A former local government ombudsman has launched a withering attack on two councils’ consultation over a North Yorkshire devolution deal.

Local government expert Anne Seex raised a litany of questions over the quality and results of the eight-week exercise to assess public support for a mayoral combined authority and government funding deal negotiated by City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

However, a meeting of the county council’s executive heard just a single concern raised about the consultation’s mixed findings – that the deal could lead to an increase in bureaucracy – with numerous members instead expressing their excitement about the potential benefits of devolution.

Ex-ombudsman Mrs Seex told the meeting it was clear that those who took part in the consultation exercise in North Yorkshire had seen “more disadvantages than advantages” to the deal.

While the council has claimed “widespread support” for the devolution deal, Mrs Seex said online responses to the consultation amounted to just 0.3% of the electorate, which she described as a “pitifully small” sample.

She said advice from the Consultation Institute it had employed to help run the consultation that the consultation had been good was “a case of a private company marking its own homework”.

Mrs Seex told the meeting: 

“The exercise that you have undertaken is better described as marketing.

“The information to the public was purely promotional and omitted important contextual information about the scheme, such as the only directly elected position would be the mayor, that York city would have three times the representation of North Yorkshire with two members for 200,000-plus people and North Yorkshire having two members for 600,000-plus people.”

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She said the powers of elected councillors on the York and North York authorities would be “sucked up” by the mayoral combined authority, rather than being devolved down.

Mrs Seex said the combined authority was set to be allowed to call in planning applications and make decisions against local views, while the funding attached to the deal was £200 million less than the two councils had asked for, and that government funding could not be relied on and could be subject to reviews.

She said: 

“The funding amounts to £222 per person per year while council spending across the North has been reduced by £431 per person per year.”

She added most of the powers being trumpeted as being given to the combined authority were already in the hands of the councils.

Mrs Seex said the consultation results provided no breakdown of how York and North Yorkshire residents had responded and that it was crucial that elected community representatives across the county were aware of how their residents had responded to the exercise.

James Farrar, of the York and North Yorkshire LEP.

James Farrar, chief officer of North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, which helped run the consultation, said the structure and content of the consultation had been shared with government officials before being launched and that details of the full devolution deal had been shared with the public.

He said: 

“This was not a consultation on the relative merits of devolution. We were consulting on the scheme. 

“The scheme sets out how the devolution deal will be implemented, it was therefore important we focus on the key elements in the scheme.”

Mr Farrar added the Consultation Institute had been employed due its experience in helping authorities examine support for devolution deals.

He said the ultimate decision over whether the authorities had met legal requirements lay with the councils and it would be for the government to assess the suitability of the consultation.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said the executive would forego its power to send the results of the consultation to the government for consideration, and instead invite all the authority’s elected members to voice their views at a meeting later this month.

He said he was delighted the authority had reached a position where it could progress towards achieving beneficial devolution deals, such as the one in neighbouring Teesside, and a point where North Yorkshire and York would have a more powerful voice.

Ripon has never sat comfortably within the Harrogate district.

An ill feeling has lingered in the cathedral city since the last local government reorganisation in 1974 when several smaller councils were brought together to create Harrogate Borough Council.

Whether it’s fair or not, there has been a perception in some quarters of the city that the council has always looked on Harrogate as the crown jewel to Ripon’s detriment.

This will all change on April 1, when Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished and Ripon will fall under the control of a new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council.

Councillors are optimistic the city can reap the rewards.

Andrew Williams is the leader of Ripon City Council and an independent councillor on North Yorkshire County Council for Ripon Minster and Moorside.

The 53-year-old has lived in Ripon all his life and said he first became conscious of the sentiment towards Harrogate Borough Council as a teenager.

Cllr Andrew Williams

He claims “Harrogate council has been dominated by Harrogate” and that Ripon has “suffered badly” under the current system.

He added:

“What the new council arrangement will do is ensure there will be no unfair advantage to anybody.

“Across North Yorkshire, there are a lot of places like Ripon — Malton, Thirsk, Easingwold, Skipton and Richmond — that have a similar sized population to Ripon with not dissimilar issues. The focus on resolving those will be given a much higher priority.”

A central pledge in the case for reorganisation, called “double devolution”, was that town and parish councils could be handed more powers if they can make a successful business case.

Cllr Williams believes it will provide a golden opportunity for Ripon City Council to take control of assets that Harrogate Borough Council assumed when it was formed almost 50 years ago, such as the city’s neoclassical town hall.

He said:

“We’re hopeful of being selected as a pilot area for double devolution. We believe the new arrangements will provide a better opportunity for Ripon to have a greater control over its destiny.”

Taking back control

Cllr Barbara Brodigan is the Liberal Democrat councillor for Ripon Ure Bank & Spa and was elected in May 2022.

The former teacher has lived in Ripon for five years but before than lived in Knaresborough for 30 years. She’s excited about the potential benefits of double devolution.

Cllr Brodigan, pictured above, said:

“Ripon has long felt neglected but Ripon City Council could now have more control over our assets. I’m in favour of that. Ripon should be making decisions about Ripon.”

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Harrogate Borough Council would point to its multi-million-pound investment into the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre as an example of its commitment to the residents of Ripon.

But Cllr Brodigan described the project as an “ongoing farce” due to the location the council decided to build it and spiralling costs.

Other borough council projects, such as work on a masterplan for the regeneration of the city centre have been put on hold, which Cllr Brodigan said is holding Ripon back.

She added:

“People are waiting for the Ripon Renewal masterplan to be implemented so nothing can move forward. It’s sitting on a shelf in Harrogate. That would make a huge difference to city centre.

“When you come to Ripon you can’t see anything because of all the cars. It’s not attractive at all. Tourism is our major income stream yet we have a car park in the centre.”

At a Harrogate Borough Council meeting in 2021, Conservative deputy leader Graham Swift described the grievances of Ripon Independent councillor Pauline McHardy as like listening to the Scottish National Party.

Whether or not residents and councillors have justifiable frustrations at the relationship with Harrogate Borough Council, there is excitement within the city about the opportunities that local government reorganisation could bring.

North Yorkshire County Council has been urged to press on with its devolution plan amid claims it had received widespread public support, despite almost half of respondents to its consultation over the proposed governance change declining to support it.

The council’s Conservative-run executive will next Tuesday be asked to consider pressing ahead with plans to create a devolved government for the county and York, which it claims will bring “a host of benefits”, including new jobs, more affordable housing and measures to tackle climate change.

The council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: 

“To have so many people taking part in the public engagement is very welcome, as it shows the interest that is there on the proposed devolution deal.

“The responses will be carefully considered by the county council before a decision is taken to submit the results of the engagement to the government.”

Ahead of the meeting the authority issued a press release highlighting “widespread support” for its proposals, however a council report to the executive underlines some 46% cent of respondents to the consultation did not support the planned governance arrangements.

Leader of the opposition Independents group on the authority, Cllr Stuart Parsons, said: 

“I find it astounding that the council believes the support for its devolution proposals is widespread. 

“I would have thought if they had got 60 to 70% support they could claim that is widespread, but at the moment it sounds like it is thinly spread.”

An officer’s report to the executive recommends it endorses sending the consultation’s results to ministers to open the way for a combined authority, overseen by an elected mayor, which is scheduled to be established later this year.

Organisations ranging from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the York to the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network said they recognised the proposed combined authority was a tried and tested way of building strong local leadership with new powers.

Of the 583 people who provided comments that supported the proposed governance arrangements, numerous people raised concerns over increased bureaucracy.

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However, others said the proposal would result in an increase in democratic accountability, decentralising decision-making in York and North Yorkshire, enabling councils to “work together as one instead of piecemeal” and magnify the area’s voice on the national stage.

Supporters of the proposed deal said York and North Yorkshire could not compete for government funding with big cities in isolation and the proposed mayoral combined authority would offer both a stronger voice and routes to new and enhanced funding.

Nevertheless, of the 501 people who opposed the proposals, many raised concerns about increased bureaucracy, while others said there were too many politicians in the area without having the expense of a mayor and associated staff.

Opponents of the proposed devolution deal said it would introduce an additional layer of local government almost immediately after combining district, borough and county councils into a singular North Yorkshire Council.

Opponents also said the proposed system would erode democratic accountability, increasing distances between residents and decision-makers, taking power away into the large centres of population.

There were concerns expressed over the proportionality of representation between York and North Yorkshire, with many arguing that it would be fairer for the number of decision-making representatives on the proposed combined authority to be based on the two area’s populations.

Knaresborough Castle could stage more large scale public events in the wake of major political changes.

North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the castle when Harrogate Borough Council ceases to exist at the end of next month.

Councillor Carl Les and Richard Flinton, who will be leader and chief executive respectively of North Yorkshire Council, are due to visit the town on February 15 when they will discuss the future of the medieval fortress.

There was optimism at last night’s meeting of Knaresborough and District Chamber that the change of ownership could herald a bright new era for the castle, which was seized by Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarian troops in 1644 during the Civil War.

Knaresborough Castle, which overlooks the River Nidd, will be the only castle in the county controlled by North Yorkshire Council and there is a feeling among chamber members that the new leadership will be open to fresh ideas — including holding more events at the site.

Chamber member Bill Taylor told the meeting:

“The castle is massively under-utilised. I’ve been in Knaresborough 24 years and can only remember four or five big events.”

Peter Lacey, executive member of the chamber, said the key issue was to extend the lease on the land, which is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster.

Mr Lacey said the current lease is due to expire in about eight years and it was difficult to plan how to use the site until North Yorkshire Council negotiated an extension.

He added Knaresborough had “lots of willing partners” keen to work with the new council on initiatives at the castle and its grounds.

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Cllr Les has said the new council will champion “double devolution” by giving powers to local areas.

He previously said:

“We believe this double devolution which passports powers from Whitehall to the town hall and the town hall to the village hall is an exciting prospect.

“We are seeking more powers from the government, but we want more powers to be devolved to the very local area as well. We want to bring people together to get more things done at a local level.”

Mr Lacey said:

“When Carl Les says the council has the ambition to be the most local as well as the largest unitary council in the country, we will take him at his word.

“Knaresborough has been a spoke of Harrogate Borough Council for many years and now we want to become our own hub.”

North Yorkshire’s seven district and borough councils have been told any new major spending schemes they approve will not be ratified before they are abolished.

North Yorkshire County Council has written to the second tier councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, stating there is insufficient time before the new unitary North Yorkshire Council is launched on April 1 for it to consider the raft of large-scale schemes being submitted.

The decision is likely to come as a blow to many of the district authorities, which had been told they would continue to have a significant jurisdiction until Vesting Day, operating and making significant decisions for their residents, businesses and visitors.

Under the structural change order for local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire, which was laid down by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last May, the district and borough councils were given a legal requirement to request approval for some financial decisions.

It was underlined the district councils would be given “general consent” to approve smaller scale schemes, but the sanctions for not complying with the consent regime would be “severe”.

District and borough council schemes in recent months have seen elected members discussing a range of proposals to boost housing, leisure facilities, infrastructure and financial support for communities, many of which involve using their reserves ahead of the councils being scrapped.

For example, last week Richmondshire District Council approved a move to spend up to £240,000 on further repairs to Richmond swimming pool, a scheme which will need the county council’s consent.

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Numerous district councillors have spoken openly in meetings about their determination to spend their council’s coffers in the area in which they were raised, rather than allowing North Yorkshire Council to inherit and distribute them across the expansive county as it sees fit.

However, the county council’s leadership says the district council’s reserves could be needed to cover the costs of providing essential services for vulnerable people, such as social care.

The letter to the districts states the county council had expected giving general consent for smaller schemes would reduce the bureaucratic burden on it, but instead the district authorities had continued to submit a large and unmanageable number of spending requests for approval on a weekly basis.

It states: 

“We are now less than three months from Vesting Day for the new council, so the majority of schemes that were requested, and were not foreseen as part of the general consent, are likely to be capable of being delayed until post Vesting Day, when the new North Yorkshire Council can consider the matter.

“In addition, there is a duty on all councils to prepare for the new council and additional schemes at this stage are likely to seriously erode the capacity of councils and their staff to be able to provide the level of support desirable.”

The letter highlights how North Yorkshire Council is facing a large revenue deficit again next year and beyond, as well as unquantifiable risks on hundreds of millions of pounds of infrastructure plans.

It adds: 

“It is therefore important that resources are able to be directed to those principal area of responsibility including those commitments, deficits and projetcs bequeathed by all eight councils across North Yorkshire.”

‘Petty and wrong’

The letter says it has “been determined that no new section 24 requests will be considered, unless it is exceptionally urgent spend which endangers normal service delivery…”.

Nevertheless it adds: 

“This does not mean that those schemes are rejected, merely that they are subjected to full consideration by the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 onwards. Those that have already been submitted will be considered in due course.”

Leader of the opposition on the county council, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, said the county council’s move was short-sighted.

He said: 

“Blocking the districts and boroughs using their own monies to fund schemes, which will support their own residents, is I feel just petty and wrong.

“It smacks of the Tories at County Hall not being democratic and trying to cream off the districts’ and boroughs’ money to shore up their own pet projects. They are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”

North Yorkshire Council will deploy staff at Harrogate Borough Council’s Civic Centre, its chief executive has confirmed.

The Civic Centre at St Luke’s Avenue opened in December 2017 after HBC sold its offices in Harrogate, including Crescent Gardens for £4m, to help fund the move.

HBC said the move would lead to savings of £1m a year due to reduced maintenance and energy costs.

But with the impending abolition of the authority, there has been a question mark over what would happen to the building.

All of Harrogate Borough Council’s staff, except chief executive Wallace Sampson who is set to receive a redundancy package worth £101,274, will transfer over to the new authority on April 1.

North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton, who will become the boss of the new council, told business leaders in Harrogate last night that the new authority “has no intention of sucking people into a ‘super HQ’ based at County Hall (In Northallerton)”.

He was speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting at Rudding Park alongside Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of NYCC and future leader of the new authority.

Mr Flinton said:

“We want a main office in every district area, We will be keeping the new office building in Harrogate and basing staff there. All the planners, development and housing people — all the main people that businesses and the public need to engage with — will be based in Harrogate.”

There had been concerns that, through the devolution process, the newly-built, bespoke council headquarters would no longer be needed as services were centralised across North Yorkshire.

The project was initially forecast to cost in the region of £9m, with £4m of that paid for by the sale of its other buildings. A contract of £11.5m was awarded to construction firm Harry Fairclough Ltd which has since gone into administration

HBC has since said the overall cost of the civic centre was £13.1m. However, an investigation by the Stray Ferret revealed the actual cost, including the value of the land which had not been included by the council, was in fact at least £17m.

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Mr Flinton last night said preparations are ongoing to ensure a smooth transition from April 1. He compared the situation to the new millennium in 2000 when there were fears that technology would stop working when the clock struck midnight.

He said he wants local government reorganisation “to be the new millennium bug”.

“There was hype, worries and concern then it was a damp squib. There’s a million and one concerns but I hope it’s a millennium bug scenario and services are enjoyed by residents as they continue to be now.”

He added:

“There will be a lot of lifting and shifting of teams from the districts to the new unitary. That restructuring will carry on for the next year or so. Bear with us through that period.”

Now is your time to shine with the Stray Ferret Business Awards. We are encouraging businesses of all sizes from right across the Harrogate district to enter for our awards and get recognition from our top panel of judges. Entries close on January 16.

The effect of North Yorkshire devolution on Harrogate businesses will be in the spotlight at a meeting tonight.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, and Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, will address business leaders at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce event.

The meeting will focus on how changes in local government from April 1 and the prospect of a directly elected mayor for the county will impact traders.

David Simister, chamber chief executive, said: 

“The creation of a new, single tier authority is the biggest change in local government since 1974, and we are delighted to have Cllr Les and Mr Flinton with us for our first meeting of 2023.

“We are keen to hear from them their vision for economic growth, and to know what the likely implications of greater devolution, and a directly elected mayor for North Yorkshire, will be for the district’s business community.

“Harrogate Convention Centre is one of the biggest economic drivers for the district. Currently owned and operated by Harrogate Borough Council, come April 1 it will then fall under the new authority.

“We have learned that a new strategic board is to be created to oversee the proposed £49m redevelopment project, and to assess the most appropriate operating model for the venue in the future. What we don’t know yet is the makeup of this body.”

The meeting will be held at Rudding Park Hotel and doors will open for networking from 5.30pm. Speakers will start at 6.15pm.

For information on how to attend the meeting, visit the chamber website here.

Housing developer creates North Yorkshire division

A housing developer has announced it has set up a North Yorkshire regional division as part of its business.

Avant Homes, which has approval for an 80-home development in Green Hammerton, launched the new division. It is expected to include 726 homes across five schemes.

It also includes projects in York and Leeds and is valued at £206 million.

Scott Varley, regional chairman of Avant Homes, said:

“Avant Homes North Yorkshire is an exciting expansion to our business which forms part of our ongoing nationwide strategic growth plan.

“Launching with three developments underway, and two others receiving planning approval, means we have a great deal of momentum in North Yorkshire allowing us to deliver much-needed, new-build homes for people in the region.”

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There can be no doubt that times are tough for retail and hospitality.

After surviving the challenges of covid, businesses have this year faced the cost of living crisis.

Not only does this mean their own bills are rising, from energy tariffs to stock on their shelves and in their kitchens, but it’s also putting pressure on their customers’ budgets.

Meanwhile, debate continues fiercely about the best way to support those businesses and balance the other, competing needs of communities at the same time.

Here are the big stories to look out for affecting our town and city centres in 2023.

Station Gateway

The coming year is likely to see a decision about whether this controversial project is to go ahead or not.

There have been vocal objections since it was first suggested back in February 2021 and, in practice, little progress has been made.

However, the last month or so has seen some indication that things may begin to happen in the new year.

A planning application has been submitted to remove the tempietto outside the Victoria Shopping Centre. It may not be the full scheme, but its removal is central to the wider plans being possible, indicating preparations are now being made.

Meanwhile, Cllr Keane Duncan – who picked up the project as North Yorkshire County Council’s new head of transport after Don Mackenzie stood down – indicated his continuing support for the £11.9m scheme.

Despite months of silence, Cllr Duncan said in December the council remained committed to the Station Gateway.

However, his enthusiasm was tempered by the news that the council was still analysing the results of the third round of consultation. The authority would also speak to Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors before deciding how to proceed, he said.

The anticipated start date has already been put back to late 2023. Whether or not that is further delayed, by this time next year, we should at least know whether the project is going to proceed, and in what form.

Knaresborough transport

While Harrogate ties itself in knots over cars, bicycles and buses, near neighbours in Knaresborough have come up with two alternative solutions.

A cliff lift has long been mooted to help locals and visitors alike have an easier journey between the low levels of the river and the heights of the castle.

Renaissance Knaresborough said earlier this year that the project is still an aspiration, but was being held up by the process of devolution.

The land required is leased by Harrogate Borough Council and its owner, the Duchy of Lancaster, was reluctant to agree a new deal until devolution had been finalised.

However, Renaissance Knaresborough said it was “no longer a question of if, but when” the project would be delivered after an independent tourism consultant said it would be viable.

The cliff lift and road train could take people from Waterside to the town centre. Photo: Mike Smith

Meanwhile, Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and local businessman Tony Bennett said they were investigating the possibility of introducing a road train to the town.

Outlining that the project would have to run on a commercial basis, the chamber of trade said it was speaking to a train supplier and was looking for an operator.

Hopes that it would be up and running for the summer, however, did not come to fruition.

With devolution now just a few months away, the cliff lift project could make progress this year, while the road train, being much more easy to set up, could also be revived in time for the tourist season.

Read more:

• Looking ahead 2023: Major development in the Harrogate district
• Looking ahead 2023: Devolution – what happens now?

Harrogate BID vote

After a rocky first couple of years of existence, Harrogate BID (business improvement district) has settled into its work of supporting and promoting businesses in the town centre since the height of the covid pandemic.

But the upcoming 12 months will see it face one major challenge.

When a BID is formed, it has a five-year term to prove its worth and persuade its members that they should continue to pay for its existence.

Harrogate BID’s first vote took place in late 2018 and it began operations in early 2019. Its five-year term therefore ends this time next year.

The vote over whether to continue the BID is expected to take place this summer.

The electorate is made up exclusively of those businesses which are in the BID area and have a large enough rateable value to be included in the organisation.

Public opinion counts for nothing: it’s all down to the businesses and whether they feel the BID has proved to be value for money over the last five years.

There’s no doubt it has been active, especially in the run-up to Christmas: it partnered with Harrogate Borough Council and others to deliver the Christmas Fayre, Candy Cane Express, ice rink and fairground rides through December.

Over recent months, it has also paid for free parking for fixed periods in December, organised additional street cleaning, organised energy-saving workshops for its members, and brought other entertainments to the town centre.

Its plans in early 2023 include funding free travel on Sundays of the Harrogate Bus Company’s electric services, as well as setting up events for members to find out more about protecting themselves against terrorism.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman

BID manager Matthew Chapman clearly rates its work: after announcing his departure in the summer, he had a change of heart in the autumn and decided to stay on.

Expect to see significant activity over the coming six months as the BID continues to try to prove its value in making the town centre the best it can be in these challenging times.

But will the BID have done enough to convince its voters to continue contributing to the pot that pays for its existence?

We’ll find out later this year.

Town council powers

With devolution finally happening across North Yorkshire in April, there are still questions over what it could mean on a more local level – particularly for our town and city councils.

NYCC has invited lower tier authorities to apply for more powers once North Yorkshire Council takes over.

It could affect all parish councils across the Harrogate district. Those most likely to be impacted are the ones taking care of a sizeable population, such as the town councils in Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and Masham, which might have the capacity to take on more work.

Ripon City Council, meanwhile, has already said it is keen to have control of more of the city’s assets, reversing what it sees as years of neglect from those who have held both the keys and the purse strings.

As well as the town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and Wakeman’s House, the council could apply to run Market Square – and even the public toilets.

However, it’s far from a done deal.

Once expressions of interest have been received from parish councils by the end of March, the new unitary council will choose six lower tier authorities to develop a business case.

While it’s likely it would take many months for any power to be devolved to parish councils, there should be some progress before the end of the year for those six chosen to be involved.

When Harrogate Borough Council is abolished in April, the first signs of political change in the district will come to fruition.

This year, we can also expect to hear more about the £540 million devolution deal for North Yorkshire which has been agreed in principle.

But what happens now with devolution and when can we expect to see a new mayor and combined authority that comes with the deal?

What happens from April?

On April 1, Harrogate Borough Council will no longer exist.

It will be replaced by North Yorkshire Council, which is replacing all seven district authorities and North Yorkshire County Council.

It means that council tax will be paid to the new council and services, assets and planning decisions will be transferred to the new authority.

What about the devolution deal?

The £540 million devolution deal, which includes a directly elected mayor for North Yorkshire and York, has been agreed in principle.

A public consultation on the deal was completed last month.

However, it still has to be ratified by both City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

It is expected that this will come before both councils in February 2023 to decide whether to proceed with the deal.

When will a mayor for North Yorkshire be elected?

Councillors still need to agree to the devolution deal in order to start setting up the office of an elected mayor for North Yorkshire.

Both councils can then undertake a governance review in order to create the position of mayor.

According to the timetable outlined in the devolution deal agreed between City of York Council, the county council and government, a mayor could be elected in May 2024, should all go ahead.

What about the combined authority?

As part of a devolution deal which was announced this week, a combined authority will be set up for North Yorkshire and York.

The move will be historic for the county as it joins Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Tees Valley in setting up such an authority.

A combined authority is a body set up for two or more councils to make joint decisions.

In this case, the upcoming North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council would come together to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

Should it be given the go-ahead, a combined authority could be set up for North Yorkshire and York by autumn this year.

Read more:

• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials
• North Yorkshire leaders set up devolution decision making body

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look back at the significant news broken by the Stray Ferret as part of our commitment to hold those in control of public money to account.

Throughout 2022, the Stray Ferret has continued to report on stories affecting readers across the Harrogate district.

From revealing the latest planning applications for major developments to recording cases going through local courts, we have ensured matters of public record are shared with our readers.

Among our most-read stories this year was the live blog delivering the results from the elections to the new North Yorkshire Council. It was a significant day for the Harrogate district, with the Conservatives’ hold on power slipping in favour of the Liberal Democrats, who won 10 seats in the area to the Tories’ nine, along with one Green and an independent.

Across the county, the Conservatives’ majority slipped to just four, having previously secured 76% of the vote at the last county-wide election.

Investigations

Next year, Harrogate Borough Council will be no more as a new unitary authority comes into effect on April 1, but in its final days, it is still being held to account by our journalists.

This autumn, we revealed the results of a two-year investigation into the identity of the person behind an anonymous Twitter account.

As @ChippyGlory, parking enforcement manager Steve Rogers had been posting abusive, misogynistic and obscene messages. He targeted high-profile people, including the then-Prime Minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, as well as local individuals.

Among his victims was Cllr Matthew Webber, who said he was offended by what Mr Rogers had posted about him and would be contacting the chief executive about the way the council had been brought into disrepute by the tweets.

Read more:

• What now for Harrogate Convention Centre after investment zones dropped?
• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials

Mr Rogers apologised, and resigned later that week, though not before another row began.

After Liberal Democrat leader Pat Marsh called publicly for Mr Rogers to be dismissed, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper sent an email to all councillors calling for an apology – from Cllr Webber, for following Twitter accounts which were insulting towards Cllr Cooper.

Cllr Cooper wrote:

“Clearly if, as you state, Mr Rogers’ actions on his Twitter account bring the council into disrepute then the same could apply to your actions in following accounts clearly and specifically designed to insult and degrade me.

“I hope you will considering apologising and stop following those accounts and any others that I haven’t spotted that seek to demean, ridicule and insult local politicians.”

The council leader also copied the email to Mr Rogers, “for transparency’s sake”, and to chief executive Wallace Sampson.

Cllr Richard Cooper and Wallace Sampson

Mr Sampson was then forced to issue an instruction to all councillors to remain silent on the issue. He told them:

“Any further public comment or communication regarding this matter must cease with immediate effect, as such actions could be prejudicial to ensuring a fair and transparent process as the investigation takes its course.”

Contracts

This year, the Stray Ferret also reported on major contracts awarded by both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

In January, a request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that HBC had paid Bristol-based travel blogger Heather Cowper £700 plus VAT to promote its Christmas offerings.

Gemma Rio, the head of the council’s tourism marketing body Destination Harrogate, defended the spend, saying:

“Social media advertising and the use of influencers to increase brand awareness looks like it will continue to be one of the most beneficial marketing tools.

“We’re keen to continue using it to showcase what the Harrogate district has to offer and stand out amongst competitor destinations.”

However, the project led to a further clash between councillors and the chief executive after Cllr Matthew Webber publicly criticised what he saw as an “appalling waste of money”. Mr Sampson said Cllr Webber’s comment had caused “a great deal of hurt” to council staff.

Harrogate Spring Water

After a two-year fight, the Stray Ferret finally obtained details of how much income Harrogate Borough Council receives from Harrogate Spring Water.

As well as its £13,000 ground rent per annum, the authority receives a percentage of annual turnover from the business – but it had refused to reveal how much this amounted to after requests from this website.

An appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office led to the authority being told to reconsider its decision – and the numbers were finally revealed.

Since 2017, HBC has received almost £500,000 from Harrogate Spring Water.

Harrogate Spring Water, Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Meanwhile, a further request under the Freedom of Information Act showed that HBC had told the water company it would consider selling Rotary Wood – the piece of land controversially earmarked for expansion of the bottling plant.

And in October, we revealed that Harrogate Spring Water had been given permission to test water in a borehole at HBC’s Harlow Hill nursery, which is currently allocated for a new housing development.

The company said the results “weren’t what [it was] looking for” but it continued to try to understand the local groundwater in more detail.

The latest plans to expand the bottling plant were said to be being “finalised” in September but have not yet been submitted to the council.

In Ripon, an £85,000 contract looking at the renewal of the city centre was paused in August, more than a year after it was announced.

Bauman Lyons Architects had been commissioned in February 2021 to draw up plans to create a vision for the city, which would help it to win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.

However, the one-year deadline for the project was missed and, in August, HBC’s director of economy and culture Trevor Watson admitted he did not know when it would be finished. He said it was the council’s “intention” that it would conclude before HBC is abolished in April 2023.

Kex Gill

Meanwhile, at NYCC, a contract worth more than £50m was awarded to Irish firm John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd for work on the rerouting of the A59 at Kex Gill.

The total amount allocated to the project now stands at £68.8m along with an £11m contingency for bad weather and ground conditions – but work has been delayed until early 2023 and is expected to take more than two years.

Also this year, a £5m contract was awarded to four national consultancy firms as part of the process of transferring to the new unitary authority.

KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PA Consulting Ltd and Capita Business Service Ltd were all contracted to support the reorganisation – but the move came under fire from both independents and Liberal Democrats, who questioned why the expertise of council officers could not be used.

In November, NYCC commissioned London-based Steer-ED to draw up a strategy for economic growth in North Yorkshire, with a contract worth almost £90,000.

An Oxfordshire company was awarded £200,000 to oversee a review of junctions relating to house building in the west of Harrogate. NYCC selected RPS Consulting Services Ltd to oversee the work, part of the West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy, building on the West Harrogate Parameters Plan.

And finally, this year the Stray Ferret continued to monitor the long saga of Harrogate Convention Centre and plans for its refurbishment to the tune of £49m.

The proposal was first publicised more than two years ago but devolution, changes to government policies and shifting goalposts for potential sources of funding have all played a part in its slow progress.

A steering group, consisting of officials from both HBC and NYCC, has been set up to decide how the centre should be run in future and how to fund investment.

The Stray Ferret will continue to report on the way public money is spent across the Harrogate district in what is set to be a year of significant change.