The Conservative and Greens have named their candidates to fight a local by-election following the resignation of Nigel Adams MP.
Many villages close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, including Spofforth, Follifoot, Kirkby Overblow, Goldsborough, Little Ouseburn, Nun Monkton, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton are set to go to the polls to elect a new Westminster representative.
The by-election was triggered by the decision by Boris Johnson loyalist Nigel Adams to relinquish his Selby and Ainsty seat with immediate effect.
The Tories were quick to announce Michael Naughton as their candidate to succeed Mr Adams yesterday.
Mr Naughton, who has twice stood unsuccessfully for Parliament, said it would be a tough task replacing Mr Adams, adding:
“People working and living in Selby want an MP who can help deliver on the people’s priorities and I will work with the government to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats.
“Selby needs a Conservative MP to work alongside a Conservative government and help us improve everybody’s lives.”
Read more:
- Selby and Ainsty MP resigns with immediate effect
- FoI reveals Harrogate council spent nearly £3,000 on booze for staff party
Selby and District Green Party quickly followed yesterday by announcing Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council, as its prospective parliamentary candidate.
Mr Warneken became the first Green Party councillor in the north of England in 1991 when he was elected to Harrogate Borough Council. He stood unsuccessfully for the Greens against Robert Banks in Harrogate in 1992 and Nigel Adams in Selby and Ainsty in 2019.
He said:
Stray Views: Yorkshire Water ‘sorry they got caught’“I am an experienced hands-on politician. I have a proven track record and I work tirelessly for the people I represent.
“My ability to engage with people at all levels, and to negotiate compromises, leads to positive results and the best outcome for everyone, and the environment.”
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
How insulting it is that Yorkshire Water blame a shift in “expectations” for their failure to maintain clean and healthy water?
What they meant to say was, “the public have finally cottoned on to the fact that most water companies in the UK are doing an inadequate job of protecting this precious resource and the natural biodiversity that makes the British countryside so very special”.
It sounds like the cliche: you’re not really sorry. You’re just sorry you got caught.
Mark Fuller, Harrogate
Harrogate is ‘dying slowly’
Why are we not talking about the closure of shopping businesses and the lack of keeping retail businesses and putting in place a Wilkinsons or a Home Bargains. Places people want to shop at.
Also the lack of entertainment, there’s no bowling or crazy golf. There is nothing fun to do except for drinking and eating. There’s a cafe opening every week, a bar opening all the time but no real shopping opportunities. Empty retail shops are either going to be a bar or flats.
The council don’t want to do anything, they are just wanting money and that’s it. It’s okay saying go to Leeds, but it doesn’t help people when the trains are always on strike and the traffic is absolutely dreadful. This town is dying slowly.
Chris Firth, Harrogate
Different parties, different policies
Andrew Jones likes to say it’s ‘Yah boo politics’ when someone points out the massive problems created by his party’s policy.
Has Andrew heard that political parties have different policies? That is why there are different parties.
The Conservatives promote privatisation: Margaret Thatcher pushed for the privatisation of water, so England and Wales became the only countries in the world to have fully privatised water and sewage systems.
Tories believe that it’s OK for profits to be made from a basic service like water (or health, or energy, or transport, or education ). Greens don’t.
Tories also believe in removing ‘the red tape’ and ‘the green crap’ (removing regulation and sustainability considerations).
Well, now we are seeing the consequences of 13 years of Tory government.
Trumpeting that he is saving the Nidd is pure hypocrisy, when Mr Jones’s voting record supports privatisation and its dire consequences: including the destruction of nature and theft from the public purse.
He knows perfectly well that Greens would never have let the rivers get into this state in the first place, and we work full-time at all levels to right the wrongs created by his party’s short-sighted policies.
Shan Oakes, former Green Party European parliamentary and local candidate. Currently serving on Knaresborough Town and Scriven Parish Councils
Read more:
- Stray Views: Concern over potential accidents on Boroughbridge Road
- Stray Views: Negative views about Station Gateway ‘outdated and unrealistic’
Selby and Ainsty MP resigns with immediate effect
Selby and Ainsty Conservative MP, Nigel Adams, a key ally of Boris Johnson, has announced his resignation with immediate affect.
Mr Adams resignation will trigger a third by-election in a Conservative held seat in the past 24 hours- following the shock resignation yesterday of former Prime Minster, Boris Johnson, and former culture secretary, Nadine Dorries as MPs. Mr Adams was minister without portfolio in Boris Johnson’s cabinet.
On Friday Mr Adams was not nominated for an honour on Mr Johnson’s peerage list.
Mr Adams said he wanted to “thank my constituents for their wonderful support since 2010”.
Last year Mr Adams had said he would not be standing again as an MP at the next general election- today’s announcement means his departure forces an earlier by-election.
Mr Adams was first elected in 2010 and has defended the seat in three subsequent elections. He currently holds the seat with a majority of 20,137.
Posting on Twitter, Mr Adams announced he was leaving politics immediately.
Yesterday, Selby Conservatives selected an excellent new parliamentary candidate.
I’ve today informed the chief whip that I will be standing down as a Member of Parliament with immediate effect.
It has been an honour to represent the area where I was raised, educated &
1/2
— Nigel Adams (@nadams) June 10, 2023
Hot Seat: The man bringing international artists to a village near Harrogate
In June every year, something close to a miracle occurs in a small village 11 miles from Harrogate.
Major names in the international arts world converge for 10 days on Aldborough — a beautiful and historic place but hardly known for capturing the zeitgeist.
For arts lovers, however, an annual pilgrimage to the Northern Aldborough Festival has become part of the summer arts scene. They park in fields, drink Pimm’s in a churchyard marquee and get to see the kind of names who usually appear in less soulful venues in Leeds or York.
The festival, which grew out of a fundraising initiative to restore the church organ in 1994, consistently attracts major international talent.
This year’s line-up, from June 15 to 24, includes the likes of South Korean pianist Sunwook Kim, TV historian Lucy Worsley, trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and a singing competition judged by a panel that includes Dame Felicity Lott.
Lucy Worsley is among those appearing this year. Credit Hay Festival / Paul Musso
Festival director Robert Ogden, who overseas the programme, is best known locally for running Ogden of Harrogate, the fifth generation family jewellery business on James Street.
But Mr Ogden has strong credentials in the arts world: a former chorister at Westminster Cathedral Choir School in London, he completed a choral scholarship at King’s College, Cambridge before forging a successful career as a countertenor, singing around the world in major productions alongside the likes of Jose Carreras.
Since he became festival director in 2010, the festival line-up has broadened and this year includes spoken word events and jazz as well as classical music and culminates with an outdoor pop music party and fireworks in the grounds of Aldborough Manor.
Mr Ogden says the change reflects his own wide tastes but also acknowledges “we can’t rely on our core audience”.
Robert Ogden
Festival planning is year-round but he takes a two-week break from the jewellery business to focus fully on the festival in the immediate run-up.
He says things are shaping up well this year ahead of Thursday’s opening night. Asked for his personal highlights, he cites Matilda Lloyd, the opening night Haydn opera double bill, Monteverdi’s Vespers and the new £7,000 singing competition. He says:
“Of all the things we have done in the last 15 years this competition is perhaps the most exciting. I’m certain at least one or two of the semi-finalists will be household names in the next few years.
“There’s nothing a festival wants to do more than to unveil and support new talent.”
How does he persuade occasionally temperamental artists to head to the eastern side of Boroughbridge? He says it’s a combination of the festival’s reputation, the St Andrew’s Church acoustics, the setting and the welcome. Aldborough, he says, is the “perfect chamber music space” and there is something undoubtedly magical about it.
St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough
Mr Ogden says he never feels the festival is in competition with the year-round Harrogate International Festivals and thinks there is scope for another local summer arts festival “if it’s marketed well”. Besides Ryedale Festival and Swaledale Festival, competition isn’t fierce.
But it isn’t an easy time in the arts world. Brexit, he says, has denied many emerging artists the opportunities he enjoyed to develop his craft in Europe. The cost of living crisis had had an impact on ticket prices, but Mr Ogden says Aldborough hasn’t made “any major price rises”.
Future festival ideas include live streaming, although digital connectivity in the village isn’t great, and recording music under the Northern Aldborough label.
Read more:
He plans to stay at the heart of things, reporting to festival chairman Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred:
“As long as I feel I still have that creative urge and impetus I will aim to do it as long as they allow me to.”
What is his message for anyone thinking of attending, perhaps for the first time?
“Aldborough is not far to drive from Harrogate. It’s an oasis of calm, the acoustics are wonderful and the welcome is wonderful. Try something new.”
Further information on the Northern Aldborough Festival is available here.
FoI reveals Harrogate council spent nearly £3,000 on booze for staff partyHarrogate Borough Council spent almost £3,000 of taxpayers’ money on booze for a staff party, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
The party was held to mark the abolition of the council at the end of March — even though nearly all staff transferred to the new North Yorkshire Council the following day on the same terms.
The Stray Ferret reported last month the party cost £14,910. But a full breakdown of the costs, including the amount spent on alcohol, was not known.
The FoI has now revealed the costs included £1,438 on beer, cider and lager, £630 on wine and £587 on spirits. Just £376 was spent on soft drinks.
The council also spent £4,745 on food, £450 on a DJ, £765 on event staff and £302 on decorations. A further £5,556 went on technical equipment for the event, which was held at the council-owned Harrogate Convention Centre on February 23.
The party was held at Harrogate Convention Centre.
The Stray Ferret was alerted to the party by an unnamed source who said they were “appalled, disgusted and downright annoyed that this amount was spent without the prior knowledge and consent of the people paying for it”.
Conor Holohan, media campaign manager of the pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, added:
“Taxpayers will be shocked to find they were funding parties for council staff.
“While residents were struggling with the cost of living crisis, town hall officials were charging them for dinner and drinks.”
Final day parties
Seven district councils and North Yorkshire County Council were abolished on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.
Harrogate Borough Council’s final day staff party cost the most.
Scarborough was the next highest, spending £9,004, followed by Hambleton at £3,783. Ryedale awarded staff a £148 bonus and spent £3,001 on a party. North Yorkshire County Council did not spend anything.
Staff from the district councils, except the chief executives and a handful of others, transferred to North Yorkshire Council on April 1. It said in a statement:
“The new council for North Yorkshire did not play any part in sanctioning or organising any parties.
“For any further comment you will need to ask the district and borough council decision-makers who were in place at those councils at the time.”
Former Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has declined to comment on council business since the authority was abolished.
Read more:
- Harrogate Borough Council spent £15,000 on staff leaving party
- Brew Bar owner opens new Harrogate coffee shop
Boroughbridge Primary School celebrates 90th birthday
Boroughbridge Primary School has celebrated its 90th birthday with fun activities and a look back at history.
Years 1 and 2 learned about play time games from the past, such as hopscotch, drop the handkerchief and catch the flag.
Year 2 children looked at photographs of the past and went to see where they thought they were taken from and watched a film from 1933, Alice in Wonderland, and compared it to modern films.
Key stage 2 children took part in three different sessions: playground games from the 1930s, a music quiz to see how music has changed in the last 90 years and a history session exploring the old school logbooks, photographs and newspaper clippings.
Friends of Boroughbridge School organised tea, cake, hot dogs and an inflatable.
Former headteacher Mr Roberts, who was in charge when many parents were pupils, also attended and said he was delighted with how well the school is flourishing.
Year 5 teacher Ms Frampton was able to provide many historical photographs and school logbooks from past years.
Headteacher Emma Ryan said:
“The event was the perfect opportunity to involve the children within their history lessons and learn about our school and how much it has changed over the years.
“It was an absolute delight to welcome all our families into school to celebrate its 90th birthday.”
Read more:
- Council to consult on Harrogate school for autistic children
- Boroughbridge butchers announces closure amid running cost concern
Business Breakfast: Home care company opens Harrogate office
It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.
Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
A home care service has set up a new office in Harrogate.
Radfield Home Care, which was founded in 2018, opened its new headquarters on Tower Street in the town centre this week.
Matthew Nutting founded the company after leaving the NHS five years ago when he saw a “gap in the market for premium care”.
Radfield, which employs 55 staff, offers a range of services including home care, dementia care and personal care.
The new offices on Tower Street include a day care centre on the ground floor, offices on the second floor and a training centre on the top floor.
Mr Nutting said the move to Harrogate would help the care service grow.
He said:
“Our ambition is to be the home care provider of choice for this area and to grow.”
For more information on Radfield Home Care, visit their website here or call 01423 895766.
New Swinton Estate bar opens for the summer
A new bar has open at the Swinton Estate.
The Swinton Rose Bar, which is based in the Terrace Gardens at the Terrace Restaurant and Bar, opened its doors to the public this week.
The new bar offers a range of wines including Château la Gordonne de Provence and Champagne Pommery Brut Rosé Champagne NV.
It will be open until August 31 this year and no booking is required.
For more information, visit the Swinton Estate website here.
Read More:
- Business Breakfast: Sales manager celebrates 20 years at Harrogate district estate agents
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate brewery to host 10th anniversary beer festival
North Yorkshire Council spends £171,000 a year on weather services
North Yorkshire Council has agreed to pay £171,000 a year on weather services for the county.
The council uses weather forecasting and data to plan highway services, such as gritting.
It awarded three-year contracts to MetDesk and Vaisala in 2018 to provide forecasting and weather stations respectively.
The contracts were renewed for two years in 2021 and the council has now agreed to extend them for a further two years.
Vaisala’s contract was for £114,000 and MetDesk’s was for £57,000.
James Gilroy, team leader for highways asset management at the council, said in a report to councillors, who approved the deals last week:
“The weather forecasts from Metdesk enable an overall winter maintenance plan to be established. The real time data from the Vaisala weather stations allow this plan to be more finely tuned to the situation on the ground.
“Extending the contracts is the lowest cost option and given the current performance of the respective contractors it is a low-risk approach.”
A council photocall at one of the weather stations last year
The report added 10 new solar/wind-powered weather cameras and two new weather stations had been bought at the cost of £200,000 in autumn 2021.
Sixteen original weather stations were also upgraded at a cost of £265,000 “to broaden the coverage we have across the county”.
Met Office among bidders
A council spokesperson said the weather forecast it used “requires more detail that than the standard free to access services”.
They added the services were put out to competitive tender in 2018, when the Met Office was among the bidders.
The report said there are 10 climatic domains within North Yorkshire’, which are defined as areas with similar weather characteristics.
The domains are Northern Dales, Central Dales, Western Dales, Harrogate, Vale of York and Vale of Mowbray, Selby area, North York Moors, Vale of Pickering, Northern Wolds and Howardian Hills, Eastern North York Moors and Coast and Scarborough and Filey.
Read more:
- Ripon firm Econ launches first electric gritter
- More roadside weather stations in Harrogate district to help drivers
- More weather stations give North Yorkshire ‘best coverage in UK’
Asked why it was necessary to have 27 weather stations in North Yorkshire, the spokesperson said:
“Weather stations are placed across the county and monitor humidity, road temperature, air temperature and wind speed. Some stations have cameras on them, allowing you to see the road conditions. This helps road users to make more informed travel decisions.
“As you know, weather conditions can change rapidly. Having a wider coverage of stations allows us to make more informed and accurate decisions on gritting.”
Greenhow is the highest area around Harrogate. Pic: John Benson
Of the 27 sites, four are located in the Harrogate district, on the A6108 near Masham, the A658 Harrogate bypass, the A59 at Kex Gill and at Greenhow village.
The council is also able to access sites managed by National Highways on the A1(M) near Dishforth.
A list of all the locations in North Yorkshire is available here.
Boroughbridge butchers announces closure amid running cost concernA Boroughbridge butchers has announced it will close due to the cost of running the firm.
Fryer’s Butchers, which is based on Horsefair in the town, opened last year.
However, in a statement posted on social media, the business said it will close this Saturday because the costs of running the business have become unsustainable.
It said:
“It’s not been a decision we’ve taken lightly.
“We always knew it was going to be a challenge when opening, due to the situation globally and nationally and unfortunately the cost of running the business has gotten the best of us this time and it’s not sustainable.”
The business added:
“Thank you to all of our wonderful customers for your support and we’re sorry we couldn’t continue to serve the wonderful community that is Boroughbridge any longer.”
Read more:
- Knaresborough’s ex-crime commissioner sells marketing firm
- Knaresborough gears up for its biggest day of the year
Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected
The Yorkshire Party’s candidate for the North Yorkshire mayoral election in 2024 has promised 2,000 households three chickens each.
Keith Tordoff, who lives in Pateley Bridge, has announced he will be the Yorkshire Party candidate to lead the North Yorkshire joint authority and has already made a list of ambitious pledges.
Mr Tordoff, 67, a former police officer who worked on the Yorkshire Ripper murders, has also been a specialist fraud investigator for banks.
Born and raised in Leeds, he is proud of his Yorkshire heritage and even brags that he ‘never goes abroad’ due to his fondness for his home county.
Having previously stood in elections to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, coming third in 2021, he feels he is the best candidate to lead North Yorkshire.
He said:
“Ultimately, Yorkshire ought to be brought together under one mayoral authority and if I were elected I would work with other mayors in the region to achieve that so it ends up with the best in charge of Yorkshire.”
Mr Tordoff criticised the government’s record on ‘levelling up’, adding:
“They haven’t delivered on it.
“They’ve had ample time to do it now, so it needs somebody with a bit of drive, passion and who is able to negotiate to get a better deal for Yorkshire.
“There needs to be someone, such as myself, with some honesty, integrity, and who will deliver.
“Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens aren’t going to do that.”
Nutrients from eggs
One of his policies involves poultry. Mr Tordoff explained:
“2,000 households, where suitable – we’ll provide you with three chickens; that’s 6,000 chickens.
“Those households, in a short space of time, would have eggs with all the nutrients they need.”
Read more:
- Zoë Metcalfe confirms bid to become North Yorkshire’s first mayor
- Pateley Bridge man to stand for Yorkshire Party in mayoral election
Mr Tordoff claims it would save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.
His four main pledges are ‘to make North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse’, ‘improve transport links’, ‘make North Yorkshire a safer place’ and ‘make North Yorkshire a world leader in sustainability’.
Other initiatives he outlined included free public transport for those under 18-years-old, as well as free membership at boxing clubs, drama clubs, art groups and gaming rooms.
To fund these ambitions, Mr Tordoff is relying on his negotiating skills to get more money for North Yorkshire.
He has also pledged to set up a York and North Yorkshire venture fund lobbying the government for an additional investment of £25 million.
Yorkshire Party co-leader, Dr Bob Buxton, said:
“Keith is the clear alternative to the Tories in North Yorkshire.
“His experience, skills and passion make him ideally equipped to take on the complex challenges that come with being the first Mayor of North Yorkshire.
“He is a man who sees the big picture but also has the critical skills to understand the details and ensure that the solutions are the right ones.”
Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives in Aldborough, has announced she hopes to be selected by the Conservatives in the mayoral election.