A new roadmap for the creation of a single council for the whole of North Yorkshire will “hold feet to the fire” on the promise of better services, a senior Conservative has said.
Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, was one of several members of a new executive board that today approved an implementation plan for the new North Yorkshire Council set to take over from April 2023.
He said while he previously supported a rival vision for two new councils split on an east/west basis, he believed the plan would ensure the single council meets the overall aims of saving money and streamlining services.
Cllr Swift said:
“Today we have got a document in the public domain which I find extremely exciting because it starts to lay out the principles of what the new council can be.
“This is a document which can be used to display with confidence the plans that our councils have, but it will also keep our feet to the fire.”
Major change
The move to a single council will mark the biggest change to local government in North Yorkshire in almost 50 years, and will mean the existing county council and seven district and borough councils are scrapped.
It is linked to a devolution deal with government which said millions of pounds in funding and decision-making powers could only be devolved to North Yorkshire if a unitary system is introduced.
North Yorkshire County Council had proposed the single council plan, while the district and borough councils except Hambleton, which rejected all options on the table, made a bid for two councils split on an east/west basis but failed to win government support.
Read more:
- Harrogate can be economic driver for North Yorkshire after devolution, says council chief
- Business owners to quiz Harrogate council leaders over devolution
These opposing views were described as an “elephant in the room” at today’s first meeting of the new executive board which is made up of 17 county, borough and district councillors from across North Yorkshire.
But members said they were willing to put their previous preferences aside in order to plan for the transition to the new council.
The implementation plan sets out how elections to the new council will take place in May, followed by the appointment of a new council chief executive by autumn and a corporate management team by January 2023.
Residents will be a priority
Almost all remaining staff will then be transferred across on April 1, 2023, as all services from bin collections to business support, and social care to highways, come under new control.
Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, told today’s meeting that while the transition of services and staff would be a challenge, the needs of residents would still be a priority.
He said:
Top Gear stars in Harrogate this afternoon“We are trying to create a strong council that will be able to meet the huge challenges that will hit the communities of North Yorkshire in the years ahead.
“There will be further austerity and that will need to be tackled by local government and other public services.
“We are finding there are growing numbers of people that need the protection of council services and we expect those challenges to rise over the coming years.”
The stars of BBC show Top Gear were in Harrogate this afternoon filming.
Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris visited used car dealership Classic Marques on Ripon Road while filming the 31st series of the motoring programme.
Sales manager Dom Sibbles told the Stray Ferret they were told they’d have some extra special customers a few days ago.
The Top Gear fan said the trio brought with them a couple of used cars that they’d been using for stunts in Scotland to value.
He said:
“They were really, really nice guys and we had a good laugh with them.”
Read more:
- New Tesco in Killinghall to open on Friday
- Flooding reveals ‘major unresolved problem on West Park Stray’
The visit surprised 18-year-old Joe Gosling and his mum, who both live over the road.
Joe got a selfie with the former England cricketer Flintoff who he described as a “really cool guy”.
He said:
Brian Cox films new BBC show at Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks“We had a chat about cricket. All of the crew were friendly and he was happy to have his photo taken.”
Professor Brian Cox has filmed part of his new BBC series about the mysteries of the universe at Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks.
In the episode, which airs next week, the physicist explores the phenomenon of black holes whilst using the two National Trust sites as a visual backdrop.
Prof Cox walks around the ruined monastery of Fountains Abbey while discussing how black holes decay. Brimham Rocks and the Nidderdale landscape are used to emphasise the vastness of space.
The episode is due to broadcast on BBC2 next Wednesday (November 24) and is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer here.
Fountains Abbey tweeted that it was delighted to welcome the professor:
1/2 We were delighted to welcome @ProfBrianCox here on some very chilly days earlier this year to film for his new series 'Universe'. The upcoming episode The upcoming episode was filmed within the ancient abbey ruins and explores the amazing mysteries of black holes. pic.twitter.com/jOccODeO0l
— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) November 17, 2021
Read More:
- Ripon alleys rejuvenated with overnight deep clean
- Ripon wine experts share top picks for your Christmas gifts and pairings
Former BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration has met six inspirational people from the Harrogate district for his new podcast Harry’s Heroes.
Harry has recorded conversations with finalists Cath Wilson, Greta Knight, Helen Mackenzie, Lauren Doherty, Mark Oldfield and Susie Little who were all put forward by local people who feel their work is extraordinary. Each are doing exceptional things in different ways to help others in the community.
Harry has partnered with sponsor Harrogate Spring Water to champion the work of these exceptional individuals.
You can learn more about each hero and listen to the podcasts by clicking or tapping here and afterwards vote for your favourite. We hope you enjoy listening to their stories and about their work.
The hero who gets the most votes will win a trip to London for a fantastic concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Voting closes on November 28 at 11.59pm. The winner will be announced by Harry Gration the following day on November 29.
Harry said on the launch of his new podcast:
“My final six local heroes have told me their stories, we’ve recorded them and they’re ready to listen to.
“It was an absolute pleasure to meet all of our heroes along with the people who put them forward in the first place.
“I encourage you to take the time to listen to all of their stories, they really are fantastic and very moving.
“I’m delighted to give these individuals the recognition they deserve and hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did making them.
“You can vote in the form below but before you do, take the time to listen to all six stories.
“I look forward to announcing the lucky winner on 29 November with Harrogate Spring Water.”
Plans to replace the fire-damaged Bilsdale transmitter and restore TV and radio signals for large swathes of the Harrogate district are being held up by the transmitter’s location within a rare heather moorland.
The blackout of Freeview TV channels and loss of radio signals has affected thousands of homes, particularly in the northern part of the district, after a major fire on August 10 put the 1,030 ft mast out of action.
Patience is wearing thin among many people, who have now been affected for three weeks.
Stray Ferret follower Lynette Cooper, who lives in central Harrogate, summed up the mood when she said:
“I’m totally fed up. For weeks now, I haven’t been able to see any of my favourite programmes.
“It’s the same for my daughter Helen at her home in Pickering and a friend told me that some elderly people at a Harrogate nursing home she goes to, just sit there with nothing to watch.”
The Bilsdale transmitter, built on the moors near Helmsley in 1969, is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, serving hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners from North Yorkshire to the North East and beyond.
The Bilsdale mast’s moorland location.
In a statement on August 13, transmitter operator Arqiva said:
“Our plan involves the erection of an 80m temporary mast at Bilsdale and we have been surveying the site to identify the best alternative locations within the restrictions we have.
“Included in this is the fact that Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning we have to seek agreement to place any additional equipment.”
In its most recent update since the fire incident, the company could still not provide a likely date when services would be restored. It said:
“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast.
“There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.”
Read more:
- No TV? Your questions answered by local aerial expert
- Ripon groups urged to bid for £20,000 grants to tackle crime
The transmitter’s location within a government-protected area of 44,000 hectares of moorland continues to be a stumbling block.
The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heathland habitat and breeding birds. Special permission needs to be granted for access across it.
Natural England says on its website:
“Heather moorland is rare on a worldwide scale – there is probably less heather moorland in the world than tropical rainforest.
“One of the largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland in England and Wales is here in the North York Moors – a sheep could wander from Egton to Bilsdale without leaving it. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather.”
The area is also a designated Special Area of Conservation — a status reserved for important plant habitats in Europe — and a Special Protection Area because of its importance to breeding birds.
Although the access issues are yet to be resolved, Aquiva said last week some Freeview services had been restored for those who receive signals from smaller relay sites. None of them are in the Harrogate district.
A TV Licensing spokesman has said customers unable to receive TV coverage for more than a month will be eligible for a refund or free extension of their TV licence.
On a damp day on September 9, 1960, broadcaster Alan Whicker came to Spofforth to interview one of the country’s few remaining horse breakers.
Jack Anderson was 75 at the time and had been training horses for 60 years at the time of the interview.
Mr Anderson gave advice on how he trained horses and an insight into his unusual life.
The video was first first broadcast as part of Tonight, which covered the arts, sciences as well as topical matters and current affairs.
It is now part of a BBC archive of films shared on a weekly basis.
Read more:
- Free walking tours back with new focus on Harrogate people
- Harrogate History: does Harrogate have connections to slavery?
The interview starts with a series of questions on how to stop horses kicking and biting and how to hold a horse for shoeing.
Mr Anderson also talked about the times when it went wrong:
“I have had legs broken, collar bone, jaw, ribs. Oh yes. One [horse] will do one thing and one will do another. But the heart of the thing is to make them.
“There is a way of making them. If I said to go over them then we went over, even if it took an hour and a half because I am a crude fella when I start.”
He adds he does all of his training by talking, not by using the stick that he brandishes to the camera.
Do any Stray Ferret readers remember Jack Anderson, the Spofforth horse breaker, or the day Alan Whicker visited?
Stray Jewels with Susan Rumfitt: The magic of silver
Stray Jewels is a monthly column written by BBC Antiques Roadshow jewellery specialist, Susan Rumfitt. Susan started her career working for Christie’s auctioneers in Glasgow before establishing her own jewellery department, The Gallery in Harrogate.
In 2006, she joined the Antiques Roadshow and has since built up an extensive knowledge of and passion for fine jewellery.
In my new column ‘Stray Jewels’ I will be bringing you the hidden gems of Yorkshire. From auction house highlights and Yorkshire museum treasures to the fabulous pieces I have access to at my gallery and through travels. You will have a first-hand insight into the fantastic world of jewels through The Stray Ferret.
The world of gems and jewels brings with it passion, scandal, history and power, often in equal measures – in fact even if someone doesn’t like wearing jewellery they are often interested in the design, the maker and the story the jewels may have.
As a jewellery specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, I’m often asked ‘how did you get into jewellery?’ The answer to that would be, that it was quite simply by chance and after 25 years, I have never looked back.
A multi-gem set locket.
So how did my career begin?
Summer 1991: work experience at Sotheby’s Harrogate. This was when I knew I wanted to be in the auction world; fuelled by many years watching Love Joy and the Antique’s Roadshow on a Sunday night. There was a buzz in the air – Castle Howard were having an ‘Attic Sale’. I was enthralled by it all. The auction world was for me.
I was just about to start at Reading University to study History of Art and Architecture and as far as I was concerned a career as an Art Specialist was what I was going to pursue. When I graduated, I went on to do a Post Grad degree in Decorative Arts at Glasgow University in association with Christie’s Auctioneers. I found out I still loved art but I was now drawn to the magic of silver. At the end of the course I became a trainee in the Silver Department at Christie’s in Glasgow and was in an office which was shared with the Jewellery Specialist – I became hooked and a career in jewels began.
Would you like Susan to review one of your antique pieces?
Whether its a family heirloom or a piece you bought at an auction, Susan would like to hear from you. If you’d like her to review your jewellery, send her an email to: contact@susanrumfitt.com.
After Christie’s, I went on to work at Phillips Auctioneers. It was intense but utterly exciting. Travelling around the world as well as running my own jewellery department in London. More importantly every day was full of learning about gems and jewels. Despite the excitement I always knew Harrogate was meant to be home. In 2002 I came back to Yorkshire and had three very happy years as the Jewellery Consultant for Tennant’s Auctioneers.
In 2006 I was asked to join the ‘BBC’s Antiques Roadshow’. I had always wondered, could it happen, could I ever be on that programme as a ‘Specialist’? Yes it could happen and it did happen, dreams can come true!
In 2007 I set up ‘The Gallery’ not only as a place from which clients could buy jewellery but as a place in which to hold presentations and share my passion and interest in the history of jewellery. The Gallery has become a place for all to share a love of jewellery. Many people have said The Gallery is itself a gem within the heart of Harrogate. That gem is now brought to you all through The Stray Ferret.
Join me next month when I look at saleroom highlights in the region and consider the world of Emeralds, the stone of love and hope.
A Columbian Emerald ring never fails to please.
Do you have a piece of jewellery you would like to know more about? If so, feel free to contact Susan at contact@susanrumfitt.com. Susan will answer all your enquiries regarding jewellery. Please do not send any information regarding your jewellery by any social media platform.
Find out more about Susan’s career by clicking here.
Dig out your treasures: BBC’s Antiques Roadshow comes to Newby HallBBC One’s Antiques Roadshow has confirmed it will be returning this summer, with Newby Hall named as one of its 8 locations.
Viewers are being asked to contact the Roadshow team with any hidden gems and stories to tell. A form is available on their website where owners can fill out details of their objects.
For the first time in the show’s history, the series will be filmed on a closed set with only a small audience invited. This is to ensure the safety of guests, the production team and the wider public.
Read more:
- Harrogate jewellery expert Susan Rumfitt on being part of the Antiques Roadshow team
- Fascinating facts about the BBC Antiques Roadshow
Presenter Fiona Bruce has been at the forefront of Antiques Roadshow for 13 years.
“Normally we welcome around 5,000 people to each Antiques Roadshow, but of course in these extraordinary times we will have to do things very differently. We’ve come up with a new way to safely film the show yet still bring you amazing items and stories. I can’t wait to see what treasures you have hidden in your homes.”
The Roadshow normally sees around 5,000 visitors at each venue.
The show was first broadcast in 1979 and has since become one of the most popular programmes on BBC One, with around 6 million viewers tuning in every Sunday evening.
Robert Murphy, BBC Studios Series Editor said:
“To keep everybody safe and comply with current government and WHO regulations, we have planned our filming days very differently this year…Our team of experts are looking forward to seeing your heirlooms and finds, so do go to our website and let us know about your treasures.”
Some of the Roadshow’s most remarkable finds have included a hand written document signed by Elizabeth I and a ring containing a lock of author Charlotte Bronte’s hair.
If you have a hidden treasure you wish to uncover, share your story at www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow.
Newby Hall has been named as one of 8 venues for this summer’s series.
Independent jewellery specialist Susan Rumfitt told The Stray Ferret that she is delighted BBC One’s Antiques Road Show is coming to Newby Hall this summer.
Susan joined the team of specialists on the Roadshow in 2006. As well as being on the show, she is also a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company and has her own gallery in Harrogate.
In an interview with The Stray Ferret, Susan reflected on some of her favourite pieces she has seen as well as voicing her excitement for the upcoming show at Newby Hall.
Read more:
- BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow announced Newby Hall as venue
- Fiona Bruce answers questions about her time presenting the Antiques Roadshow
- 10 fascinating facts you didn’t know about the Antiques Roadshow
When asked what it is like to work for the Antiques Roadshow, Susan told The Stray Ferret:
“Working for the show is just great fun and although we are all individual specialists with our own areas of expertise, we work really closely as a team, from production, through to camera men, through to specialists. It’s about everyone putting in 100% to get the effects that everybody sees on the television.”
Susan Rumfitt pictured with a client at Buckfast Abbey.
Despite the current climate, Susan said that the show may look a bit different but will still have the superb Antiques Roadshow charm. She told The Stray Ferret:
“From a clients perspective coming to the show, they will still get the same attention as they normally would do. We are all looking forward to doing it in whatever format we are able to. The fact that it is coming back to Yorkshire at such a beautiful spot will showcase our area so well…I am delighted it is coming to Newby Hall.”
Susan was approached by the team at the Roadshow two years before joining, due to her extensive background in antique jewellery. Since then she has seen a number of fascinating pieces, with one of her favourite’s being a gold bracelet originally belonging to Queen Victoria.
Tea pots and glass bottles: fascinating facts about the BBC’s Antiques RoadshowThis summer BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow will be returning to our screens, with Newby Hall named as one of the eight venues.
This will be the roadshows 43rd series, but the show may look a little different to previous years due to measures put in place. For Fiona Bruce, this is her 13th year presenting the show.
Read more:
- Fiona Bruce answers questions about her time presenting the Roadshow
- Jewellery specialist Susan Rumfitt reflects on her time on Antiques Roadshow
Here are 10 fascinating facts you may not know about Antiques Roadshow:
- There have been five hosts of Antiques Roadshow; Bruce Parker, Angela Rippon, Hugh Scully, Michael Aspel and Fiona Bruce.
- The Roadshow has featured many celebrity owned objects; a diamond bracelet from Rita Hayworth, Marc Bolan’s guitar, even a loo roll rejected for use by the Beatles. A jacket once worn by JFK and valued on the show for £2-3,00,000 will come up for sale in the USA soon.
- Legend has it that the greatest let down in Roadshow history was the evaluation of a glass bottle which the owner had paid handsomely for but was in fact an olive oil bottle from Tesco. The embarrassment was not shared on camera.
- The highest audience figure for an Antiques Roashow was 15 million in the 1990’s. Even today a loyal 6 million regularly watch the show.
- Perhaps the most moving object seen on the series is a small ring that was kept hidden under the tongue of Zedenka Fantlova who survived four concentration camps in World War II.
- Graffiti artist Banksy’s donation to a Bristol boys club was valued by Rupert Maas and was later sold for more than £400,000 to a private collector.
- The Roadshow has visited numerous international venues including Canada, Australia and major European cities. Even at the Australian events the Roadshow’s most dedicated follower, John Dallimore, clocked up the 9,500 miles to attend.
- An important lost work by artist Richard Dadd came to light at the Roadshow in 1986. It was eventually sold to the British Museum for £100,000
- A family teapot brought in by avid Roadshow fan Norah Ambrose during the programmes early years proved a life changing moment when she bought her council house on the proceeds of the sale.
- Between 15 and 20,000 items are scanned at each show by the experts from which 50 are filmed for inclusion in the two shows made at each location.
The team at Antiques Roadshow invite you to uncover your hidden treasures for this summer’s series at Newby Hall. To get in contact, visit www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow.
The Antiques Roadshow normally welcomes thousands of visitors to each venue.