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Last year the Liberal Democrats held their spring conference in Harrogate; this year it’s the Tories’ turn.

Kemi Badenoch will be rallying her troops at Harrogate Convention Centre next month and, judging by the programme, party activists are mightily excited by the prospect of the er, quiz night. At the time of writing, that was the only event sold out.

Ms Badenoch was pictured making burgers in a McDonald’s this week. So too, curiously, was Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith, who made a cheeseburger at the McDonald’s restaurant on Harrogate Road in Ripon. The recipient of the burger — and what they thought of it — is not known.

The urbane Sir Julian looked slightly awkward in his baseball cap, apron and name tag but he was back in his more natural parliamentary environment later in the week to raise concerns that a government consultation on lowering the drink-drive limit could affect trade at rural pubs.

Hospitality businesses aren’t the only businesses struggling. Retailers are also finding the going tough and this week the Harrogate-born Labour mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, announced he was closing his menswear shop in York. Mr Skaith was quick to point out that this was a personal decision and nothing whatsoever to do with government business rates increases.

The public sector is also searching down the back of sofas for a few quid. North Yorkshire Council set its 2026/27 budget this week, with the expected maximum 4.99% increase in council tax agreed. The council even decided to stop supplying free Christmas trees to Harrogate, Starbeck, Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge, Masham and Pateley Bridge in a bid to save £27,000. Humbug or pragmatism?

At least the council can look forward to more money rolling in from motorists. The Stray Ferret revealed this week there has been a big increase in revenue raised from parking fines. Harrogate has at times resembled a giant car park this week thanks to the three-way lights at the Prince of Wales roundabout.

This week’s surprising discoveries included the news that there really is a Harrogate police officer called Sergeant Pepper and that Ripon Town Hall has a nuclear bunker. The latter revelation emerged as part of the fallout of a story about the town hall being returned to the ownership of people in Ripon.

The move looks set to pave the way for review into the town hall’s future use. It’s a vast and vastly under-used building in the heart of the city so there are plenty of options. 

However, after some of the recent ill-feeling among city councillors, the introduction of white collar boxing nights between the two warring factions could pull in enough punters to pay for the entire building to be refurbished and a Christmas tree.