Editor's Pick of the Week: Political drama in Ripon and housing in Harrogate

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A week is a long time in politics and that was certainly the case at Ripon City Council.

In the space of seven days, the leader and deputy leader of the council and the mayor and deputy mayor of Ripon all resigned amid a period of political turbulence.

The arena for all this was Ripon Town Hall on Monday, where the public struggled to cram into the chamber to watch the drama unfold.

By this point, council leader Cllr Andrew Williams and his deputy, Peter Horton, had already stepped down.

But, in the sight for the rebel councillors, who had kicked off the series of resignations with a plan to abolish the leader and deputy leader positions, was Cllr Jackie Crozier, mayor of Ripon, where a vote of no confidence in her position was tabled.

However, any more political drama was quickly everted when Cllr Crozier opted to resign before any vote could take place.

Why all the resignations then? For the rebel councillors, it was to do with staffing departures. But others believe it was to curtail the influence of the council leader.

If the last seven paragraphs is not enough to wet the whistle of political enthusiasts, then there is another meeting on Monday to elect a new Mayor of Ripon — the drama continues.

The saying goes that two things in life are certain: death and taxes. But they should change that to death and planning and housing stories in Harrogate.

By my count, we published five stories on planning applications in Harrogate alone this week and that’s before you factor in another housing plan in Boroughbridge.

Perhaps this is the trickle down affect of the government’s agenda to get more homes built in this parliament — or maybe this chief reporter is reading far too much into it.

John Plummer is away.