A council which has repeatedly been challenged over the speed and scale of its carbon-cutting actions has made a U-turn to declare a climate change emergency.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive agreed the authority would immediately adopt a climate emergency, following in the footsteps of several hundred British councils.

Senior councillors said the significant change in position by the Conservative administration had followed it listening to the requests of elected members from a number of political groups.

They added that not declaring a climate emergency could prove a distraction from its significant green efforts.

Commitments made by the council include support for the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s ambition to be the UK’s first carbon negative region – carbon neutral by 2034 and carbon negative by 2040.

These ambitions have been endorsed by the leaders of the Councils of York and North Yorkshire in the devolution deal requests submitted to government in December 2020.

An independent commission set up to examine levelling up for rural communities in the county last year found tackling climate change should be a priority, backing other ambitions for North Yorkshire to become a ‘green lung’ and to lead on employment in the green economy and a revolutionary energy transition.

In addition, the authority, which is the region’s largest employer, has sought to change staff work bases to cut commuting emissions and has made a £1m pump-priming fund available to support new carbon cutting projects, with just under half of the fund already allocated.

Harrogate acted in 2019

Nevertheless, neighbouring councils in Leeds, Darlington and York, as well as district and borough councils in North Yorkshire declared a climate emergency in 2019.

At the time North Yorkshire County Council stopped short of doing so, instead committing to producing a carbon reduction plan.

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Since then, and particularly following May’s elections, North Yorkshire council’s leadership has faced increasing numbers of requests from campaigners and councillors to formally declare a climate emergency.

A meeting of the council’s executive heard the authority’s leadership was “absolutely committed” to getting its own carbon emissions in order.

Councillor Greg White, climate change executive member, told the meeting the authority was “keen to affirm how serious we are about tackling climate change” by declaring a climate emergency and pledging to play its full part in cutting carbon emissions.

He said the authority was doing everything possible to reduce its emissions and meet a challenging net zero emissions target it had set for 2030 while protecting key services.

‘Proud that we acted’

The council’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, told the meeting significant carbon cutting progress had been made across the council’s many properties and workforce.

He said:

“It’s often said that actions speak louder than words. Well I think as an authority we can be very proud that we have acted in a very positive way after recognising the climate emergency two or three years ago.”

Following the meeting, Cllr White said the authority had previously been reluctant to declare a climate emergency as it could be viewed as putting words above actions.

He said the council was already undertaking most measures people associated with tackling the climate change emergency.

Update 3pm – the road has now reopened

Allerton Park interchange near Knaresborough is currently closed after a lorry overturned.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted at 2.10pm this afternoon that it was dealing with the incident and there was no access from Allerton Park towards York via the A59 whilst the vehicle is recovered.

It urged motorists to avoid the area, which is at junction 47 of the A1(M).

https://twitter.com/NYorksPolice/status/1544309485828771844

It is not known if anyone was injured in the incident.

Harrogate Borough Council has tweeted the incident could cause delays to bin collections.

Due to delays on the A59 at Jct 47 of the A1(M), some household waste collections may be delayed today as we struggle to get to Allerton Waste Recovery Park. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) July 5, 2022

Plans have been tabled to convert the site of the former 53 Bo Grove antiques emporium and cafe into five flats.

The bohemian business on Grove Road in Harrogate closed in December 2021 after more than two years of business.

It became a hub for residents during the early coronavirus lockdowns by remaining open to sell food at a time when many supermarkets were struggling for stock.

Kyrensa Bentley, who set up 53 Bo Grove.

Now plans have been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the site, which consists of two buildings and a car park, into flats.

The proposal has been lodged by Architecture One Eight Ltd on behalf of David Birtles.

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All of the apartments proposed would be two-bedrooms.

A planning statement from the developers said the proposal would help to bring the building back into use.

It said:

“The existing buildings have fallen into disrepair and are having a negative impact on the adjacent conservation area.”

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

A new council-backed tourism body for North Yorkshire is expected to launch by spring next year, despite continuing uncertainty about what its functions will be.

A meeting of local authority leaders in North Yorkshire and York heard council officers’ discussions with regional tourism firms were set to conclude this month, the outcomes of which would shape what type of organisation could be developed and its funding structure.

The meeting was told the development of a proposal for a replacement organisation to Welcome to Yorkshire remained at a very early stage, four months after it was placed in administration following years of financial and reputational issues.

However, council chiefs for York and Harrogate highlighted their areas already had well-established tourism marketing and management services and were looking for a strategic regional body to support.

Harrogate Borough Council chief executive Wallace Sampson told the meeting it was important that organisations such as its tourism body, Destination Harrogate, did not lose their identity. He said:

“What we’d be keen to see is some integration with a region-wide body. We feel there are some strong benefits to marketing the Yorkshire region as a whole because it has a strong brand. ”

After the meeting, North Yorkshire County Council leader Councillor Carl Les said:

“What we’re looking at as leaders is more about destination management, not just destination marketing.

“It was always thought to have the proper conversations with people in the industry and the councils that it would take until the autumn before an option could be put before the leaders.”

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While some council leaders say the collapse of Welcome to Yorkshire has seen the loss of potential significant interventions in the tourism economy this year,  some councils have used their own staff to take on tasks previously undertaken by the tourism body.

The meeting heard it remained far from clear what type of publicly-backed tourism organisation was wanted across York and North Yorkshire, let alone Yorkshire as a whole, with different areas seeking a body with different functions.

Complications in deciding the way forward, the meeting heard, included agreeing potential deals with Wensleydale entrepreneur Robin Scott’s Silicone Dales, who bought Welcome to Yorkshire’s assets, including the rights to the Tour de Yorkshire, in April.

North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton said following further discussions between the council and the tourism sector a decision on the new organisation’s structure was scheduled to made before Christmas in the hope that the new tourism body could be launched by April next year.

He described the timescale as being “tight and ambitious”.

The region’s official tourism agency was placed into administration at the start of March after council leaders pulled the plug on public funding after years of reputational and financial problems.

Mr Flinton said while Welcome to Yorkshire’s assets had not been bought by a local government body, there was still “a lot of appetite” amongst councils for a body established to protect tourism, promote the brand of Yorkshire and pick up some of Welcome to Yorkshire’s work.

Plans to build 133 homes on Kingsley Road in Harrogate look set to be approved after being delayed due to badger surveys.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build the development on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

The company’s reserved matters application, which considers issues such as access and appearance, came before the council’s planning committee last month.

But the council delayed a decision after residents claimed there were more badger setts in the area than developers had surveyed.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies that found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used.

A previous ecological study undertaken in 2019 by a different developer found no evidence of badgers.

Members of Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside to capture the movement of animals.

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They claimed their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, six of which were still active.

A report due before councillors at a meeting next week refers to a study on badger setts undertaken by Dan McAndrew, the council’s principal ecologist. It says:

“The report provided is comprehensive, thoroughly assesses the current position and provides acceptable mitigation. 

“There are no badger setts on the site and the development will not cause loss or disturbance to the main sett and will only involve the temporary closure under licence of a small number of outlier setts.”

It added that mitigation measures were already in place as part of the outline approval.

Council officials have recommended that the committee approve the application at a meeting on July 12.

The proposal will see 133 homes built on the site, of which 53 would be allocated as affordable.

A memorial bench and statue for Knaresborough businessman and philanthropist George A Moore has been approved.

The statue, which has been planned by the George A Moore Foundation, will be placed in High Bridge Gardens in the town.

Harrogate Borough Council has given the go-ahead to the proposal, which the foundation says will help to commemorate the life and achievements of Mr Moore.

As part of the plan, a life-size bronze sculpture of Mr Moore will sit on the right hand side of the bench.

An umbrella, coat and newspaper will be permanently secured to the cast iron and stainless steel bench along with the sculpture.

In documents submitted to the council, the foundation said:

“The proposed memorial bench will make a positive contribution to and enhance the gardens, while creating historic interest by celebrating a local philanthropist.”

George A Moore

Born in 1928 at the Mitre public house in Knaresborough, George Moore left his local secondary modern to put his carpentry skills to the good use.

He formed his first business at Cottingley near Bingley, which later expanded into manufacturing high quality kitchen furniture and prepared joinery for local authority housing.

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His business Moore’s Furniture Group employed hundreds of people at Thorp Arch Trading Estate near Wetherby.

In 1970, Mr Moore formed his foundation which started off as a welfare fund for his staff. But it was later enhanced after he sold his business and went onto to become a respected grant making foundation.

Mr Moore was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1988 for his business career and was later awarded Knight of St John status in 1995.

He died at his home on the Isle of Man on September 16, 2016, aged 88.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Plant nursery consultants ‘offensive waste of money’

What on earth do we have planning departments and development experts employed for if our local authority is still prepared to waste £50,000 on external consultants to help us find somewhere to build a large greenhouse?

At a time when the cost of living is tight to say the least, this is the most offensive waste of taxpayers money. Have we not better things to do? How much tatty street furniture could be replaced? How many care workers would it employ? How many potholes would it fill? The list goes on.

It just pains me to see that something like this is deemed to be a priority. I despair.

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

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Ripon Spa Baths refurbishment welcomed

Brilliant news that Spa Baths will be refurbished and protected in future. 

A large part of my childhood too, as with the developer and his family. I’d love to see it when it’s back to its former glory.

Trish Baker, Ripon

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

It is doubtful whether anyone has known more about Harrogate’s people and places than Malcolm Neesam, who died on his 76th birthday this week.

Malcolm, who wrote about a dozen books and numerous other publications about the town, dedicated much of his life to telling Harrogate’s story. He did it better than anyone and will be remembered as the town’s greatest historian.

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the buildings and people that shaped Harrogate but he was also gentle and modest, and never boastful or condescending in print or real life.

Underpinning it all was a deep love for the town, and in particular the Stray.

Born in a nursing home on Ripon Road in Harrogate on June 28, 1946, Malcolm’s father worked for a rubber company that manufactured soles for footwear.

Sunday afternoon walks with his mother stimulated his interest in history at the age of six or seven. She would often talk about things they passed. “I didn’t need a playground,” he once said. “I had the Stray.”

He attended St Peter’s Church of England Primary School, “a very happy little school”, as he described it, and then Christ Church Secondary School for Boys. The school, which was situated between the Empress roundabout and Christ Church on the Stray, amalgamated with St Peter’s Secondary School for Girls to create St Aidan’s Church of England High School more than 50 years ago. Retirement flats now occupy the site.

In his last year at Christ Church, Malcolm’s parents noticed an advert for an assistant at Harrogate library and thought his developing interest in history would make him suitable.

Photographed in London in 1988. Pic by Benedict Hess

After three years in that role he accepted a post at Leeds University studying archives and librarianship. He later attributed his thoroughness at gathering source material for books to his training as an archivist.

Malcolm then moved to Hereford for four-and-a-half years to set-up the city’s first children’s library service before moving further south to Northwood, in the London borough of Hillingdon close to the Metropolitan line, to work as an archivist for the Duchy of Lancaster.

Music librarian

He did this for three years before going to York, shortly before local government reorganisation in 1974, to become city music librarian.

But when reorganisation changed everything, Malcolm was offered a post by the new local authority as county music librarian, which involved buying music for county library services. Being a great lover of classical music, he was perfectly suited.

He stayed in York until 1996, overseeing new methods of administration, storage and repairs as technology changed and vinyl was replaced by cassettes and then CDs in North Yorkshire libraries. All the time he commuted from Harrogate.

He admired York’s decision to effectively pull out of North Yorkshire local government and become independent in the 1990s. Malcolm hated the trend towards ever more remote forms of local government, which will culminate in the creation of North Yorkshire Council next year and the abolition of seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council. He felt the more decision-making left Harrogate, the more the town lost control of its wealth and character.

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In 1996 he received an offer to work for an American company called Alumni Holidays, which arranged holidays for former university students.

He had done some guiding in York, which proved useful in his new role in which he gave lectures on subjects such as Scarborough, York and the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire architecture and Yorkshire literature. Alumni Holidays was horrified by his initial omission of James Herriot so the author was eventually added to his list of topics.

Malcolm worked for the company on a freelance basis for 10 years but the Madrid train bombing in 2004 severely disrupted business by leaving many Americans too afraid to travel to Europe.

Full-time writer

In 2006 he decided to concentrate on writing full-time. He had written short stories at school but didn’t let anyone see them. His writing career had begun in 1973 when the Library Association commissioned him to write a guide to children’s sci-fi called Into Space. It went to nearly every library in the country.

A founding member of the Harrogate Society, which later became Harrogate Civic Society, he was asked by local firms such as Ogden, Raworths and William Woods to write books for them. He also undertook research for plaques. His writing career, he said, “grew in stages”.

Harrogate in Old Picture Postcards was published in 1992, followed by Exclusively Harrogate in 1994 and Harrogate: A History of the English Spa from the Earliest Times to the Present in 2001. His works also included a centennial history of Harrogate Grammar School in 2003.

During this time he became, in the words of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, “the chronicler of our town”.

The two books of which Malcolm was proudest are Harrogate Great Chronicle 1332-1841, which was the product of 40 years work, and Wells and Swells: The Golden Age of Harrogate Spa, 1842–1923, which was published in April this year. His beloved Harrogate Club named its dining room in his honour at the book launch. By then, Malcolm was in the advanced stages of the cancer that would claim his life and it was a deeply emotional occasion at a place that meant so much to him.

Malcolm Neesam at the launch of his final book, Wells and Swells.

He started work on a third volume, covering Harrogate’s history since 1923, fully aware he was unlikely to finish it.

Before Malcolm, William Grainge, who died in 1895, was considered to be Harrogate’s foremost historian. Grainge had published books and short publications about the town in the 1860s and 1870s, but nothing substantial. Malcolm described Grainge’s style as “too chatty” whereas he focused more on the history.

He and the late Harold Walker, a historian and one-time editor of the Harrogate Herald, set up the Walker-Neesam archive, ensuring their collective research could stay for ever within the town.

His vast collection of papers and photo library will go to Harrogate’s Mercer Art Gallery. Organising them won’t be an easy task: thousands of brown envelopes assigned alphabetically by subject took up an entire room at his home.

Malcolm gave a typically modest answer when asked why he only wrote about Harrogate, saying: “Some writers can turn to anything. I can only write about things that interest me.”

Freedom of the Borough

Malcolm was instrumental in establishing the listing of many buildings in the town and in establishing the first conservation area. He was also the founder historian of the Harrogate Brown Plaque scheme.

He was a member of the Harrogate Club from the 1990s and adored the place and its history. Arthur Conan Doyle once played billiards there.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded him the Freedom of the Borough in 1996 for his services as a historian. He supported numerous local organisations, including Harrogate Dramatic Society and Harrogate Theatre, often sitting on their committees.

Unfailingly polite, he was nevertheless often reserved and diffident in public. He rarely talked about his private life but close friends say he had a keen sense of humour, which could border on the macabre at times, and was an excellent cook.

Besides music, he had a passion for reading, especially non-fiction history and Victorian fiction, such as Dickens, Thackeray and Jane Austin.

But his lifelong passion was Harrogate. He loved its wide streets, the Stray and shops, and felt the population was just about ideal.

He never married. His elder sister, Shirley, who had two sons, died three years ago. Malcolm’s two nephews live in Burnley and East Sussex.

Asked where he was happiest, he said: “It may seem obvious but just sitting on the Stray under a tree.”

Malcolm Neesam, historian and author, born June 28, 1946, died June 28, 2022

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed plans for social housing at seven sites which it said would make a “small but important contribution” to the serious shortage of affordable homes.

With around 1,800 households on its housing waiting list, the council has made a push to bring forward new homes on small sites.

However, it has been criticised for not going further or faster enough to provide more homes for Harrogate’s low-income earners who are being driven out of the area by high rent and house prices.

The council’s latest plans include social housing at sites in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Huby.

The Knaresborough site off Halfpenny Close is the largest and could accommodate around 14 homes for market, social rent and shared ownership if approved. All of the properties would be classed as “affordable”.

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A total of £170,000 in government cash has been secured by the council to progress these plans, and some of the money has already been spent on site surveys.

There are also proposals for five shared ownership apartments at the former Cavendish House hostel on Robert Street, Harrogate.

The council said these apartments would be for “first time buyers unable to afford to access the property market”.

Also in Harrogate, two properties are planned for St Andrew’s Place where the council has admitted vehicular access would be “tight” on the single lane street.

Another home has been proposed for Gascoigne Crescent in the town.

On Knaresborough’s Charlton Drive, a garage site which has been described as in “very poor condition” could also become a new build.

There are also proposals for single properties on both Springfield Drive, Boroughbridge, and Kingsway in Huby.

A decision to submit planning applications for all six sites is set to be signed off by Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, at a meeting next Tuesday.

A report to the meeting said the development of similar sites has been “long established” and “makes good use of the council’s landholdings”.

The report also said the council would bid for extra government funding to develop the proposals if planning permission is granted.

It added:

 “There are circa 1,800 households on the waiting list for social/affordable rented housing and circa 650 first time buyers registered for shared ownership.

“These underutilised sites will make a small but important contribution to helping meet that need.”

Overgrown grass on a community green in Knaresborough was cut this week following complaints from residents.

Homeowners on Appleby Green had described the site as an “eyesore”.

After they raised their concerns with Harrogate Borough Council and contacted the Stray Ferret, the green was finally mown on Monday following a period of more than four weeks.

However, they remain sceptical that the maintenance, which they were promised would be fortnightly, will regularly continue.

The impact of staff shortages on the council’s ability to maintain green spaces, plus its policy to re-wild parts of the district, has divided opinion. Some welcome the return to nature; others feel it looks untidy.

There are 200 houses on the Appleby Green estate, near the Nidd Gorge, with 14 situated around the green, overlooking the area.

Speaking on behalf of a number of homeowners, Stafford Dent said there had been numerous complaints raised over the last three years.

He said:

“It was only last summer when the head of parks and the parks manager visited the site with around 20 residents present.

“A plan of action was agreed with the management team to maintain key areas of the Appleby Estate, including, most importantly, the green.

“It was agreed the green and surrounding areas would be cut every two weeks.

“Unfortunately, Harrogate Borough Council have not kept their promise.

“Our lovely green is becoming an absolute eyesore.”

Appleby Green, before it was cut.

Mr Dent said residents were told by the parks manager that there weren’t enough staff to maintain areas across the district and the teams were working “flat out”.

However, Mr Dent said it had been an ongoing problem over recent years and the council therefore had “more than adequate time to manage staff attrition”.

He added:

“After numerous complaints the residents feel that we are constantly being fobbed off with lame excuses as to why key activities are not carried out on a regular basis.”

‘Striking a balance’

A council spokesman said a programme of work was in place to cut the grass in parks and open spaces, verges and other areas managed by the authority.

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He said this was in addition to maintaining the numerous award-winning floral displays, for which the Harrogate district is well known for and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

He said:

“Like many services across the country, we have vacant positions that is having an impact on our ability to deliver the service as desired.

“Some areas are also being left to grow and not mown as regularly as we want to attract pollinators, encourage biodiversity and create habitats.

“As we’ve said before, this approach is favoured by some and an eyesore to others. So we have to strike a balance to ensure all residents can enjoy the district with the resource we have available.”

Mr Dent said he believed the council had only cut the grass on Monday on the back of “all the noise that has been raised”.

He said:

“I know in a few weeks time we will have the same old problem though, as this is an ongoing issue.

“In addition to sending an email direct to the parks manager, to which I received a response stating that her teams were currently so stretched, I have also logged a formal complaint on the council site. This has been acknowledged by the customer service team and I still await a response.

“It’s the same old issue, not enough staff to cope, but due to this being an issue for a few years, I feel that the management team have had more than adequate time to solve their headcount problem.”