Two year wait for planning decision forces appeal over Ripon townhouses

Developers have lodged an appeal against Harrogate Borough Council over a “failure to determine” a planning application for new apartments and townhouses in Ripon.

Spinksburn Ltd had tabled a plan to build four apartments and four townhouses on land off North Street in the city.

The site, which used to be retail units, was demolished to make way for Marshall Way and has remained undeveloped since.

The company tabled a revised plan back in November 2019, but says it has yet to receive a decision on the proposal.

Now, the developer has taken the matter to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

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In a letter outlining its grounds for appeal, the developer said it had requested a delay to the decision due to the covid pandemic back in April 2020.

A further extension was then agreed until July 15, 2021.

However, the developer said that since then the borough council has yet to determine the application.

The letter written by the developer’s lawyer said:

“Our client has therefore instructed us to submit the appeals for non-determination because the council does not appear to have the resources to be able to determine the applications and there appears to be no end in sight.

“My client is extremely concerned that determination of the applications is being allowed to drift and there are no means by which to secure the determination of the applications besides the appeal process if the council does not have the necessary resources.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

Harrogate Christmas Market traders slam decision to cancel event

Two local stallholders at the Harrogate Christmas Market have expressed their frustrations after the event was cancelled for a second year in a row.

Harrogate Borough Council blamed the move on the event organiser’s event management plan when it released a statement on Thursday evening.

The council said the plan did not take the “risk of overcrowding and necessary evacuation procedures, counter-terrorism measures and the ongoing risk of covid” into account.

It is a decision which not only took the organiser Brian Dunsby by surprise but also some of the local stallholders.

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Steve Green, co-founder of Harrogate Tipple, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is just horrific and pathetic. It is a disgrace, I feel really strongly about the way the council announced this as well on Twitter.

“The council did not give us any heads up. It took us a little while to become a stallholder but ever since it has been great for us.

“It has been great for local businesses and for the other stallholders too so I am absolutely dumbfounded.”

Rob Whitehead, managing director of The Serious Sweet Company, also the Stray Ferret:

“Harrogate’s Christmas market works extremely well, it is a good demonstration of local businesses.

“It all seems very unfair really, I just do not understand. Our business normally just supplies supermarkets.

“But we like to do the local Christmas market as well and we have built up quite a loyal following over the years.”

The event organisers hope to hold urgent talks with Harrogate Borough Council soon to try and save the three-day event.

200 Harrogate council leisure staff set to transfer to new company

Union bosses have said they have received assurances there are “no plans” to change conditions for council staff after this week’s overhaul of leisure services in the Harrogate district.

Some 200 Harrogate Borough Council employees transferred to a new local authority controlled company called Brimham’s Active at the start of August.

Brimham’s Active will run the council’s 11 leisure venues, including The Hydro in Harrogate, Knaresborough Pool, Ripon Leisure Centre and Nidderdale Pool.

The move has raised employment concerns among those staff affected but Unison said all workers will maintain their current terms and conditions.

David Houlgate, secretary of Unison Harrogate local government branch, said the union will continue to monitor the situation after the company becomes active.

He said:

“We have been successful with our campaign and have received assurances that there are no plans to change existing terms and conditions following the transfer.  

“We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure this position does not change.”

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said all leisure staff would transfer to Brimham’s Active under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, better known as TUPE, on August 1.

New leisure company

The council voted last year to create a new local authority controlled company to take over the running of its leisure facilities.

At the time, council officials said the move would save £400,000 a year and that the authority would have a majority of representatives on the new company’s board.

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The company has since been incorporated and appointed seven directors. They include local councillors, council officers and Mark Tweedie, who has been appointed managing director of Brimham’s Active.

According to Companies House, Zoe Appleton-Metcalfe, Wallace Sampson, Samuel Gibbs, Stan Lumley, Trevor Watson and Pat Marsh have been appointed directors.

The council has also announced a £26 million investment in the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre at Knaresborough, which was expected to be financed by borrowing from the government.

In June last year, Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for tourism and sport, said the new company and investment plan “came hand in hand” and would help the authority save money.

Strayside Sunday: I want to pay one council tax to a single and accountable body

Strayside Sunday is our monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

August 1st is Yorkshire Day, the day we hang out the white rose flags, revel in the natural and sometimes bleak beauty of our great county, celebrate our heroes from Harold Wilson to Alan Bennett, from Betty Boothroyd to Dame Janet Baker, from David Hockney to Emily Bronte and rebel against the cheap and cliched stereotypes of flat caps, whippets and black pudding.

In fact, Yorkshire Day has its roots in two historic events; the first being the Battle of Minden in Prussia in 1759, when the King’s Own (as opposed to God’s own, one presumes) Yorkshire Light Infantry formed the larger part of an Anglo-German force that, under the command of Field Marshall Ferdinand of Brunswick, sent packing the French forces of the Marquis de Contades.  In celebration and to this day, a white rose adorns the Light Infantry’s headdress.  Quite right too.  Another great Yorkshireman, William Wilberforce MP, led the campaign for emancipation that ended with the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act on August 1st, 1833.

However, Yorkshire Day’s modern roots lie in protest.  In 1975 the Yorkshire Ridings Society in Beverley used the day to protest the local government re-organisation of the previous year.  The word riding is, by the way, derived from the Danish word thridding, meaning third, or in this case one of three, North, East and West).  Those reforms introduced the two-tier (county and district) system of local government that has remained largely intact, in North Yorkshire at least, until now.

Last week, Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced the much-trailed devolution settlement for North Yorkshire.  The two-tier system goes, with a single unitary authority to be constituted from April 2023, serving the 618,000 residents of the county (excluding the City of York) and costing an estimated £38 millions of your money and mine to set up.  This ending an increasingly bitter scrap between two opposing bids for unitary powers, that of Councillor Carl Les’ North Yorkshire County Council, arguing for a single unitary authority and that of the seven districts, led by Harrogate’s own Councillor Richard Cooper, arguing for two.  Between them this sorry lot spent a staggering £330,000 of our money on consultants from PWC (North Yorkshire, £90,000) and KPMG (seven districts, £240,000) to help write their respective bids.  The more I hear about government spending on big consultancies (£3 billion on Test & Trace anyone?) the more I think I’m in the wrong game.

I doubt very much that this Yorkshire Day will see anyone lamenting the demise of Harrogate Borough Council, let alone the organisation of a protest at the reforms.  This council will disappear leaving an honours board of failure and mismanagement and leave a mettlesome legacy to the new unitary:  The financial sink hole that is the Harrogate Convention Centre, the actual sink hole at the new Ripon baths, the vanity project that is the council HQ at Knapping Mount, the outdated (and undelivered) town plan, a £165,000 Visit Harrogate website, a diminished and drab Harrogate town centre, a hotch-potch of unsympathetic housing developments, a political culture astonishing for its secrecy (more politburo than democratic body) and profligacy (Viv Nicholson would blush) and, perhaps most damning of all, it leaves a fragmented, fractious and divided group of stakeholders that the council under Richard Cooper’s grip has consistently sought to divide and conquer, rather than bring together in common purpose.  If this is the demise of Harrogate’s Dear Leader, then good riddance.  I wouldn’t bet on it though, as word reaches me that the starting gun has fired in Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative Association on jockeying for selection for the new council seats.  As ever in these matters the likely outcome is ‘different party, same guests.’

Thank goodness the Secretary of State rejected the so-called east-west bid, citing likely and significant disruption during the transition period.  He makes the case that the unitary will benefit the county by between £58 and £61 millions per year.  We can but hope the additional funds are spent wisely and in our interests.  I’m in favour of the new authority.  I want to pay one council tax to a single and accountable body.  I want my local authority territory to match that of the pending re-organisation of the NHS, so that the council and Integrated Care Systems can work together in concert to promote public health, preventive care and to improve health equity and outcomes across our population.

I don’t buy the argument that the unitary will be ‘distant’ on the merits, any distance being in fact a product of our own lack of engagement and action.  Local politicians have been quick to say they fear the new deal will lead to fewer voices standing up for local people.  Call me cynical but I have an inkling that what they fear is that it won’t be their voice.

So, this August 1st I choose to celebrate the bravery of the Yorkshire Light Infantry at Minden and the emancipation vision of William Wilberforce.  While perhaps not quite as perspicacious as Kingston-Upon-Hull’s famous son, we should celebrate too that the members of the Yorkshire Ridings Society circa 1975 knew and warned us that the two-tier system of local government was doomed to fail.

Happy Yorkshire Day.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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What will devolution mean for Harrogate and North Yorkshire council staff?

The abolition of North Yorkshire’s two-tier councils will have a major impact on taxpayers who rely on key services.

It will also have implications for councillors who in May 2022 will have to stand for election to a new unitary authority serving the entire county.

But above all, it will be the around 10,000 council staff across North Yorkshire who will be the most affected by the changes.

When the new authority launches in April 2023 following the abolition of North Yorkshire County Council and the district and borough councils in Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Craven, Ryedale, Hambleton and Richmondshire, most staff will be transferred across but some duplicated roles will inevitably be at risk of redundancy.

It is not yet known how many jobs will be affected – and there are also the questions of whether staff will be relocated and what happens to office buildings including Harrogate’s new civic centre headquarters.

North Yorkshire County Council – which is behind the single council plans and will act as the ‘continuing authority’ when reorganisation happens – has said those at risk of redundancy will be mostly senior staff and that the transferring of workers will be a “simple” process.

However, some union officials are not fully convinced.

Unions: concern or optimism?

David Houlgate, branch secretary at Unison Harrogate, which supported rival plans for two new councils split on a east/west basis, said: 

“Whilst we saw merits in both proposals there was a concern that district and borough council roles were at greater risk with the North Yorkshire County Council proposal. It would be safe to say that concern remains.

“Staff are also concerned about possibly having to relocate though at this time we have no idea what is likely to happen.”

On the other hand, Wendy Nichols, secretary of the North Yorkshire branch of Unison, which supported the single council plans, said reorganisation should be welcomed by all staff who she hopes will “work together to deliver a stronger future for everyone’s benefit.”

She said: 

“Many thousands of staff will now simply transfer to the new council as part of the process of setting it up.

“Our priority is to make sure that staff experience the least possible disruption so they can get on with their jobs and continue to deliver high quality and reliable public services.”

The aim of reorganisation is to unlock the door to a devolution deal with the government which could see millions of pounds and decision-making powers handed down from Whitehall to North Yorkshire.

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The county could also get a mayor similar to those seen in South Yorkshire, the Tees Valley and Greater Manchester.

But a key part of the plans is saving money and a large part of this will come from a reduction in staff.

For example, there are currently eight council chief executives across North Yorkshire earning around £100,000 a year.

The new council will just have one – and the same will most likely be said for other top roles including directors.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council explained: 

“With the exception of a handful of the most senior managers, all staff will simply carry on doing what they are currently doing.

“After April 2023 when the new authority is in place some services may want to review their structures and arrangements especially if there is duplication of work and roles or more efficient new ways of delivering services which have been brought together.

“The expectation is that whilst over time for some services there will be changes to staffing structures and need for reductions in posts this will be able to be managed by removing vacancies.

“For a small number of the most senior managers there will be a need to reduce posts at an early stage when eight senior management teams become a single new management team.”

The coming months and as more details emerge about the new authority will undoubtedly be a nervy time for some staff.

Until it starts to take shape, there will be many unanswered questions about exactly whose jobs are at risk and what the new staffing structure will look like.

But officials have insisted staff will play a key part in the process and that they hope workers won’t quit local government due to the uncertainties ahead.

The county council spokesperson added: 

“There is a wealth of talent across district, borough and county council staff and it is very much hoped that everyone will see this as a huge opportunity to build a new, ambitious and exemplar council for everyone in North Yorkshire.”

Harrogate Christmas market organisers call for urgent talks to save event

The organisers of Harrogate Christmas market have said they were “staggered” by the decision not to grant a licence for this year’s event and called for urgent talks to save it.

Event organisers Brian and Beryl Dunsby, and Steve Scarre, the chairman of Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, issued a statement this afternoon in the latest development in the saga.

The statement said the organisers had “bent over backwards” to fulfil safety measures and that Harrogate Borough Council had acted prematurely “without any discussion with the organisers over the outstanding issues”.

The council said on Thursday it had refused to grant a licence for the event because the organisers had not addressed concerns about safety and terrorism.

But today’s statement by the organisers said:

“At no point has there been any opportunity to meet the council officers and other key experts to discuss their outstanding concerns.

“We expected to be invited to a safety advisory group meeting to discuss the event plan and the supplementary information but we have not been given that opportunity.

“We have bent over backwards to fulfil all the recommended security and safety measures around the site. In contrast to all their criticisms, we have not had the opportunity to talk about the benefits which the market brings to town centre businesses. These appear not to have been considered by them.”

Mr Dunsby was unaware of the news until he was informed by the Stray Ferret on Thursday night.

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The statement added:

“We regret that the council has acted prematurely in refusing to grant a licence for the market in 2021 without any discussion with the organisers over the outstanding issues.

“We appeal for a proper consultation meeting with the relevant council officers and experts as soon as possible.

A total of 170 traders and 53 coaches had booked to attend the market on Montpellier Hill from November 18 to 21. It was expected to attract 85,000 people to the town, boosting its economy by £2.5 million.

The statement said the event had “strong support from over 20 local trade and voluntary groups based in the town centre”.

‘Little choice but to refuse’

Council leader Richard Cooper said yesterday the event organisers had ignored concerns, leaving the council with “little choice”.

He also warned them “not to think that trying to galvanise public opinion to put pressure on the council will change the decision”.

He said the council had suggested alternative locations to Montpellier Hill for several years but the organisers had refused.

However, today’s statement refers to a council-commissioned 2016 report by consultant Malcolm Veigas that concluded to the Stray was the best location.

The statement said:

“The network of tarmac paths surrounded by grass enables the mix of many visitors and the erection of marquees and canvas stalls on the same site, whatever the weather holds for us all in November. So we do need a large and versatile site.

“We still believe that the totally open nature of this location with free access in all directions provides a safe location for the event whilst being as close as possible to the town centre shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes.

“The action we have already taken to close Montpellier Hill during the Market to through traffic and the hill-top concrete blocks mitigate against the risk of a terrorist attack.

 

 

Crime commissioner pledges extra police for Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has pledged to push for increased policing in the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate.

Philip Allott visited the area yesterday to hear concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour on Mayfield Grove and nearby streets, such as Mayfield Terrace and Nydd Vale Terrace.

He was invited by Paul Ivison, who has set up a residents group for people worried about drug dealing, car crime, speeding and anti-social behaviour, particularly in some houses in multiple occupation let by landlords, .

Mr Allott said:

“I will ask the police to step up neighbourhood policing in this area. I will ask them to target the drug dealers and make it hard for the supply chain to operate.”

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He also urged Harrogate Borough Council to take a tougher line against landlords that didn’t do enough to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on their premises.

“The council possibly needs to be a little more active and realise this is a serious issue. I don’t think the district council has quite latched on to that.

“I will be asking Harrogate Borough Council to be more proactive and serve further closure notices against landlords where relevant.”

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March. The two organisations can apply to a court for a closure order if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

‘Abused by beggars’

Mr Ivison told the commissioner many town centre street beggars stayed in bedsits in the area and said the police should issue more Public Spaces Protection Orders to prevent begging in town, as many of those doing it weren’t genuine rough sleepers, were taking advantage of people and making a mess.

Mr Allott agreed the “town centre was being abused by beggars” who took advantage of “kindly, well disposed people who think they are helping”, adding:

“It’s patently clear a lot of these characters in the town centre are not what they present themselves to be.

“But I do recognise that there are a minority of people who through no fault of their own find themselves in a destitute position.”

Mr Allott said he supported the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders “where it is proportionate and necessary but not as a blanket measure”.

Conservatives and Labour ‘disappointed’ after Knaresborough by-election defeat

The Conservative and Labour candidates for the Knaresborough Scriven Park by-election have said they are disappointed following the result.

Liberal Democrat Hannah Gostlow won the seat last night, beating Conservative Jaqui Renton by 251 votes.

A by-election was held after former Conservative councillor Samantha Mearns resigned from Harrogate Borough Council due to family reasons.

Both Ms Renton and Sharon-Theresa Calvert, Labour candidate, said they were disappointed with the results and thanked voters who turned out in support of them.

Afterwards, Ms Renton said:

“Hannah was a good candidate, I worked hard, but she worked hard as well and the result has happened.

“This election has been interesting and a good experience. I have met a lot of lovely people during the campaign which I thoroughly enjoyed.

“A lot of people voted for me as well which is wonderful. Thank you so much to those, I’m so grateful, and also thank you to the staff who have run the count tonight.”

Ms Theresa Calvert, who received 91 votes, said:

“It is disappointing but I know I ran a positive campaign – I had policies and forward thinking.

“I want to give a big thank you to those people who came out and voted for me.”

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Meanwhile, Ms Gostlow said she was delighted to win the seat:

“We are really pleased as a party – and I’m really pleased to have this opportunity to step up to the borough council.

“I want to thank residents for their support and encouragement throughout our campaign.

“I will continue my work to make Knaresborough a wonderful community, campaign to protect our green spaces and also push for sustainable transport.”

The results in full were:

Voter turnout was 31% (1,124 votes) and there were two spoiled ballots.

Ms Gostlow’s victory means there are now 30 Conservatives, eight Liberal Democrats, and two independent councillors on Harrogate Borough Council.

Harrogate Christmas market cancelled

Harrogate Christmas market has been cancelled for the second year running.

Harrogate Borough Council issued a statement this evening saying “the event management plan did not fully take into account the risk of overcrowding and necessary evacuation procedures, counter-terrorism measures and the ongoing risk of covid”.

Brian Dunsby, the event organiser, was unaware of the news until the Stray Ferret contacted him tonight.

Mr Dunsby said he was “absolutely disgusted” by the decision and would fight it.

He said 170 traders and 53 coaches had booked to attend the event on Montpellier Hill, which was due to take place from November 18 to 21.

“This is an outdoor event and there is no reason to cancel. It’s quite unjustifiable.

“The Christmas market is part of the social programme for the town and for traders. We can’t tolerate this and will fight back.”

Mr Dunsby said he was unaware of concerns by the council.

The council’s statement said it was “working hard to ensure alternative Christmas festivities take place”.

Its full statement is included in the tweet below.

After careful consideration, Harrogate Christmas Market will not be taking place on the Stray at Montpellier Hill this year.

More follows in the statement below…⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7kHhDyiklz

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) July 29, 2021

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Harrogate council set to build new diving platform at Hydro

Harrogate Borough Council is to buy a new diving platform at the Hydro in Harrogate to replace the damaged one that has kept divers out of the pool for eight months.

Harrogate District Diving Club, which has developed many elite divers including Ripon Olympic champion Jack Laugher, is based at the Hydro.

Its members have had to travel to West Yorkshire since cracks in the concrete platforms at the Hydro were discovered in November.

The situation finally looks like being resolved after the council issued a statement today saying a report had revealed the current platform should be replaced due to its age and the amount of work required to fix it.

The Stray Ferret asked the council how much it expected to spend on the replacement. A council spokesperson said it would not know until the tender for the work was agreed.

The council will now prepare a new report seeking approval to go out to tender and appoint a contractor to carry out the works.

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It is not known when diving will be permitted at the Hydro again. However, the council said it will announce timescales once a contractor has been appointed.

The activity pool, main pool and teaching pool may have to close during the work.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at the council, said:

“Diving is a sport which relies solely on high-quality facilities, and unlike other water sports, it cannot take part in any pool – it needs the necessary diving platform and deep water.

“With the future investment of a new diving platform we will be able to provide the necessary infrastructure to help nurture talent and create a pathway for future Olympians.”

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, the company being set up by the council to run leisure services, said:

“By investing in diving facilities we can ensure the legacy of an exciting and successful sport for Harrogate, the region and even the country.”