “drive green economic growth” towards the ambition of creating a carbon negative county.

However, this cash is subject to a business case being submitted to government.

No Harrogate Convention Centre money

While the deal offers funding for the wider county, much of the detail on specific towns and areas amounts to “commitments to engage” or mentions already announced cash for schemes.

Harrogate itself is mentioned four times in the document. Three of those mentions are for the A59 Kex Gill realignment and Station Gateway projects, which are underway. Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and Masham are not mentioned.

The fourth time Harrogate is mentioned is for Harrogate Convention Centre.

As previously reported, funding for a £47 million upgrade of the centre was requested. But although the centre is mentioned in the devolution document, funding was not pledged.

However, the deal is a provisional agreement and it remains to be seen where the funding will go when the mayor and combined authority is established.

‘Very relieved’

Much of the deal is years in the making for those who have sat around the negotiating table with ministers.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said he was relieved to have signed off on the provisional agreement with ministers.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m very relieved that we have got to this point. We have now got to explain it to the public.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

A glance at the main points of the deal shows the government willing to part with millions of pounds worth of funding on the condition that a new layer of governance is set up to oversee it.

For the IPPR North think tank, the new money is welcomed and “should be seized”.

However, Rosie Lockwood, head of advocacy at the think tank, pointed out that cuts due to austerity meant North Yorkshire still faced a difficult future.

She said:

“A devolution deal which unlocks funding and transfers powers from Whitehall to North Yorkshire and York is good news for communities across the area. This is an opportunity to be seized.

“But North Yorkshire and York will face challenges as it moves forward, not least because local government has already been eroded by austerity. We can’t forget that the north saw a £413 per person drop in annual council service spending over the austerity decade.”

What happens now?

Despite the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, putting his signature to the deal, it will still require approval from both North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council.

A public consultation will also be carried out on the devolution deal in the coming months.

From there, the councils can then undertake a governance review to set up the combined authority and mayor, should councillors back the deal.

If all goes ahead, a combined authority for North Yorkshire and York could be in place by autumn next year and a mayor elected in May 2024.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Ripon BID has launched a training hub with the aim of bringing students and local businesses together.

The Ripon Apprenticeship & Training Hub (RATH) will help engage 14-16 year olds into the work place to promote career development, soft skills and good work ethics.

RATH has been set up by the Ripon Business Improvement District (BID) which was established last year.

The BID said that through paid work placements and close mentoring, students will learn good working standards at the very start of their career paths and businesses will be able to access staff when needed.

Annette Duffy, BID Director and RATH lead says

“We’ve employed students for a few years now with great results. Our recruits have lots of enthusiasm and are keen to learn and I love watching them grown in confidence.

This is an exciting new hub to accelerate these opportunities for local businesses and school children. The website is live and opportunities are already online.”

Alexander Pickering, Ripon Grammar School student on a Specsavers placement adds

“I was thrilled to play a small part in a much bigger team of people at Specsavers, in helping to save someone’s sight. I never expected to learn so much and achieve something so worthwhile during my work experience.”

RATH will be attending the Summer FunFest day on August 18 at Studley Cricket Club and is encouraging students to come down, have a go at the activities and talk to the team about work and training opportunities.

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Cheese auction raises money for Samaritans

Cheese lovers at the Great Yorkshire Show raised over £5,500 for the Samaritans which will go towards supporting rural communities in need.

An auction is held every year in the Cheese and Dairy Section of the Great Yorkshire Show, giving visitors the chance to bid for a round of their favourite cheese.

This year’s auction raised £5,579 which will go to The Samaritan’s Regional Rural Initiative for the benefit of rural communities.

Alison Lumley from the Samaritans of Yorkshire & Humberside Rural Initiative said:

“Thank you for such a generous donation to Samaritans of Yorkshire & Humberside Rural Initiative. The Samaritans understand that those involved in farming or living in rural communities are especially likely to experience isolation and loneliness, on top of all the pressures of work. We know that talking to someone confidentially about your feelings without fear of judgement can be a massive help.

This donation will be used to support our work raising awareness of the benefits to mental health of talking and of the availability of our 24/7, free to access emotional support service.”

The Samaritans can be contacted on the phone free on 116 123 or email  jo@samaritans.org .

Bus company Transdev is offering young people journeys across the north for £1 — as long as they take a grandparent.

The company said its Go with Granny offer aimed to bridge the generation gap by encouraging older people to use their concessionary travel passes while taking grandchildren with them.

Transdev, which is the parent company of the Harrogate Bus Company, operates routes in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, giving families a chance to go on long day trips for just £1.

The offer is for one weekend only — on Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 — and applies to young people under 19.

The company said in a statement today that many people will struggle this summer to find the money to take their grandchildren on a day trip.

Transdev chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“We know everyone is trying to keep their spending down this summer, especially with energy bills due to rise again in October.

“At the same time, the school holidays often see grans — and grandads too — looking after the grandchildren while mum and dad are at work, and we don’t see why they should have to stay at home.

“By offering young people the chance to go with granny on the bus, we want to help bridge the generation gap and make sure everyone has the chance to enjoy an amazing two days filled with magical memories.”

A video featuring the deal can be found here.

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A gamble that the England would get to the final of Euro 22 paid off on Sunday for 70 members of Boroughbridge Juniors Football Club.

Chris Fahy, the club’s chairman and coach, wanted his girls teams to see top level football.

So a year ago he applied for tickets to the Euro 2022 final — and it paid off as they got to see the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1.

He said:

“Seventy from the club went to Wembley for the final, including girls and parents.

“I applied for tickets a year ago. I gambled that England were going to get to the final. Luckily it paid off! Even if it didn’t, I wanted the girls to see top level football.

“It was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere is different from men’s football – it’s more family orientated. You feel there’s going to be no trouble, no danger, at the women’s game.”

Mr Fahy said the girls had an amazing time at the game, which saw the Lionesses clinch victory in extra time.

He said:

“The girls loved it. We were all really excited going down. We had a fantastic view – we were behind the goal where England scored twice.

“We stayed until the celebrations were more or less finished, about half an hour afterwards.”

The club is holding free taster sessions throughout August for girls aged five to 15, with the first session at Boroughbridge Football Club, on Aldborough Road, starting at 10.15am this Saturday, August 6.

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Burnt Yates beat Knaresborough to win the centenary Addison Cup final last night.

The Addison Cup, which is contested by the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, is one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world, dating back to 1922.

Last night’s final saw Knaresborough post a competitive 143 for 6 in 20 overs at Follifoot Cricket Club. Tashmial Henry struck 64 and Toby Giddings hit 35.

But a skilful and composed unbeaten 67 in gloomy conditions from South African man of the match Byron Boshoff helped Burnt Yates to a six-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.

It’s the first time the village side, which was captained by Ryan Lamb, has won the district’s premier 20-over competition. They beat defending champions Harrogate in the quarter-final.

As usual, a member of the Addison family presented the winner’s medals.

Eric Wainwright, whose father played for The Gas Company, a Harrogate team that won the 1933 final, presented the runner’s-up medals.

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Last night also saw the final of the Atkinson Cup, which is contested by the teams that lose in the first round of the Addison Cup.

The final was postponed when heat stopped play two weeks ago when temperatures approached 40 degrees centigrade. It was then delayed again last week because of rain.

Yesterday at Spofforth, Pateley Bridge scored 134 and then bowled out North Stainley for 101 to win by 33 runs.

Tom Hardcastle, of Pateley, was adjudged man of the match.

Winning captain Ryan Lamb receives the Addison Cup.

Byron Boshoff is presented with the man of the match award.

North Yorkshire Police has bought a new digital van to improve how the police service responds to rape or serious sexual offences.

The van is a mobile digital forensic laboratory containing all of the latest equipment and software that the force said it needs to perform phone and computer digital examinations at a scene.

It means officers can examine a range of devices at the earliest opportunity at any location and, when appropriate, return them immediately.

The van is unmarked which means it can visit a victim’s home or a crime scene discreetly.

The force said its main objective was to deliver a faster, safer and more sensitive service for those affected by rape, and sexual assault and to increase confidence in the criminal justice system.

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The van’s purchase is in response to the findings of the government’s Rape Response Review and it’s hoped will help the force meet Government targets around rapid victim mobile phone examination.

Assistant chief constable Lindsey Butterfield said:

“The new digital forensics van is a huge asset to the force as it will help us provide an enhanced service to victims of rape and serious sexual assault.

“We recognise that we must do everything we possibly can to support and protect victims at the most distressing time of their lives, and we are confident this new mobile technology will help us do that.  Ultimately, it will also help us deliver our strategy around the prevention of violence against women and girls.

“The use of this van will also strengthen our opportunity to gather valuable evidence and hopefully increase public confidence in the police’s ability to deal with vulnerable victims in the most sensitive way possible.”

Zoë Metcalfe, police, fire and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, added:

“We must ensure we do all we can to support victims of rape and serious sexual assault, while at the same time ensuring we collect the evidence needed to make sure these crimes can be properly investigated.

“These new digital tools are an important part of that, making it easier and quicker for police to collect evidence and making the process less intrusive for those who have been attacked at the most traumatic of times.

“Victims need to feel they will be taken seriously and can achieve justice if they report these crimes, and I will be making sure that happens in North Yorkshire and York.”

A new two-bedroom house could be built at the end of a terrace in Boroughbridge if Harrogate Borough Council gets planning permission.

The authority’s housing department has applied for permission to create the home, which would provide social housing, at the end of Springfield Drive, adjacent to number 22.

It would be built on what is currently garden land, which the department described as “under-utilised”.

In its planning application, it said:

“The proposal involves the redevelopment of under-utilised housing revenue account land and property, including existing gardens into affordable homes. The new property would become part of the Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) housing portfolio and subsequently managed by HBC.

“The property will have two bedrooms, one double and one single room, providing a home for a small family. The dwellings also meet the nationally prescribed minimum space standards.”

The existing driveway at number 22 would be retained and assigned to the new home, while a new driveway would be created on the garden in front of number 22.

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The planning department will deal with the application, which will go before the planning committee rather than being decided by an officer because it is an application from the authority itself.

A date for the decision has yet to be set, but comments must be received by Monday, August 15.

To view or comment on the application, visit the Harrogate Borough Council planning website and use reference 22/02759/FUL.

The Stray Ferret has set new monthly records as it continues to reshape the face of local news in the Harrogate district.

Articles on our website attracted just over one million page views from 218,000 site users in July.

A further 574,000 page views were made by almost 4,500 people on the Stray Ferret app, which was launched at the end of last year.

The combined total of 1.6 million monthly page views is a new record, as is the number of people visiting the site.

Page views have more than doubled in the last year as increasing numbers of people tune in to our lively combination of rolling news, human interest stories and political analysis. Our social media engagement is also leading the way in the district.

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Last month we ran live blogs at the Great Yorkshire Show and during the heatwave. We led on coverage of plans to reduce the number of fire engines in Harrogate at night time to one, reported on Harrogate-born England footballer Rachel Daly’s ascent to international superstar, showcased businesses such as the re-opened Coach and Horses pub in Harrogate, covered visits to the district by celebrities including Alan Carr and Helen Skelton, and provided live footage on our Facebook page of St Wilfrid’s Procession in Ripon.

We also published daily business news a well as traffic and travel bulletins, and provided unparalleled scrutiny of our local MPs, councils and courts.

Tamsin O’Brien, managing director of the Stray Ferret, said:

“The Stray Ferret has become an unmissable read for anyone interested in the Harrogate district.

“Thank you to all our readers in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge, Masham and all points in between.

“We will continue to strive to bring the best daily news and hold those in power to account.”

You can download the Stray Ferret app by clicking on the banner below.

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.

In July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned and a leadership election was triggered in the Conservative party. Two of our MPs have backed Rishi Sunak, but Nigel Adams, who is a close ally of Boris Johnson, has yet to reveal his favoured candidate.

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 July 6, Andrew Jones called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign. He said: “I think we have come to the end of the road with this Prime Minister”.
• On July 11, Mr Jones was elected to the executive of the Conservative party’s 1922 committee, which can be influential in determining the fate of party leaders.
• Mr Jones formally backed Rishi Sunak to be the new leader of the Conservative Party on July 13.
• On July 20, he took part in voting on a series of amendments to the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. 
• Mr Jones spoke in the House of Commons to praise local agricultural shows on July 21. 
• Mr Jones held a surgery at Bilton Community Day on Saturday, July 30.

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Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

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

• On July 7, Julian Smith heavily criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He said Mr Johnson was causing a “constitutional crisis” by refusing to resign amid a series on ministers quitting his cabinet.
• Mr Smith tweeted the same day that the civil service had been “attacked and maligned” and had “held the country together” during the resignations of the cabinet.
• On July 10, Mr Smith tweeted that the European Convention on Human Rights was “key” to the Good Friday Agreement. He warned against the Conservative leadership contest undermining the agreement.
• On July 18, Mr Smith voted with the government on a confidence vote held in the House of Commons.
• Mr Smith met with local farmers in Boroughbridge to discuss agricultural, as well as food security and production.
• Following the resignation of Mr Johnson, Mr Smith declared his support for Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership contest on July 20.
• On July 24, Mr Smith was in attendance for Mr Sunak’s visit to Black Sheep Brewery in Masham as part of his leadership campaign.
• Mr Smith tweeted on July 29 that he had been to Ripon Tennis Club to try the facility’s new padel tennis courts.

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

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

• Instead of tweeting about resignations in the government, Mr Adams posted a tweet on July 5 congratulating the England cricket team on defeating India by seven wickets.
• Mr Adams, who sits in Boris Johnson’s cabinet, has remained silent throughout the leadership election and has not yet revealed who has backed for leader.
• Reports emerged in the Observer on July 18 that Mr Adams could face a by-election as he could be offered a peerage by Boris Johnson.
• On the same day, he voted with the government on a confidence vote in the House of Commons.
• Mr Adams tweeted on July 27 that he had met AstraZeneca in Tokyo to “discuss innovation and partnerships”. He tweeted again the following day that he had met the 2025 World Expo organisers in Japan.

Harrogate district councillors are supporting the campaign to make York the home of Britain’s railways.

York is among six short-listed locations chosen by the government as potential locations to be the headquarters of Great British Railways.

The other shortlisted locations include Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster and Newcastle.

Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green party councillors from across the Harrogate district joined other North Yorkshire County Councillors in a cross-party show of support at County Hall in Northallerton for York’s bid.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said York’s selection would “be of huge benefit not just for York, but for the whole of the region as well”. He added:

“The bid by York is ambitious and shows the intent in both the city and across North Yorkshire to bring real economic benefits and the prospect of hundreds of new jobs, and could prove to be a defining moment for the region.

“York has a long and proud heritage connected to the railways dating back to the Victorian era, and it would be fitting for the city to be at the forefront of attempts to reform the nation’s rail network in the 21^st century.

1,600 jobs created

Great British Railways will be a state-owned public body that oversees rail transport from next year.

Analysis has shown that the new headquarters would add an estimated £110 million to York’s economy, creating 1,600 new jobs with 320 of those roles in the 700 most deprived communities within an hour’s train journey of the city.

York is already one of the biggest rail centres in the country, with 5,000 employees linked to the industry and major train operators based in the city.

The city is also home to the National Railway Museum, and the York Central project, which is one of the largest brownfield sites in the country, is centred around the city’s railway station.

An artist’s impression of the proposed York Central development.

City of York Council leader Cllr Keith Aspden, said having Great British Railways’ headquarters in the city would open up opportunities across the whole of the region. He said:

“With 700 of the most deprived communities in the UK within an hour of York, the jobs created by locating Great British Railways in York could have a hugely positive impact on the levelling up agenda.

“Our rail heritage, expertise and skills from across the region and strength in innovation makes York the obvious home of rail.

People can vote to choose the town or city they would like to see host the new organisation but the final decision will be made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps later this year.

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