harrogate borough council Archives - Page 37 of 159

New council plans single taxi licensing for North Yorkshire

Taxi drivers in the Harrogate district could be able to operate in other areas of North Yorkshire, under plans being considered by county council officials.

A consultation is being held into vehicle licensing for the entire of the county ahead of North Yorkshire Council being set up.

As of April 1 next year, the new authority will be responsible for licensing vehicles in the Harrogate district. Harrogate Borough Council, which currently fulfils the role locally, will no longer exist.

County council officials have proposed North Yorkshire operates as one hackney carriage zone in order to offer drivers “flexibility to operate across the county”.

A review of fare rates across the county will be carried out at a later date.

The council said in a statement:

“In accordance with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance, it is proposed that the new council will operate one hackney carriage ‘zone’ for North Yorkshire.

“Thereby providing drivers with the flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“There are no plans to impose hackney carriage quantity restrictions on the creation of a new single zone. Hackney carriage fares and fees will also be reviewed at a later date.”

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and end on January 19, 2023.

You can take part in the survey here.

New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities

A consultation is being launched today on what the new North Yorkshire Council’s funding priorities should be, amid stark warnings about its economic situation.

North Yorkshire Council will come into existence on April 1 when the seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, are abolished.

The postponement of the Chancellor’s autumn statement means the new local authority still doesn’t know how much funding it will be allocated by national government.

In addition, the new authority is expected to start life by inheriting a £27 million deficit from the eight councils it is replacing. Rising inflation is also believed to have added an additional £70 million in costs.

Against this backdrop, county council leader Carl Les said the budget for the new authority will be the most challenging he has witnessed.

Cllr Les, who will become the leader of the new North Yorkshire Council, said:

“These challenges for the forthcoming financial year are the greatest I have ever known, caused by a succession of issues that, taken in isolation, would present significant problems to overcome in themselves.

“We have launched the consultation to give the public the chance to highlight what they believe are the financial priorities which the new North Yorkshire Council should be focused on, and it is so important that we hear those views to help us form the budget for the authority.”

Cllr Les added that the restructuring of local government in North Yorkshire “could not have come at a more prescient time amid all the challenges we are facing” because merging eight councils and streamlining services “will be invaluable in ensuring that budgets can be balanced”.

He believes the restructure could lead to savings of up to £70 million a year.

North Yorkshire County Council alone has had to make savings of £200 million since 2010 from an original net budget of £520 million, excluding funding for schools – equating to a 40 per cent reduction in spending.

North Yorkshire Council will serve the greatest geographical area of any local authority in the country, and it will have an overall spend of about £1.4 billion, including £343 million on schools.

The Let’s Talk Money conversation begins today and runs until December 23. Details are available here.

Plan to convert Edwardian chapel near Masham into home approved

Plans to convert a disused Methodist chapel near Masham into a house have been approved.

The Old Chapel at Breary Banks, Healey, was built in 1911 for workers building reservoirs that served people in Leeds. Breary Banks was later used as a prisoner of war camp during the First World War.

The slate roof chapel is not a listed building but is considered to be a non-designated heritage asset located within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The proposal, submitted by Fred Collin Architect on behalf of Clementine Isabella Godwin, will see the historic chapel converted into a one-bedroom house.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved the application.

Documents submitted to the authority said:

“The proposal is to convert the redundant former chapel into a single dwelling unit. This will be open plan and the sleeping area will be on an upper mezzanine level.”

Masham Parish Council supported the application.

Breary Banks village was constructed in 1900 by the Leeds Corporation, which had commissioned the creation of two nearby reservoirs to supply Leeds with water.

The village was designed to house the navvies working on the construction of the reservoirs and their families. By spring 1904 the settlement accommodated 400 men with more huts being built, according to planning documents.

Sixteen men lived lived in each hut.

Harrogate councillor is Rishi Sunak’s agent in Richmond

Rishi Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister this week has thrust a Harrogate councillor to the forefront of national politics.

Sam Gibbs is the Conservative Party agent in Richmond — Mr Sunak’s constituency.

As such, he works closely with Mr Sunak, who was elected to the safe Tory seat in 2015 with 51% of the vote. He increased this share to 64% at the last election in 2019.

Agents typically advise their MPs as well as oversee the smooth running of the local party.

Mr Sunak’s elevation to the highest office in the land is likely to increase the workload on the party in Richmond and on Mr Gibbs.

Besides helping Mr Sunak, Mr Gibbs, who lives on Forest Avenue in Harrogate, has served as the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Valley Gardens on Harrogate Borough Council since 2018.

Last year he campaigned for new ‘no cycling’ signs to be painted on footpaths on the Stray after local residents complained about speeding cyclists using the parkland.

Councillor Gibbs in a photo about the new tree lighting on the Stray.

This year he was appointed the cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling when council leader Richard Cooper reshuffled his team in March. He is also a member of the cabinet.

Election success this year

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished in April but Mr Gibbs’ interest in local politics won’t end then.

This year he won the Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate division on North Yorkshire County Council in May’s local elections. He received 871 votes, ahead of Liberal Democrat David Johnson, who polled 545 votes and independent Lucy Gardiner, who received 331 votes.

It means he will represent the division for a further four-and-a-half years, first on the county council and, from April, on the new North Yorkshire Council.

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Gibbs, who is also a trustee of Harrogate and District Community Action, to ask about his role with Mr Sunak, and whether Mr Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister would affect his councillor positions. However, he did not reply.

New tree lights illuminate Harrogate’s Stray

The winter lights decorating trees around Harrogate’s Stray have had something of a makeover.

New LED bulbs have replaced the older ones and the strings of lights are no longer hanging from branches as they have done in the past.

Contracts manager for Harrogate-based Yorkshire Lighting Services, Rob Malloy, explained:

“The council couldn’t carry on with the trees lights how they were as any storm damage would wreck them. The lights were strung up from branch to branch.

“It’s been designed to reduce breakage. We’ve wrapped them around the trunks and branches. Each tree is different – each is unique.

“The idea is to cheer people up.”

The company won the tender to replace the lights and has had four workers on the project for the past couple of months.

Forty trees around the Stray, West Park and York Place have all seen the old lights removed and the new ones put in place.

The council also funded the replacement of lights on the trees on Otley Road and Leeds Road that had been individually sponsored in memory of loved ones in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research around a decade ago.

Mr Malloy told the Stray Ferret that he hoped the result would be a fitting memory for those people the trees lights have been dedicated to.

Top Harrogate Tree Lights Facts:

Each tree is wrapped with 100 metres of cable
There are 1,000 LED bulbs per tree
They are connected to the street lights for power
Each tree uses 30 watts of energy
The LED bulbs are brighter than the previous ones and will last longer
They’re switched on by photocell system that’s directed by daylight
They switch off at midnight

Councillor Sam Gibbs, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“The Stray is such an iconic landmark for Harrogate and throughout the year attracts thousands of visitors.

“We’re often complimented on the existing lighting, but it can be difficult to manage due to lights getting blown around, hanging down and becoming dangerous.

“The replacement project will be a big change compared to the current display and should continue to bring a smile to people’s faces as they travel through the town in the evening.”

Building society opens new branch in Knaresborough Library

Banking services have returned to Knaresborough with the opening of a new branch of Newcastle Building Society.

The town has been without a bank for more than 18 months after the Halifax branch on Market Square closed in February 2021.

Now, Newcastle Building Society has opened a community branch in Knaresborough Library.

Its chief executive Andrew Haigh was in town yesterday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He said:

“The feedback from residents and other businesses in the town has been fantastic and we’re looking forward to establishing a long and mutually beneficial presence in the town.

“We’re facing into a cost of living crisis which will impact every household budget in the country so I can’t think of a time when it has been more important for people to have access to the face-to-face financial services they need.

“Our members tell us time and again how much they value our branch network, and whilst so many banks are closing branches, we remain absolutely committed to the high streets across our region.

Knaresborough is the fourth community branch to be opened by Newcastle Building Society, following Wooler in Northumberland, Yarm in Stockton-on-Tees, and Hawes in Richmondshire.

As well as face-to-face financial services, the Knaresborough branch is expected to offer a OneBanx multi-bank transaction terminal by the end of the year. It will offer customers from all major UK banks a way to withdraw and deposit cash.

The building society worked alongside North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council to restore banking services to the town by opening its 31st branch.

To mark becoming part of the community, Newcastle Building Society has given grants of £2,000 to Orb Community Arts and £4,000 to Chain Lane Community Hub.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said:

“The opening of a Newcastle Building Society branch in Knaresborough library has been welcomed in the local community. They already offer a community branch within Hawes library which has proved very popular with those who need access to cash, and is a great way of multi-purposing an already well-used building.

“The offer of financial services has significantly increased footfall into Knaresborough library and is encouraging new visitors through the doors.”

Harrogate’s Christmas ice rink opens for bookings

Harrogate’s Christmas ice rink has opened for bookings.

The rink, at Crescent Gardens, will be open every day except Christmas Day from December 1 to January 2.

One-hour sessions can be booked throughout each day, with the final session at 8pm. A website has been set up for bookings.

Tickets cost £14 for adults and £13 for children aged five to 16. Family tickets costing £37.50, £50 and £62.50 are available.

Parent and toddler sessions and relaxed sessions, catering for parents and carers and children with additional support needs, are also on offer.

The ice rink is among the highlights of this year’s Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which will also include a Ferris wheel, carousel and other fairground rides, Candy Cane Express road train, town centre stalls and an artisan market in Valley Gardens.

The fayre is a joint venture between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Market Place Europe, which took over the town’s seasonal activities last year after the council refused to grant a licence to Harrogate Christmas Market, a locally-run organisation behind the previous event on Montpellier Hill.

The bookings website says:

“Harrogate ice rink is magical for all ages, great for families, date nights, catch ups with pals, Christmas parties with a twist, skaters, non-skaters, those who want to learn to skate at our skate school or just enjoy one of the most fascinating spectator sports with a drink and bite to eat.”

Working group set up to steer future of Harrogate Convention Centre

A working group is being set up to steer the future of Harrogate Convention Centre as the venue approaches a crucial time of change in its 40-year history.

Senior officials and councillors from Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will come together to discuss the convention centre’s £49 million redevelopment plan and how it could be funded, as well as how the venue should be run in the future.

It has previously been suggested that a limited company could be set up to take over the day-to-day business of the venue which is set to come under the ownership of the new North Yorkshire Council in April.

County council leader Carl Les said this would be one option that is explored by the working group as he also acknowledged there could be risks involved in the £49 million redevelopment plan. he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“We will look at everything connected with the convention centre.”

“I’m sure that there are some risks involved and that is why we want a working group.

“We are very conscious that this has been a Harrogate Borough Council project until now and because it is going to come to us in a short space of time we want to better understand what options there may be going forward.”

Cllr Les’ comments come after the county council’s executive yesterday gave final approval for the spending of £3.3 million of taxpayer’s money on final designs for the redevelopment plan.

Prior to this, more than £1.5 million has already been spent on other design, business case and feasibility works.

A final decision on the redevelopment plan is expected next summer, but there are lingering questions over how it could be funded after cash for the convention centre was left out of North Yorkshire’s £540 million devolution deal, much to the dismay of local leaders.

A separate bid for £20 million from the government’s levelling up fund has been made for the venue, however, Harrogate is ranked as a low priority area in the fund.

Paula Lorimer

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said the levelling up funding would be a “game changer” for the venue if awarded later this year as she also thanked the county council for its support in progressing the final designs. She said:

“This is a very important step for us and both parties agree this is something we need to work together on.

“They have listened to everything we have put forward and asked all the right questions, and I’m very much looking forward to working with them.”

The launch of the working group comes as the convention centre is facing a new threat on its doorstep in the form of Leeds City Council’s proposals to build a new conference venue at the site of the former Yorkshire Bank HQ.

Threat from Leeds

A decision on these plans was previously delayed after a wave of objections from Harrogate Convention Centre and the district’s business leaders who fear the plans could drive trade away from Harrogate.

And Ms Lorimer said she is now preparing to make the same objections again when the proposals return to a city council meeting on 3 November.

She said “constructive dialogue” had been held with Leeds officials, but her concerns over the size of the city’s proposed venue and its impact on Harrogate Convention Centre remained unchanged. Ms Lorimer said:

“When we were first spoken to about this venue it was 2,000 square metres – we didn’t object and we told Leeds City Council that. Then suddenly it became 10,000 square metres.

“We continue to seek reassurance that the scheme will go back to the original size, but they are going to push ahead.”

Harrogate’s floral reputation looks set to continue

The president of Harrogate in Bloom has said she is confident the town will maintain its floral reputation after spring’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department has played a major role in maintaining the district’s green spaces over the last 50 years.

It has worked closely with Harrogate in Bloom and other volunteer groups on landscaping and creating attractive flower displays that are a major part of the town’s tourist appeal.

But the council will be abolished on April 1, triggering fears the new North Yorkshire Council, which will be based in Northallerton, might not value Harrogate’s appearance as highly and might not collaborate with local groups.

Harrogate Borough Council parks and gardens flowers

Harrogate Borough Council maintaining summer flower beds.

Pam Grant, president of Harrogate in Bloom, said she was “reassured” after talks with a representative of the new local authority about future plans. She said:

“The new council wants Harrogate in Bloom to continue and it wants Harrogate to maintain its floral reputation.

“I’m assured nothing will change overnight on April 1 and no drastic changes are planned.

“Nobody likes uncertainty but I feel reassured.”

Harrogate in Bloom is a volunteer-run group, which works with other community groups on town centre schemes.

It has also forged close relationships with Harrogate Borough Council and, more recently, Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has funded barrier baskets, hanging baskets and shop planters.

One of the BID’s floral schemes.

Harrogate was awarded a gold medal and named a winner in the small city category at this month’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards.

Ms Grant said:

“Harrogate doesn’t have a cathedral to attract visitors but it does have a reputation for being a nice town with lots of flowers and clean, fresh air.”

Staffing a ‘significant challenge’ for Harrogate district food hygiene checks

Harrogate Borough Council has said staffing is a “significant challenge” for food hygiene inspections, which face long backlogs after covid.

During the pandemic, the Food Standards Agency advised all councils to prioritise “high risk” food businesses as inspections resumed last July.

Since then the council said it has visited all establishments in this category during the first year of its food service recovery plan.

But there are now almost 1,100 “low risk” businesses which are due an inspection from officers – and that figure is more than double the 415 pending inspections in 2019.

The council said in a report that staffing has become a “significant challenge” in the last year as it deals with difficulties in recruiting and also prepares to hand over services to the new North Yorkshire Council.

It also said that another wave of covid infections this winter could mean staff once again have to shift their focus to other enforcement work.

The council said.

“There is a risk that the winter period may see an increase in covid.

“Should further local or national controls be put in place, team resource may need to be dedicated to advice, enforcement and infection control again.”

Food businesses are given ratings between zero and five, and there are currently 549 pending inspections due at businesses in the lowest risk category E, while 531 are due in category D.

The council said in a statement that inspections at these firms would be carried out “when resources allow”.

It comes after the authority warned that food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses had “deteriorated significantly” during the covid lockdowns when full inspections were postponed.

And since restrictions were lifted last year, the council said large events have increased “in number and complexity every year” with extra pressure on staff.

These events have included the Great Yorkshire Show, Knaresborough Bed Race, Deer Shed Festival near Ripon, Harrogate’s Autumn Flower Show and new regular food markets, the council said.

It added:

“Events are attracting traders from out of district with a huge variance in compliance.”

Around 200 new food businesses register in the Harrogate district each year and the council is currently responsible for enforcement at 2,073 establishments – roughly the same amount as York.

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Election success this year

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Threat from Leeds

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