Village idiot visits Harrogate

A YouTuber who plans to visit all 10,474 civil parishes in England is turning his attention to Harrogate.

Andy Smith, who calls himself The Village Idiot, has visited more than 1,000 parishes since he started in 2020. He expects it will take him 30 or 40 years to complete his challenge.

Mr Smith uploads a video after each trip and last Friday he published a 14-minute account of his trip to Kirk Deighton. His escapades have attracted 9,300 subscribers.

He also visited North Deighton, Little Ribston, Spofforth with Stockeld, Follifoot, Plompton, Goldsborough and Flaxby on the same two-day trip, and will upload videos about each one on forthcoming Fridays.

Mr Smith said:

“The idea is to create a visual record of every single village and small town in the country, with some historical bits and quirky features thrown in to the mix.

“I’ve already been featured in national newspapers, the most notable being the Guardian. I’ve also appeared on Channel 4 on Steph’s Packed Lunch.”

Former teacher Mr Smith, who lives in Rotherham, said he usually spent two days a week on the road with his GoPro camera.

He plans to tick off all 139 parishes in the Harrogate district in the weeks ahead and upload the videos over time on to his YouTube site. He said:

“I plan to visit Sicklinghall, Pannal and Burn Bridge next and then move on towards Ripon.

“Before I came to Harrogate I didn’t know much about it. But I like going back. Every time I arrive I think it’s so clean and tidy and welcoming.”

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How North Yorkshire is coping with increased SEND demand

A “dire situation” and “under pressure” – those are just two phrases used to describe North Yorkshire’s special educational needs services.

Over the last year, North Yorkshire Council has received more than 1,200 applications for support from parents with SEND children.

The figure is a significant increase on last year and has left council staff under pressure and parents frustrated.

Meanwhile, to compound matters further, the authority has a lack of places in special educational needs schools.

The Stray Ferret has covered the matter extensively with interviews with families with SEND children and the political fallout from the increased demand.

In this article, we look at how the council is coping with the matter and what it means for parents in the Harrogate district.

Thousands of requests

The demand on council services for SEND children was laid bare this month.

A report before councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on March 14 showed a significant increase in the number of education health and care plans submitted to the council.

The plans detail a child’s needs and are given to schools to consider ahead of a potential admission.

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The council received 1,275 request for EHC plans in 2023 – a rise of 30% on the previous year.

Of that number, 600 were either awaiting assessment, had yet to be issued or were still being finalised.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, told councillors that part of the problem was a lack of educational psychologists to help deal with requests.

The council has since hired part time and trainee psychologists and sought agency staff to help address the backlog in plans.

Ms Newbold said:

“Where we have identified issues, we are doing everything possible to rectify that. It is an issue that we are aware of and it’s an issue that we are not happy about.”

‘Dire situation’

The council says its recruitment will help to tackle the timeliness in issuing plans to parents.

However, Emily Mitchell, who is co-founder of SenKind, a support group for parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in North Yorkshire, said the demand remains troubling.

Ms Mitchell, who lives in Harrogate and whose daughter Elsie is non-verbal and autistic, told the Stray Ferret that the upward trend in ECH plans had happened year on year but felt little had been done to address it.

She said:

“Year after year, we’ve witnessed this upward trend, yet little has changed to address the pressing needs of SEN children and their families in North Yorkshire.

“The situation is dire. The demand for specialist school places far exceeds availability, leaving countless children without the tailored support they require to thrive academically and socially.”

Emily Mitchell with her daughter Elsie.

Emily Mitchell with her daughter Elsie.

Ms Mitchell, who had her own struggles with getting Elsie into an appropriate school in Harrogate last year, said more needed to be done on a local and national level to tackle growing demand for EHC plans.

She said:

“The influx of EHCP requests underscores the urgent need for action at both local and national levels.

“While some measures have been introduced to address these challenges, they fall short of providing the comprehensive support needed to alleviate the strain on SEN families, especially in North Yorkshire.

“It’s time for meaningful action to ensure that every child, regardless of their abilities, has access to the support and resources they need to succeed.”

Number one financial challenge

The matter over increased demand in North Yorkshire reached the House of Commons in January.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, said that senior council officers told him that special educational needs was the biggest financial challenge for them.

Speaking in parliament, he said recent changes to the Children and Families Act 2014 were believed to have led to 1,000 extra claims for financial assistance in North Yorkshire alone last year.

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Mr Jones said:

“I have met with several families in my constituency whose children have education, health and care plans, yet they still experience difficulties finding special educational needs and disabilities support.

“I have taken up their cases with senior council officers, who tell me that SEND is the number one financial challenge for the council.

“In North Yorkshire alone, the council believes 1,000 cases last year were attributable to changes made by that Act.”

Aside from hiring staff to tackle its backlog, North Yorkshire Council has sought to increase places in specialist schools for pupils.

The authority agreed proposals to create a facility at the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton in August 2023, which is expected to cost £3.5 million to establish.

Recently, it advertised for an academy sponsor for the site with a target open date of April 2025.

Meanwhile, it is also planning to provide additional special school places at Springwater School in Starbeck from September 2025.

The move would help to create additional capacity for 45 pupils at the school.

The project is expected to be funded through £3.1 million from its High Needs Provision Capital Allocation provided by government.

For the council, it hopes its measures will help to tackle demand for SEND pupils. However, parents appear yet to be convinced.

Major changes announced to bus routes in Harrogate district

Two new bus routes are set to be introduced in Harrogate this weekend.

The Harrogate Bus Company said in a press release the services would provide ‘new and improved links for housing developments and business parks’.

The company, which is part of French form Transdev, said it has partnered with North Yorkshire Council to bring the new 4, which will link King Edwin Park and the Harrogate West Business Park off Penny Pot Lane in Killinghall to the town centre.

It will also serve Skipton Road and Ripon Road.

The new route, which is being funded by the King Edwin Park housing developer, will run hourly from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

In addition, the 6 and X6 will merge to provide an all-day service to Harrogate’s Pannal Ash, RHS Harlow Carr and Beckwith Knowle.

It will operate every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sundays. Extra buses will run every 20 minutes during peak times.

Harrogate Bus Company said it will operate as the current route, but extending to Beckwith Knowle, where there is a business park.

The firm added:

“The route will change on Otley Road and in Pannal Ash so we pick up on the opposite side of the road – this follows customer requests.”

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Changes to existing routes

Along with the new routes, the Harrogate Bus Company also announced it would be making changes to existing routes. Some of the details at this stage are vague.

These include:

1 Harrogate – Knaresborough: There will be a full timetable change from Monday to Saturday. Buses will still run every 10 minutes.

2 Harrogate – Bilton: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

3 Harrogate – Jennyfield: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

8 Harrogate – Knaresborough – Wetherby: This route will be taken over by 21 Transport on behalf of the council. The firm said Transdev tickets will no longer be valid on this route.

21 Knaresborough – Boroughbridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

24 Harrogate – Pateley Bridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

36 Leeds – Harrogate – Ripon: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

S1 Ripley – Rossett School: A new school bus will serve pupils from Ripley to Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School. It added people in Jennyfields who currently use the 620H should switch to the S1.

S2 and S6 Bilton – Rossett School: The S2 and S6 will merge into a single route, which will follow the route of the regular 2 bus around Bilton. A large double decker bus will be provided which is sufficient for all customers, it added.

S8 Woodlands – Rossett School: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

620H Dacre – Rossett School: This route will be taken over by another operator on behalf of the council. Harrogate Bus Company said it does not know which firm will take over, but added it will no longer serve Jennyfields. It advised residents to use the S1 instead.

727H Jennyfield – Harrogate Grammar School

The Harrogate Bus Company, which has not released any further information on the changes, said timetables will be available ‘soon’.

The changes will come into effect on Sunday, April 7.

North Yorkshire Council ‘still feels detached’ one year on, says peer

North Yorkshire Council still feels “detached” from its residents one-year on from its launch, says a House of Lords peer.

The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023 with the promise of making savings.

One year on from its launch, the Stray Ferret has looked at whether people feel the council has improved governance in the county.

Among those we spoke to was Lord Wallace of Saltaire, a Liberal Democrat peer, who was highly critical of the move 12 months ago.

At the time, Lord Saltaire told the House of Lords that local democracy in North Yorkshire had been “destroyed” by devolution and described the introduction of a unitary authority as an “incoherent mess”.

He also criticised the number of councillors to residents, which he said made constituents feel detached from their local council.

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The Stray Ferret asked Lord Saltaire if he still stood by his criticisms 12 months on from the council’s launch.

He said he felt that people feel detached from their local authority and that councillors could not cope with the number of constituents within their divisions.

Lord Saltaire added that a district and county council model still worked, despite being criticised as “inefficient”.

He said:

“We still have county councils and district councils in some places. That in some ways is less efficient, but it does at least give people a connection.

“People do not feel any connection with their local authority.”

Taxi drivers ‘pulling their hair out’

Since its launch the changes in governance in the Harrogate district have been far reaching. Among the most controversial has been taxi licensing.

Under the authority’s harmonisation agenda, the zone which taxis could operate in was widened to county-wide. Previously, cabbies could only trade within the Harrogate district.

However, the council overhauled its licensing policy so that taxis can now operate anywhere in North Yorkshire.

In theory, the move would allow drivers to pick up business across the county.

Photo of Ripon taxi driver Richard Fieldman

Richard Fieldman, who runs his taxi in Ripon.

The council argued that the move would provide “flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles”.

But, Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for three decades, said he did not feel the move had improved the trade.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I cant comment on what is going on in other areas

“But the drivers in Harrogate are pulling their hair out. They [the council] do not want to know. We have been told that they are on the verge of sending out a new consultation.

“I have encouraged all the drivers to respond to that consultation.”

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for a response and asked how it feels governance has been improved in the county.

Council a ‘watershed’ for public services

At the time of its launch, Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the council, said the move was a “watershed” for how public services could be delivered to the county’s residents.

Meanwhile, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said in March last year that “millions” would be saved from the new council.

He said:

“Millions of pounds in savings that will be made by streamlining operations and the delivery of services could not have come at a more important time.

“We are faced with major financial pressures and the new council will need to drive the transformation of services at pace, taking every opportunity to support green economic growth and working with communities and partners to ensure the money of North Yorkshire’s taxpayers is used most effectively.

“Public services could have been placed under even greater pressure without the move to bring together eight councils into one organisation to create the new North Yorkshire Council.

“There is still a lot of work to do to ensure we are able to take full advantage of the opportunities available to bring the most cost-effective way of delivering services for North Yorkshire’s taxpayers, but I am confident that this can be achieved with the experience, expertise and talent we will have available in the new council.”

Lib Dem mayor candidate pledges support for Flaxby train station

The Liberal Democrat candidate to be York and North Yorkshire’s first directly elected mayor has pledged to support a station at Flaxby Park, if elected.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister announced the policy as part of her manifesto launch.

The announcement also included pledges to campaign for better services on the Harrogate to York line, a single ticket integrated bus services and converting empty premises above shops into flats.

The Lib Dem candidate’s support for Flaxby Parkway has its roots in a long running saga over the need for a station in the area, which developers Flaxby Park Ltd promised in 2018.

The topic was at the centre of a debate for a new 3,000 home settlement in the Harrogate district, which was subject of a High Court appeal in 2020. The former Harrogate Borough Council later settled instead on an area in Hammerton and Cattal, which will be called Maltkiln.

In her manifesto pledge, Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“We need a faster and more reliable service across the north, this is key to delivering economic growth in the region, and I will lobby hard for this. 

“Within the region, I will support Flaxby Parkway station and park and ride, the addition of a second platform at Malton, improvement of access at Thirsk and explore the viability of increasing the service on the York to Harrogate line.”

Meanwhile, Ms Cunliffe-Lister added she would invest in the green energy and bioeconomy sectors to generate growth and to create a catchment wide natural flood management scheme for the Nidd, Ure and Swale rivers.

She also pledged to create flats in empty premises above shops in market towns and to control second home and holiday let ownership with regulation and licensing schemes.

She said:

“Having lived and raised a family in North Yorkshire and run a successful business there for 24 years, many of my policies are based on my experience and legal background. 

“I have also taken specialist advice on some of the more thorny issues, to help establish what the most effective solutions are to the issues we face, that will also deliver the best value for money.”

Voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls on May 2 to elect the first ever mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on April 16.

Who is standing for mayor?

Pateley Bridge man and former police officer Keith Tordoff will stand as an independent.

The Green Party has chosen councillor and former soldier Kevin Foster as its candidate.

The Conservative Party has picked Malton councillor and ex-journalist Keane Duncan, who is currently in charge of transport at North Yorkshire Council.

Labour has chosen local business owner and chair of the York High Street Forum David Skaith.

Harrogate resident and North Yorkshire councillor, Paul Haslam, will stand as an independent candidate after resigning from the Conservative Party.

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Business Breakfast: Three Boroughbridge pubs awarded national accreditation

Three Boroughbridge pubs have been awarded Cask Marque accreditation.

The award recognises the quality of the beers at the Grantham Arms, Fox and Hounds and Tap on the Tutt, based on temperature, aroma, appearance and taste.

Simon Wade, who owns the pubs, said the accreditation would help put Boroughbridge on the map as a destination for quality ales. He said:

“For all three of our pubs to get the accreditation is incredible. It means we now become part of the national Real Ale Trail which will hopefully bring new visitors to the town. Great credit to our teams at all three venues for keeping on top of cellar management and to our fantastic sponsor Rudgate Brewery.”

The three pubs offer 12 cask ales between them from breweries including Rudgate, Timothy Taylor’s and Theakstons, alongside guest beers on rotation.

Harrogate Healthcare company wins national care award

A Harrogate healthcare company has won a national award.

Vida Healthcare, which specialises in dementia care, won the accolade at the Great British Care Awards.

It won the National Three Rs (Recruitment, Retention and Recognition) award at the event. The company also won the same award last year.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“We’re over the moon to have won the national Three Rs award at the Great British Care Awards – it’s a fantastic achievement and a reflection of our commitment to nurturing the future of social care talent. As part of our dedication to creating better care for people living with dementia, our long-term mission is to continue to build on our cohort of understanding and professional care workers.”

From left to right: Bernadette Mossman, healthcare director, Jill Young, operations director, James Rycroft, managing director.

Digital agency appoints new director of international

National digital agency idhl has appointed Sam Ogrizovic as Director of International to launch the firm’s first office in the US.

The company specialises in performance media, e-commerce, web development, data and email marketing.

idhl was established in Harrogate in 2000. The agency now operates nationally across the UK with offices in London, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle – employing more than 400 people.

Ogrizovic will hire a team of digital experts in the coming months, with the New York office due to open in summer 2024.

Mr Ogrizovic said:

“I’m an entrepreneurial person and there are few occasions in your career which allow you to work with a business you know well to launch a new territory from scratch. Knowing that I have the strong engine and reputation of idhl behind me is a huge advantage and I cannot wait to get going!”

Ben Wood, CEO at idhl, said:

“Sam is the perfect candidate to spearhead our US office launch, his tenacity and ability to form really strong relationships with clients as we deliver fantastic results for them is second to none. This is an extremely exciting time of growth for idhl, the potential to roll-out our products and services to the US market is huge.

Henshaws College completes outdoor classroom

Henshaws Specialist College has opened a new yurt as part of its Forest School offering.

The move follows a £25,000 donation from Barratt Developments Yorkshire East to fund an outdoor classroom.

The college provides education and care for young people aged 18-25 years old who have disabilities and complex needs.

Gemma Young, fundraising development manager at Henshaws, said:

“With the donation we were able to have a 22 ft yurt with a wood burning stove installed to base the sessions from, so the students can continue to learn outdoors, even in bad weather. We were so pleased to welcome Barratt Developments Yorkshire East to the college so they could see how far their generous donation has gone for our students and facilities.”

Henshaws Specialist College completes outdoor classroom following local housebuilder donation

Skin Clinic shortlisted in The UK Hair and Beauty Awards

Relax & Renew Skin Clinic, Green Hammerton has been shortlisted in the UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

The firm has been nominated in the ‘‘Skin Specialist Of The Year’ category.

The UK Hair and Beauty Awards supports businesses of all sizes, and provide candidates with opportunities in the sector.

Gemma Carlisle of Relax and Renew said:

“This business means the absolute world to me. I only started it 2.5 years ago and it has grown & grown into the thriving business that it is today! This is down to my utter determination and passion but also the support of the local community, that have truly allowed me to make my dreams come true”

Tech business nominated for national awards

Phase 4 Computers has been nominated in the Tech Awards 2024 by Tech for Techs.

The recognition acknowledges commitment to innovation, excellence, and performance in the tech industry.

The company has been nominated for a total of four awards, in the following categories: Tech For Techs Community Expert, Best Use Of Social Media, Best Tech Website (not an online store) and Best Shop Front.

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North Yorkshire Council: Five things that have changed in Harrogate

It’s one year since the launch of North Yorkshire Council reshaped local government in the Harrogate district.

The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council with the promise of making savings.

The changes in governance were far reaching, from taxi licensing to planning decisions.

The Stray Ferret has looked at the areas which have changed under North Yorkshire Council’s regime since April 1, 2023.

Taxi licensing

Probably the most controversial area to be have been overhauled by the new council is the licensing of taxi cabs.

Under the authority’s harmonisation agenda, the zone which taxis could operate in was widened to county-wide.

Previously, cabbies could only trade within the Harrogate district.

However, the council overhauled its licensing policy so that taxis can now operate anywhere in North Yorkshire.

In theory, the move would allow drivers to pick up business across the county.

Photo of Ripon taxi driver Richard Fieldman

Richard Fieldman, who runs his taxi in Ripon.

But some drivers did not see it that way.

Richard Fieldman, who operated his taxi cab in Ripon for 28 years, said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

Planning decisions

One notable change under the new council is the overhaul of planning decisions.

Following its inception, the council created local area constituency committees which are made up of councillors from a particular area.

These committees also took on planning powers, but only for applications under 500 homes.

Any development which is above 500 homes or is a major employment site proposal goes before the council’s strategic planning committee, which meets in Northallerton.

In September 2023, a controversial plan to build a motorway service station off the A1(M) near Boroughbridge was referred to the council’s main committee instead of Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee.

Tourism

Much like most areas which effect Harrogate, tourism is also being slowly absorbed into the new council.

The district’s tourism body Destination Harrogate was set up by Harrogate Borough Council and transferred to North Yorkshire Council on April 1 last year. So far, all employees have kept their jobs and are still working from Harrogate.

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However, the organisation has fallen under a county-wide review as the new authority looks to move towards a different structure.

North Yorkshire Council is now joining with City of York Council to create a new Local Visitor Economy Partnership for York and North Yorkshire.

Double devolution

One of the cornerstones of the Conservative leadership of North Yorkshire Council’s campaign for a single-authority was the pledge to let local people take control of local assets.

The promise came in the shape of the council’s double devolution agenda.

It would see town and parish councils given powers over local assets such as markets, car parks and public toilets.

The authority revealed in October that Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon City Council were chosen to advance bids to take control over some of their assets.

Knaresborough Town Council’s application to manage the town’s markets, storage facility and associated assets such as road closure signs is being progressed to a full business case.

Meanwhile, the council has considered a project team to work with Ripon City Council on its bid as it was deemed “particularly ambitious”.

It included management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.

Council tax harmonisation

As part of its harmonisation plans, the council also sought to level out council tax across North Yorkshire.

This saw the rate which people pay in the Harrogate district equalled with that in Ryedale, Richmondshire, Scarborough, Hambleton and Craven.

At the time, Harrogate’s council tax was the highest in North Yorkshire at £1,723.27 for the year. 

A decision was taken to bring council tax levels up to Harrogate’s rate in order to raise £11.3 million.

Councillors had considered bringing down rates in line with the lowest amount at the time, which was Hambleton – however, council officials warned this would see annual funding raised by bills fall by £21 million.

Photo of the week: a pair of hares in Roecliffe

This week’s photograph was taken by Peter Durkin from Boroughbridge, capturing two hares he spotted in Roecliffe.

Photo of the Week takes centre stage in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. To subscribe, click here.

(Image: Peter Durkin)

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.

Council applies for cash from chewing gum firms

The drive to clean chewing gum off the county’s streets has taken a step forward following a decision by North Yorkshire Council. 

The local authority has agreed to apply for a grant of up to £27,500 from Keep Britain Tidy to purchase specialist chewing gum removal equipment. 

Keep Britain Tidy is administering the grants on behalf of the Chewing Gum Task Force, which brings together some of the UK’s major chewing gum producers, including Mars Wrigley, which makes Orbit and Extra, and Italian-Dutch firm Perfetti Van Melle, best known as the maker of Fruit-tella and Smint, in a partnership to remove gum litter from UK high streets and prevent future littering. 

Participating firms have pledged to invest up to £10 million over five years to achieve two objectives: cleaning up staining caused by gum and changing behaviour so that more people bin their gum. This is the third year that grants have been available, but this is the first time that North Yorkshire Council has applied for a grant from the fund.

The grants are supplemented by fully-funded gum litter prevention packages for each council, including targeted behaviour change signage and advice, designed and produced by social enterprise Behaviour Change. 

Last year, 55 councils across the UK benefitted from the grant fund, and the £1.65 million distributed helped clean more than 100 acres of urban streets.

By combining targeted street-cleansing with specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, participating councils have seen reductions in gum littering of up to 80% in the first two months, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed after six months.

However bad North Yorkshire’s gum problem is, many other places have it far worse. Mexico City, for example, employs an army of full-time gum-cleaners, and New York – dubbed the “gum splotch capital of the world” by the New York Times – has been waging a well-publicised but losing war against discarded gum since the 1930s. Singapore even banned chewing gum in 1992, and people spitting it out onto the street risk fines of up to $1,000.

North Yorkshire Council’s decision to apply for the grant was only approved by the its Corporate Director, Environment and Assistant Director, Resources on Wednesday (March 27), but the deadline for grant applications to Keep Britain Tidy fell at midday today.

The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Council whether the deadline was met.

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Sewage in Nidd and Ure: local politicians react to increase

Leading Harrogate and Knaresborough politicians have reacted to the news that sewage spills in the River Nidd and River Ure more than doubled last year.

The Environment Agency published sewage discharge figures for all the water and sewage companies yesterday. The Stray Ferret analysed the data to discover the amount of recorded incidents had more than doubled for the Nidd and Ure.

Water quality is likely to be a key issue at the next general election.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has led a campaign to achieve bathing water status at Knaresborough Lido on the Nidd.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has attacked the government for its record on pollution and called for a ban on water company directors’ bonuses.

The rivals gave different reactions to yesterday’s figures.

‘A complex picture’

Mr Jones told the Stray Ferret sewage “isn’t the only cause of pollution in rivers – particularly the Nidd”, adding run-off from farmlands also contributed to the issue.

Mr Jones said:

“The combined storm overflows are designed to discharge the contents of sewers into waterways when the sewers are blocked or overloaded.  In 2023 there was exceptionally heavy rainfall which meant the overflows operated more often, stopping sewage backing up into our properties. We need solutions that mean the storm overflows operate less and I am pleased that significant investment is happening and I am pushing for more.

“This shows the importance of a joint effort between water companies, the Environment Agency, house builders and many others to ensure that rainwater run-off into our sewer system is lessened through tree planting, on-site water storage on new estates and separation of clean water and wastewater sewage streams.

“Water quality is a complex picture and to tackle it we need to tackle all the underlying causes.  This underlines the importance of gaining bathing water status for the Nidd. This will mean a five-year plan is developed encompassing all the causes of pollution and engaging all partners in finding a solution.  That is what I have been championing with the local community and I hope to learn the outcome of our bid soon.”

‘A complete scandal’

Mr Gordon went on the front foot by attacking the Conservative’s record on pollution.

The party yesterday claimed the Conservative MPs have “consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis – including Andrew Jones”.

Mr Gordon told the Stray Ferret:

“It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our River Nidd. Despite our Conservative MP claiming to be campaigning on sewage we have seen the total number of hours of sewage dumped into the Nidd skyrocket, more than doubling.

“It’s beggars belief that Conservative MPs have allowed water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism. Local people are furious that Conservative politicians blocked tougher action on these disgraced firms.

“Here in Harrogate and Knaresborough we have a Conservative MP who has consistently voted against measures to stop the sewage scandal, local residents deserve better. Local residents and our precious environment need actions not words.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local rivers/beaches including replacing Ofwat with a regulator that has real teeth to clamp down on these polluting firms. We have also called for a ban on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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