Incoming police boss pledges to restore public confidenceReaders’ Letters: Does North Yorkshire Council not know how a drain works?

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.  

The following three letters are in response to the extreme flooding in Knaresborough earlier this week. Roads were under water, homes were flooded and residents evacuated. The council denied the conditions of the drains played a part, but some residents feel otherwise.  

Does North Yorkshire Council not know what a drain is and how they work?

I think the Stray Ferret should take a stand on behalf of all Knaresborough folk and demand that they do something about it.

I live up Ripley Road and can tell you that the drains on High and Low Bond End and Ripley Road haven’t been cleaned out properly for at least 30 years.

Steve Newbould, Knaresborough

Here on Hambleton Close we had a near miss – although both our neighbours took on water.

I have consistently notified North Yorkshire County Council (that was) about the state of drainage in Knaresborough. Each time I receive hollow words of acknowledgement, but nothing is done.

The autumn leaf-fall and the failure to sweep the roads only added to this catastrophe.

What do we pay our council tax for?

Ralph Thrower, Knaresborough

We have reported the blocked drains for years and no works seems to have been done.

Last week we were down to one working drain on our street and we directly reported it to the council.

We have issues with Waterside becoming a river even with normal levels of rainfall.

We warned the council numerous times it would flood, as the water has nowhere else to go other than through the houses.

Mark Johnson, Knaresborough

Maybe Keane Duncan’s defeat means he will ‘finally fix our roads’

This story follows the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election last week. Labour’s David Skaith took home the crown, leaving Tory councillor Keane Duncan defeated.

Thank goodness for the mayoral result, which hopefully now means we are also done with Mr Keane’s tedious photo opportunities (hopefully!).

For months he’s courted the camera and delivered on little else. Even the well-hyped ‘100 days in Peggy’ went suspiciously quiet.

Maybe now he can finally concentrate on the job he has, including fixing our roads for starters.

He might want to take Peggy for a drive down Pannal Ash Road and sample the disgraceful state of a public highway.

Simon Ewing, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Sunak taunted about living under North Yorkshire mayor

Rishi Sunak was taunted about living under a Labour mayor in his North Yorkshire constituency at Prime Minster’s Questions yesterday.

Harrogate-born David Skaith was elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire on May 2 last week. He took up the role yesterday.

Mr Skaith was photographed with Labour leader Keir Starmer at Northallerton Football Club a couple of hours after he was declared mayor on Friday.

Mr Starmer told the House of Commons that Mr Sunak now had “great Labour councillors” in Downing Street and Southampton, where he grew up, and a Labour mayor in London.

He added:

“At his mansion in Richmond, he can enjoy a brand new Labour mayor of North Yorkshire.”

Mr Sunak was quick to reply:

“I was of course surprised to see the honourable gentleman in North Yorkshire. Although probably not as surprised as he was when he realised he couldn’t take the tube there.

“I can tell him the people of North Yorkshire believe in hard work, secure borders, lower taxes and straight talking common sense.

“They are not going to get any of that from a virtue signalling lawyer from North London.”

Mr Starmer said:

“It was great to be in Northallerton where they had just voted to reject the Prime Minister’s proposition.

“No matter where he calls home, all his neighbours are backing this changed Labour Party.”

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North Yorkshire combined authority advertises for £125,000 chief executive

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority is advertising for its first chief executive, who will be paid a salary of £124,656.

The organisation, which was launched in February and commands public funding of £540 million over 30 years, is currently led by James Farrar, interim head of paid service.

A notice on the authority’s website advertising the role closes on May 12, with interviews due to take place on June 3.

The role requires the candidate to have “strong commercial skills, business acumen and experience of operating in a business development role”.

The chief executive will also be required to work closely with the newly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, and council leaders from North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.

Meanwhile, the combined authority is also advertising for a director of resources, who would be paid a salary of up to £105,000.

David Skaith signing the Declaration of Acceptance of Office with James Farrar, Director of Economy & Interim Head of Paid Service, and Rachel Antonelli, Head of Legal & Interim Deputy Monitoring Officer at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

David Skaith signing the declaration of acceptance of office with James Farrar, director of economy and interim head of paid service, and Rachel Antonelli, head of legal and interim deputy monitoring officer at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The move comes as David Skaith was sworn in as the new mayor yesterday.

Mr Skaith also signed the declaration of acceptance of office, which formally recognises the mayor’s responsibilities for the police and crime commissioner role.

He said:

“I’m honoured to take on the role of mayor for York and North Yorkshire. I’m looking to bring together York and North Yorkshire as one.

“This new role of mayor, and the combined authority, presents a great deal of opportunities to the region. We can attract new investment, and tackle keys areas such as affordable housing and transport. This is just the start, and I’m looking forward to working with partners, businesses, and communities.”

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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, helpfully sent us PG-rated, buttock-only photos of naturists along with the request that ‘they must be used exactly as they are. No censorship — blurring, pixellation or covering with clip-art for example’.

Pic: British Naturism

The most shocking angle for me was not the nudity but the prospect of freezing to death between Ripon and Masham.

The Conservatives were stripped of their political ambitions this week when Labour’s David Skaith swept to victory in the North Yorkshire mayoral election.

Two hours later, Mr Skaith popped up on TV alongside Labour leader Keir Starmer on the pitch at Northallerton Football Club.

It was a great day for Labour and a crushing first ever electoral defeat for Tory Keane Duncan, who instead of sloping out a side door as many politicians do took it on the chin and answered every question posed by a long line of journalists.

The bathing season gets underway this month and those making a beeline for Knaresborough Lido on the River Nidd will be delighted to know they can now check almost real time data on sewage being pumped into rivers by Yorkshire Water. Perhaps naked walks are safer…

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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 Centre on Friday afternoon was the culmination of two competing campaigns.

On the one side, Keane Duncan, for the Conservatives, led an ambitious campaign which included pledges such as buying Scarborough’s Grand Hotel for regeneration.

He also promised free car parking in towns and cities across the county.

Much of Mr Duncan’s campaign was focussed on utilising social media to promote his pledges. He published high-production videos and pictures to push his message.

He also went on a tour around the county in his van, which notably did not include anything which mentioned that he was a Conservative.

The 29-year-old emphasised the fact that he was out meeting people and published photographs of himself with residents in North Yorkshire’s towns and villages on his social media pages. His campaign appeared to focus on himself as an individual, rather than his political background.

During the campaign trail, Mr Duncan told the Stray Ferret that he had “bold ambition” for York and North Yorkshire. However, on the day, that did not help his election prospects.

Keane Duncan, with Prime Minister RIshi Sunak in Ripon earlier this month.

Keane Duncan, with Prime Minister RIshi Sunak in Ripon in April.

In fact, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said she felt making pledges which “no-one believes” did not help the public’s trust in democracy.

She said:

“If you don’t take elections seriously that reflects badly on politicians. If you pledge to do things that no-one believes, it can and should backfire on you. It devalues politics. The feedback I get is that ‘you’re just another politician’.”

Specifically on the Grand Hotel, she said:

“That’s just one of them. There have been a series of headlines nobody believes. It was just grabbing headlines without anything behind them.”

In the end, Mr Duncan fell to a clear defeat. When speaking to the press afterwards, he defended his campaign, including the pledge on the Grand Hotel, and said he felt focussing on the coast was “important”.

Regardless of the majority involved, Mr Duncan was magnanimous in defeat and was seen applauding Mr Skaith after the declaration.

A traditional campaign

By comparison, Mr Skaith’s campaign offered little in terms of marquee pledges.

When speaking to the Stray Ferret two weeks ago, the Labour candidate focussed on matters such as transport, a High Street fund and a cost of living fund.

While the policies will resonate with some of the electorate, they were not headline grabbing pledges.

Rather, Mr Skaith appeared to take a traditional campaign route. He was seen canvassing with senior Labour politicians such as Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the exchequer, and Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin.

Photo of Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and North Yorkshire mayoral candidate David Skaith campaigning with Labour Party workers in Harrogate.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and North Yorkshire mayoral candidate David Skaith campaigning with Labour Party workers in Harrogate.

After his victory on Friday, he told reporters that he would focus on building affordable housing and improving transport links. However, how that looks in practice remains to be seen.

The campaign has had the desired affect and now Labour has metro mayors in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and further west in Greater Manchester and Liverpool.

Much of Mr Skaith’s 15,000 majority could be attributed to the city of York which includes students and a Labour-controlled city council.

The national picture cannot be overlooked either, with the Tories lagging behind in the polls. One of the candidates, Paul Haslam, was also a former Conservative who threw his hat in the ring as an independent.

However, Labour will not see it that way and will spin it as a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in his own back yard.

The party has parked its tanks on traditional Conservative ground in a year which promises more elections to come. 

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Glum Tories in Harrogate see blue wall crumble in Rishi Sunak’s backyard

There was much talk at the last general election about the collapse of Labour’s red wall in its northern heartlands.

Today’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election was an opportunity to see if the Conservatives’ blue wall of control in England’s largest county was equally wobbly.

It had certainly been creaking: North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative rule is propped up by three independents and Labour’s Keir Mather overturned a large Conservative majority at last year’s Selby and Ainsty by-election.

But surely true blue North Yorkshire, home of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, would deliver some succour to the Tories after a bruising night of local election results?

Curiously, Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, was not at Harrogate Convention Centre to support Keane Duncan. His Liberal Democrat rival Tom Gordon, whose mother was re-elected for the Lib Dems in Knottingley and Ferrybridge on Wakefield Council, arrived later in the day to support Felicity Cunliffe-Lister.

Nevertheless activists for both parties turned out in force.

It soon became apparent this was a two-horse race. Ms Cunliffe-Lister said long before the result was declared she hoped to finish a “good third”, acknowledging her party’s lengthy selection process meant she entered the race too late.

Keane Duncan pictured after arriving for the count.

Politicians on all sides leaned towards a Labour victory when we probed but nobody seemed particularly confident. When Conservative Ben Houchen retained the Tees Valley mayoralty, it appeared a good omen and when the turnout was announced at a higher-than-expected 30% it further raised hopes because it suggested Tory voters had not stayed home after all.

Had Mr Duncan’s energetic campaign and machine gun fire of ambitious policy announcements done the trick?

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister

Ms Cunliffe-Lister, Green candidate Kevin Foster and Independents Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam were happy to talk and mingle but as is often the case at election counts, the favourites were largely invisible. When we approached a local Labour activist for a comment on how it was going, we were hastily marched to a regional media person who was non-committal.

Mr Duncan eventually arrived, with North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les not far behind. Mr Skaith, looking like he’d been dressed by the same tailor as Labour leader Keir Starmer, was barely seen until the declaration loomed.

Shortly before 2.30pm, an election official briefed the media ‘not to go for a long walk’ as the result was imminent. We were also warned that if it were close — which seemed a distinct possibility — a recount would be held.

The candidates disappeared into a room to be told the results and re-emerged poker faced. But there was a strong clue when a Green politician shook Mr Skaith’s hand.

Mr Skaith’s near 15,000 winning margin was wider than anyone we spoke to predicted. What was even more surprising was that he came within 3,500 votes of beating Mr Duncan in North Yorkshire before his predicted strong support in Labour-run York saw him home.

His supporters whooped while Mr Duncan graciously applauded and patiently gave interviews to a line of journalists.

Had his bold claims, including buying the Grand Hotel at Scarborough, blown up in his face? He claimed not, suggesting the ‘national picture’ was the main factor before insisting he would continue his role as the councillor in charge of highways at North Yorkshire Council. Back to answering questions on the Harrogate Station Gateway…

Two hours after the result, Mr Skaith had hotfooted it to Northallerton Football Club where he stood alongside Mr Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves for one of those stage managed media calls in front of an over-excitable crowd of placard-waving supporters. It was a rather bizarre end to a remarkable day.

Mr Starmer hailed it a “victory in Tory heartlands”. A chunk had indeed been taken out of the blue wall. Will it come crashing down in long-term Tory seats Harrogate and Knaresborough, or Skipton and Ripon, at the next general election?

You can recapture all today’s action in our live blog here.

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Labour’s David Skaith pledges to ‘get basics right’ as mayor

Newly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, has pledged to “get the basics right” as the first mayor of the county.

The Labour Party candidate won the inaugural mayoral election with 66,761 votes.

Speaking after the result, Mr Skaith, who is originally from Harrogate, said he felt the region had not done the basics, such as building affordable homes and improving transport.

He added that doing so would help to retain people to live and work in the area.

Mr Skaith said:

“We have an opportunity to bring York and North Yorkshire together. North Yorkshire is not an area that we normally do well in, but people want change.

“We have not been doing the basics. That will be my priority. We have a lot of people who are leaving the area.”

Mr Skaith pledged to work with fellow metro mayors in West Yorkshire, but also towards the west in Greater Manchester and Liverpool to help improve issues such as transport.

The election was a disappointing day for the Conservatives in North Yorkshire as they lost the election by 14,794 votes.

Tory candidate, Keane Duncan, came second with 51,967 votes and Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Liberal Democrat, finished third with 30,867.

Meanwhile, Green Party candidate, Kevin Foster, won 15,188 votes and Keith Tordoff, independent, finished fifth with 13,250 votes.

Harrogate independent, Paul Haslam, won 12,370 votes.

The turnout for the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election was 30%.

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Tense day ends in clear victory for Labour’s Harrogate-born mayor

Labour’s David Skaith emerged as the clear winner today in the race to become York and North Yorkshire’s first directly elected mayor.

Mr Skaith beat Conservative rival Keane Duncan by almost 15,000 votes, in a result announced at Harrogate Convention Centre at about 2.30pm this afternoon.

The margin of victory was wider than many people expected at the count, where tension was high.

Conservative Ben Houchen’s mayoral victory in Tees Valley raised hopes that Mr Duncan could pull off a similar victory. But it was not to be.

Mr Duncan narrowly won the vote in North Yorkshire by 44,794 votes to Mr Skaith’s 41,122 but the Labour man’s strong York base saw him cruise home.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe- Lister was a distant third, ahead of Green Kevin Foster,

Independents Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam trailed home but both passed 10,000 votes.

Harrogate-born Mr Skaith, who runs a business in York, will now oversee the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which has devolved powers from Westminster and an annual budget of about £18 million.

It means there are now Labour mayors in North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

You can relive our live blog from the convention centre here.

FINAL RESULT

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Bookies name favourite in North Yorkshire mayoral election

Labour’s David Skaith is leading the race to be named mayor of York and North Yorkshire, according to Oddschecker.

The betting company said in a press release today Mr Skaith had a 63% chance of victory in today’s poll.

Conservative Keane Duncan is second in the betting, with a 30% chance,

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister is a distant third at 4% and Green candidate Kevin Foster’s odds are put at 3%.

Neither of the independent candidates, Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam, registered a percentage.

The calculations are based the amount of on money placed on candidates by bookmakers.

A spokesperson for the betting firm said

“Skaith has seen his odds improved by bookies from 8/11 to 4/9 over the past 24 hours, representing an increase in implied probability from 58% to 63%.

“His rival, Keane Duncan, has seen his position in the betting market weaken from 6/5 to 2/1.”

A total of 59% of total bets through Oddschecker have been for Mr Skaith.

Oddschecker’s odds

Oddschecker’s Leon Blackman said:

“David Skaith continues to gain momentum in the betting markets, as bookmakers further solidified his position as favourite on Thursday morning.

“Previously priced at 8/11, Skaith is now 4/9 to become the first mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

“Meanwhile, his Conservative rival, Keane Duncan, has drifted to odds of 2/1.”

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