The bird garden at Harewood House will close for the final time at the end of February half term.

The Harewood House Trust announced in January that the attraction would close in the face of a £4 million bill to bring it up to modern standards.

At the time, the charity said the birds would be re-homed over a six-month period, with a final closure date to be confirmed later in the year.

Now, that date has been set: Sunday, February 19 will be the last opening day.

The only exception is the penguin pool, which the trust said it hoped could remain open until the summer.

A spokesperson said:

“Over the next few weeks, the birds – many of which are exotic or endangered – will be re-homed in licensed zoos in the UK better equipped long-term to ensure they continue to have comfortable and enriched lives and to ensure their life-long care.”

The Harewood House Trust said it had faced a difficult few years, particularly with the covid pandemic, and its trustees were “acutely aware of the financial pressures” on the historic estate.

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The bird garden was first opened more than 50 years ago and while its last zoo inspection praised the health and care of the birds, it also identified problems with the site’s infrastructure.

The trustees investigated refurbishment and potential sources of funding but, in the face of a £4 million investment, decided to close the bird garden. It will be replaced with a woodland garden with opportunities to see native species of birds and animals.

The farm experience will remain on site, and the trustees are hoping to improve the area around the courtyard for visitors, opening up views across the estate.

A statement today expressed the trust’s sadness at closing the bird garden, which it said had been a favourite experience for many generations of visitors, but said it could not make the bird garden the experience it should be.

The spokesperson added:

“We realise that many of Harewood’s visitors love the Bird Garden and have children who love it too. It has been an incredibly difficult conclusion to reach but it is the most responsible and ethical decision to make, to ensure the health and care of these beautiful creatures, but also to ensure Harewood can stand the test of time and be here for as long as it has stood already…

“Thank you to all our members, visitors, volunteers and supporters for your continued support and your understanding. Harewood looks forward to welcoming you throughout 2023 and beyond.”

North Yorkshire Council will have enough reserves to ride out another national event such as soaring inflation, a senior council official has said.

Gary Fielding, corporate director for strategic resources at the authority, said the council has planned for a “one-off use” of its reserves to cover a £30 million shortfall for the upcoming financial year.

The council is facing pressures from inflation, rising cost of utilities and taking on structural deficits from other district councils.

Around £18 million from the districts will be taken on by North Yorkshire Council, plus a further £12 million for an in-year shortfall.

As part of the budget plans, the county council will dip into its reserves to cover the financial blackhole.

Despite the use of reserves, Mr Fielding said he felt the council would still be in a good position to withstand another national event, such as a pandemic or soaring inflation rates.

He said:

“I think we are well placed to ride out the issues in the coming years.

“I would describe these times as unprecedented and that is after two years of covid.”

Part of the council’s shortfall is down to energy costs and pay awards.

Energy bills for North Yorkshire’s current eight councils stood at about £6 million in 2021/22, rising to £15.5 million for the current financial year.

They are predicted to rise to £31 million for the forthcoming financial year from April 1.

Meanwhile, inflationary pressures, including pay awards, previously accounted for an increase of about £19 million a year across the eight North Yorkshire councils.

However, the dramatic rise in inflation to more than 10% a year has seen £66 million having to be allocated to next year’s proposed budget to cope with the increase.

Mr Fielding pointed out that other councils were serving section 114 notices – a measure taken in dire financial circumstances.

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Thurrock Council, Slough Borough Council and Croydon Council have all issued such notices, which effectively declare the authority as bankrupt and ban any further spending.

However, Mr Fielding said he felt confident the council was not in that position.

He told senior councillors this morning:

“I am confident that we are not that organisation and will not be that organisation.”

‘Heavy heart’ over council tax hike

Senior councillors this morning recommended a 4.99% increase in council tax for the entirety of North Yorkshire.

The proposal, which would see a band D rate of £1,759.96 for the year, will go to councillors at the authority’s full council meeting for a final decision.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of the county council, said it was “with a heavy heart” that the authority had to propose an increase.

He said:

“As we sit here today I can see no alternative to that 4.99% increase.

“Every one per cent that we take off that equates to a loss of funding of £4.1 million year on year.”

The council is proposing the sum in order to meet costs for providing public services across the county.

It has also decided that council tax rates will be harmonised for the next two years – meaning taxpayers will pay the same sum across the county.

This story is sponsored by Revo Kitchens.

If you are planning on treating yourself to a new kitchen for the New Year, now is the time to take advantage of Revo Kitchens’ incredible opening offers.

The German kitchen superstore launched its 10,000 sq ft showroom at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park in September.

To celebrate, the company introduced a series of deals, including free worktop upgrades and tile discounts.

Dream kitchen

However, the promotion is set to end on Christmas Eve. So now is the time to visit the showroom and choose your dream kitchen.

Adam Challis, owner of Revo Kitchens, said:

“We have been really busy since we opened and customers have enjoyed receiving the added bonus of our opening offers.

“But all good things must come to an end and the promotion will finish on Christmas Eve.”

However, Mr Challis pointed out that after this date customers still have a great range of finance options.

He said:

“When it comes to having a luxury German kitchen, there is no need to break the bank.

“We can offer varied finance options to suit your needs and finances to make your kitchen affordable to you.

“Our most popular options are the Buy Now Pay Later and 0% interest. A third option is a low deposit (10%) and low interest bearing (5.9% apr) loan available up to four years.”

Revo Kitchens is a new showroom concept created by the family behind Inter Ceramica, which the Challis family launched in Harrogate more than 30 years ago.

It offers Germany’s number one kitchen brand ‘Nolte Kuchen’, alongside an expert design service and superior customer support.

The business is aimed at being a blend of the family company-based caring approach, featuring in-depth knowledge and product quality, alongside the benefits offered by bigger corporate brands. This includes finance options and a delivery team with a large fleet of vehicles.

The kitchens range from £3,000 upwards and finance is available from £29 per month.

Last chance

The opening offers, which are available until December 24, are:

Economic growth in the Harrogate district has been slower than regional and national averages since the district took a £438 million hit during covid.

Gross Value Added (GVA) data published by Harrogate Borough Council shows the local economy contracted by 10% – or £438 million – during 2020 and that growth has lagged behind Yorkshire and the Humber and the UK.

GVA measures the value of goods and services produced in an area, and Harrogate’s figure was set to reach £4.3 billion before the pandemic struck.

It now stands at £3.87 billion – down from £4.26 billion in 2017/18.

A council report said economic performance has been “positive” given the impacts of covid and Brexit, but added there are “continuing challenges that need to be addressed” as experts forecast a gloomy outlook with a UK recession on the horizon.

The report said:

“Overall the performance has been positive but key factors that must be taken into account are that of the UK’s exit from the European Union and the covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 in particular has had a significant impact on GVA with the district seeing a 10% reduction in the economy.

“Looking forward post pandemic, forecasts show that job numbers will not return to pre-covid levels and therefore increasing productivity becomes more of a priority than ever.”

Other figures show the total number of businesses registered in Harrogate increased by 4% between 2016 and 2021 – below both the regional and national averages of 8% and 13%.

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In more positive figures, unemployment is low at 3.1% and the council has been keen to highlight its support for businesses during covid when it handed out more than £96 million to firms which were severely impacted by lockdown restrictions.

The report to a cabinet meeting on Wednesday has recommended “closing down” the council’s covid recovery plan, whilst also providing a review of its economic growth strategy which was adopted in 2017.

At the time it was adopted, the strategy identified a low wage economy and high house prices leading to a “brain drain” of people moving out of Harrogate as key problems facing the district.

These issues are still very much prevalent with average salaries of £25,000 below the UK figure of £30,000 and Harrogate house prices averaging £338,786 this year.

The report added:

“Whilst positive progress has been made since the adoption of the economic growth strategy in 2017, there are continuing challenges that need to be addressed.

“In line with national and local strategies, the council will therefore continue to prioritise and support ‘good growth’ in the district, with an aim of embedding a more sustainable and resilient economy.”

A construction contract for the £60 million rerouting of a landslide-hit road between Harrogate and Skipton is set to be approved.

North Yorkshire County Council says it has found a preferred bidder to carry out the delayed project, which will see a new carriageway built for the A59 at Kex Gill.

The road is a key east-west link for the county and has been hit by 12 landslides in as many years, leading to diversions for motorists and costs for the council.

In one instance, a landslide in January 2016 shut the road for eight weeks.

The council had hoped works would start last autumn, however, the project has been hit by several delays including objections to compulsory purchase orders that the council made to acquire land for the new route.

Minerals company Sibelco also attempted to call in the project for a public inquiry, but this was rejected by the government.

There is now an aim for construction to begin next January, with completion in early 2025.

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Funding for the project is coming from the Department for Transport, which has agreed to provide £56 million, while the council will make up the rest of the costs.

The council’s executive will be asked to agree to the awarding of the contract to the preferred bidder at a meeting next Tuesday.

But before the contract can be signed off, a final business case for the project will be submitted to the Department for Transport.

A report to Tuesday’s meeting said the road was still causing repair costs for the council which has planned drainage works this month and wants to see a permanent solution in place.

The report said:

“There remains a high risk that there will be further landslips in the future, which could potentially result in long term closures of the route, severely impacting connectivity between Skipton and Harrogate.

“Conversely there is a risk to public safety and economic disruption.

“Whilst short to medium term management measures are continually being undertaken, the county council recognised that in the longer term there was a need to develop proposals for a permanent solution.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s finance boss has said the new unitary local authority is facing a possible black hole of close to £50 million a year.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive member for finance at the county council, said the situation was largely due to deficits it will inherit from district councils and high inflation.

Cllr Dadd said it was far too early for the authority, which will come into existence on April 1 next year, to be considering service cutbacks.

Due to the range of uncertainties facing the authority including the ongoing impact of covid, he likened setting the council’s budgets to “trying to juggle two bowls of jelly”.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Conservative-led authority’s executive where a move to top up a fund to cover the costs of local government reorganisation to £38 million was approved.

Although he did not estimate the total structural deficits that the seven second tier authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council, would have accumulated by the time the new council is launched in April, he said it was believed it would be “substantial”.

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However, it has been estimated the combined ongoing deficits of the district and borough councils could be in the region of £10 million.

In addition, ahead of the recent increasing inflation rate the county authority had been prepared to cover a deficit of up to £20 million.

With inflationary pressures, which include the council’s gas and electricity bill rising by some £3m, it is believed the total deficit could nearly reach £50 million.

Cllr Dadd told today’s meeting: 

“That is a frightening figure, but nonetheless, I think we are right to raise that at this stage.”

‘Higher uncertainty and risk’

An officer’s report to the meeting said: 

“As further savings are required the schemes to achieve these will become more challenging and inevitably contain a higher level of uncertainty and risk. Therefore, it is imperative that delivery of each saving is closely monitored.

“As well as direct costs, higher inflation will feed into increased charges from suppliers and put pressure on wage levels for our own workforce and the wider supply chain. 

“Effective budgetary control will remain critically important in the coming year but this alone is unlikely to be able to stave off unanticipated price increases in delivering the range of council services. 

“This is, of course, at the same time as undertaking key work in transitioning to the new unitary council.”

Cllr Dadd said while the authority had been successful in cutting costs during austerity, it would never be complacent about sound financial management.

The meeting heard the county council’s business case for local government reorganisation had provided for a £252 million saving over a five-year period after £38 million in costs were taken off.

Cllr Dadd said he would be astounded if all of the £38 million was needed for the reorganisation.

The leadership of North Yorkshire County Council has vowed to “chase savings” for residents and to bolster services from local government reorganisation as it launched an implementation plan to create a single authority for the county.

The authority’s finance boss and deputy leader issued the pledge ahead of its executive formally approving a blueprint which will be used to overcome a plethora of hurdles in reducing one county council and seven district and borough councils down to one single unitary authority.

Auditors’ analysis of the county council’s unitary plan has found it could save £30m a year by cutting red tape and reducing senior management and elected member costs.

In addition, by using the new council as a springboard for change, the auditors concluded savings could rise to between £50m and £67m a year, netting up to £252m at the end of the first five years, saving of up to £185 a year for households.

However, among the biggest concerns for residents before Vesting Day – the day the new unitary authority is launched on April 1 next year – will be how the council tax and other charges such as car parking and leisure centre fees are brought into line.

This year the district and borough councils’ element of the council tax charge ranged from Hambleton levying £165.83 to Harrogate’s £255.92 demand.

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Residents are also likely to see changes in the amount they are charged for services such as garden waste collections.

Outlining the scale of the challenge facing officers over the next ten months, county council chief executive Richard Flinton said the plan highlighted the need to collaborate with other organisations, including businesses and the voluntary sector, as it is “very easy at a time of enormous change to be very internal focused.”

He said the plan set out the vision of what the authority was trying to achieve and provided key objectives for senior officers, who would be in place for the unitary authority by autumn, to follow.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive member for finance, said one of the biggest drivers for local government reorganisation had been the potential savings that could be realised.

He said: 

“Through our usual budgetary processes I will be insisting that we chase not just the £30m, but £60m or £70m and more if we can get it.

“Whilst our priority at the moment must be getting to Vesting Day making sure all is safe and legal, after that we have got a job to do because by the end of this term in five years time we should be able to say we are well on the road to realising those savings.

“They may well be masked with austerity or left-field stuff coming forward,  but at least we should be able to prove we have set out to achieve and largely achieved what we intended to do by submitting that bid to government. There can be no rowing back from that, along with no rowing back from localism.”

The annual audit of Harrogate Borough Council’s accounts for 2020/21 is set to finally be signed off after months of delays.

Accountancy firm Mazars was due to receive draft financial statements from the council by a deadline of last July, but this did not happen until three months later on October 25.

The delays were blamed on the impacts of the pandemic, local government reorganisation and the launch of the council’s new leisure company.

Mazars senior manager Diane Harold presented an audit completion report to councillors last night when she said the majority of councils across the country had missed a further deadline for publishing their accounts in full.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s audit and governance committee, she said: 

“The statutory deadline was the end of November – and the majority of local authorities unfortunately did not achieve that so Harrogate was not alone.

“I would like to highlight the significant cooperation from management that I have had, and the pressures that they have faced.

“That is not to take away from the fact that this is now March, but to recognise there has been a lot of effort to get to this stage.”

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Ms Harold added the accounts should now be signed off by Mazars “this week or next at the latest”.

Risks highlighted

The audit completion report from the firm details a number of areas which have been highlighted as risks, including “errors” and “inconsistencies” in the council’s valuation of its property and equipment.

The report also said there is a risk that the council’s 2021/22 accounts will not be approved before the authority is replaced by the new North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

The report added: 

“We have had the full cooperation of management, however, there have been continued delays in responding to queries, in particular in October and November 2021, due to pressures on officers arising from multiple factors, including the impact of the pandemic, local government reorganisation and also the new leisure company.

“Based on arrangements in place for the 2020/21 audit, there is a risk that the 2021/22 financial statements will not be approved by 31 March 2023 i.e. before local government reorganisation.”

A Harrogate firm that refurbishes computer equipment has received a government-backed loan worth £600,000 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Intelligent Servers Ltd, which is based at Hornbeam Park and employs 50 people, says the loan will help the company increase its stock, expand its warehouse and employ 23 more staff members.

Since the company was founded in 2011 it has delivered refurbished products to over 3,000 customers including Manchester United FC.

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The loan was provided through FW Capital Debt Finance.

Its assistant investment executive Alex Brown said:

“We are delighted to back Intelligent Servers, a business with a great track record of growth and a proven management team.

“Our investment will assist Intelligent Servers in achieving their growth strategy through maintaining higher stock levels and improving purchasing power. Best of all, this growth strategy will support significant job creation.”