Harrogate district residents should brace themselves for another increase in their council tax bills this year.

As local authorities begin to unveil their budget plans, a hike in rates is one of the measures they will take.

Council tax bills are made by adding up the precepts charged by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and parish councils.

Harrogate Borough Council has already announced a proposed £5 increase and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has suggested bills could go up as far as £10 for the police force.

A closer look at the detail gives a glimpse into why those authorities are hiking rates.

How much will my bill go up by?

So far, the only authority which has shown its full hand on council tax is Harrogate Borough Council.

Senior councillors at Harrogate council have backed a £5 increase – which would amount to £255.92 for a band D property.

A final decision on the increase will be made in February.

North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner have yet to confirm their proposals — but have suggested what the rate could be.

North Yorkshire’s police commissioner gave a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel a presentation on Thursday which outlined a budget based on a £10 increase.

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This would see the police precept on council tax bills increase to £281.06 and give the force an additional £3 million in income.

However, the fire service will only be able to hike its share by 1.99%. This would see the rate charged for fire services rise to £1.46 per week.

North Yorkshire County Council, which makes up the majority of residents’ council tax bills, has yet to suggest an increase.

But it does have the power to hike its share by as much as 4.5%.

Should senior county councillors support such an increase, this would see its share rise from £1,411 for a band D property to £1,474.

Why is my bill going up?

Nearly two years of covid and more than a decade of government cuts has had a drastic affect on local authority finances.

Coronavirus has left both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council with financial blackholes to fill.

Last month, Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, warned that the authority will have to find £19 million in savings this coming year.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: North Yorkshire County Council.

A government settlement of £26 million will not be enough for the authority to balance its books in 2022/23.

However, Cllr Les did acknowledge that the council tax system needed to be reformed.

He said:

“We continue to feel that residents in North Yorkshire pay too much council tax, particularly in comparison to London, and urge the government to press on with funding reform to create a fairer solution for rural counties.”

Similarly, Paul Foster, head of finance at Harrogate Borough Council, told senior councillors that its finances were not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until at least 2023/24.

He said the council was predicting a reduction in income for the next financial year of £150,000.

Mr Foster also said government grant allocations had been reduced by £8.2 million since 2010 and that the council would have to dip into its reserves to fund some major projects.

Michael Porter, director of finance at North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office, setting out the bleak financial picture for the fire service earlier this week.

Fire service hit hardest

But perhaps the authority feeling the affects of both covid and cuts most acutely is North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

On Thursday, the Stray Ferret reported that the service has had its capital grant abolished by the government, which means it could have to borrow up to £31 million to fund upkeep of stations and fire kit for crews.

In addition to this, the service is currently running a deficit of £1 million and cannot increase its share of council tax by more than 1.99%.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, described the precept cap set by government as “very unfair” and pledged to continue lobbying ministers for fairer funding.

To illustrate just how bleak the financial situation is, Martin Walker, a former judge and co-opted member of North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel, said he was “horrified” by it.

He told Michael Porter, director of finance at the commissioner’s office, on Thursday:

“I have to say that I’m horrified, if that’s not too strong a word, about where the fire service is going to be.

“It’s in desperate need of capital injection and renewing stations, renewing fire engines and renewing all sorts of infrastructure.

“You’re talking about borrowing and having to borrow £30 million. I hesitate to say this, but god help us. 

“The fire service is fighting so hard to provide the service that the public need and yet you’re telling us as a panel that it’s going to get worse, then it will get worse and after that it will get worse.”

What happens now?

Council officials, including the county council and commissioner’s office, will set out their plans for council tax this month.

After that, councillors will vote on the proposals.

All of the public bodies which set council tax rates will confirm their budgets in February.

From there, residents across the Harrogate district will receive their bill for the next financial year in April. The only certainty is that they will go up again.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans for a new clubhouse for Sicklinghall Cricket Club after an arson attack destroyed its previous building.

The club has been using temporary shipping containers since the fire in 2016 while fundraising for a replacement clubhouse.

It lodged proposals in November for a new facility with home and away changing rooms, kitchen, storage facility, toilet and scorer’s box. The club said it could be used for other community or sports events.

The club, which is situated between Wetherby and Kirkby Overblow, has played in the village since 1925 and is currently in the top tier of the Leeds and Wetherby Cricket League.

The club is within walking distance of Sicklinghall and the application will provide sports facilities for local children.

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An inquiry into Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital has revealed the facility cost £31.6 million.

The 500-bed hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre was one of eight Nightingale hospitals set up at the start of the covid pandemic in March 2020. It was dismantled last year without treating a single covid patient.

Of its £31.6 million costs, £17 million was spent on building and dismantling works, £10.4 million on running costs and £4.1 million on equipment.

A further £1.1 million was spent on security and around £500,000 on cleaning and food.

Members of West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee launched the inquiry into the hospital after raising questions over why it was not used to treat any covid patients and how it would have been staffed if needed.

The committee has now concluded that while these questions remain unanswered, the need for the eight Nightingale hospitals across the UK showed there was insufficient critical care capacity in regular hospitals.

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Harrogate Borough Council – which owns the convention centre – also charged £4.2 million for staffing, utilities, business rates.

The committee said while it had not reached a conclusion on the costs, it had asked for its findings to be presented to a full public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic set to be launched later this year.

Meanwhile, the inquiry also found that the nation had to be better prepared for future pandemics.

It said:

“The country needs to learn from this experience to plan for future pandemics.

“Although we learnt that staffing the Nightingale hospital would have only required 0.6% of the NHS hospital workforce across Yorkshire and the Humber, this only worked when nearly all elective hospital work had been suspended.

“This still feels like it would have been very tight and put significant pressure on certain key professions.”

‘Most frightening experience of my life’

The Nightingale hospital opened in April 2020 amid fears that the NHS might be overwhelmed by covid and it was dismantled almost a year later at a total cost of £31.6 million.

Members of the West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee suggested there was a public view that the seven Nightingale hospitals were a “major waste of money”.

However, senior NHS officials have argued that had the hospitals not been built and it subsequently proved they were needed, the consequences would have been “unthinkable”.

Speaking at a meeting with the committee in September, Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“If they had been needed and they hadn’t been built, we would have been asked far more difficult questions than why did you spend £30 million.

“I cannot describe to you the feeling of sitting in the convention centre looking at the chart that in four days we will run out of ventilation beds until you get this hospital mobilised.

“It was the most frightening experience of my life.”

The committee also praised the thousands of staff involved in setting up and running the Nightingale, including NHS workers, council staff, contractors and volunteers.

The committee said: 

“The predicted numbers of covid patients for Yorkshire and the Humber far outweighed the number of hospital beds that could be provided for all levels of care, which was why it was important to have the further capacity that the Nightingale hospitals gave us.

“We have nothing but admiration for the way in which they, NHS colleagues throughout Yorkshire and the Humber and partner organisations responded.

“It is a tribute to the work of the NHS, local authorities, the community and voluntary sector and many others that we did not need to use the Nightingale Hospital.”

Northern Gas Networks has submitted an objection on Tesco’s plans to build a new supermarket in Harrogate.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store on the former gasworks in the New Park area of town.

Northern Gas Networks, which sold the site to Tesco for £2.8 million in 2003, is concerned about the potential impact on Harrogate’s gas supply.

The site of the proposed Tesco.

In its formal objection on the council planning portal, NGN said it retained legal rights on a high pressure pipeline at the site that was “instrumental in supplying gas to the town”. It says the legal rights enable it to prevent any building on or near the length of the pipeline.

The pipe cuts across the north-eastern side of the site from Skipton Road to Oak Beck.

It is standard practice for NGN to object to any plans which are close or over a high pressure pipeline. Its objection aims to ensure the company, which distributes gas to 2.7 million homes in northern England, will be involved in the planning process.

Read more:

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A spokesperson for Tesco said:

“We will consider all feedback received on our application. We will have further discussions with Harrogate Borough Council about the issues raised.”

Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about traffic plus access to the site.

However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.

Parking spaces will be temporarily reduced in Ripon from next week while resurfacing work is carried out at the city’s biggest car park.

Work on the 193-bay Cathedral Car Park starts on Monday and is scheduled to be completed by February 11.

Signs say that over the three weeks, there will be ‘restricted parking’ available.

Other public car parks serving the city centre are at The Arcade, Market Place North (except on Thursdays) Victoria Grove, St Marygate and Marshall Way retail park.

Plea for wider bays

Before local company A. E. Duffield begins the £85,000 contract, Ripon City Council has reiterated its call for spaces on the car park to be widened to accommodate the larger vehicles that many people now drive.

At Monday evening’s city council meeting, members were told by town clerk Paula Benson that Harrogate Borough Council had not as yet responded to correspondence about the request for enlarged spaces.

It agreed to make further contact with Harrogate Borough Council after council leader Andrew Williams said:

“With the work due to start next week, we need an answer from them.”

A discount shop which has operated in Harrogate for the last two years is set to close its doors at the end of the month.

The Harrogate Discount Store took on prime retail space on James Street on a temporary basis after Next moved to the Victoria Shopping Centre.

It will close on Tuesday, January 25 but the owners hope to find smaller premises elsewhere in the town centre.

The company moved in when the landlord wanted a business to fill the space while seeking planning permission for a renovation.

Harrogate Borough Council approved the renovation works, which include refurbishment of the shop front and the addition of separate access for the upper floors of the building, in December.

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In the planning documents, the landlord said the proposal would improve the chances of attracting a “quality long-term tenant”.

Gavin Broadbent, who runs the Harrogate Discount Store with another employee on behalf of the owners, told the Stray Ferret:

“As far as I am aware, the landlord just needs the place back. We were only meant to be here for three months but that was two years ago.

“We have been on a rolling deal and have done quite well out of the place. We have been really busy so we are going to try and find somewhere a bit smaller in a couple of months.

“It has been great. We have really built it up to be quite well liked. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea being on a posh street in the middle of Harrogate but people like a bargain.”

A builder has been fined more than £1,300 for burning demolition waste on land at Harewell Wood Cottage, Glasshouses.

Harrogate Borough Council visited the property on April 29 last year and witnessed remnants of a fire from the previous evening, which consisted of timber and some corrugated roofing sheets.

Philip Snow, 31, from Glasshouses had carried out demolition work – operating under PR Snow Services – at the former butchers in Summerbridge and then disposed of some of the waste on land owned by his parents, in order to burn it, rather than disposing of the waste at an authorised waste disposal site.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue had extinguished the fire at the property on the previous evening.

The blaze had been emitting dark smoke caused by the burning of timber, insulated sandwich panels and corrugated roofing sheets.

The fire sent large amounts of black smoke into the atmosphere, causing environmental pollution and potential harm to health.

This dark smoke caused by the burning of these materials is an offence under the Clean Air Act 1993 so Harrogate Borough Council took Mr Snow to court.

The Environment Agency provided a witness statement stating there was no environmental permit or exemption in place for the burning of waste on the land at the time of the incident.

Read more:

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• Tesco consultation results reveal support for new Harrogate store

Last month York Magistrate Court fined Snow, who pleaded guilty, £678 for the offence under section 2(1) of the Clean Air Act 1993 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £635.

Cllr Mike Chambers, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:

“Mr Snow has shown a complete lack of awareness or consideration for the law, as well as the environment, by disposing of commercial waste in this way.

“I’d like to thank the concerned residents who raised the alarm, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for dealing with the fire swiftly and safely as well as the council officers.

“I hope this is a reminder to business owners that the illegal disposal of waste is a criminal offence and we will, with proper evidence, seek to prosecute the offender.”

Waste disposal law

Anyone employing an individual or business to remove waste from their property or business has a responsibility to ensure they dispose of it legitimately.

The easiest way to do this is to check they have a waste carriers licence (Upper Tier). This can be done on the Environment Agency’s website or by calling 0370 850 6506.

The council also advise asking for a receipt documenting the waste that was taken, by who and at what cost.

More information about fly-tipping is available on the council’s website.

Harrogate district taxi drivers are calling for a 5% increase in taxi fares to help cover soaring fuel prices and a decline in earnings due to covid.

“Please help us” is one of several messages sent from taxi drivers to Harrogate Borough Council, which will hold a licensing meeting on Wednesday next week to consider the request.

It comes after 2021 saw record costs for both petrol and diesel in the UK, with diesel hitting prices of over £1.50 per litre for the first time in history.

Local cabbies also said rises in vehicle prices and parts and the climbing cost of living had contributed to them asking for a fare increase.

One taxi driver told the council:

“It is sometimes very difficult to strike the correct balance between what is a reasonable fare increase and keeping our loyal customers happy.

“That said, we have witnessed in the past six months an increase of more than 30% in our fuel costs alone and there is a lot of talk that fuel could reach £2 per litre by mid 2022.”

Another said:

“Since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in customers paying by card which attracts card reader fees. Due to card payments there has also been a very significant loss of tips.”

The request from taxi drivers is for a 5% rise on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, as well as an increase in starting prices £3.40 to £3.60.

Harrogate district taxis among the most expensive

According to national trade newspaper Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, the Harrogate district is currently ranked as the 31st most expensive council area in the UK, charging £7 at 2 miles.

And if approved, the proposed 5% rise would move the district to 14th in the table.

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However, taxi drivers have argued Harrogate’s position is not as high for journeys above the two-mile mark.

In November, there were warnings that as many as 50 taxi drivers in the district had quit during the previous lockdowns and that many have now found new jobs with little desire to return to the trade.

This came shortly before the council froze taxi licence fees for the second year running due to the impacts of the pandemic.

Speaking at the time, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Whether we will get a new set of drivers coming to replace the 50 we have lost – only time will tell.”

Low response to consultation

Mr Bentley said in a report to next Wednesday’s meeting that a consultation on the proposed fare increase had been held with 500 taxi drivers, although the response rate was low with only 30 drivers taking part.

He also said while the council’s licensing committee would consider the rise request at the meeting, it would be the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, who would make the final decision.

Mr Bentley added:

“The setting of fares is a statutory duty placed upon the council and it is the council’s responsibility to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver.”

Tesco has revealed the results of a consultation it held for a planned new supermarket on Harrogate’s Skipton Road.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store, five years after pulling out of a similar development.

If given the go-ahead, it would be built on the former gasworks at New Park and would include a 38,795 square feet store and a petrol filling station.

Tesco held an online consultation about the plans last year and the results have now been released.

According to documents submitted by the company to the council, 187 people responded. Of those, 74% said they wanted to see the derelict site brought back into use.

A total of 62% said they supported proposals for a new Tesco supermarket at the site.

Read more:

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However, the consultation also saw people raise concerns about the development.

Sixteen respondents “expressed concern that providing access via a roundabout was inappropriate due to the existing roundabout at Skipton Road / Ripon Road”.

A total of 43 respondents also raised the issue of highways and traffic on the local area.

The issue of traffic has been raised by cycle groups, which have accused Tesco of “greenwashing” over claims about reduced car journeys.

Traffic concerns

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about the impact of extra traffic on what is already a busy area, plus access to the site.

However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.

The document says that the store would attract a total of 908 fewer car journeys on a weekday peak time and 522 on a weekend compared with its previous application.

Tesco has said there are no “transport-related reasons” to turn the proposal down.

It added:

“This transport assessment has demonstrated that the development proposals will result in a decrease in the number of trips generated by the site compared to the extant permission for the A1 Tesco superstore.”

Plans have been lodged to refurbish the Coach and Horses pub in Harrogate.

Provenance Inns, which owns West Park Hotel on the same street, took over the pub in October last year.

The new owners have now submitted plans to revamp the bar and kitchen area and reinstate the corner entrance.

It would also see part of the first floor converted into a restaurant area along with staff accommodation and office space.

Anthony Blundell, commercial manager at Provenance Inns, told the Stray Ferret that the company wanted to maintain the Coach and Horses as a “traditional pub”.

He said:

“The idea is to refurbish what is already there.

“We see it as the last traditional pub in Harrogate. We know from our guests how well it was respected.”

Documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council say the refurbishment will create up to 26 full time jobs across “a range of skilled and semi skilled occupations”.

Read more:

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It is unclear when the pub will reopen, however Mr Blundell said the owners could get started on the work as soon as planning permission is granted.

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

The Coach and Horses has been closed for 20 months.

Previous landlord John Nelson lost the pub’s licence when police found customers drinking outside and not observing social distancing rules during the weekend of May 30, 2020.

Mr Nelson is well-known in the Harrogate area — he was landlord for 33 years and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.