Harrogate district’s garden waste collection to remain county’s most expensive

The cost of garden waste collection in the Harrogate district looks set to rise to £43.50 next year.

The service currently costs £41 a year, which is £15 a year more than people in Richmondhsire pay and is also higher than charges in the other five districts. Selby’s is free.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is currently responsible for the service, will be abolished on April 1.

North Yorkshire county councillors, who will transfer to the new single unitary authority North Yorkshire Council on the same date, look set to agree a six per cent increase in the cost of the service.

It would mean Harrogate district households that choose to pay for the service will see the charge increase by £2.50. Hambleton households will pay the next highest at £40, followed by Scarborough and Ryedale at £38, Craven at £36 and Richmondshire at £25.

The service is currently free in Selby.

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Garden waste is a discretionary service, which councils are not legally required to provide.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for business and economic development, Cllr Derek Bastiman, whose portfolio includes the management of waste disposal, said the service would be fairer because currently households in some districts that didn’t use the service subsidised those who did.

He said:

“This is a service people choose to opt into and it is important that we are clear on the need for it to pay for itself, alongside our commitment to continue to provide it to those residents who would like to receive it.

“There are real benefits to the service, including the environmental benefits of recycling garden waste and the convenience of not having to take your own garden waste to a recycling centre. It may well be cheaper than paying the fuel to get there, too.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive members will be asked to agree the new rate when members meet on January 10.

 

 

Festive bin collection dates revealed in Harrogate district

Harrogate Borough Council has published details of changes to waste and recycling collection days over the festive period.

This year, there will only be changes on the week commencing Monday, December 26.

Collections will return to normal on Monday 2 January.

Anyone who is unsure of their dates can check here on the council website.

Details of what can be recycled or reused, including wrapping paper, are available here.

Household waste recycling centres in the Harrogate district are open every day over the festive period except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

They are open every other day from 8.30am to 4pm except on Wednesdays, when they are closed.

Details of when the recycling centres and other services run by North Yorkshire County Council are open over the holidays are here.

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Councillor ‘shocked and disappointed’ by parking changes at Nidderdale Showground

A senior Harrogate borough councillor has said he was shocked and disappointed to discover new parking arrangements had been introduced at Nidderdale Showground.

NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, has ended a 21-year lease agreement with Harrogate Borough Council to operate the car park and appointed a private company instead.

The company has introduced automatic number plate recognition cameras to the car park and does not accept the council’s £12 annual Pateley Bridge parking permit, which includes parking at the showground and Southlands car park.

It means people who bought the permit in spring now have to pay extra to park at the showground — even though the deal they signed up to was for 12 months.

Cllr Stanley Lumley. Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“It is my understanding the agricultural society who own the land decided not to renew the lease with Harrogate Borough Council and instead contracted with a commercial company to manage the site

“This was a shock and disappointment to me, Harrogate Borough Council have provided Pateley Bridge with a valuable asset to the town, we welcome visitors and parking is an essential need especially during the holiday season.”

Cllr Lumley added:

“When we were selling the parking permit to local residents for short stay visits it was eligible for parking at all the Harrogate Borough Council parking sites in the town, we had no idea a change in the showground was due, we provided permits in good faith.

“I think it is a great shame this change has happened and I hope people who will have been parking there for many years aren’t caught out and fined.”

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The comments by Cllr Lumley, a Conservative elected to represent Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale Moors on Harrogate Borough Council, follow criticism of the new arrangement by Andrew Murday, a Liberal Democrat who represents Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Murday said people had bought permits in good faith and should be entitled to use them in the showground for the full 12 months they had paid for. He added:

“It is a disgrace. People have been blindsided and it’s unfair to issue fines.”

‘We don’t receive any revenue from this’

The society published a statement yesterday, which said:

“Due to the council’s 21-year lease ending on the car park, the decision was made to hand over the running of the car park to a private company.

“We also took the decision to keep the charges to exactly the same rate as the council charged.

“We understand that unfortunately some people have prepaid car park passes, which are no longer viable for the showground car park, but these could be used in the other car parks in Pateley Bridge.

“The car park now operates on an ANPR camera system which registers number plates on entry. There is a window of 10 minutes to park, pay or leave. Failure to do this unfortunately results in a fine which in no way is charged by the show society, and who do not receive any revenue from this.

“At present to pay an annual parking pass can be downloaded onto your smart phone or there is a number to ring and pay using card details.

“A card pay machine is to be fitted due hopefully by mid January 2023 to make payment simpler.

“The show society apologises for any confusion.”

Pateley’s annual permit still applies to the town’s Southlands car park, which continues to be operated by Harrogate Borough Council.

Hampsthwaite car garage submits plans to relocate

An longstanding car garage in Hampsthwaite has proposed plans to relocate.

Simon Graeme Auto Services Centre, which is based on Grayson Plain Lane, has submitted a planning application to relocate onto the opposite side of the road.

The move would see a new purpose built facility built and the current MOT centre and car park demolished.

The new facility would include units for MOT servicing, training space and a reception and office. Fifteen car parking spaces would be provided, including six electric vehicle charging points.

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said the larger building was needed in order to “respond to changes in the automotive industry”.

It said:

“The business has outgrown the site and given the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles, together with need to maintain services for the farming community, there is a clear need for a larger, more bespoke building.

“This would also enable the building to be future proofed in terms of electric vehicle charging.”

The garage, situated just off the A59 near to Hampsthwaite, has been established for over 25 years.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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New parking charges at Nidderdale Showground branded ‘unfair’

NIdderdale Agricultural Society has apologised for confusion caused by sudden changes to parking at Nidderdale Showground car park.

Many people were taken by surprise by the recent introduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras to the car park in Bewerley.

Some were also unaware the annual £12 Pateley Bridge parking permit no longer applied to the showground and they were liable for fines if they continued using the site without paying the daily charge, which ranges from 50p an hour to £1.80 a day.

Pateley’s parking permit traditionally runs from April to April and the decision to change the rules before the current permit has expired drew an angry response from Andrew Murday, the Liberal Democrat county councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“Whoever is responsible has ridden roughshod over the previous arrangement, which should have been honoured until the end of March.

“People in all good faith bought permits that entitled them to park in the showground car park until then.

“It is a disgrace. People have been blindsided and it’s unfair to issue fines.”

Cllr Andrew Murday

Cllr Andrew Murday

Asked if there had been any consultation on the new system, Cllr Murday said there had been “absolutely none”.

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NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground and stages the annual Nidderdale Show, previously leased the car park to Harrogate Borough Council.

‘We don’t receive any revenue from this’

The society published a statement today, which said:

“Due to the council’s 21-year lease ending on the car park, the decision was made to hand over the running of the car park to a private company.

“We also took the decision to keep the charges to exactly the same rate as the council charged.

“We understand that unfortunately some people have prepaid car park passes, which are no longer viable for the showground car park, but these could be used in the other car parks in Pateley Bridge.

“The car park now operates on an ANPR camera system which registers number plates on entry. There is a window of 10 minutes to park, pay or leave. Failure to do this unfortunately results in a fine which in no way is charged by the show society, and who do not receive any revenue from this.

“At present to pay an annual parking pass can be downloaded onto your smart phone or there is a number to ring and pay using card details.

“A card pay machine is to be fitted due hopefully by mid January 2023 to make payment simpler.

“The show society apologises for any confusion.”

Pateley’s annual permit still applies to the town’s Southlands car park, which continues to be operated by Harrogate Borough Council.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“Nidderdale Showground is owned and managed by Nidderdale Agricultural Society so you would need to speak to them regarding the parking system in place.

“Previously we have managed car parking at the showground but this is no longer the case.”

 

Cost of delayed Harrogate Hydro refurbishment increases by £1m

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed the cost of Harrogate Hydro‘s delayed refurbishment has increased by about £1 million to about £12.8 million.

The Stray Ferret reported this month the reopening of the leisure facility, originally scheduled for next month, had been pushed back until summer next year.

The council said this was due to discovering “some additional areas of work that could only have come to light when the building was closed and a strip-out of the internal fabric had taken place”.

In a press release today, the council gave a breakdown of the additional costs, which will be met by taxpayers. They are:

The refurbished Hydro will include a pool, new diving structure, 400 square metre fitness suite, sauna and steam suite and new reception and café, as well as a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.

The existing gas boilers have been replaced with air-source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, along with new metering and energy monitoring and control systems, which are expected to halve the carbon footprint of the leisure centre.

Harrogate Hydro is among the facilities which will be run by the new leisure company.

How the Hydro used to look.

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at the council-controlled Brimhams Active, said:

“At a time when some local authorities across the country are reviewing their investments in leisure facilities, we remain committed to ensuring people across the Harrogate district can keep fit and active for many years to come.

“By carrying out this additional work now, while the facility is closed, we can ensure the building is fit for purpose and can conform to the latest legislation and building regulations.

“And at a time of increasing energy costs, we are helping to offset this by making the leisure centre as energy-efficient as possible. And thanks to a government grant of some £1.8million, it will be able to utilise renewal energy.”

The council added the new leisure and wellness centre In Knaresborough was on target to open at the end next summer.

It will provide a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

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Further tributes paid to ‘stalwart’ Harrogate councillor who has died

Further tributes have been paid to a long-serving Harrogate councillor, who died just over a week ago.

Jim Clark, who was born in Arbroath and later moved to North Yorkshire, represented residents on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

He represented the Harlow division on the county council for 20 years before stepping down in May.

Local politicians and residents have paid tribute to Mr Clark, who was well known in Harrogate, since his death.

Jane Blayney, a friend and former council colleague, described him as “very supportive” and dedicated to his local area.

She said:

“I knew him very well and he was very much a family man.

“He was very supportive of the Pinewoods and Friends of Valley Gardens. He was very supportive of the tree book, which would never have happened without his donation.

“Even though we were from different parties, we always worked in unison.”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“We are very sad to hear about the recent death of Jim Clark. As well as representing the Pinewoods area for both Harrogate council and North Yorkshire council, Jim was a dedicated committee member of Pinewoods Conservation Group for 15 years before standing down in 2018 as part of his retirement plans.

“Many will remember Cllr Clark’s passionate debate as part of the council’s refusal to grant a larger extension of Harrogate Spring Water into Rotary Woods. Jim was also a regular attendee at our various litter picks, planting events and balsam bashing, often seen in his Pinewoods fleece.

“We were also honoured that in 2014 when Mayor, Jim also opened our new picnic area and wildflower meadows in our Irongate Field area.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Meanwhile, Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate described Mr Clark as a “stalwart” of the council.

He said in a tweet:

“He was a stalwart of North Yorkshire council and Harrogate Borough Council and an effective and hard working representative who provided selfless public service for years.

“Lady Kirkhope joins these remarks and sympathy to his family.”

As well as a councillor, Mr Clark was a keen supporter of the arts and served as chairman of Harrogate Theatre for 10 years.

After standing down from the county council, Mr Clark had moved back to Scotland to be closer to family.

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Harrogate council error sees Pinewoods conservation miss out on over £30,000

Pinewoods Conservation Group has criticised Harrogate Borough Council after an administrative error meant £32,400 that should have been spent improving the woodland over the last 10 years was not allocated.

The council-owned Pinewoods is a 96-acre woodland close to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens popular with walkers. Although the area is managed by the council, the Pinewoods Conservation Group charity promotes its maintenance and conservation.

A flurry of new housing developments has occurred near to the Pinewoods in recent years. After being granted planning permission, developers agree to pay money to the council through section 106 agreements to improve local infrastructure.

Since 2019, Pinewoods Conservation Group has pressed the council to allocate some of this section 106 money to the Pinewoods to improve things like footpaths and signage.

After a council report in January revealed the authority had £3.7m in unspent section 106 money, the charity again asked it if any of this money could be spent on the Pinewoods before the council is abolished in 2023.

But in an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Tim Myatt, Conservative cabinet member for planning, told the charity this money had already been committed to other sites.

The charity responded by saying it was “very surprised” section 106 money would not be spent on the Pinewoods, “especially with the amount of building work underway and planned within the area”.

Pinewoods Harrogate

The Pinewoods

Cllr Myatt responded to the charity again this week to say that following an investigation by officers, the council found three instances when money, worth a combined valued of £32,400, should have gone to the Pinewoods but didn’t due to “administrative and processing” errors.

In the email, Cllr Myatt apologised and said the funds could have been “put to good use” by either Pinewoods Conservation Group or the council. He said:

“I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for this error, as it was an opportunity to bring external money to enhance the Pinewoods. I know that you will find this frustrating and I share this frustration.

“Whilst the monies would have been allocated to the space, not awarded directly to the conservation group, it could still have been put to good use by either the council or conservation group (were an enhancement scheme available for fund allocation).”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said it was “very disappointed” the Pinewoods had missed out on the money due to the error. They added:

“These monies could have supported much needed improvement and conservation efforts for the benefit of visitors and residents.

“We are also disappointed that it took over three years from the charity first raising concerns with the council for the errors to acknowledged, and hopefully now corrected. However, we thank and acknowledge the efforts of Cllr Myatt in finally bringing this matter to a close.”

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A council spokesperson said:

“Due to an administrative processing error, monies were not collected from three developments via section 106 legal agreements that could have been spent on the Pinewoods.

“We have put measures in place to help prevent this from happening in the future.

“The monies do not go directly to the charity, but are earmarked for enhancements to Pinewoods. And as landowner, we continue to undertake woodland management and enhance the Pinewoods, in partnership with the charity.”

Harrogate leisure chief defends Ripon pool location amid ground stability concern

A senior Harrogate councillor has defended building a new swimming pool in Ripon on the Dallamires Lane site in the city amid concerns over ground stability.

The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, which includes the new pool, opened in January this year.

However, ground stabilisation works, which are set to cost Harrogate Borough Council £3.5 million, have delayed plans to open the gym and exercise studio on the site.

The work comes after underground voids were discovered beneath the older half of the site which was built in 1995.

At a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, Cllr Pauline McHardy, who represents Ripon minister ward, asked Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, whether he felt the pool should have been built elsewhere.

She said:

“When this council moves and we go under a unitary, we’re left with a swimming pool that is not stable and could be gone tomorrow.

“My question to you is don’t you think that, instead of spending all this money trying to bodge it up, it would have been find another site and built a completely new one that was suitable for Ripon and its future?”

Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council.

However, Cllr Lumley defended the decision to built the pool on the Dallamires Lane site and said the pool was “state of the art” and “way better” than the previous facility.

Cllr Lumley said:

“We decided to build there because it makes absolute sense to have the wet side and the dry side together under one roof, under one management and under one set of staff.

“That’s been proven at other sites around the district and that’s the model that we chose to go forward with as a council.”

He added that he could not agree with “accusations” over instability at the facility.

Temporary gym delayed

Stabilisation works at the site come as a £300,000 temporary gym planned for the centre has been delayed until the New Year.

The gym – which will be situated in the car park next to the main entrance – is due to be in place while work is carried out.

The need for ground stabilisation works follows the discovery of a void under part of the existing leisure centre understood to have been present for a number of years.

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It was discovered when the reinforced concrete slab for the new swimming pool was cast.

The temporary gym will include equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre and expert advice and guidance will be provided by members of the Brimhams Active team.

Customers will be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – which opened in March and group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.

Long-serving Harrogate councillor banned from becoming honorary alderwoman

Long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh has been banned from becoming an honorary alderwoman of Harrogate Borough Council following a bitter row about standards in politics.

The borough council has the power to bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwomen to past members who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority.

With the impending abolition of the council on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire unitary council it means a host of councillors can be considered for the award.

This includes Hookstone ward councillor Pat Marsh who was first elected 33 years ago and is the current leader of the Liberal Democrats on the authority.

However, earlier this 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 council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

A report concluded that Cllr Marsh “had not treated others with respect” adding “there is a need for council to ensure that they do not undermine trust and confidence with ill-judged and inappropriate statements”. 

The panel asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology.

But Cllr Marsh has refused to say sorry, citing her right to free speech and accusing the panel of not being fairly balanced because it was made up of two Conservative councillors and one Ripon Independent councillor.

‘Honour is key’

At a full meeting of councillors on Wednesday at the Civic Centre in Harrogate, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper proposed changing the council’s constitution to ban councillors from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they have breached the council’s code of conduct but have then refused to take any of the recommended actions such as apologise to members.

Without directly referring to Cllr Marsh’s case, Cllr Cooper said he himself had made an error this year but had corrected it at the next opportunity and had therefore resolved the matter before it was referred to the standards procedure.

He said:

“The word honour is key. We are conferring the highest lifetime honour on people that we can bestow, other than freedom of the borough. I know of no other organisation where you can breach the rules, refuse to accept the penalty, then be awarded lifetime membership.

“Honorary aldership is an honour that needs to be earned and not just a rubber-stamp for time served.”

Harrogate Borough Council offices at Knapping Mount.

Harrogate Borough Council offices at Knapping Mount.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, Philip Broadbank, who as the longest-serving councillor of 44 years is also eligible to be nominated as an honorary alderman, reeled off a list Cllr Marsh’s achievements during her time as councillor, which included helping the council build the Hydro swimming pool in the late 1990s.

Cllr Broadbank suggested Cllr Cooper’s move to change the constitution was motivated by personal feelings towards Cllr Marsh.

He said:

“We all know who this notice of motion is aimed at. 

“We don’t need motions like this which are basically to get your own back on somebody, that’s what it’s about. 

“We need to show we’re bigger than that and can do better than that. We need to respectfully understand what people have done. That’s why they’re offered honorary aldermanships.”

‘A little bit incensed’

This prompted Conservative councillor for St Georges, Rebecca Burnett, to say she was “a little bit incensed” by Cllr Broadbank’s refusal to back the motion.

She said she had also fallen foul of the standards code in the past but had accepted the panel’s ruling and took its recommended action.

She said:

“We get things wrong, we’re human aren’t we? We’re not perfect and there’s a code of conduct there because it might be breached.”

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Cllr Marsh reiterated her reasons for not apologising, which included the political make-up of the panel.

She said: 

“Who are they going to find guilty, me or their leader? It wasn’t a balanced jury. I shouldn’t apologise for things that weren’t done correctly.”

Conservative councillor for Ripon Spa and former soldier, Mike Chambers, called on opposition councillors to stop “bickering and arguing”.

He said:

“This is about integrity and honour, something I myself hold dear having spent the whole of my life serving country and community. To those who think this motion is about having an axe to grind, I would suggest that you are wrong. 

“This is about safeguarding the honour of honorary aldermen of this borough.”

‘Maintaining standards’

Closing the debate, Cllr Cooper quoted sections of the independent report that concluded Cllr Marsh issued an “unwarranted personal attack on the integrity of councillors”.

He said the motion is about “maintaining standards and showing the public we are better than those we criticise in parliament”.

The motion passed by 18 votes to 10 with 4 abstentions. Member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, was the only Conservative to vote against it.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Cllr Marsh confirmed that she does not intend to apologise. 

She said she felt “sad” that this now means she will not be made an honorary alderwoman of the borough.

She said:

“It would have a wonderful experience to have been an honorary alderwoman of the place I love.”