A row over standards in politics overshadowed the final full meeting of Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillors past and present, dignitaries and families members came to the Harrogate Convention Centre to watch the council bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwoman to councillors who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority, which is being abolished next week after 49 years.

Hookstone councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Pat Marsh, was eligible as she was first elected 33 years ago.

But last year a council standards panel ruled that Cllr Marsh breached its code of conduct after she made comments to a resident, that were secretly recorded, about Conservative council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

The panel asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology but she refused, citing the political make-up of the panel and her right to free speech.

At a meeting in December, Cllr Cooper put forward a successful motion to effectively ban a councillor from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they refuse to take recommended actions such as apologise to members.

However, Cllr Cooper revealed last night that Cllr Marsh had emailed him an apology over the affair, which he has accepted. He said:

“It would be wrong to claim that Pat Marsh and I have had a relationship of outstanding friendship over the last nine years of my leadership and her leadership. We’ve had our ups and downs.

“We’re talking about the recovery from a down. I was very pleased to receive your email. I wish you all the luck in the world with the new council.”

Cllr Cooper then proposed an amendment that would see Cllr Marsh become an honorary alderwomen.

‘Theft, corruption, lies and bullying’

But during the debate, Cllr Cooper’s deputy, Conservative councillor for Duchy, Graham Swift, spoke out against the wishes of his leader before demanding that Cllr Marsh made a public apology to the room.

Cllr Swift said:

“Theft, corruption, lies and bullying — these are all serious issues and there is no space for partisan politics in such things.

“The Liberal Democrats have form. I’ve been accused twice for very serious offences. I know what it’s like to have lies spread about you.

“Four of the Lib Dems here today signed a complaint against me even though they were not in the meeting. That’s how serious they are about throwing mud.

“In my own personal case, the complaints were dismissed but I never got an apology despite being accused of a very serious offence.

“Why has the apology come so late and why now? I suspect it would never have come out at all if the distinguished title of alderman was not available.”

But despite Cllr Swift’s intervention, councillors voted to approve Cllr Cooper’s amendment and Cllr Marsh was made an honorary alderwoman of the borough.

After accepting the title later in the evening, Cllr Marsh said:

“This is quite a surprise. If you can see a few tears, I’m sorry. I’ve represented the people of Hookstone ward for 33 years and it’s been such a privilege to do that.”

‘Stand up and be counted’

Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, has been a borough councillor for 15 years so he was also eligible to become an honorary alderman.

Like Cllr Marsh, he had been the subject of a standards investigation following comments he made about Cllr Cooper but there has been a disagreement over whether Cllr Brown took the recommended action following the investigation.

Cllr Sam Green, Conservative councillor for Wathvale, proposed an amendment that would see Cllr Brown awarded the title of honorary alderman due to his length of service and because of a “misunderstanding” over the apology.

He said Cllr Brown believed he had no outstanding course of action to take but added he still issued a “comprehensive and sincere” apology to Cllr Cooper and other councillors through email.

Cllr Green, who was elected last year in a by-election and is the youngest member on the council, called on councillors to have the “courage of your convictions” and “stand up and be counted” to award Cllr Brown the title. He said:

“Let us end this council united so the minutes of this meeting will be looked back on in years to come that a clear wrong against one of the best of our own was righted.”

However, Cllr Cooper said he would still not be accepting Cllr Brown’s apology. He said advice from the council’s Independent Person deemed it as “not acceptable”.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Nick has given stertling service to borough for a great many years, that’s not an issue.

“But on the standards complaint I can’t let that quite stand. It is a closed matter, there are no further actions to take, but it is not a resolved matter. It was drawn to a close without an apology. The independent person who is our sounding board deemed the apology was not acceptable.

“That principle isn’t something that I’m able to get over.”

Councillors eventually voted to approve each individual honorary alderman and alderwoman nomination, including Cllr Brown by 21 votes to eight with four abstentions.

Cllr Cooper has dominated local politics in Harrogate for the last decade but will retire as a councillor next week.

In a sign that his power has now waned, those who voted to award Cllr Brown the title included a large group of Conservative councillors. The four councillors who abstained on the vote were members of his cabinet.

Cllr Cooper was entitled to the honorary alderman title, but turned it down in January. The full list of councillors put forward for the title and how long they have served is:

• Philip Broadbank, Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck (44 years)
• Pat Marsh, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hookstone (33 years)
• Nigel Simms, Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard (24 years)
• Margaret Atkinson, former Conservative councillor for Fountains and Ripley (23 years)
• Jim Clark, former Conservative councillor for Harlow (22 years)
• Trevor Chapman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange (19 years)
• Michael Harrison, Conservative councillor for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite (19 years)
• Sid Hawke, Ripon Independents councillor for Ripon Ure Bank (18 years)
• Stuart Martin, Conservative councillor for Ripon Moorside (18 years)
• Christine Willoughby, Liberal Democrats councillor for Knaresborough Eastfield (17 years)
• Matthew Webber, Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park (16 years)
• Robert Windass, Conservative councillor for Boroughbridge (15 years)
• Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton (15 years)

Read more:

• Long-serving Harrogate councillor banned from becoming honorary alderwoman
• Former Harrogate councillor made Honorary Alderman for North Yorkshire

Harrogate Borough Council‘s Conservative leaders took a parting swipe at the BBC, Gary Lineker and local media at the final cabinet meeting last night.

The council will be abolished in just over a week’s time to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

The cabinet met to accept a £2.5 million grant from central government to help buy 21 homes for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, as reported last week.

Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said:

“One of the frustrating things about being a councillor in Harrogate is the amazing good things that are done by the Conservative government.

“This is another example, £100 million putting into the aid of people who really need it most and yet is ignored by the Gary Linekers of the world, the BBC of the world and media organisations in Harrogate who aspire to operate under the same principles of the BBC.”

Cllr Swift, who lost to Liberal Democrat Peter Lacey in his bid to represent Coppice Valley and Duchy division on North Yorkshire Council, added:

“I think it’s just fantastic that these sort of things are carried out. “

Council leader Richard Cooper, who did not stand for election to the new council, nodded in support of Cllr Swift’s comments and replied by saying what the government does “dun’t fit with the narrative sometime”.

Read more:

• ‘Comprehensive’ road safety improvements announced for Harrogate schools
• What will be the legacy of Harrogate Borough Council?

Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, added:

“It’s well known that Harrogate Borough Council over the years has always stood by those people who are in greater need than many of us.”

The money will come from the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund, which is a £500 million grant fund launched enabling English councils to provide housing for those unable to find accommodation.

In the Harrogate district, just over £2 million will go towards buying 19 homes for Ukrainians and just under £500,000 will help buy two larger four-bedroom homes for Afghan families currently in temporary accommodation.

Harrogate Borough Council will write-off over £83,000 of debt it’s owed from businesses, residents and housing tenants.

Cllr Graham Swift, the council’s cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, approved two reports that said the debts would be “uneconomic to pursue further.”

The first report includes details of £44,167 worth of miscellaneous debt with the largest being two Harrogate Convention Centre invoices from Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd worth £19,940.

The report says the exhibitions firm has been wound up and “there is little hope of any remuneration”.

The company was due to organise The British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and British Craft & Design Fair at the convention centre until 2025.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the event owner affiliated to Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd has died.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:

“We are deeply saddened by the untimely death of the event organiser. We are hopeful the event will be purchased by an alternative organiser in the future.”

Read more:

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The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the company’s liquidator, Opus LLP but it declined to make a comment.

Of the £44,167, there is also £3,717 worth of debt related to planning and £3,854 to waste and recycling.

The council will be able to recover £6,460.94 in VAT.

The report explains why HBC has decided not to pursue these debts any further:

“The costs involved are too great, the probability of success is too slim or there are simply no further legal options available.”

Meanwhile, a second report was approved by Cllr Swift related to writing-off £39,059.11 from former council housing tenants.

However, it says the ‘substantial majority’ of this sum will be written-off because the tenant has died.

Although the report adds that some debts are from tenants who “abandoned their homes and remain untraceable.”

A senior Harrogate councillor has apologised for a two-year road closure in Kirkby Malzeard and indicated it could reopen in the new year.

The closure was put in place on Church Street due to a collapsed wall at St Andrew’s Church in the village following heavy rainfall in February 2020.

Since then, Harrogate Borough Council has committed to repair the damage — which is set to cost £491,670.

However, the collapse has left the road closed for two years to the inconvenience of local residents.

At a full council meeting this month, Cllr Nigel Simms, who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard on the borough council, asked when the road would reopen.

Reconstructed church wall at St Andrew’s in Kirkby Malzeard.

In response, Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the authority, said the closure had been an “extremely long time” and apologised for the inconvenience.

He added that work was in progress on the repairs and indicated that the road could reopen in January.

Cllr Swift said:

“I apologise that people in the area have been extremely inconvenienced.

“But I think that those of you who have seen the extent of the damage and indeed, bluntly, the extent of some of the graves that were exposed to the public, will see it has been an incredibly complicated and detailed programme.

“Throughout the time of which was coronavirus and a considerable amount of that time prevented people getting to the site and doing the work that they needed to do.”

He added:

“My indications are that January is the working date.”

£500,000 repair bill

The final bill for the repair is set to cost the council nearly £500,000. Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.

The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves.

The repair works which have followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by more than two years of delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.

Read more:

• Six months after the Kirkby Malzeard wall collapsed
• ‘End this farce’: Kirkby Malzeard wall to finally be rebuilt

A senior Harrogate councillor has called on the government to consider connecting the district with West Yorkshire’s proposed mass transit system.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said in a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport that the district should be considered as part of the £2 billion plans because of its “strong linkages” with Leeds and other parts of the neighbouring county.

He also said improved connections would compliment the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway project, which is centred around the town’s train station, with cash coming from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

The Conservative councillor for Harrogate Duchy said: 

“We welcome the commitment to build a mass transit system for Leeds and West Yorkshire and think there could be strong linkages to improve connectivity between West Yorkshire and Harrogate/North Yorkshire.

“Integration of the mass transit system with the transport system in Harrogate would also further build on the excellent linkages being designed as part of the Transforming Cities Fund proposals.”

The mass transit system has been in the planning stages for years, and upgrades are proposed for routes which connect Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax and Bradford, but not Harrogate which historically was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

It is not known exactly what type of transport will run across the route yet, with the likes of tram trains and electric buses both under consideration.

It has also been suggested that driverless vehicles could be incorporated into the project, which is due to be completed by 2040.

Read more:

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• Majority of residents want 20mph speed limit, councillor says
• Don’t forget Wetherby Road and Skipton Road in congestion plans, say Harrogate councillors

Cllr Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, highlighted opportunities for the York-Harrogate-Leeds rail line where he expressed disappointment over recent cuts to morning services from operator Northern Rail.

He also signalled his support for the long called for electrification of the rail line as he warned that Harrogate’s “constrained” transport network was one of the main barriers preventing the growth of higher paid jobs.

Cllr Swift added that other proposals to improve signalling between Harrogate and York were of particular importance given the huge housing plans for a new settlement of between 3,000 and 4,000 homes centred around Cattal train station.

He said the village to be named Maltkiln will provide “a fantastic opportunity for further investment on the line and a boost to patronage levels”.

Harrogate Borough Council has also described the development as a place “where people are not dependent on a car,” adding that it will have “safe and attractive walking and cycling routes which connect people, places and facilities, including nearby villages; while bus and train links enable longer journeys”.

A latest consultation on the housing plans is currently underway and residents have until 14 November to comment online here.

Senior Conservative councillors in Harrogate are set to call for a referendum on whether to create a town council.

Harrogate Borough Council will no longer exist from April 1 when the new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, is created.

If a new town council is created it could be given control over areas including parks, tourism and events.

Some think a town council would boost local decision-making while others regard it as an unnecessary extra layer of bureaucracy.

Next week, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of the council, and Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the authority, will table a motion calling on the county council to hold a referendum.

Cllr Richard Cooper (left) and Cllr Graham Swift.

North Yorkshire County Council has launched a review into whether to create a lower tier authority in the town. A consultation into the matter is currently being held.

The motion, which will go before a full borough council meeting on September 21, says:

“This council calls upon North Yorkshire County Council to hold a binding referendum of Harrogate town residents who would be constituents of a new Harrogate Town Council to determine whether such a council should be formed.

“Information should be made available before the vote on what duties the new town council will have and how much the additional council tax precept will be to pay for those duties.

“Such a referendum will give democratic legitimacy to the new town council in the eyes of those who fund it and are affected by its decisions.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have already called for Harrogate to have its own town council.

Read more:

• Harrogate town council: What is it and what would it cost taxpayers?
• Decision on Harrogate town council could take two years

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only major places in North Yorkshire not to be parished.

Earlier this year, Conservative leader of the county council, Cllr Carl Les, said he hoped the matter could be resolved “as soon as possible”.

When asked when the referendums could be held, Cllr Les told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that this was currently unclear. He said:

“We are getting a lot of requests about town councils made to us from people including local politicians, as well as the business community and groups like Harrogate Civic Society.

“There is clearly an appetite to do something about this.

“And of course the sooner we can do it, the sooner we can find out whether there is an appetite amongst the general population.

“They are the key people in all of this. They have to be asked for their opinion and will say yea or nay.”

A public consultation over setting up a town council for Harrogate is currently open. You can have your say here.

The consultation will close on September 30.

Rishi Sunak will visit Harrogate tomorrow to court Conservative Party members as he attempts to boost his flagging hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister, the Stray Ferret understands.

The former Chancellor is expected to be in Harrogate at around 3pm to meet members, who have been voting for either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or Mr Sunak to be the next Tory leader and PM.

Mr Sunak was the most popular choice among MPs, but among members, polling has put him consistently behind Ms Truss.

Bookmaker William Hill has odds of 1/16  for Ms Truss to be the winner with Mr Sunak trailing way behind on 17/2.

A lengthy campaign has seen two rivals tour the country in July and August.

Liz Truss met members in Harrogate on August 9, attending a house on the Duchy estate believed to be owned by Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift.

Liz Truss arrives at Bettys in Harrogate this month.

It will be the second visit to the Harrogate district for Mr Sunak, who spoke to party members in Masham earlier in the campaign.

The winner will be announced by September 5.

Read more:

• Rishi Sunak “warmly received” in Masham
• Andrew Jones MP: ‘I’m backing Rishi Sunak’

The Richmond MP has the backing of both Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.

In an article on his website, Community News, Mr Jones described why he is backing the former chancellor. He wrote:

“The country needs someone who is consistent and transparent to reinvigorate trust in politics.”

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was the main speaker at today’s opening day of the Local Government Association annual conference in Harrogate.

The three-day gathering, which is the biggest event on the local government calendar, has brought about 1,500 delegates to Harrogate.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and Lisa Nandy, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Levelling Up, are among tomorrow’s listed speakers.

Michael Gove, waiting to go on stage.

Mr Gove used the occasion to announce the government will move to two-year funding settlements for local authorities and will create an Office for Local Government, which will scrutinise councils’ performance.

But the event, which will see break-out events take place at some hotels, is also an opportunity to showcase Harrogate.

Shortly before Mr Gove’s speech, Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader, took to the stage for a five-minute plenary speech in which he implored delegates to “take the opportunity to see why Harrogate is such a great place to live, work and keep visiting”.

Cllr Graham Swift promotes the Harrogate district.

Cllr Swift added:

“We want your visit to Harrogate to be extraordinary. We hope you’ll join us by enjoying the god given joys of our town.”

Mr Gove took the time afterwards to meet Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough’s last mayor.

Michael Gove and Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough mayor.

The packed programme of events includes a 45-minute walking tour of Harrogate at 11.30am tomorrow led by members of Destination Harrogate, which is the council’s tourism organisation.

The Old Swan hotel will host a chief executives’ drinks reception tomorrow night while the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic will host dinners for the Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Tomorrow will also see Harrogate’s Royal Host the LGA LGBTQ+ disco.

Tonight, the Crown Hotel will host an event on local authority enterprises.

Delegates arriving today.

LGA chairman, Cllr James Jamieson told delegates today:

“What a pleasure it is to join together – in person – in such a beautiful, historic town. That has been voted a number of times “the happiest place to live in Britain”, and am sure this will rub off on us over the next few days.”

Read more:

• Big names in UK politics coming to Harrogate for conference
• Harrogate district MPs divided over Northern Ireland Protocol

A decision on whether to create a Harrogate town council is unlikely to be made until at least 2024, a meeting heard last night.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, outlined the lengthy legal process to members of Harrogate Civic Society.

Mr Sampson said North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence on April 1 next year, would have to undertake a community governance review before any changes to Harrogate’s governance can take place.

This would involve two stages of consultation, likely to take place next year, followed by a final recommendation on whether to approve a town council.

If approved, a legal order would be made, followed by other processes before implementation.

Last night’s meeting.

Speaking at last night’s packed meeting, at which he and Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, discussed local government reorganisation and devolution, Mr Sampson said:

“It’s really difficult to say how long that process will take but our best guess is 15 months to two years. If it happened by 2024 that would be a good timeframe.”

Mr Sampson also said elections for a mayor for the combined North Yorkshire and York regions would “probably” take place in 2024.

Read more:

• Harrogate town council: What is it and what would it cost taxpayers?
• Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes

Last night’s meeting discussed the implications of the momentous changes brought about by North Yorkshire devolution and local government reorganisation.

Harrogate Borough Council and six other district councils, along with North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished next year when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into being on April 1.

8,000 council staff

Eight thousand staff will be brought together into what will be one of the largest councils in the UK, in a move estimated to save about £30m a year.

The loss of Harrogate Borough Council has led to concerns that Harrogate may lack a political voice after the changes, with most key decisions set to be made by North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton.

Last month Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader for Harrogate and Knaresborough, called for the process to create a Harrogate town council to begin “as soon as possible, within the next couple of months” but this seems unlikely to happen.

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harrogate Starbeck on North Yorkshire County Council, attended last night’s meeting and said afterwards the party would continue to push for the process “to be done as quickly as possible” but he accepted it would take time.

Cllr Swift told the meeting that Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre at Knapping Mount “won’t be a white elephant” after the authority is abolished and would continue to be used by staff employed by North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s going to continue to save you £1m a year forever.”