End date for Kirkby Malzeard roadworks finally givenLaughter as Yorkshire Water offers to sponsor village bonfire to ‘apologise’ for road chaosFarm buildings on Swinton Estate could be converted into housingThe Masham businesswoman aiming to be North Yorkshire’s first mayor

Felciity Cunliffe-Lister has not been in the political arena for long — but she feels she is the strongest candidate to become the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The co-owner of the Swinton Estate in Masham is the Liberal Democrat candidate on polling day on May 2.

However, despite being the official party candidate, she believes the role should be decided on who has the best business skillset.

She told the Stray Ferret that her two decades experience of running Swinton coupled with her years as a commercial property lawyer in London put her in a good position for the role.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“The reason why I’m doing it personally is because I think you need somebody with the right skillset to do it.

“I think you need somebody with a really strong proven track record in business. I don’t think you should be appointing someone with a strong political career.”

Ms Cunliffe-Lister worked in property law in London during her 20s. One of the major projects she was involved with was London Eye.

She moved to Masham with husband Mark following the family buy-back of Swinton Park.  The couple converted the castle into a hotel and opened it in 2001.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister

The Swinton estate as a whole now has a £6 million turnover and employs 150 people.

It’s this that Ms Cunliffe-Lister points to when pressed on what qualifies her to to run for mayor:

“I know how to run an organisation and I know how to be a leader. I know how to give people a clear vision. But I also have the experience of knowing what it is like to run a business and I understand what the challenges are.”

Manifesto pledges

But the role does come with an element of politics.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who is also North Yorkshire councillor for Mashams and Fountains division, launched her manifesto at the start of April.

Her pledges included a campaign for better services on the Harrogate to York line, a single ticket integrated bus services and converting empty premises above shops into flats.

She also pledged support for a new rail station at Flaxby Parkway, which has its roots in the long running debate over whether it should have hosted a new 3,000-home settlement in the Harrogate district.

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When asked if she had any specific priorities for Harrogate, she pointed to the town’s convention centre which she said has had a “shadow of doubt” hanging over it.

North Yorkshire Council revealed in March it had abandoned plans for a £57 million refurbishment of the ageing events and exhibitions venue, citing complexities and cost.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said the centre was still viable and there were “easy wins” which could help it to be operated successfully:

“I would like to see the Harrogate Convention Centre up and running successfully without this shadow of doubt hanging over it any longer. 

“There are some really easy wins there. It’s just not been run commercially and it could easily do so. I would like to enable that to happen for it to be able to function properly. I think it is viable as a site.”

Aside from specific pledges, Ms Cunliffe-Lister also ruled out levying a mayoral precept on council tax and said she would consider appointing a deputy to oversee the police and fire service functions.

When asked whether she was confident going into election day, she said she felt she was the candidate with the strongest skillset:

“If you consider the skills of the person, and I do strongly believe that you need to elect a mayor based on that point alone, in my view I’ve got the best set of skills to do that. 

“I think in mayoral elections, people do not necessarily vote according to the party that they normally support. I think it’s down to the personality of the candidate.”

The York and North Yorkshire mayor will be chosen by residents of the region in an election on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

The deadline to register to vote is 11:59pm, Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

The candidates are:

Stray Ferret chairs mayoral hustings event

The Stray Ferret chaired a hustings event this week as the race to become the county’s first directly elected mayor enters its final three weeks.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Conservative Keane Duncan, the Green Party’s Kevin Foster and Labour’s David Skaith were quizzed in front of a live audience of business owners.

Tamsin O’Brien, the owner of the Stray Ferret, chaired the business-themed event, which was jointly organised by the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Make UK.

Each candidate outlined what they stood for and was quizzed by Ms O’Brien as well as audience members.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister

Ms Cunliffe-Lister is a North Yorkshire councillor and former commercial property lawyer who now owns Swinton Park, near Masham

She said 20,000-acre Swinton Park had doubled in size to employ 150 people and and diversified to include activities such as camping and a cookery school.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“I am the only candidate with the leadership, the business experience and the skills that are essential for this role. I am a politician with a career — I am not a career politician.”

Keane Duncan

Former Daily Star journalist Mr Duncan, who is the executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council, pledged a range of initiatives including free car parking for every town and city, support for dualling of the A64, £1 bus fares for under 21s, the region’s first mutual bank for businesses, and buying and restoring Scarborough’s Grand Hotel.

He said:

“I am standing in this election to shake things up, to do things in a different way, to break from the same old status quo politics that have held our region back for too long.”

Asked whether the mayor will be able to fund such schemes such as free parking, he said his plans for two hours or less of free parking currently costed the council £2.9 million and he would pledge that sum.

Kevin Foster

Mr Foster, the Green Party leader on North Yorkshire Council and a former army reservist, said not being a member of one of the large political parties meant he would be able to unite the different factions at Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council and Labour-run City of York Council.

He talked about the need for “a first class bidding system when we go for grants”, and creating “a better, cleaner, greener place for our businesses”. Mr Foster said:

“If one of the big parties get in it could be politics again as normal. i’ve never been whipped by my party, they would never tell me what to do, I’ve got freedom to make my own choices. I am focused on the task and have leadership skills.”

David Skaith

Harrogate-born Labour candidate David Skaith, who owns a shop and chairs York High Street Forum, said the first thing he would do as mayor would be to introduce a high street fund that would provide access to funding and support for businesses.

Mr Skaith said:

“Coming from having my own business, I don’t believe in having huge bold plans that are not realistic. I can’t buy into that and it’s not how business functions.

“We must build truly affordable homes for ownership and for rent, an integrated transport system with simpler harmonised ticketing system.”

The evening was a selective hustings event, run in accordance with electoral commission guidelines. This meant the Independent candidates, Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam, were not eligible to take part.

Voters go the polls to elect the mayor on May 2.

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Harrogate gallery owner creates woodland in memory of Sycamore Gap tree

An artist with a gallery in Harrogate has created a woodland in memory of the felled Sycamore Gap tree.

Lucy Pittaway painted an image of the famous tree with a Northern Lights backdrop after being moved by its destruction in September.

In December she vowed to plant a tree for every print sold and sought the help of a landowner to use the trees to create a public woodland. Almost 2,400 paintings have been bought so far.

The newly created Lucy Pittaway Sycamore Gap Trail near Masham will be publicly accessible and aims to bring new life to an area of the Swinton Estate devastated by larch tree disease.

Visitors to the trail will follow a pathway formed by chippings from the felled larch trees on a woodland walk which will also feature artistic installations, areas to relax and education boards.

Lucy Pittaway at the easel with her Sycamore Gap Tree painting.

Ms Pittaway, whose Harrogate gallery is on James Street, said:

“Like everyone else I was so saddened to hear about the felling of the tree, to now see this new woodland coming to life is wonderful and I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped us come this far.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, owner of the Swinton Estate, answered the call for the help of a landowner and she joined Ms Pittaway in planting the first of the new saplings.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“Like many areas of the countryside we have lost so many trees from larch blight and so regenerating the area through this project is a perfect fit, I think we are appreciating more and more the importance of conservation and the positive impact that trees and the countryside have on our well-being.”

Lucy Pittaway (left) with Swinton Estate owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister.

The first 600 saplings will be planted during April, mainly sycamore along with oak, rowan, hazel and other native trees. The estate’s forestry team will then plant hundreds more saplings over the coming months and more mature species from the autumn.

The new woodland will regenerate part of the plantation that surrounds a 200-year-old folly known as the Druid’s Temple. In recent years the area has lost many trees to the fungal disease phytophthora ramorum that has ravaged trees across Britain.

Ms Pittaway added:

“I hope this is an area that can be used for relaxation for generations to come, If it can inspire people’s interest in art and the countryside then the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree will be a positive one.”

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Lib Dem mayor candidate pledges support for Flaxby train station

The Liberal Democrat candidate to be York and North Yorkshire’s first directly elected mayor has pledged to support a station at Flaxby Park, if elected.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister announced the policy as part of her manifesto launch.

The announcement also included pledges to campaign for better services on the Harrogate to York line, a single ticket integrated bus services and converting empty premises above shops into flats.

The Lib Dem candidate’s support for Flaxby Parkway has its roots in a long running saga over the need for a station in the area, which developers Flaxby Park Ltd promised in 2018.

The topic was at the centre of a debate for a new 3,000 home settlement in the Harrogate district, which was subject of a High Court appeal in 2020. The former Harrogate Borough Council later settled instead on an area in Hammerton and Cattal, which will be called Maltkiln.

In her manifesto pledge, Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“We need a faster and more reliable service across the north, this is key to delivering economic growth in the region, and I will lobby hard for this. 

“Within the region, I will support Flaxby Parkway station and park and ride, the addition of a second platform at Malton, improvement of access at Thirsk and explore the viability of increasing the service on the York to Harrogate line.”

Meanwhile, Ms Cunliffe-Lister added she would invest in the green energy and bioeconomy sectors to generate growth and to create a catchment wide natural flood management scheme for the Nidd, Ure and Swale rivers.

She also pledged to create flats in empty premises above shops in market towns and to control second home and holiday let ownership with regulation and licensing schemes.

She said:

“Having lived and raised a family in North Yorkshire and run a successful business there for 24 years, many of my policies are based on my experience and legal background. 

“I have also taken specialist advice on some of the more thorny issues, to help establish what the most effective solutions are to the issues we face, that will also deliver the best value for money.”

Voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls on May 2 to elect the first ever mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on April 16.

Who is standing for mayor?

Pateley Bridge man and former police officer Keith Tordoff will stand as an independent.

The Green Party has chosen councillor and former soldier Kevin Foster as its candidate.

The Conservative Party has picked Malton councillor and ex-journalist Keane Duncan, who is currently in charge of transport at North Yorkshire Council.

Labour has chosen local business owner and chair of the York High Street Forum David Skaith.

Harrogate resident and North Yorkshire councillor, Paul Haslam, will stand as an independent candidate after resigning from the Conservative Party.

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Government urged to help rural areas near Masham get broadband

Masham and Fountains councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister has written to the government urging it to help rural areas without broadband get connected.

About 300 homes in Masham and Fountains — about nine per cent of the total — are without fibre optic broadband to their premises.

A meeting organised by Cllr Lister last month heard this number might not reduce for several years.

This has prompted her to write to science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan asking her to bring back a voucher scheme that enabled people to install their own gigabit-capable connections at reduced cost.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat who was elected to North Yorkshire Council this year, said in her letter:

“A voucher payment could, for example, help subsidise the cost of a Starlink satellite connection (£500), or for a community to pay to install a mobile mast or wireless broadband transmitter.

“This would otherwise be out of reach for most of my rural residents who are largely hill farmers, agricultural workers or otherwise on a relatively low income.”

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister said the roll out of broadband had been effective in urban locations in North Yorkshire but “rural residents will be feeling more remote and isolated than ever before”.

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She added:

“There are many issues that are a daily challenge to living in remote locations, but a good broadband connection would be transformational and would help breathe life back into communities that are struggling to survive.

“In terms of the levelling up agenda, these are the residents who should have been first in the queue.”

New councillor ready to ‘get stuck in’ after Masham and Fountains win

The new councillor for Masham and Fountains has vowed to “make a difference” as she takes up her role.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister  won 1,349 votes in yesterday’s by-election in the Masham and Fountains division, called following the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson last year.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, who holds the title Countess of Swinton and owns the Swinton Estate, won the seat on North Yorkshire County Council at the second time of asking after coming second as an independent to Cllr Atkinson last year.

She said she was “really, really, really happy” to win, adding:

“I was hopeful it would turn my way. There’s a lot to do and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

She was supported at the count by veteran Harrogate councillors Pat Marsh and Philip Broadbank, as well as two of the party’s 2022 intake, Ripon Ure Bank & Spa councillor Barbara Brodigan and Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale councillor Andrew Murday.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister is congratulated on her victory by fellow Liberal DemocratsCllr Cunliffe-Lister receiving congratulations from fellow Liberal Democrats at the count in Ripon

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister added:

“It’s great that hopefully the tide is turning for the Lib Dems and people are recognising we are really effective in local government. We can make a difference and get things done.”

The count was held in Ripon last night and the result announced around midnight, along with the turnout of of 35.52%.

The victory for the Lib Dems means the Tories now have a majority of just two, although they are still far and away the largest party with 46 councillors.

The Lib Dems are the second largest party with 13 councillors.

Conservative Brooke Hull, the only other candidate in the by-election, said national issues played into the minds of voters.

She also criticised “mud-slinging” from the Liberal Democrats, including an accusation she was trying to distance herself from the Conservative Party in her campaign leaflets.

Ms Hull paid tribute to the former councillor Margaret Atkinson and said her legacy in the area will be remembered.

“I’m sad for Margaret. I would have liked to have won for her family. She’ll be remembered for what she did and her legacy. We all know she was a fantastic councillor.”

Liberal Democrats win Masham and Fountains by-election

The Conservative majority on North Yorkshire County Council has been reduced to two after Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister – the Countess of Swinton – swept to victory in yesterday’s by-election for the Masham and Fountains division.

With this result, the make-up of North Yorkshire County Council – and the new North Yorkshire unitary authority that comes into being on April 1 – will see the Conservatives with 46 seats to the 44 belonging to opposition parties

The countess polled 1,349 votes in a two-horse race against Conservative candidate Brooke Hull, who received 801.

The seat became vacant after the sudden death in November of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson, who was appointed as the last chair of North Yorkshire County Council following the local elections in May.

At that May 2022 election, Felicity Cuncliffe-Lister stood as an Independent and polled 738 votes to finish second to Mrs Atkinson, who received 1,076 votes. The Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper received 620 votes.

The Masham and Fountains division covers a large rural area that includes Kirkby Malzeard, Galphay, Grewelthorpe, Grantley, Sawley, Markington and Ripley, as well as Masham.

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