A farm shop in Minskip has lodged plans to create a dog walking field next to its premises.

Minskip Farm Shop, on Minskip Road, has submitted the plans to Harrogate Borough Council which would see agricultural land next to the store changed to create a walking and activity area.

The area, which is south west of the farm shop, would be fenced off and be open during daylight hours, such as 5am until 10pm in the summer.

The farm said in a statement to the borough council that the proposal represent another expansion of the business, which includes the shop and cafe known as Yolk Farm Kitchen.

In a planning statement, the developer said:

“The growth in popularity and demand at Minskip farm, alongside the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to a growing need to increase and diversify their commercial offering to continue meeting local needs and employing more local people. 

“The proposed dog walking/activity field will contribute a new revenue stream for a nationally recognised and locally cherished business, whilst providing local people with a safe and secure area to walk and train their dogs.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Read more:

• Plan to create microbrewery at Wild Swan in Minskip
• Fashion retailer Jules B to open in Harrogate

An artisan market is being held at Minskip Farm Shop near Boroughbridge on Sunday.

The market is the result of a partnership between Yolk Farm, which owns the shop and Little Bird Markets, which already runs numerous markets. including ones in Harrogate. Knaresborough and Ripon.

Stalls will sell handmade goods, artisan products and local produce.

Exhibitors include Marley Fields Pet Boutique, Flora & Co, which sells garden products, York Swirling Soapery and Blueberry Hill Preserves, which sells chutneys, preserves, honey, curds and cheeses.

Jackie Crozier, managing director of Little Bird Markets, said:

“We will have a wide variety of traders selling their artisan goods and Easter items, for last minute gifts. The farm shop will be open for food and the farm for visiting the animals.”

The farm, which provides alpaca experiences, is also running an Easter egg hunt.

The market will take place from 10am to 3pm at Yolk Farm on Minskip Road.

Read more:

• New monthly food market to start this weekend after storm forced cancellation
• Boroughbridge walled garden opens as wedding venue

The former RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse will be used to house asylum seekers, the government has announced today.

It’s part of a controversial Home Office plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed.

Before potentially being flown out to the African country, asylum seekers will be held in ‘reception centres’ across the UK for up to six months, with the first announced being at Linton-on-Ouse.

The site closed in 2020 after being used by the RAF for almost a century. It was most recently used as a jet training facility and Prince William trained there.

Although located in Hambleton, it is only about a mile from the Harrogate district, on the other side of the River Ouse. It’s close to villages Thorpe Underwood, Little Ouseburn and Nun Monkton.

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said in a statement he had been assured by the immigration minister that the time limit for any asylum seekers to remain at the site will be 180 days

Read more:

• Rodent droppings found in kitchen of Harrogate care home
• Review into how Harrogate’s ‘underused’ Stray can be better used for events

The government said it hopes the changes will help it “crack down” on people-smuggling gangs.

According to the BBC, 28,526 people are known to have crossed the channel in small boats in 2021, up from 8,404 in 2020.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said:

“The global migration crisis and how we tackle illegal migration requires new world-leading solutions. There are an estimated 80 million people displaced in the world and the global approach to asylum and migration is broken.

“Existing approaches have failed and there is no single solution to tackle these problems. Change is needed because people are dying attempting to come to the UK illegally.

The proposal has been criticised by human rights groups and opposition political parties.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the proposals a “shameful announcement meant to distract from Boris Johnson’s recent law-breaking”.

She added:

“It is an unworkable, unethical and extortionate policy that would cost the UK taxpayer billions of pounds during a cost of living crisis and would make it harder not easier to get fast and fair asylum decisions.”

The three Conservative MPs whose constituencies include the Harrogate district have remained silent so far on whether Boris Johnson should resign.

Number 10 said today that the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie, plus Chancellor Rishi Sunak, had been notified by the Metropolitan Police that they would be given fixed penalty notices.

The Met, which is investigating alleged covid law-breaking at 12 Whitehall and Downing Street gatherings, has issued more than 50 fines.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today led calls for Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak to resign.

Harrogate district MPs (from left) Nigel Adams, Andrew Jones and Julian Smith.

The Stray Ferret reported in January that Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, had said in a letter to a constituent:

“I followed coronavirus restrictions. I take the maxim ‘lawmakers can’t be lawbreakers’ seriously.”

Mr Jones added:

“In respect of the investigation announced by the Prime Minister in December, if this finds wrongdoing, and the police find that these actions were criminal, then consequences must flow from that.”

Read more:

• Oliver Bonas set to open store in Harrogate
• Andrew Jones MP urges Northern to ‘rethink’ cuts to Harrogate trains

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Jones today asking for his views on today’s fixed penalty notice and whether he felt Mr Johnson should resign.

We also contacted Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, to ask whether they felt Mr Johnson should resign.

At the time of publication, none had replied.

Taxi drivers in the Harrogate district have hit out at “unfair” plans that could see them lose their licences if they get seven or more penalty points.

Harrogate Borough Council has put forward the proposal for approval at a full council meeting tomorrow in a move which it says is “reasonable” and will improve safety for passengers.

But cabbies argue the policy is too severe and will result in a further loss of drivers in the district.

Kevin O’Boyle, owner of Central Taxis, described the proposals as “draconian” and said it will become “far too easy” for drivers to lose their licences.

He also argued cabbies are more likely to pick up points than regular road users because they spend more time on the roads. Mr O’Boyle said:

“There’s a serious shortage of taxi drivers and this just isn’t going to help.

“I’ve done between 2.5 million and 3 million miles, and the chances of me getting points are much greater than the average driver.

“If you’re driving in a strange place that you don’t know too well, it’s easy to drift over the speed limit by a couple of miles per hour.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district taxi fares to rise by 5% to help drivers with ‘crippling’ costs
• New bus service to link Harrogate and Knaresborough with Yorkshire Dales

Under the proposals, drivers would still be given the chance to argue their case and give reasons why their licence should not be revoked.

Currently, the council said licences are reviewed on “an individual basis when points accumulate”.

It also said there is no minimum or maximum time that licences can be revoked for and that drivers can re-apply at any time.

Passenger safety

Speaking at a recent meeting, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at the council, said while he recognised the concerns over a reduction in drivers, this had to be balanced against the safety of passengers.

He also said taxi drivers had to be treated differently to regular road users as “they are in an elevated position in terms of looking after people’s safety.” Mr Bentley added:

“There is a higher responsibility and a higher need for us to ensure safety.”

The proposals have been put forward as part of new statutory standards from the Department for Transport which all councils are expected to adopt unless there are “compelling reasons” not to.

However, the standards are silent on how many penalty points a taxi driver can get before their licence is revoked, and it’s up to individual councils to decide this.

Nearby in Leeds, hundreds of drivers have gone on strikes over similar proposals that could see them suspended if they get more than six points.

‘People will leave the trade’

Harrogate Borough Council held a consultation on its seven points policy during February and March when it received comments from several drivers, one of which described the plans as “unfair”.

The driver said:

“It’s just another example of one rule for everyone else and one for us as we are at the bottom of the food chain.”

Another added:

“The taxi trade is getting harder year on year with longer hours for less reward and councils are doing nothing to help.

“The long term result will be people leaving the trade.”

The policy has been recommended for approval by the council’s licensing committee at tomorrow’s full council meeting.

An historic walled garden in the Harrogate district has completed a five-year renovation and is set to open for its first wedding season.

For years the walled garden at Helperby Hall near Boroughbridge languished in a state of disrepair, with its impressive neoclassical stone cupola and pavilions hidden by high walls.

Now, after a programme of refurbishment the garden has been brought back to life — as a wedding venue. It will cost about £3,500 to hire for two days.

The unusual venue is the idea of Lady Harriet Milnes Coates, who was determined to find a use for the four acres of lawns and historic outbuildings which sit in the grounds of the family home, Helperby Hall.

The Grade II listed walled garden, which was originally constructed in the late 19th century, was variously used as a formal garden, a kitchen garden and a horse riding arena.

But when it was left without a purpose, the corner pavilions and classical cupola were at risk of collapse.

First ever weddings

Planning permission for repairs to the buildings and change of use took three years to achieve.

Work then began to clear old greenhouses and overgrown planting, reestablish pathways and restore the buildings. But builders had to down tools during covid.

Once the lockdowns ended work resumed, with the gardeners cottage completely renovated.

One of the final pieces of work was to renew the roofing of the cupola, whose wooden beams had rotted.

Read more:

• Man denies causing death by dangerous driving near Boroughbridge
• New battle trail to tell of Boroughbridge’s turbulent past

The garden finally received a wedding license to conduct ceremonies in October 2021, and this year will hold its first ever weddings.

Now the Walled Garden Helperby has teamed up with Leeds-based award-winning events company Dine, to organise and run weddings at the historic garden.

Daniel Gill of Dine says:

“Lady Milnes Coates had an extraordinary vision and determination to see through the project to give this historic garden a new life.”

The garden is holding an open day for wedding couples on April 23 from 12 noon until 4pm. Visits are by appointment only.

In less than a month’s time, the curtain will come down on the career of one of the most influential — and divisive — politicians in the Harrogate district this century.

Don Mackenzie served 16 years as a Harrogate borough councillor, but will be best remembered for his current role as executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

His portfolio includes transport, which means he has led on key decisions, such as the Harrogate Station Gateway, the junction 47 upgrade of the A1(M) near Knaresborough, realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill and numerous schemes to promote cycling and walking.

In an era when some politicians pick and choose which media to talk to, and hide behind press officers, Cllr Mackenzie has always been willing to pick up the phone and front up. He believes in transparency, he says. Colleagues say he’s on top of his brief, and some think he would have made a good county council leader.

But the judgement of the people is more brutal. Barely a day passes without references to ‘Dismal Don’ or calls for his resignation on social media. Complex transport schemes rarely please everyone and rarely progress swiftly and he is remarkably relaxed about the fallout:

“If I let these things upset me, I would have given up years ago. The only thing that occasionally annoys me is social media, especially anonymous posters.

“Tough decisions have to be made and all they do is sit in the comfort of their own home posting anonymous criticism. It’s cowardly.”

‘Right time to go’

On the day we met Cllr Mackenzie, who has lived in Harrogate since 1973 and represents Harrogate Saltergate, he received an email asking how dare he approve 770 houses being built on Otley Road — the decision has not been made yet and will be taken by Harrogate Borough Council, of which he has not been a councillor since 2018.

Such confusion will end when North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council are abolished next year to make way for North Yorkshire Council, which will become the new unitary authority for the county.

New weather stations have been introduced to help drivers in difficult conditions.

That looming seismic change has persuaded Cllr Mackenzie, 72, not to seek re-election on May 5. He is the only one of 10 members of the county council executive not to do so. Wasn’t he tempted to continue?

“No I wasn’t. It’s a five-year commitment. I felt that my time as a county councillor had come to a natural end. Many of my colleagues have great difficulty deciding when and if to retire. Many people say a career in politics always ends in tears so I feel this is the right time to go.”

Read more:

• Harrogate bus plans in tatters after government rejects £116m funding bid
• £7.8 million awarded to help make Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet all-electric
• Transport leader Don Mackenzie to step down next year

Nevertheless he will be sad to depart.

“I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it.

“Most councillors set out to do something for their local community. Most people like me are in it to make a difference and sometimes it’s difficult to make that difference. There are inevitably disappointments. We’ve been disappointed this week with our Bus Service Improvement Plan.”

The county council’s plan involved bidding £116m to the Department for Transport to improve bus services in North Yorkshire. It received none. A significant chunk would have been spent easing congestion in Harrogate. But in March the government awarded the council and Harrogate Bus Company £7.8m to make the firm’s fleet all-electric.

There have been other successes, such as the Bond End double mini roundabout in Knaresborough, which eased congestion at one of the most polluted spots in the Harrogate district.

“It was a highlight because many people thought it would not work and were worried about safety and taking away the traffic lights.”

Junction 47, trains and Kex Gill

Cllr Mackenzie lauds the A1(M) junction 47 upgrade, due to end end anytime now, as a rare example of infrastructure investment coming before development.

He says train services are far better now, with more frequent direct trains to London, than before he became a councillor despite rail operator Northern’s announcement last month of cuts to Harrogate services. He says:

“Northern have assured me these reductions will be short-term only.”

He admits to being a “little frustrated” the Kex Gill realignment won’t be completed before he leaves office. Delays, he says, are inevitable when “taking a major trans-pennine highway across a sensitive area of countryside”. Peat deposits are among the vexed considerations. But the project has levered £56m from the Department for Transport and should start this year.

Walking and cycling schemes

Active travel schemes have been the most contentious, particularly the Harrogate Station Gateway. It was one of three initiatives worth £42million funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Making the case for the Station Gateway at a business meeting.

Cllr Mackenzie says the Selby and Skipton projects “have been problem free”; Harrogate has been anything but, with strong opposition from businesses and residents to reducing Station Parade to single lane and pedestrianising part of James Street. He remains a staunch advocate:

“It’s bringing £11million of much needed investment into the town centre. It will be a radical improvement to a part of town that needs improving and it will be good for the visitor economy.”

He says he would be “inclined to continue’ with the closure of Beech Grove in Harrogate to through traffic when the 18-month experiment ends in August, with the caveat that he “would be guided by the data”.

As for Otley Road cycle path, he was “a little surprised to hear complaints from the cycling lobby” because “what we have delivered is exactly what the plans showed so they had plenty of time to raise concerns then”.

He says the council will conduct another round of consultation on phase two “so people are absolutely clear” about the plans this time.

Why have these schemes provoked so much anger?

“In Harrogate, when one attempts change — in this case to improve facilities for walking and cycling — you get roughly half the population behind you and half against you.

“Also, many people feel any restrictions on car driving is a bad thing whereas if you want to overcome congestion you have to have a realistic alternative.”

Conservative for 40 years

Don Johannes Josef Mackenzie was born in Germany and is bilingual — his dad stayed there after the war and met a German woman. The family moved before Cllr Mackenzie’s first birthday and he grew up in Ipswich.

He became managing director of MMP International, which supplied industrial repair and maintenance products worldwide. The job brought him to Harrogate 49 years ago.

MMP was acquired by US company ITW in 1998. Mr Mackenzie was a minority shareholder and stayed on for 10 years as business manager. He then became self-employed, “doing small things representing British manufacturers worldwide”.

A Conservative Party member for 40 years, he cut his political teeth as a Harrogate borough councillor in Pannal from 1987 to 1991 before a 15-year hiatus to concentrate on his career and raising his daughter, who would later become the agent for Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough. Who are his political heroes?

“I liked Mrs Thatcher but I don’t have any political heroes. I also liked David Cameron — I thought he was very good.”

He returned to serve three terms in Harrogate from 2006 to 2018, during which he became the cabinet member for planning and transport for three years — a role that included oversight of the creation of the original Local Plan — a document that outlines where planning can take part in the development.

Speaking at an online county council meeting.

The plan allocated 390 new homes a year in the district — a number that was rejected by the government’s Planning Inspectorate as too low and was eventually bumped up to around 700, leading to ongoing concerns about the number of new developments. He says:

“In hindsight 390 was a little low. Now it’s nearer 700. I don’t have a problem with 700 but recently it’s been much higher than that.”

Cllr Mackenzie was appointed executive member for public health at the county council in 2013 until council leader Carl Les moved him to his access portfolio in 2015.

It’s a bruising role but says the only time he gets real abuse is when he’s knocking on doors canvassing. It doesn’t seem to bother him — he likes a good argument. Or as he puts it:

“I can’t say I enjoy it but I wouldn’t shrink from it.

“I belong to that generation when a candidate didn’t rely on social media. I relied on public meetings. But there’s far less of that face-to-face stuff and that has led to a decline in behaviour because people think their behaviour doesn’t matter as much.”

Bird watching

Cllr Mackenzie, who is 72, doesn’t intend to retire. He has applied to become a non-executive director of a British public sector organisation and wants to keep busy.

“I wouldn’t like to think I didn’t start each day without an active programme ahead.”

He’s a keen bird watcher who engages in his hobby on family holidays in Norfolk. He doesn’t cycle but walks a lot. He often catches the bus or strolls into town from his home, near Leeds Road about a mile from the town centre. He says it’s too close to go by car.

He claims not to have any major regrets. What does he think his legacy will be?

“I would like people to think that whatever decision I took, I took with the best of motives and I thought the decision was right. I can’t claim to have got every decision right – but they were all taken with the best of intentions.”

With many of his schemes set to outlast him, his legacy will be felt in the district for years to come.

The list of candidates standing for election to the new North Yorkshire Council in the Harrogate district has been revealed.

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the authority, which will replace both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Green Party and independents have all fielded candidates ahead of polling day.

Harrogate Borough Council has published a list of election agents and names of candidates. A full list of party candidates will be published today (April 6).

A total of 21 councillors will be elected from the Harrogate district as the council is made up of new divisions.

The deadline to register to vote is Thursday, April 14. You can register here.

List of Harrogate district election candidates

Coppice Valley and Duchy

• Patricia Ann Foxall, Labour Party
• Peter Charles Lacey, Liberal Democrat
• Leighton Anunda Regayre, Green Party
• Graham Kevin Swift, Conservative
• Daniel Jonathan James d`Arcy Thompson, Independent

Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate

• Lucy Jayne Gardiner, Independent
• Samuel John Gibbs, Conservative
• David Johnson, Liberal Democrat
• Paul Ko Ferrigno, Green Party
• Andrew Williamson, Labour Party

Bilton Grange and New Park

• Matthew Robert Scott, Conservative
• Monika Slater, Liberal Democrat
• Tamsin Jade Worrall, Green Party
• Andrew Morris Zigmond, Labour Party

Harlow and St Georges

• John Charles Adams, Labour Party
• Sarah Jane Hart, Independent
• Steven Jackson, Conservative
• Andrew Rickard, Green Party
• Michael John Schofield, Liberal Democrat

Read more:

• No deals expected between Harrogate district opposition parties ahead of election
• Council chiefs promise ‘seamless transition’ to new North Yorkshire Council

Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone

• Helen Burke, Labour Party
• John Radcliffe Ennis, Conservative
• Patricia Ann Marsh, Liberal Democrat
• Anna Rosanna McIntee, Independent

Fairfax and Starbeck

• Philip Anthony Broadbank, Liberal Democrat
• Elizabeth Susan Lumby, Conservative
• Gordon Schallmo, Green Party
• Christopher John Watt, Labour Party

Bilton and Nidd Gorge

• Paul Steven Haslam, Conservative
• Deborah Anne Havercroft, Labour Party
• Andrew Graham Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat

High Harrogate and Kingsley

• Christopher James Aldred, Liberal Democrat
• Geoffrey Ronald David Foxall, Labour Party
• Timothy Ian Myatt, Conservative

Knaresborough West

• David Tom Crosthwaite, Labour Party
• Philip George Ireland, Conservative
• Matthew James Walker, Liberal Democrat

Knaresborough East

• Sharon-Theresa Calvert, Labour Party
• Edward William John Darling, Conservative
• Hannah Gostlow, Liberal Democrat

Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate

• Edward Charles Clayson, Labour Party
• David Ryland Goode, Liberal Democrat
• Michael Harrison, Conservative
• William James Rigby, Green Party

Oatlands and Pannal

• Justin James Peter Chan, Liberal Democrat
• Gillian Rosemary Charters, Green Party
• John Mann, Conservative
• Margaret Smith, Labour Party

Boroughbridge and Claro

• Andrew Bell, Liberal Democrat
• Noel Frank Evans, Independent
• Clark Pearson, Green Party
• Jonathan William Starkey, Independent
• Robert Windass, Conservative

Read more:

• How the Harrogate district’s wards will change ahead of local election
• Dispute over Harrogate council by-election raised in House of Lords

Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale and Tockwith

• John Philip Hall, Yorkshire Party
• Alexandra Graham Marsh, Green Party
• Andrew John Paraskos, Conservative

Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale

• Alison Harris, Yorkshire Party
• Stanley Lumley, Conservative
• Andrew James Murday, Liberal Democrat

Ripon Minster and Moorside

• Thomas James Averre, Conservative
• Thomas Mark Cavell-Taylor, Liberal Democrat
• Andrew Williams, Independent

Ripon Ure Bank and Spa

• Barbara Jean Brodigan, Liberal Democrat
• Robin John Burgess, Green Party
• Michael Geoffrey Chambers, Conservative
• Sidney James Hawke, Independent

Washburn and Birstwith

• Ian Roger Galloway, Independent
• Nathan Roger Hull, Conservative
• Paul Geoffrey Trewhitt, Green Party
• Thomas Watson, Liberal Democrat

Wathvale and Bishop Monkton

• Nicholas Malcolm Brown, Conservative
• Hannah Katherine Corlett, Green Party
• Christopher James Knight

Ouseburn

• Richard Musgrave, Conservative
• Arnold Francis Warneken, Green Party

Masham and Fountains

• Margaret Edna Atkinson, Conservative
• Felicity Clare Cunliffe-Lister, Independent
• Judith Mary Hooper, Liberal Democrat

A Harrogate man has denied causing death by dangerous driving on the A168 near Boroughbridge.

Andrew Jackson, 36, from Hunsingore near Wetherby, died on A168 northbound between Allerton Park and Boroughbridge on May 10, 2020.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

James Bryan, 36, of St Mary’s Avenue in Harrogate, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Read more:

• Harrogate district care worker jailed after sexually abusing vulnerable resident
• Four men jailed for Harrogate district burglary spree
• Harrogate council housing officer stole from elderly residents

He appeared at York Crown Court yesterday where he entered a not guilty plea.

A trial will be held at the court on September 19, 2022.

A politician promising change is often an alluring prospect for voters, and five fresh faces are hoping to steer Harrogate in a new direction on the new North Yorkshire Council.

Anna McIntee (Stray, Woodlands, Hookstone), Lucy Gardiner (Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate), Sarah Hart (Harlow Hill and St Georges) Daniel Thompson (Coppice Valley and Duchy) and Jon Starkey (Boroughbridge & Claro) have all put their names forward for the election on May 5.

The independents have aligned together and last week launched a website called ‘Time for a Change’ that is critical of decisions such as housing developments in the Kingsley area and the ongoing Harrogate Station Gateway project.

The Stray Ferret interviewed Ms McIntee, Ms Hart, and Mr Thompson yesterday to find out what they stand for and what they think needs to change.

Why are they standing? 

Ms McIntee is a mum-of-three and said she is normally a Tory voter. However, she believes the local party has ignored businesses and residents to the detriment of the town.

She said:

“It all started when North Yorkshire County Council tried to make Oatland’s Drive one way, it was ludicrous. I made a petition that got 2,000 signatures. Then I got more and more involved. It was like Pandora’s Box.

“With the election coming up, it’s the perfect time to make a difference. Our background isn’t in politics but we are just residents who are really really passionate and feel we can make a difference.”

Ms Hart has lived in Harrogate on and off since she was born and would normally vote Liberal Democrat. She said:

“I went to HBC cabinet meetings and scrutiny meetings and thought – hang on a minute – some of the things they are doing are not right. I was involved in the Local Plan and spoke at the public enquiry.

“I’m a resident at Harlow Hill and the West Harrogate Parameters Plan and Rotary Wood are huge issues, I heard about these secret meetings behind closed doors and thought, I have nothing to lose. I’m going to go for it”.

Mr Thompson was born in the town, owns a shop on Cold Bath Road and went to Ashville College. He said:

“I joined the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and attended a Zoom meeting where Harrogate Borough Council council leader Richard Cooper was a guest speaker. He ruffled my feathers and got my back up with the way he presented himself and the way he is tackling the issues of the town.

“I went to another meeting about the Station Gateway that was a sham. I was embarrassed for the council. It was a shocking display to be honest. That meeting really riled me. They have lost touch with reality.”

‘Had enough’

Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which sets out where new homes can be built until 2034, was signed off two years ago following a tortuous process that lasted over a decade.

You can see its impact when you travel around the periphery of Harrogate with swathes of green fields lost to housing. Ms McIntee said residents have now “had enough”.

More than 13,000 new homes could eventually be built when the plan is concluded. The Stray Ferret has calculated that at least 700 football pitches of green field land across the district will be lost.

A snapshot of development. Credit – HAPARA

The group of independents, who are self-funded, said with the new North Yorkshire Council there could be an opportunity to revisit the Local Plan much sooner than in 2025, which is the current proposal.

Ms Hart called the Local Plan “a car crash”.

“We need the right homes in the right places. We don’t need them in green fields miles away from sustainable transport.”

Mr Thompson pointed the finger at conservative council leader Richard Cooper and chief executive Wallace Sampson for their track record on housing.

“The one job they had to do was create a Local Plan that was fit for purpose and they failed. For Richard Cooper and Wallace Sampson to still be where they are when they failed miserably is truly astonishing.”

Richard Cooper (left) and Wallace Sampson

The independents won’t be the only party campaigning on housing. It will also be a focus for the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens.

But Mr Thompson said the Lib Dems have little credibility on housing as its councillors signed off on the Local Plan too.

“The Conservatives have lost their way but the Lib Dems were sat in meetings and also signed off on Local Plan. Both parties are complicit.”

‘Cars = sales’

Ms McIntee works part-time in a town centre shop and Mr Thompson owns an interior design shop on Cold Bath Road with his sister, Lucy Gardiner, who is standing as an independent in the Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate ward.

The Station Gateway scheme has pitted many town centre businesses against those who support the scheme and want fewer cars in the town and more walking and cycling.

Ms McIntee said the proposal has been pushed through without listening to retailers who live and work in the town.

Station Gateway visuals that show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

Mr Thompson said the town centre is looking “tired and vulnerable” and Harrogate should forsake the car at its peril.

The group would like to see free Sunday parking as well as the first hour of parking free throughout the week to encourage more motorists to shop in the town centre.

He said:

“Cars equals sales. Everybody in retail knows that. You cannot ignore the power of the motor car. The car is not the enemy.”

An alternative vision?

Almost half of CO2 emissions in the Harrogate District are from transport.

Cars also contribute to poor air quality in our town centres, which studies have found contributes to a myriad of health impacts including lung and heart disease.

Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council as well as green groups such as Zero Carbon Harrogate believe it is critical that Harrogate residents reduce their car use to help tackle climate change.

But Ms McIntee has been opposed to the Otley Road cycle path, Station Gateway, Oatlands Drive changes and Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood and her critics say she offers no solutions to the net-zero question.

She said this is unfair as the independents will campaign to introduce a park and ride scheme, subsidise school buses, introduce more electric vehicle charging points and plant more trees to absorb CO2.

The group would also like to see pavements improved to encourage walking in the town.

Mr Thompson said:

“There’s always an alternative vision, we’re just saying we don’t like the current vision, I don’t think that’s negative.”

Election Day

The group has a loyal group of supporters on social media but how successful the five would-be councillors will be on May 5 be is hard to predict.

They could split the Tory vote and help the Liberal Democrats or the opposite could happen.

But if they do manage to tap into the genuine anger felt around housing and transport they could cause a major upset.

Ms McIntee said:

“People need to vote for change, never before has that need been greater. There are independent councillors all over the UK that are doing a good job. It’s not a wasted vote. If all five of us get in we’ll have huge impact.”

Mr Thompson said

“Residents have been blatantly ignored and silenced. It’s offensive. We have a wealth of talents in the town and that’s the saddest part. The councils’ divide to conquer, that’s not how it should be. They have set groups against each other to railroad through their schemes.

“The council should be fighting for existing people of town, it’s not about NIMBYism, it’s about common sense.”

The full list of candidates standing on May 5 will be announced tomorrow. The Stray Ferret will be profiling the other political parties and candidates in the coming weeks.