Editor's Pick of the Week: Angela Rayner in Harrogate, Knaresborough land train woes and insane Pateley runners

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was in Harrogate this week for the Local Government Association’s annual conference. Some 1,600 delegates were in town for the big shebang.

Ms Rayner’s speech on Thursday revealed councillors will no longer be obliged to attend meetings in person. 

This aims to encourage more people who can’t get to town halls to stand as councillors, thus improving diversity. A sound idea, but given the average age of councillors in North Yorkshire, I predict some lengthy technical delays and lots of cries of "you need to unmute yourself".  

North Yorkshire Council’s own deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, also spoke at the conference and gave some sobering statistics about the state of the coffers. Brace yourself for another council tax rise.

The Knaresborough land train was supposed to be trialled during next week’s half-term. But Knaresborough & District Chamber, which has secured £15,000 for the scheme, announced this week it had been postponed. “The timetable has proved impossible,” was the sole reason given.

The timetable for implementing a 20mph zone in Harrogate is also proving troublesome. This week I met campaigners Dr Jenny Marks and Hazel Peacock, and Rossett School headteacher Tim Milburn, on Green Lane to find out more about this much-vaunted move to make streets safer for 9,000 pupils. Read more today.

It isn’t the council’s first active travel scheme to be delayed or kicked into the long grass. Faith in its ability to deliver is waning.

Perhaps the most distressing news this week was that farm animals died in a huge barn fire at Allerton Park. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service initially indicated no animals had died but the farm owner told a different story.

Finally, as someone who finds a 10km run hard going, my toes curled at the news that a 111-mile race was taking place from Pateley Bridge last weekend. Six of the nine entrants did not finish and the winner, Jonathan Young, won in a mere 24 hours and 55 minutes. I suspect his feet have been sore this week.