Districts to launch alternative council reorganisation bid

Harrogate Borough Council has united with other district authorities in North Yorkshire to launch a fightback against county council proposals for a single authority ahead of a potential devolution bid.

Leaders from the county’s seven district and borough authorities have today begun a “working together to get change right campaign” as part of an alternative proposal to reorganise local councils.

They argue North Yorkshire County Council’s vision of a single authority for the whole county is not right and the 800,000 residents “deserve better”.

It comes as the government has told council leaders that local government has to be reorganised in the county if any future devolution bid is to be agreed. As a result, North Yorkshire County Council has started to draw up plans for a single council to serve the entire county – which would mean the seven districts would be scrapped.

Read more:

But now, district leaders are to work on tabling their own proposal to government. They chose Yorkshire Day, August 1, to begin their campaign.

Speaking on behalf of the leaders group, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said a single council would be “unworkable”.

He said:

“We were in discussions with the minister earlier this month, and it is clear that the government is open to granting devolved powers and potentially billions in investment to our area, but only if local government is reorganised first. It’s really not a question of “if” reorganisation will happen. It’s more a question of ‘how’.

“A mega council, covering the entire North Yorkshire area – the biggest county area in the whole country – has been mooted. But we don’t believe that’s workable, or in the best interests of our people, places and economy.

“Our citizens deserve better, which is why we’re campaigning to create an alternative bid that gets reorganisation right.

“Reorganising local government will affect the lives of 800,000 people, so we’ve got to get it right. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to communities, businesses, councillors, parish councils and other local organisations, to find out how we can build on what we already do well, and where things could improve.

“We’ll be doing a lot of listening. We want any bid that goes before government to have local support, and we hope that government will respect that grass-roots approach.”

Want the latest news stories direct to your inbox? Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

 

Turkish Baths flooring ‘dangerous’ without urgent repairs

Harrogate’s Turkish Baths’ 123-year-old flooring could have “become dangerous” if specialists had not carried out repairs.

A report seeking retrospective approval for the work detailed how Harrogate Borough Council needed to spend close to £30,000.

The baths have been closed since the start of the coronavirus lockdown and the specialists took it as an opportunity to work on the floor.

In the report, the council said that the floor is showing signs of water egress, wear in grouted joints, and cracks in the terrazzo.

Read more:

The report also mentions that the floor could become uneven and “potentially dangerous” where mosaic pieces are exposed.

Andrew Tiles and The Mosaic Restoration Company carried out the works earlier this month and it is expected to be complete next month.

The council says the works were badly needed. Pictures from the Turkish Baths.

Turkish Baths Harrogate does not yet have a set date to reopen as saunas and steam rooms have not been given the go-ahead.

Harrogate Borough Council has launched a consultation into dropping single-sex sessions from the Turkish Bath’s timetable. Moving to mixed-sessions only would reflect “equality and balance,” according to the council.

Meanwhile, the historic venue is set to become part of a new local authority controlled company (LACC), along with the district’s pools and gyms, as part of an overhaul of leisure services.

Want the latest news stories direct to your inbox? Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Conyngham Hall plans ‘cultural vandalism’ as petition passes 1000

Knaresborough Civic Society has labelled the potential redevelopment of Conyngham Hall as “cultural vandalism”.

Harrogate Borough Council has identified the hall as one of four proposed options in the town for a new leisure centre.

Other options include the current leisure centre site, Hay-a-Park and Knaresborough House.

Read more:

The hall itself is an office space but its grounds are popular for leisure activities. Its potential redevelopment has been met with fierce opposition.

James Monaghan, chair of Knaresborough Civic Society, said:

“This is a proposed act of cultural vandalism by Harrogate Borough Council. Conyngham Hall is a grade two star listed building. Any development in the grounds will have a negative impact on the hall itself. Let alone the damage to the beautiful grounds and green space.”

The society is contacting regional and national heritage bodies urging them to oppose the proposal.

In a letter to the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson, the society calls on the local authority to remove Conyngham Hall from the list of sites under consideration.

It comes as Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats’ Hands Off Conyngham Hall Grounds petition passes 1000 signatures.

Matt Walker, the campaign’s spokesperson, said:

“We should be investing in our cherished green space, not needlessly building on it. There are far better alternatives which ought to be explored, with Conyngham Hall grounds taken off the table entirely.”

The council this month approved plans to overhaul its leisure centres by handing control to a new council-owned company.

A council spokesman said:

“We are just at the start of the process to build a new combined leisure centre for Knaresborough. It follows the decision to invest more than £26 million improving leisure facilities in Harrogate and Knaresborough. No decision has been taken.”

Harrogate Convention Centre: £46.8m renovation moves a step closer

A £46.8 million renovation of Harrogate’s Convention Centre moved a step closer this evening.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, told the meeting the investment was necessary for the success of the district.

A full council meeting next week will now have the final say on whether to spend £1.1 million on detailed designs, a feasibility study and full economic impact assessment of the benefits of renovation.

Ms Lorimer said:

“We need this redevelopment not only to drive more conferences, but for the district and the community.

“We run school events, remembrance events, entertainment, orchestras and community groups.

“We do a great deal to support the community and the revenue we provide goes back into the council.

“What comes into us ripples out into the district. We need a successful HCC.”

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned the centre “will not survive” unless councillors approved the project.

Read more:

While the move to invest in the centre has been welcomed by local businesses and borough councillors, others have criticised the decision.

Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon, said the investment would not benefit people in the city and twas a waste of money.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, Phil Willis, former MP for Harrogate, called on “amateur councillors” to step back from involvement in the centre.

 

HCC upgrade : ‘£46.8m is enough to regain a strong place in the market’

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet is due to meet at 5.30pm tonight with just one item on the agenda: the renovation of the town’s conference centre.

The council is likely to vote to proceed with plans to invest £46.8m on a major overhaul of the 40-year-old centre.

A full renovation would be one of the council’s biggest ever financial decisions. The proposal has been welcomed by the town’s business community but criticised by politicians and business representatives in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, where the benefits would be felt less.

John Gallery is a former Harrogate hotelier. He is chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership’s research and business intelligence group, a former chair of VisitYork and a former vice-chairman of the Meetings Industry Association, He currently works as a business tourism consultant.  

We put a series of questions to Mr Gallery: 

How does Harrogate rank as an events venue?
Harrogate’s conference centre does need to raise its game as it has lost out to a number of destinations with newer facilities. The sums seem huge, but in the market it is in, it will continue to decline if it does not keep pace with, or indeed, get ahead of these shiny new competitors.

What difference would a £46.8m renovation make?
As has been seen in other locations, investment makes a difference, not only to the fortunes of the venue but also to the wider local and regional economy. The value must be judged in that wider context and not just on the profit and loss of the centre. If the centre were simply to break even then it would be doing its job as a lever for all the other benefits. Better of course, that it also makes profit so that investment can continue over the long term.

Read more:

Is the council best placed to provide investment?
A private sector operator would probably be better. Ownership could remain in the public sector but hand operations to a private operator with a dynamic profit motive and things would change quickly. Having said this, Harrogate has probably relied too heavily on the conference market for the 40 years since the centre was developed. Too often there is feast or famine in terms of demand for hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants etc. It was like this when I first worked in the hotel business in Harrogate in the 1980s. So Harrogate Borough Council should also focus on stimulating demand with a stronger, more broad-based appeal that would attract visitors throughout the year.

£46.8m is a huge sum but is it enough to revive the centre?
It’s a large sum but in terms of the market the centre operates in, it needs it. It was controversial when it opened but some of the new plans do seem to make sense in terms of linking directly to the Royal Hall and re-imagining the space outside the main building. I don’t think it is a lost cause but £46.8m will probably be just enough to regain a strong place in the market. It needs to be a co-ordinated effort with the hotels and other accommodation providers, local travel companies and so on to make the best impact.

What should the long-term strategy be?
The centre should be the focus for events but be part of a bigger picture. The centre should work together with the Yorkshire Event Centre to attract bigger, international co-located events. Harrogate should up its game. The competition is overseas as well as Brighton, Bournemouth, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh etc. Think of Barcelona, Geneva, Frankfurt, Las Vegas, New York, Sydney, etc. Some of the money announced recently by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to improve transport in the north should be chased by Harrogate. Improve the direct rail link to York and Leeds for example. With the canny Yorkshire approach I am sure they can do it.

How badly has covid affected the events sector?
The £70bn per year UK events sector has been one the worst affected and it is likely that demand will not return quickly in the short-term. Harrogate can look this year at the loss of so many events at both the convention centre and the Yorkshire Event Centre due to covid but the impact this has had on the other parts of the economy in these businesses is also severe.

How should the town respond?
Counter-intuitively this may be the opportunity to pivot the centre to be part of a broader tourism offer that still attracts conferences but with greater emphasis on the leisure and pleasure offerings in the district. For example, introduce delegate incentives to bring partners and families. Be more adventurous about what can be done. It’s a spa town so it should be attracting people for this purpose as it did when it was first invented as that. The convention centre could be the hub of the town’s tourism sector and business done at the centre might steer more towards the family market at weekends and holidays and business events midweek. There are a lot of possibilities. It needs a broad vision for both business and leisure.

 

Harrogate businesses back £47m conference centre renovation

Harrogate business leaders have urged the local authority to press ahead tomorrow with plans for a £46.8m renovation of the town’s convention centre.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will recommend spending £1.1m on a detailed feasibility study and a full economic impact assessment, according to confidential cabinet documents seen by The Stray Ferret.

The prospect of this leading to such a huge investment in the centre of Harrogate has alarmed some people in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, who fear their locations won’t reap the benefits.

But businesses in Harrogate have said investment is necessary for the survival of the town’s hotels, restaurants and bars.

Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, whose properties include the Yorkshire Hotel, the White Hart Hotel and the Fat Badger pub, said the visitor economy was “massively driven” by the centre, which is currently being used as a Nightingale hospital. He added:

“The hotels are really feeling the effects of it being closed. Some are asking whether they can afford to stay open.

“I absolutely support investment. I don’t see an alternative.”

Read more:

A spokesperson for Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Association said redevelopment “will help Harrogate attract new events and drive even more business to the town, which is great for local restaurants, retailers and the hotel and accommodation sector”.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the “backbone of the town” would change if Harrogate lost the centre.

But Ms Doherty said the centre was “far behind its rivals, which offer more adaptive space to include breakout rooms, the ability to offer smaller conference space and the technology to support it”. She added:

“The need to invest should be part of a rolling programme rather than years of little to no investment, which results in the big ticket option we are faced with today.”

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“It’s vital we have a modern facility, one that will continue to attract major clients from not just within the UK, but from abroad too.”

270 homes and primary school proposed for Whinney Lane

Plans have been submitted for 270 homes and a new primary school on Whinney Lane.

Durham-based developer Banks Group is behind the proposals for the site, which is designated for development within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is one of Harrogate’s main pressure points for new housing and the site is located directly opposite the Castle Hill Farm development where work has already begun on 130 homes.

With 2,500 new homes in various stages of development on the south side of Harrogate, HBC would like to see new schools built in the area to ease pressure on local primary schools in Pannal, Rossett Acre and Beckwithshaw.

The primary school would be built at the top of Whinney Lane opposite Castle Hill Drive and documents say it would employ 40 full-time staff. No details about the number of pupils are available.

Banks Group is proposing a mix of 1 bedroom (29%), 2 bedroom (38%), 3 bedroom (28%) and 4 bedroom (4%) homes. 40% will be affordable.

The developer suggests the development could generate HBC about £3m over six years as a result of the government’s New Homes Bonus scheme in addition to £500,000 per year in council tax payments.

Read more:

Notices were placed on Whinney Lane about the plans on July 16. However, Whinney Lane closed this week for seven months for highways improvements related to the new housing.

Residents say people will now not see the notices or be able to raise any objections before the deadline of August 16.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, resident Ian Watson questioned why the green planning notification signs were put up on a road that is now closed.

He said:

“Very few people will know about the green signs. And, with a partial lockdown still with the pandemic very few people are out. The footpath will be closed. The road is not used by cars.”

In response, a spokesperson for Banks Group said it had posted nine notices at locations on Whinney Lane, Castle Hill Drive and Lady Lane.

The spokesperson added:

“They have been placed in nine different locations around the area, which will hopefully provide local people with plenty of opportunity to see what’s being proposed.”

The plans will go before HBC’s planning committee later this year.

Harrogate Convention Centre investment ‘obscene’, says Mayor of Ripon

The Mayor of Ripon has denounced a £46.8 million investment in Harrogate Convention Centre as a waste of money which will not benefit people elsewhere in the district.

It comes as senior councillors on the borough council will decide on Wednesday whether to spend £1 million to develop plans for the upgrade and spend £155,000 over three years to appoint a project manager.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warns the HCC “will not survive” unless councillors approve a £46.8 million project, which includes full renovation of the venue.

Read more:

But, the decision has raised concern among those in the wider district who feel that the investment is centred on what economic benefit can be increased in Harrogate and not in the surrounding areas.

Eamon Parkin, mayor of Ripon 2019-20

Cllr Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon.

Cllr Eamon Parkin, independent mayor of Ripon, said the city and its residents will not benefit from the investment. He added that few visit the convention centre.

Cllr Parkin said:

“It’s an obscene amount of money.

“We never benefit from it here in Ripon. In my opinion, there is never anything worth going to.

“My background is in entertainment and a building like that should be attracting big names, but there is never anything on. I think it is shambolic.”

He added that the HCC suffered from better events and entertainment being held at Leeds Arena.

Meanwhile, opposition Liberal Democrat councillors said years of underinvestment has damaged the HCC and council officials need to “bite the bullet” and invest in the venue.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems and board member at the HCC, said the future of the centre was a stark decision between spending money on the centre and walking away from it.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Cllr Marsh said people will still want to meet at events in person and attend conferences which the HCC needed to be prepared for.

But, she added that any move to spend money on the centre needed to be value for money for taxpayers.

Cllr Marsh said:

“It is a stark decision between investing in the centre or selling it and walking away.

“It is valuable to the local economy. We have to bite the bullet and unless someone can come forward with another way, I cannot see any other way than investing for our people.

“What we need to do is make sure that there is value for money. We have got to make sure that this investment is key for the taxpayer.”

Harrogate Borough Council was approached for comment to respond to the concerns of those in the wider district, but did not respond.

However, the authority has always maintained that the venue has a benefit to the district and that the renovation will help to improve the economy.

Cllr Graham Swift, cabinet member for economic development, said last week:

“Harrogate Convention Centre makes such an important contribution to the district’s economy.

“It is central to the viability of many hundreds of businesses and our recent experience of lockdown shows just what a positive difference it makes locally.

“Redeveloping the centre will make it a much more flexible space that can attract a broader customer base and will have the potential to substantially increase its economic contribution.

“It will also enable us to create a unique facility we can all be proud of which also attracts new events to Harrogate, the district and North Yorkshire.

“I hope my fellow councillors will support this initial investment that will enable us to get the ball rolling on design and construction plans.”

District businesses’ ‘dismay’ over plans for £46.8m convention centre upgrade

Business representatives in Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge have reacted with “dismay” to news that Harrogate Borough Council could spend £46.8m renovating the town’s convention centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to The Stray Ferret has urged councillors to support the huge investment in the 40-year-old centre this week.

The news is likely to be welcomed by businesses in Harrogate but the wider district is less convinced of its merit.

Stephen Teggin, president of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said:

“I’m somewhat dismayed about this.

“It’s all about Harrogate. We are struggling like mad to keep Knaresborough going and attract tourists and the council finds £50m to keep something going that already loses money. It’s unfair.”

Stephen Teggin of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade called for fair investment in the district’s markets

Mr Teggin called on the council to find £50,000 a year to keep markets in Ripon and Knaresborough going.

“The markets are what pull in coaches for us, just like the convention centre does for Harrogate.

“They must spend the same amount of money, pro rata, on tourism here.”

Stephen Craggs, co-director of Ripon home appliances store G Craggs, said he wouldn’t begrudge Harrogate receiving such a huge sum but questioned the wisdom of spending it on the centre.

“That ship sailed 20 years ago. The centre is not big enough to compete with the likes of Manchester and the NEC in Birmingham. They’re flogging a dead horse.”

Mr Craggs suggested the centre would be better utilised as an indoor shopping centre.

Read more:

Tim Ledbetter, chair of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade in Pateley Bridge, said it was “less than impressed” by the council’s plan.

Mr Ledbetter said there was no overall business vision for the district and added it was “debatable” whether Pateley businesses reaped any benefits from events in Harrogate.

The council has said there is a “very real risk that the venue will not survive” if councillors do not agree to press ahead with plans for renovation on Wednesday. It says the centre attracts 157,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact worth £35m and supports thousands of jobs across the district.

Stuart Holland, co-chair of Harrogate Civic Society, said the 1960s-style centre was “nothing to be proud of” architecturally and welcomed the opportunity for improvement.

Mr Holland added any renovation should be sympathetic to the society’s attempts to develop a cultural quarter in Harrogate.

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked report reveals dire financial state of Harrogate Convention Centre

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warns the Harrogate Convention Centre “will not survive” unless councillors approve a £46.8 million renovation project. 

The document presents councillors with three options: do nothing, do minimum or full renovation. 

But it says the first two options are “not economically viable” and urges members to vote for the third. 

Alternative proposals, such as selling the centre to a private buyer or changing its use, are not on the agenda. 

What’s the proposal? 

The council believes renovation will significantly increase income at the centre as well as in the town’s hotels, bars and restaurants. 

The report spells out the stark need for change, saying the centre’s financial performance has “declined significantly since 2008/9”. 

The venue is forecast to lose £710,000 in the last financial year 2019/20.  

Most recent figures show the centre’s income at £4.6m, a drop from £7.1m in 2008.

Long before it became a Nightingale, bookings had fallen as some longstanding visitors look elsewhere. 

Insurance conference Airmic, once regularly held in Harrogate, had jumped ship to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. 

Other events previously held in Harrogate, including the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development annual conference and exhibition, and the Royal College of Nursing’s conference, were scheduled for Manchester and Liverpool respectively this year. 

The loss of exhibitions, which are more profitable and less prone to change locations than conferences, has been particularly acutely felt. 

The report says there is a “critical need” for investment. “If the council does nothing, there is a very real risk that the venue will not survive,” it adds.  

To add to the woes, the centre faces £19m maintenance costs over the next 20 years. 

The report said the backlog maintenance bill for the HCC will be around £19m over the next 20 years.

The document said:

“Compensation has increasingly been incurred as a result of heating and cooling failures caused by declining mechanical and electrical systems.”

The report describes the 40-year-old centre as “ageing” and of “poorer quality” than competitors, such as ACC Liverpool, Manchester Central and Hull Venue. 

Full renovation, it says, is necessary.  

Will it work and who will pay? 

The council report says the “do nothing or do minimum options are not economically viable to the centre nor the district as a whole”. 

So if councillors agree to full renovation, the authority will pay consultants £1.1m to develop plans for the upgrade and appoint a project manager, costing £155,000 over three years. 

The Rebuild:  

Phase 1: costing £18.7m, would see the refurbishment of the auditorium and halls Q and D and the creation of break-out rooms for 1,250 delegates in studio 2. 

Phase 2: costing £28.1m would see halls A, B and C demolished and the construction of a new 5,000 square metre hall, costing £15m. 

The second phase also includes work to improve the connectivity between the centre and the Royal Hall and a new glazed facade on Kings Road. 

The council would need to find £22m upfront to begin full redevelopment and hopes to find funders to share the costs. 

The report said: 

“Every council that has refurbished a similar venue or has built similar from scratch has received significant funding support from government, or match funding.” 

“The council will continue to explore opportunities to attract upfront grant funding via public bodies such as the local enterprise partnerships, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Visit England etc.” 

Even so, there is no guarantee of success despite a projected increase in visitors.   

Is the council best placed to deliver? 

This is a huge investment by the taxpayer. The question is whether the investment will work and whether a local authority is best placed to run a venue like the convention centre.  

Most other venues are privately owned. 

Paul Colston, managing editor of Conference & Meetings World, which covers the meetings industry, says investment in Harrogate has been frugal compared to its rivals and recommends the town considers copying Birmingham, where the city council’s sale of the NEC led to significant new investment.  

Mr Colston said: 

“I wonder, whatever the good intentions, whether local authorities can be the best managers of our convention crown jewels. 

“Look at Liverpool’s strides forward with its ACC Liverpool events campus built on its capital of culture campaign in 2008; Newcastle is now expecting a brand new convention centre on the Tyne and Manchester Central’s complex is drawing in many of the conferences and shows that used to come to Harrogate.” 

A 2016 council-commissioned report prepared by Sally Greenhill, of The Right Solution consultancy, described the council business ethos as “less dynamic than that of many of HIC’s competitors”. 

The report said:  

“Council processes are very risk averse whereas risk is a necessary part of events business”.  

The report added that “political aims can be distracting from the running of the facility”, and the council pay grade “makes it difficult to recruit the talent needed”. 

It recommended creating an arm’s-length operating company wholly owned by the council as “the most effective operational model”. This has yet to happen. 

The council’s approach 

Paula Lorimer’s appointment as centre director last year led to a new business strategy focusing less on the declining exhibitions sector and more on conferences. 

If the work is done, the council forecasts business from national associations will increase from 25 per cent to 45 per cent while exhibitions will decline from 36 per cent to 14 per cent over the next five years. 

The Conservative Party’s decision to host its spring conference in Harrogate was a coup, although it never went ahead due to coronavirus. 

But the council believes renovation will set the council on a course that will benefit not just the centre but the entire town. 

The report said: 

“The wider economic impact of the proposals on Harrogate, the district and beyond is likely to be significant and understanding this is critical to the wider case.” 

Doing nothing, the council warns, may lead to the centre’s demise.  

Spending £50 million in such a competitive market however, is also fraught with risk. 

Read more: