David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, made his first major decision this week. As is the custom with most metro mayors across England, Mr Skaith opted to propose a deputy to take on...
Labour’s David Skaith makes first major decision with deputy mayor choice
David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, made his first major decision this week. As is the custom with most metro mayors across England, Mr Skaith opted to propose a deputy to take on his police and crime brief. He put forward Jo Coles, a City of York...
Third party ‘interested’ in taking over Harrogate’s Jesmond House
A third party is “interested” in taking over a former North Yorkshire Council building in Harrogate. Jesmond House on Victoria Avenue is next to the town’s Jobcentre Plus and was used by adult social care staff. However, the authority vacated the building in February...
Transport chief says ‘irresponsible’ to blame gullies for Knaresborough floods
North Yorkshire transport chief Cllr Keane Duncan has hit back at claims that poor gulley maintenance caused homes and streets to flood in Knaresborough last week. Raw sewage entered almost 50 homes during flash floods on bank holiday Monday (May 6). It prompted...
Councillors approve 1,300 homes in Ripon
North Yorkshire Council's strategic planning committee met this morning to decide whether to approve plans to build 1,300 homes in the city. Government agency Homes England has applied to redevelop Ministry of Defence land in the north-west of the city, between...
Harrogate peer questions whether cyclists should require insurance
A Conservative peer from Harrogate has questioned whether cyclists should be obliged to have insurance and stick to speed limits. Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate raised the issue during a debate on bus collisions in the House of Lords yesterday (May 13). His intervention...
Ripon council leader calls for decision on 1,300 homes to be deferred
The leader of Ripon City Council is to call for a decision on whether to allow 1,300 homes to be built in the city to be deferred today. Government agency Homes England has applied to redevelop Ministry of Defence land in the north-west of the city, between...
Third consultation begins on Harrogate town council
A third consultation has been opened on plans to create a Harrogate town council. The town council would be formed for administrative purposes from April 1, 2025, and the first elections would be on May 1, 2025. North Yorkshire Council has said residents could expect...
Councillors defer decision on Crescent Gardens road closure plan
Councillors have deferred a decision on plans to erect bollards and planters outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens, leading to the eventual closure of the road. Impala Estates, which bought the building from the council for £4m in...
Zoe Metcalfe departs as crime commissioner
Zoe Metcalfe's term as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner ended at midnight last night after the role was transferred to the new Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. Labour’s David Skaith, who won the inaugural mayoral election on Friday, will now take...
Call to halt succession of North Yorkshire rural school closures
Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative-led North Yorkshire Council to place a moratorium on school closures until the first county-wide Local Plan development blueprint is adopted in 2028. Members of the 14-councillor political group have tabled a notice of...
Editor’s Pick of the Week: Naked in Ripon, live sewage and Labour joy
It was, by far, our most commented-on story of the week. An event that drew gasps. Not the mayoral election, of course, but news that a naked walk is returning to the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park this summer. British Naturism, which is organising the event,...
How Labour defeated the Tories in North Yorkshire’s first mayor election
“We have not been doing the basics,” said David Skaith to reporters huddled around him after becoming the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. It was a seismic victory for Labour over the Conservatives, with a 14,794 majority. The result at Harrogate Convention...