North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe is set to relocate her office to Harrogate Police Station.
The Conservative commissioner, whose job is to scrutinise the performance of the force as well as the fire service, will move in alongside officers on Beckwith Head Road on June 1 this year.
Ms Metcalfe’s office, which employs about 30 staff, is currently based on Granby Road in Harrogate.
The current office on Granby Road in Harrogate
The move comes as part of the commissioner’s strategy to optimise her estate and “improve partnership working and communications”.
Simon Dennis, chief executive and monitoring office at the commissioner’s office, said:
“We expect to save approximately £80,000 per year by changing our office arrangements. Like many progressive organisations, the commissioner’s team has a strong commitment to flexible, agile working and our office accommodation needs have changed in recent years.
“We have been working closely with the estates team, chief constable and chief fire officer to ensure we are all making the most efficient and effective use of the police and fire station buildings.
“In addition to our office re-location the team will also work more flexibly from home and other police and fire buildings.
“The team are really excited and are looking forward to the move which will not only save money but improve our working relationships with the police and fire service.”
Harrogate Police Station
Ms Metcalfe added:
“The public expect police and fire buildings to be used efficiently, especially at this time of strain on our finances, so I am pleased that we can make a contribution towards savings by vacating our office at Granby Road.”
The commissioner’s office said it would continue to review the use of its estates as it planned for devolution and the introduction of a mayoral office.
North Yorkshire Council set for £513,700 redundancy payout to three senior managers
North Yorkshire Council looks set to make three former district council managers redundant at a cost of £513,700.
The council, which replaced Harrogate Borough Council and seven other district and county councils at the start of the month, is restructuring its workforce.
According to a report due before the authority’s executive, senior managers who were transferred to the council under TUPE regulations can be offered “substitute duties” which fit their job descriptions.
Some senior staff left for other jobs before the authority was formed, while others took up roles on the new council.
However, three of the senior managers are due to be made redundant after the roles they were allocated were “time-limited”.
The report said:
“There are three senior managers where the substitute duties allocated are time-limited, and on conclusion they will be in a redundancy position.
“Legal advice has been sought and confirms this position.”
As a result, the council looks set to pay an estimated £513,700 in exit packages to those being made redundant.
None of the officers are former employees of Harrogate Borough Council.
The payments will be split by £107,000, £108,000 and £298,000.
Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said the move to one council has helped to save £3.7 million in senior officers’ pay.
He said:
“A huge amount of work has been undertaken to bring together the previous eight councils into one and ensure that there is value for money for North Yorkshire’s taxpayers.
“The move to one single management team for North Yorkshire Council has saved about £3.7 million in pay for senior officers every year. The fact that there are only three senior managers in this situation is significantly less than other councils in this position.
“To have these managers still involved for a defined period has been of significant benefit to the new council, making full use of their skills and experience for work that would otherwise have needed extra resources in terms of appointments, interim managers or consultants.”
A meeting of the council’s executive is set to discuss the matter on Tuesday, May 2. Senior councillors have been recommended to refer the matter to full council.
In December, Unison wrote to the authority warning it not to offer senior managers more favourable redundancy terms than other staff.
The letter came as Hambleton District Council agreed to pay £767,065 to four senior officers who decided they do not wish to work for the unitary North Yorkshire Council after April 1.
The payments were agreed even though the four directors had been assured they would be offered “suitable roles” at no financial loss to themselves when they transferred to North Yorkshire Council.
Former Harrogate Borough Council chief executive Wallace Sampson negotiated a £101,274 redundancy pay-out before his departure at the end of March.
Harrogate district firm allowed to relocate building put up without planning permissionCouncillors have approved the relocation of a pallet store at a business near Boroughbridge that was built without planning permission.
North Yorkshire Council‘s first Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee took place yesterday at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.
Councillors considered an application from Abacus, a manufacturer and distributor of bathroom products to companies including Villeroy and Boch and Wickes.
The firm employs 85 people and is based at Jubilee Court on the outskirts of Copgrove alongside 10 other businesses.
In 2019, Abacus won permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build an extension for a steel warehouse to support the growing business. However, the company ended up building a bigger structure than what was approved after it won two large commercial deals.
Due to the construction of the extension, a pallet store was relocated elsewhere on the site without planning permission.
Retrospective permission was sought for the extension and pallet store but was refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in December.
Nigel Simms, the former Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, described the building as standing out like a “pimple on a pig’s backside” due to a lack of tree cover.
The council eventually retrospectively approved the larger extension last month but its decision did not take into account the pallet store.
Yesterday, Abacus proposed relocating the pallet store next to a warehouse and away from nearby fields. This satisfied councillors who voted unanimously in favour of the plans.
During the meeting, councillors also approved the building of more car parking spaces for Abacus.
The proposal included additional trees being planted that a council officer said in a report would “help screen and soften the most prominent views” of the business park following concerns from residents.
Alex Green, an agent speaking on behalf of Abacus, told councillors:
Staff from former district councils now working at Harrogate’s Civic Centre“The design will provide adequate screening. It’s obviously an improvement on the current arrangements.”
Staff who previously worked for some of the county’s abolished district councils are now working at Harrogate’s Civic Centre.
The building on St Luke’s Avenue was the headquarters of Harrogate Borough Council until March 31 when it was abolished to make way for the unitary authority North Yorkshire Council.
Councils for Hambleton, Craven, Scarborough, Richmond, Selby, Ryedale, plus North Yorkshire County Council, were also abolished.
One of the big questions about local government reorganisation was what would happen to the Civic Centre which only opened in 2017.
To help pay for the build, the council’s old offices at Crescent Gardens were eventually sold to developer Impala Estates for £4m.
Reorganisation had been mooted for many years and when the council decided to make the move, critics said the project could become a white elephant in the event of Harrogate Borough Council no longer existing.
However, North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative leader Carl Les has reaffirmed his commitment to using the building and said it would not be sold as the authority looks to save money.
When asked how many staff are currently working at the Civic Centre, Cllr Les said:
“The number of staff using the Civic Centre on a day-by-day basis does vary, so it is difficult to provide an exact figure. However, staff who were previously employed by other councils in North Yorkshire before the new authority launched have been regularly working from the Civic Centre.
“We will be looking to rationalise the property estate which the new council has inherited.
“However, we will retain the Civic Centre and look to focus more staff on using it as a base as the property rationalisation rolls out.”
Cllr Les said each former district area will retain one main office, which will be supported by around 30 “customer access points” in places like libraries.
He added:
Highest-paid staff at former Harrogate council take up new roles“The main office enables you to continue to access all the support, advice and services you always have, but now all from one council. More than 80% of our staff live in North Yorkshire and take pride in delivering good services for their communities, families and friends.”
The most senior officers at Harrogate Borough Council have started new roles at North Yorkshire Council this month.
Trevor Watson, Paula Lorimer, Paul Foster, Rachel Joyce and Jennifer Norton have all taken up positions in the senior management structure of the new unitary authority and will be paid between £79,000 and £111,500.
Former chief executive Wallace Sampson was the only senior member of staff not to automatically transfer over to North Yorkshire Council on April 1 after he agreed a redundancy package worth £101,274.
Mr Watson had a high-profile role at Harrogate Borough Council as director of economy, environment and housing and is now assistant director of planning at NYC. He is paid a salary of £101,500.
Rachel Joyce has gone from director of corporate affairs at the borough council to assistant chief executive – local engagement at North Yorkshire Council and is now paid £111,500 a year.
Paula Lorimer remains the Harrogate Convention Centre director and the person in charge of the town’s conference and exhibitions facility. She is paid £107,995.
Former head of finance Paul Foster has begun his new role as assistant director of resources on a salary of between £99,000 and £101,500.
The Civic Centre has been rebranded following this month’s changes.
Jennifer Norton, who was head of legal and governance at Harrogate Borough Council, is now assistant director of legal at North Yorkshire Council and is paid between £79,000 and £86,000.
Last week the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a pressure group that campaigns against ‘wasteful spending’ in the public sector published its annual Town Hall Rich List. It included a list of council officers who are paid a salary above £100,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“Taxpayers facing record council tax rises want to be sure they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.
“Many authorities continue with extremely generous pay and perks, including bonuses and golden goodbyes, while local people are facing a financial squeeze.”
North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, said:
Photo of the Week: Barn Owl in flight“The new North Yorkshire Council has the third largest population of any council nationally and covers the largest area in the country.
“Our senior managers oversee about 10,500 staff, excluding schools, and are responsible for managing an annual revenue budget of £1.4 billion.
“When it was being drawn up, the management pay structure analysed senior managers’ salaries against comparable authorities to ensure that they were in-line with expectations for roles at this level.
“It is also important to remember that the council is saving about £3.7 million in senior management pay every year by moving from eight councils to one authority, reducing the number of chief executives and senior officers.
“We want to ensure the council can retain and attract talented individuals to deliver essential services for our 615,000 residents and 33,000 businesses, and we believe our pay structure allows us to do that whilst also providing value for money for taxpayers.”
This week’s photograph was taken by Michael White, capturing a Barn Owl in flight early one morning in Staveley.
Pic: Michael White
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.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is advertising for a new chief executive.
Steve Russell left the role last year to take up a secondment at NHS England as director for covid and flu vaccinations.
In December, it was confirmed Mr Russel had taken up a position as director of vaccination and screening permanently and would not be returning to Harrogate.
The trust, which runs both Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, has been overseen by acting chief executive Jonathan Coulter since February 2022.
A notice on the trust’s website advertising the role closes on April 26 with interviews due to take place on May 10 and 11.
No details of salary is included. However, Mr Coulter is paid a salary of £181,000.
The role requires a candidate to have five years’ experience at board or director level and to ensure the trust’s services are “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led”.
The move to appoint a new chief executive comes as the trust tackles long waiting lists, A&E waiting times and junior doctors strikes.
Last month, the Care Quality Commission also rated Harrogate hospital’s maternity services as “requires improvement”.
However, Mr Coulter said the rating was “not a fair reflection” of the service.
Birds’ nest causes freak fire in Green HammertonFirefighters were called to Green Hammerton shortly after 8am this morning after a birds’ nest caused a freak fire.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, the nest fell down the chimney of a boiler, which then caught fire when it was lit.
Firefighters used water to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the base of the boiler.
Crews also “gave advice to staff on site”, the incident log added.
It did not say precisely where the incident took place or whether any birds were harmed.
Today also saw firefighters extinguish a small fire in woodland in Ripon at 3.10pm. The fire is believed to have been caused deliberately by youths.
Stray Views: Crimple Valley proposed development “insane”
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.
When Harrogate Borough Council published the local plan, it gave the house building industry 35 Christmas presents at once as they massively over-provisioned for the housing needs of Harrogate and turned over vast swathes of previously protected countryside to be turned into building sites.
Yet it seems the developers are not satisfied with that. This site is outside the local plan land dedicated to new houses and is designated as Special Landscape Area.
There is absolutely no requirement for this development and no justification for allowing it.
I believe that people here who value nature and the countryside are sick of the constant bulldozing of green space and just view this as money grabbing greed – selling the soul of the town just so that someone can see a big number on their bank statement.
This is a completely insane place to build. These houses will be so disconnected to any other infrastructure close by — the main exit being the new junction at the base of Almsford Bank.
Anyone who has ever tried to cross the road at this point will recognise just how intimidating it is – cars going north taking a run up round the corner to get up the hill, cars going south with the foot of the brake accelerating downhill. Even if you lowered the speed limit few people would stick to it. It’s an accident blackspot in the making.
The environmental impact of this small estate would be considerable. Few people would be prepared to walk or cycle out of that junction with the footpath being on the opposite side of the A61, so every journey is likely to be by car. I understand there is provision to plant trees to replace those removed, but it will take 50 years for these new trees to sequester the carbon released by those that are to be taken out.
Ian Murdle, Harrogate
Starbeck Residents’ Association has already talked to the council and is in ongoing discussion to ensure our local pool is reopened as soon as possible. We’ve been assured that Starbeck Baths are important to North Yorkshire Council as we know they are to our local community.
The SRA successfully campaigned to save the pool when they were threatened a few years ago and I did the same to get it reopened when it was kept unnecessarily closed long after lockdown.
So the SRA will do everything we can to support our swimming pool.
Chris Watt
Chair, Starbeck Residents’ Association
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
Village pub to be converted to homes as permission is finally grantedPlanning permission to convert a Bishop Monkton pub to residential use has finally been granted on appeal – just days after one of the applicants died.
Landlords Trevor and Carol Pawson had spent three years trying to get permission to create five new homes from the Lamb & Flag Inn, but Mr Pawson died on March 25. The couple’s appeal was approved on April 5, the day before his funeral.
Mrs Pawson told The Stray Ferret she intended to press ahead with development work, but did not yet know when it might start. She said:
“We won, so I’ll carry on, but for the time being I’m just taking one day at a time.”
Mr and Ms Pawson bought the Lamb & Flag Inn 30 years ago and ran it as a village pub until declining trade and ill-health forced them to close it permanently at the start of the covid pandemic in 2020.
In the autumn of that year, they applied for planning permission to create five new dwellings – two from the conversion of the pub, one from the conversion of some holiday lets in an outbuilding, and two to be built in the pub car-park.
They withdrew that application a few months later, but reapplied in April 2021, only to be turned down. Harrogate Borough Council planning officers refused the application on the grounds that “insufficient marketing” had been done to demonstrate that the pub could not be used for community use.
The Pawsons appealed, providing evidence of marketing, leading planning officer Paul Cooper to conclude that there was “no compelling evidence that operation of the facility would be financially viable”.
In his decision, Mr Cooper added:
“The proposed dwellings would have a neutral effect on the conservation area and not […] be harmful by their design or impact on the landscape or settlement as a whole.”
The Lamb & Flag dates back at least to the 1830s and was at one time one of seven pubs in the Bishop Monkton parish. Only one now remains – the Masons Arms, which still opens five days a week.