Nearly half disagree with council’s leisure service shake-up

As senior Harrogate councillors decide on setting up a new leisure company to run services across the district, the responses from the public have not all been positive.

Nearly half of the 433 respondents to the council’s consultation on the future of leisure and sport said they either strongly disagreed or disagreed with the plan to set up an arms length company.

The authority is to vote tonight on whether or not to set up the company owned by the council, called Brimham’s Active, to run services such as the Harrogate Hydro and Ripon Leisure Centre.

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Within the consultation document there are a number of reasons why people don’t agree with the proposal.

One person said they were concerned that the move was the first step toward higher prices.

“Although it will be a Local Authority Controlled Company, I see this as the first step to handing over the company to a private company for profit and this would lead to higher charges in the long run.”

Another said the authority should retain control of the service.

“Given the anticipated savings are not proportionally huge, I would rather the council stayed in full control.”

Others said it should serve the interest of the wider public.

Giving over control of our wonderful leisure services to a private company (even a LACC), whose primary aim will be to generate a profit rather than serve the best interests of the society, seems a very bad idea.

Around 27% neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal, 19% agreed and 8% strongly agreed.

If given the go-ahead, the company would run services in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

The council said the company and future investment would help to save money on leisure services which currently operate at a £3.5 million loss.

But the plans have been met by opposition from both residents in Starbeck, where the local baths future would be considered by the council, and unions which expressed concern at the consultation process.

Harrogate Council to borrow £26 million to fund leisure overhaul projects

Harrogate Borough Council is expected to borrow money to fund two projects worth an estimated £26 million as part of its overhaul of leisure services in the district.

The council has linked the investment plan and the part privatisation of the service saying to two come “hand in hand” in order to save money.  However, the reality is that the two don’t necessarily have to be connected and the investment in leisure could happen without the partial privatisation if councillors chose to do this.

Two projects are lined up as part of the proposal, including refurbishing the Harrogate Hydro at a cost of £13.5 million and building a new leisure centre at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough to replace the current site which is estimated to be £13 million.

The schemes would see an investment in current and new leisure facilities which the council said will help to reduce maintenance costs of the Hydro.

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According to a council report due before cabinet, the authority said borrowing for the projects would help to free up funds for its coronavirus financial recovery plan.

It said: “Given the unfunded nature of the capital strategy, beyond the existing five year programme (2020 to 2025), it would be prudent to fund the two schemes by external borrowing (given the council’s heavily under-borrowed position), though there may be potential to finance the design development from internal borrowing.”

When asked whether the council could invest in its facilities without a company, Councillor Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the authority, said the two go “hand in hand”.

He said: “The two decisions are separate but they go hand in hand.

“We need to invest in our stock to give us the best chance to save on the service. We looked at every option, compared them with each other and decided that this was the best option not just for the council but for the public.

“In order to free up our ability to provide a service, it has to be a commercial service.”

It comes as the authority’s cabinet will vote on handing over services to an arms-length company called Brimham’s Active on Wednesday in order to save money.

If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

The Turkish Baths, Harrogate, is among the facilities earmarked to be handed over to the council-owned company

The council’s services are currently running at a loss of £3.5 million and some centres and swimming pools in the district have increased in cost year on year.

But the leisure plan has been met with opposition from the community in Starbeck over the future of the 150-year-old swimming pool in the area and union’s raised concern over the authority’s consultation process.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats group, said the authority needed to arrive at the right decision over the plan.

She said: “We have not been properly briefed on the proposal, so we have questions about it.

“Whatever decision the council makes it has to be right, because this is not a statutory service and the council does not have to run it.”

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for a comment on the proposal but has not received a response at the time of publication.

Harrogate District leisure services cost taxpayers £3.5 million a year

Swimming pools, leisure and community centres in the Harrogate District are operating at a loss of more than £3.5 million a year.

According to a Freedom of Information request by The Stray Ferret, services run by Harrogate Borough Council are expected to cost the taxpayer £3,585,980 in 2019/20 and some facilities have increased in cost year on year.

Most facilities which are set to be handed over to a new council-owned company as part of proposals by the borough council are expected to make a loss.

The figures show that the Harrogate Hydro is the most expensive facility and is expected to cost £1,014,960 for the last year.

The total expenditure for the Hydro is estimated to be £2,168,140 in 2019/20 with an income of £1,153,180. The majority of the cost comes from staffing and additional expenses which accounts for £817,660 and £1.25 million of the bill.

Among the facilities and their cost were:

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Meanwhile, attendances at both facilities fell over the course of 12 months. The Hydro saw its attendances drop from 341,886 in 2018/19 to 322,889 last year.

The expenditure for the Harrogate Hydro as set out by Harrogate Borough Council.

It comes as the authority’s cabinet will vote on handing over services to an arms-length company called Brimham’s Active on Wednesday in order to save money.

If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

But the plan has been met with opposition by the community in Starbeck and was criticised by unions last week over its consultation response.

How will Brimham’s Active save money?

The total cost of running leisure services will beg the question as to whether or not the new company can make a dent in its overall loss every year.

According to a council report due before senior councillors, the company would save money through VAT benefits, business rates relief and investment in new and existing pools.

The council estimates that the company, which has a target set up date of August 2021, will save the authority around £284,000 a year which would potentially rise to £585,000 after investment in facilities.

The authority said around £222,000 a year would be saved in rate relief and £76,000 in VAT benefits as a result of handing services over to the company.

Meanwhile, the new company would have project start up costs of £300,000 which would be funded from the council’s investment reserves.

Harrogate Lib Dems: Calls for climate emergency fall on deaf ears

Liberal Democrat councillors have renewed their calls for Harrogate Borough Council to declare a climate emergency and demanded that the process be more transparent.

Pat Marsh said she had written to the Conservative cabinet member for sustainable transport with her calls but has not received any kind of response.

She has now written to Councillor Phil Ireland for the third time:

“I’m becoming more and more concerned about the lack of transparency in this process. I fear that your lack of response is just yet another example of the local Conservatives’ and councils’ unwillingness to engage with those with differing views.”

The local Liberal Democrats have said that the council’s Climate Change Coalition should be replaced with a Citizen’s Assembly on the Climate Emergency.

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Council across the country have declared climate emergencies as an acknowledgment that they need to act on the causes and impacts of climate change.

They say this is the best way to attract the “fresh ideas and bold action” necessary to take on the challenge faced.

“To effectively play our part in addressing this environmental crisis, it is imperative that we declare a Climate Emergency and commit to becoming net zero carbon by 2030 at the very latest,” Pat Marsh added.

What has Harrogate Borough Council done?

Harrogate Borough Council has said that it will aim to have a net zero-carbon economy by 2038.

The council said it will make sure that its own operations will be clean and efficient while helping others in the district to achieve the same.

In its carbon footprint report, the council had seen a steady fall in recent years from 9,300 tonnes in 2016/2017 to 7,900 tonnes in 2018/2019.

Army of town centre “ambassadors” to reassure shoppers

Both Harrogate Borough Council and the Harrogate BID group have organised town centre “ambassadors” as they work to allay shoppers’ fears and welcome them back to the district’s town centres.

The council says its ambassadors will be on hand to help welcome people and offer information and advice to shoppers where they can.

The council has organised a toolkit with advice and materials to help businesses across the district open, including a checklist of the measurements required both in and outside shops. It’s also distributed printable posters and directional signs to help shops manage the flow of customers.

Harrogate BID has also organised town centre “hosts”  and distributed leaflets and posters. The hosts will be tasked with giving shoppers peace of mind as lockdown is eased by welcoming them, giving out information and noting hotspots that need to be cleaned.

It’s not clear if both sets of ambassadors will be working in the town centre at the same time.

One of Harrogate BID’s posters for the town centre

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The council says public toilets in the busiest areas will be opened and parking charges have been re-introduced.

Councillor Graham Swift, deputy council leader and cabinet member for economic development, said:

“Monday will be an exciting and anxious day for everyone as we all learn to adapt to a new normal.

“Many of our retail businesses are pulling out all the stops to be ready to open safely and we are doing everything we can to support their efforts.

“Our package of measures are designed to support retailers and their customers to get back to trading and shopping as soon as possible and operate in a safe way to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We know we are at the start of a long road, but we are committed to working with businesses to progress the district’s economic recovery in the months ahead.”

Community vows to fight any closure threat to Starbeck Baths

A community group has vowed to step up and fight if to protect Starbeck Baths from any planned closure over the coming years.

It follows news this week that the council is preparing to invest in a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and improving the Hydro in Harrogate.

As part of a report to be considered by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet next week, officers said that with new facilities in nearby towns, “the future of Starbeck Baths would need to be considered”. Reacting to the news, Starbeck Residents’ Association Chairman Geoff Foxhall said:

“It would be a tragedy if the council decided to let go of it, especially as they have invested a quite considerable amount in it in the last few years.

“About ten years ago (when it was under threat), we had resident meetings and committees were formed. It was quite a struggle but we saved it then. Hopefully, we could mobilise the same support again if needed.”

Although the report for HBC’s cabinet looked at the money that could be saved by closing Starbeck Baths, the cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport told The Stray Ferret that closure was not an immediate plan. Cllr Stan Lumley said:

“We can’t commit to it forever and ever, but in the short term there are no intentions of closing Starbeck at all. Once we’ve got everything up and running, a much bigger Hydro and a new facility in Knaresborough – clearly that’s many years down the line – we would have to look at that and how we operate in the future.”

‘Best of both worlds’

The report to the cabinet forms part of a recommendation to transfer the running of leisure centres, along with community centres and the council’s day nursery, to a local authority controlled company (LACC). HBC says it can make significant savings on running costs by doing so, with additional money to be saved and made through investments in the facilities.

Cllr Lumley added:

“We thought it was the best way forward because it keeps us with control but it frees us up and allows us to do things more efficiently and gives us more flexibility with management.

“This is like a partial privatisation. It allows us to benefit from some things that a private company would, but by keeping control of the business. It’s the best of both worlds.”

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Meanwhile, as well as a major refurbishment of the Hydro, HBC is set to look at creating a new gym and swimming pool for Knaresborough. Although it is considering rebuilding on the existing site, the report to the cabinet indicates that a new facility could be built at Conyngham Hall, after considering a site at Hay-a-Park and the grounds of Knaresborough House.

Building at Conyngham Hall would allow both Knaresborough sites to remain open while the Hydro was refurbished, before the old pool on King James’s Road was closed. However, the report acknowledges that rebuilding on the same site would be less expensive than relocating, which it estimates would cost in the region of £13million.

Knaresborough Pool

The existing Knaresborough Pool could be replaced with a new leisure centre, either on the same site or somewhere else

Knaresborough Civic Society said it will be looking at any plans for relocation with interest. Secretary Ian Wright said:

“We would certainly be interested in where they are planning to put it. Conyngham Hall is one of our prominent public buildings – Harrogate were refurbishing some of that. We will be keeping a watching brief on it.

“The swimming pool isn’t a historic building. We wouldn’t be too concerned about doing something else with that site. Any concerns would be relating to the Conyngham Hall site and where it would go on there.”

Whichever location is chosen, work on Knaresborough’s new leisure centre would not begin until the completion of the new Ripon pool, replacing the old spa baths. After a short delay because of the coronavirus lockdown, Cllr Lumley said he expects it to open autumn 2021.

Can Harrogate compete with Leeds as shops reopen?

Yesterday, we reported on the anxieties of shoppers returning to clothes stores in the district. Given the fear expressed by many of stepping foot back onto the high street, is Harrogate doing enough to entice them back in?

As part of examining what the town is doing to win over shoppers, we looked at Harrogate’s closest retail rival and a city which attracts a lot of shoppers from the district.

16 miles down the road in Leeds, the city is putting in place a range of measures to bring customers back and encourage them to part with their hard earned cash again.

The city is offering free car parking for another month, as well as deep cleaning the streets and offering hand sanitiser on demand.

The city council has worked with the local BID to come up with measures to entice shoppers in and also offer reassurance, including one way systems and more outdoor space for street cafes in areas like the Corn Exchange and Park Row.

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Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said the measures were important to get the city back up and running again.

She said: “Getting our city centre and district centres back open again will be a key priority in the weeks ahead, however it needs to be done in a careful and controlled way in order to keep everyone safe.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in creating and implementing this plan, and I’d like to again thank the people of Leeds for their resilience and ask that it continues in terms of following the rules and adhering to the two-metre social distancing especially.

“Things may look a bit different in our public spaces, but if everyone follows the rules they will be safe places to work and visit as we start the process of recovery in Leeds.”

In light of the measures being put in place, can Harrogate compete and win over the anxious shopper?

Harrogate Borough Council was handed £141,000 from the European Union to help reopen and advertise the high streets, but a plan of how the money will be spent has yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile, the authority’s decision to reintroduce car parking fines left local trade associations frustrated and deeply disappointed.

Harrogate BID launched a deep clean of the town centre earlier this week.

Harrogate BID has also outlined its own plans to make the town centre attractive to shoppers again and started to put measures in place.

A deep clean is already underway and the group is in negotiations with a supplier to introduce high street daytime hosts and nighttime street marshalls in a couple of weeks.

The hosts will be tasked with giving shoppers peace of mind as lockdown is eased by welcoming them to the town centre, giving out information and noting hotspots that need to be cleaned.

Areas like James Street have already had pavements widened and retailers have also been offered social distancing posters to reassure shoppers that their experience will be safe.

Floor stickers will help to show customers where to stand two metres apart.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of Harrogate BID, said the organisation was aware of the challenges that face retailers in the district but added that she was optimistic of shoppers coming back.

She said: “We are trying to make it as welcoming as possible.

“I feel like people are a bit sick of lockdown and there will be changes on the high street for sure, but people will have time to shop.

“I’m hoping that people will feel a bit more relaxed.”

Tomorrow in our final report, we look at the longer term plans for Harrogate.

Starbeck Baths under threat in district pools shake-up

Harrogate’s oldest swimming pool could be closed as the council looks to cut costs in a major overhaul of its leisure services.

In a report set to be considered by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet next week, officers say the future of Starbeck Baths – built in 1870 – would need to be considered following the redevelopment of its other pools and gyms.

The council is proposing to build a new Knaresborough leisure centre at Conyngham Hall, replacing the existing pool on King James Road. It will also refurbish the Hydro in Harrogate, with more gym space added, and complete the rebuilding of Ripon Spa Baths, with an opening date currently set for September 2021.

The plans form part of a proposal to transfer the running of leisure services to a local authority controlled company (LACC), which HBC believes would save £284,000 of taxpayers’ money. With investment in new and existing pools, and the closure of Starbeck Baths, the council projects savings to be more than double that figure.

In a report to be seen by HBC’s cabinet next week, head of culture, tourism and sport Michael Constantine says:

“With the closure of Ripon Spa Baths and Knaresborough Swimming Pool and new facilities at Knaresborough, Ripon and Harrogate the future of Starbeck Baths would need to be considered. Analysis indicates that without Starbeck continuing to be operational the cost to the council would be £2.790 million, a saving of £0.191m pa.

“Delivering the service by a LACC, following investment in new facilities, will result in an estimated saving of £585k per annum compared to the delivery in-house, with Starbeck no longer operational.

“This demonstrates that under the operational management of the LACC, the schemes have the potential to be entirely self-funded through prudential borrowing depending on future decision regarding Starbeck Baths’ continued operation.”

Meanwhile, Conyngham Hall has been identified as the best site for Knaresborough’s new leisure centre, after considering sites at Hay-a-Park and Knaresborough House, as well as building a new facility on the existing site.

The report recommends leaving the existing pool open until after the new one is built. Both would remain operational while the Hydro was refurbished, giving capacity for residents to use them and somewhere for staff to work, before the older pool was closed.

With the new Ripon pool set to open next September, building work on the new Knaresborough Pool could begin in summer 2022 and be completed in December 2023. At that point, the Hydro would be closed for work to begin, and would reopen in March 2025. The old Knaresborough pool would then be closed, and plans for the site have not been announced.

‘Council now talking to us’ says union

Discussions have been held between the council and trade unions over plans to transfer sport and leisure services to a private company.

Unison has this morning confirmed that it has met with Harrogate Borough Council representatives to discuss the proposal to form a Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC) to run its leisure facilities.

Unison branch secretary David Houlgate said:

“We are thankful that the Council is now talking to us and the meeting yesterday was helpful.  We are also pleased that the Council has let us have some written detail too.  We need to take a good look at that but already we can make the following observations:

“Clearly the council has ambitious plans for new and upgraded facilities and we cautiously welcome this but it has to be remembered that sport and leisure is a discretionary service so we would not wish to see high spending in this area impact on other, more critical, services elsewhere which could put jobs at risk.”

As well as the council’s six six leisure centres and its Active Health service, the plans could include transferring Little Explorers Day Nursery, the Turkish Baths, and community centres in Jennyfield, Fairfax and Knaresborough to the LACC.

According to a report set to be considered by HBC’s cabinet next week, transferring services stands to save £222,000 in business rates and £76,000 in VAT, with improved financial performance of £130,000 per year. There would be additional costs of £144,000, leaving savings of £284,000 per year, in the council’s figures.

The council has projected an increase in revenue of around £500,000 – equivalent to 10 percent of its current income – as a result of being run by a single-focus company.

The report also states that the council commissioned four studies into its leisure services in and alternative ways of delivering them, in 2018. It adds:

“SLL’s final report was presented to Cabinet on December 16, 2019 and as a result cabinet agreed in principle to progress the creation of a Company to run its sport and leisure facilities and services.”

Discussions between HBC and unions this week follow a public disagreement between them. Unison said on Monday it was disappointed that the council had failed to make any contact with its members – a claim which HBC branded “ridiculous”.

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The council consulted with residents last month about the proposals. In the report to cabinet, the results show 46 percent of the 433 people who responded either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the plans. Twenty-seven percent agreed or strongly agreed, while 27 percent neither agreed nor disagreed.

“We have seen the council report and it would appear that this decision was actually taken last year, so we do wonder what the point of the recent resident’s survey was.  Having now seen the survey responses it does seem to confirm our view that there is not much support from the 433 residents who responded, for sport and leisure to be run by a LACC.”

The union has welcomed measures to protect employees, including keeping them in the local government pension scheme. However, it raised concerns about changing terms and conditions after the LACC is formed, and the possibility that an outside provider will be found to run services in future.

The proposals to create the LACC will be put before the council’s cabinet when it meets online next Wednesday, June 17.

Union concerns over leisure ‘ridiculous’, says council

Harrogate Borough Council has described union concerns that the authority is being tight-lipped over its leisure plans as “ridiculous”.

The authority was responding to concerns from Unison that the council had not kept union bosses informed over proposals and that it had “no overwhelming support”.

But, the council said the plan, which it has consulted residents on, will save the authority £400,000 a year.

It comes as the council faces an estimated £15 million deficit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report due before the authority’s cabinet next week, the company would be called Brimham’s Active and has a target set up date of August 2021.

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If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

Unison bosses said they were concerned that not enough information had been shared with them about the proposal, but the council has said it would be unrealistic to provide a running commentary on the company.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“For Unison to suggest we have been “tight lipped” is ridiculous.

“The union is aware of the proposal to create a local authority controlled company to manage our sport and leisure services.

“To expect a running commentary while a report is prepared for councillors to consider at next week’s meeting of cabinet is unrealistic.

“The proposal would enable us to save £400,000 a year and invest in new facilities for the benefit of people across the district.

“Our valued colleagues would be transferred to the new company on exactly the same terms and conditions they enjoy now.”