Yorkshire Water chief executive apologises for sewage failures

The chief executive of Yorkshire Water has apologised today for its record on sewage and said she will refuse any bonus this year.

Nicola Shaw admitted the company has not done enough to tackle storm overflows, which release raw sewage into rivers at times of high rainfall.

Yorkshire Water has been widely criticised for its record on storm overflows and was fined £233,000 in January for discharging 20 million litres of raw sewage into Tong Beck at Bradford.

Ms Shaw joined the company in May last year and has yet to receive an annual bonus. Her predecessor Liz Barber’s last bonus was £679,000 in the 2021/22 financial year.

In a letter to customers, Ms Shaw said:

“There has been a huge amount of criticism of, and anger at, the water industry over recent months.

“I get why people are angry – seeing sewage in our rivers and seas isn’t right. We should have a system that befits the 21st century. So, on behalf of Yorkshire Water, I am sorry.

“We should have acted more quickly to change the situation. That’s why I have decided to refuse any bonus this year as I want us to make progress.”

Read more:

Ms Shaw pledged the company would “up its game” by improving the 190 storm overflows “that we know are operating much more than they should” and by “delivering our largest environmental investment ever”.

Yorkshire Water will spend £180m on storm overflow improvements in the next two years, which it said would help to reduce discharges by at least 20%.

The £180m investment will be spent on:

Harrogate Borough Council spent £15,000 on staff leaving party

Harrogate Borough Council spent £14,910 on a final day leaving party for staff, a freedom of information request has revealed.

The bill, footed by council taxpayers, included £3,031 on drink and £4,750 on food. The other £7,000 is unaccounted for.

The Stray Ferret has submitted a freedom of information request seeking a fuller breakdown of the costs.

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.

When the Stray Ferret contacted Conservative-run Harrogate Borough Council in March about a leaving party, a spokesperson replied:

“I’m not aware of any events today to mark the end of Harrogate Borough Council.”

Now it has emerged a party did take place, a public sector worker in Harrogate described it as a “spit in the face of every taxpayer in these difficult financial times”.

The person, who asked not to be named, said:

“The money could have been put towards a million and one other uses.

“I am appalled, disgusted and downright annoyed that this amount was spent without the prior knowledge and consent of the people paying for it.”

Read more:

Conor Holohan, media campaign manager of the pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, echoed the concerns. He said:

“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.

“Bosses in the new North Yorkshire Council should be more considerate when spending taxpayers’ cash than some of their predecessors were.”

North Yorkshire Council civic centre Knapping Mount

The new signs at Harrogate’s Civic Centre

Staff from the district councils, except the chief executives, 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.”

When he stepped down as leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Richard Cooper said he would not give any further public comments and he declined to comment when asked about this matter.

 

MP calls for clarity over Scotton solar farm plan

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has called for clarity over a planned 88-hectare solar farm on farmland north of Scotton.

Sustainable energy company Gridserve is proposing to build the power plant and substation at Lawrence Moor Farm.

Its plans envisage thousands of solar panels generating up to 49.9 megawatts of green energy that could power up to 14,000 homes.

However, Mr Jones has called for clarity over the plans after the proposals have yet to be finalised.

The Conservative MP was prompted to write to the company in March after residents in Scotton, Farnham and Brearton contacted him concerned about the lack of information about the proposals.

Mr Jones wrote to Gridserve, which is headquartered in Buckinghamshire, to ask for an update, but was told there had not been “any material update to the status of our potential development in Scotton”.

Read more:

At the end of July 2021, Harrogate Borough Council confirmed that a detailed EIA would be required, but Gridserve has taken no action since.

Now, Mr Jones has called on the company to decide whether it wishes to continue with the proposal.

Andrew Jones

He said:

“People in the area need certainty on what is happening with this proposal. I want Gridserve to bring them that certainty sooner rather than later. 

“All that we really know about the proposal is that it covers a massive area and will dominate the landscape. 

“Surely after all this time Gridserve can decide whether it wishes to proceed and, if it does, get a formal planning application in so that its merits and otherwise can be properly debated.”

£2 bus fare cap to be extended in Harrogate district until October

The £2 cap on single bus fares is set to be extended in the Harrogate district until October 31.

The government announced an extra £300 million funding for the scheme today.

From November, the cap will rise to £2.50 for another 12 months.

A list of bus companies and routes in Yorkshire and the Humber taking part in the initiative is available here.

The scheme, which was introduced in January, was due to end in June.

Ministers at the Department for Transport said the extension will help people with the cost of living.

It means bus companies in Harrogate look set to continue the £2 cap on single fares.

Read more:

A spokesman for Transdev, which runs Harrogate Bus Company, said: 

“We wish to participate in the extended arrangements announced today, and will confirm further details with our customers and colleagues shortly.”

DalesBus also confirmed it would participate in the scheme.

Meanwhile, Mark Harper, transport secretary, said:

“Taking the bus is the most popular form of public transport and millions of people rely on these vital services every day.

“That’s why we’re investing half a billion pounds to help people save money amid cost of living pressures and continue to level up transport in all parts of the country, doing our bit to help halve inflation and grow the economy.”

Plan for 50 new homes near Cattal station

A plan has been submitted to build 50 homes near to Cattal station.

London-based Ptarmigan Land North has submitted the proposal to North Yorkshire Council for land south of the station.

It would see 50 homes built, including public open space and potential connections to the railway.

The land near to the station is not included in wider proposals for at least 3,000 homes in the area, known as Maltkiln.

However, the developers said the site could be influenced by the project in terms of appearance.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said:

“The focus of the proposal is to create a sustainable development within the heart of the new settlement. 

“People and vehicles can easily access all areas of the proposal and make good connections to nearby roads and services. Importantly the proposal includes a potential pedestrian link to the station to the north and potential pedestrian link to the south of the site.

“It has attractive features including a series of arrival spaces and a large area of open space. 

“The proposal has opportunity to create areas for the benefit of biodiversity and generate new habitats. 

“The proposal does not prejudice future development of surrounding spaces. Potential connections to future development could be provided.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Read more:

 

Ex-teacher jailed for raping girl at Harrogate district school

A former maths teacher has been jailed for 18 years for raping and sexually assaulting a young girl at a boarding school in the 1990s.

John William Renel, 68, pinned the girl down and raped and indecently assaulted her in a locker room at Cundall Manor School near Boroughbridge, prosecutor Rupert Doswell told a jury at York Crown Court.

The victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, didn’t report the matter to police until 2021, more than 20 years after the alleged sexual abuse.

She said that before the alleged rape at the fee-paying independent school, she and Renel were “joking about something” in the school kitchen when he picked her up and joked that he was going to “throw her in the bin”.

He then carried her out into the corridor and touched her on the thigh near an intimate part of her body, said Mr Doswell.

Mr Doswell added:

“He then took her into a side room – a changing room or locker room – where (pupils) hang their clothing.

“He put her down on the ground on her back. He was on top of her and she remembers him wearing a tweed jacket.”

She said she turned her head “to stare at the wall” as Renel allegedly raped her.

Read more:

A family member later noticed that the victim, who was very young at the time of the offences, had become withdrawn and in adult life she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder which led to counselling and therapy.

Mr Doswell said that about five months after the victim’s first police interview, she contacted them again about the incident in the school locker room.

She said she could remember that during the rape, she felt as if Renel’s “body (was) crushing her” and that she was struggling to breathe.

According to the victim, Renel “simply walked away” after the incident, “leaving her on the ground”.

Mr Doswell said:

“She (told police) she had one further memory of another incident (at the school) when she was older.”

She said that before this incident, Renel again picked her up and dropped her on a bed in a dormitory. 

He then laid down next to the victim, sexually assaulted her and then forced her hand onto an intimate part of his body. 

Mr Doswell said:

“Her next memory is of the defendant’s face close up to her.

“She remembers feeling terrified. He was staring at her and scowling. He told her not to tell anyone, before leaving the room.”

Guilty on all counts

Renel, of Main Street, Sessay, near Thirsk, was brought in for questioning in 2021 but denied even knowing the girl. 

He told police he had always taught in a tweed jacket but denied raping or sexually assaulting the girl. 

He was charged with one count of rape and four counts of sexual assault against the girl. He denied all offences but was today found guilty on all counts.

Recorder Anthony Hawks moved straight to sentence and jailed Renel for 18 years.

The former teacher was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for life and made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order for the protection of children. That order will also run indefinitely.  

Following his sentence, Detective Constable Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police’s non-recent abuse investigation team, said:

“John William Renel is a predatory child abuser who has caused unimaginable trauma to the courageous victim in this case.

“I truly hope the outcome at court along with the significant custodial sentence handed to her perpetrator, provides comfort, strength and hope for the future.”

In 1997, a few years after Renel left Cundall Manor, he was convicted of three counts of indecently assaulting a girl at another school in Keighley. 

Council refuses plans for children’s nursery near Boroughbridge

North Yorkshire Council has refused plans to build a new children’s nursery at a farm near Boroughbridge.

Plans were submitted in March by Ben and Emma Mosey, who run Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm Shop on Minskip Road.

The nursery would have offered 74 full-day places and be based around the curiosity and forest school approaches, which encourage independence through outdoor learning.

However, in its refusal notice the council said the plans fall outside of development limits and the applicants failed to show how the nursery would diversify their farming business.

According to the application, there is a high demand for early years places in the area because there are 229 nursery-aged children in Boroughbridge but only 85 spaces at other settings.

The intended manager of the nursery, Tracey Roberts of Tiddlywinks Private Day Nurseries, has more than 20 years’ experience in the early years sector and has achieved an outstanding Ofsted rating at Tiddlywinks’ York and Easingwold nurseries.

But the council said the plans failed to show that there is a need for the nursery in the area.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning Trevor Watson wrote:

“The proposal is for a new community facility however the application fails to demonstrate that there is a local need for the nursery in this location, that it is of a scale and nature appropriate to its location and intended purpose and that it is accessible to its intended community.”

Mr Watson was also not satisfied with the location of the proposed nursery, saying the new building would result in a “visually intrusive and incongruous development” that would harm the rural location. He added:

“There are no public benefits associated with the proposal that would outweigh the harm.”

Despite not winning backing from the council’s planning department, the economic devolpment team did give it their approval. A council officer wrote:

“It will enable the expansion of an existing business into the Boroughbridge area, generating employment and supporting farm diversification.”

The applicants are able to appeal the decision.

Read more:

 

Residents object to latest Kirby Hill service station plans

Residents in Kirby Hill have objected to latest plans for a motorway service station near to the village.

Applegreen Ltd has submitted amended plans for the scheme between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

It would see a Welcome Break built at the site, as well a filling station and 364 car parking spaces created.

The proposal already has outline permission after the government’s Planning Inspectorate approved the plan on appeal in April 2021.

However, the Dublin-based company has applied for amendments to the plan, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.

In documents submitted to the council, Applegreen said the changes were “limited design amendments”.

It said:

“These minor changes to the access / junction linking the motorway service area to the A1(M) are needed in order that this access is in full compliance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (as required by National Highways).

“There are no other material amendments proposed whatsoever to the scheme approved under the 2021 permission.”

The site plan for the service station at Kirby Hill.

The site plan for the service station at Kirby Hill.

However, residents in Kirby Hill have argued that the changes are not minor and called on North Yorkshire Council to refuse the application.

Gareth Owens, of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said:

“Applegreen’s failure to implement the scheme approved by the Inspector proves the case that we have been making for 27 years – a motorway service area cannot be assimilated into the large-scale, open, rural landscape at this location.

“We urge the members of the new North Yorkshire Council planning committee to refuse these two applications, as their predecessors on Harrogate Borough Council have always done, and ensure that there will be no services here.”

Read more:

The Stray Ferret approached Applegreen for a response to residents’ concerns, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

The move comes as the government approved plans for the service station after a series of public inquiries and planning battles.

In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, Applegreen’s application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

The inquiry, which was held by planning inspector David Rose and streamed onto YouTube, lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies from residents, campaigners and developer Applegreen.

In a decision notice, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.

North Yorkshire Council to review bus services support, says transport chief

North Yorkshire’s transport boss has said the council intends to carry out a review of how it supports bus services amid concerns over passenger numbers.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for transport at North Yorkshire Council, said grants from government and a cap on £2 fares will help some routes to continue into next year.

However, he added that the authority would review how it can support bus companies in future.

In a statement due before this week’s full council, Cllr Duncan said:

“We have just accepted the final extension to the Local Transport Fund grant from the DfT. 

“This amounts to an additional £360k which will be used to support services. We hope this will allow current service levels to continue for at least a further year. This allows us time to conduct a wider review of the way the council supports services. 

“However, increased passenger numbers, not subsidies, remain the key to the long-term viability of bus services.”

The move comes as the 24 service from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate was recently saved until April next year.

Transdev, which operates the service, had initially planned to withdraw most services on the route.

Read more:

However, talks between the council and operator secured the service for another year.

The move coincided with an extension to the government’s £2 cap on single fares until June and extra funding for routes at risk of being reduced.

At the time, Cllr Duncan warned that government cash “cannot continue in perpetuity”.

Crime commissioner declines to respond to resignation call

North Yorkshire’s Police Fire and Crime Commissioner has declined to respond to a call for her to resign after a government watchdog found some vulnerable children “remain at risk unnecessarily” due to delays in police investigations.

Zoe Metcalfe, who is aiming to be the Tory candidate to be the first North Yorkshire and York elected mayor, said she would not be commenting on a notice of motion lodged by North Yorkshire Council’s opposition leader, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, which is tabled to be considered at a full meeting on Wednesday.

However, rather than debate the issue at the meeting, one option for the council’s chairman would be to refer the notice of motion to one of the authority’s scrutiny committees for consideration.

The critical Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary report followed its assessment last year which found the force was “not effectively safeguarding children”.

Last week, at a public accountability meeting Ms Metcalfe said the information she had been provided about the force’s progress over its failings was bogus.

She said: 

“We were led to believe that North Yorkshire Police were in a better position than they ultimately were and we accept this.

“And as a result, we have entirely overhauled our scrutiny and assurance process, I have clearly set out how I will hold North Yorkshire Police to account for delivery.”

Read more:

Cllr Griffiths called for Ms Metcalfe’s resignation to be debated at the meeting.

He said the second report, published earlier this month, had examined 33 child protection cases, of which 11 were found to be good, eight required improvement and 14 were inadequate.

He said: 

“For so many cases to be found inadequate is a damning entitlement not only on the police, but also on the overall management of the force by the police and fire commissioner.

“The police, fire and crime commissioner is elected to be responsible for generally overseeing both police forces and fire services. Clearly has failed and is continuing to fail to hold the North Yorkshire Police force to account and keep the public and in particular children safe.

“Urgent action is therefore needed to remove the existing commissioner immediately and replace with a far more effective manager.”

In response, a spokeswoman for Ms Metcalfe said the motion was being put to the council “for discussion only, and so we will not be commenting at this time”.

Some of Ms Metcalfe’s Conservative former colleagues on the authority said they believed the notice of motion was “political” and that they would not be supporting the call for her to resign.

The Tories said those behind calls for her resignation had misunderstood the situation as the reports referred to a time before she was the commissioner.