The trustees of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition have agreed to dissolve the organisation and continue its work through Zero Carbon Harrogate.

The coalition was set up by Harrogate Borough Council in 2019 to bring together businesses, local government and the voluntary sector and become an independent charity in 2021.

A statement today announcing the news said it would “help take the district closer to achieving a carbon net zero future”.

Several coalition trustees, including chair Danny Wild, the principal of Harrogate College, have become trustees of Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Jemima Parker, founder and chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, said:

“This is a really exciting development for both charities and for the future of Harrogate. By coming together we can make a bigger impact in everything we do and help take the district closer to a net zero future.

“The scientific evidence is clear; we must act now to prevent the worst effects of climate change.”

Mr Wild said the move would “create a stronger voice on climate change for Harrogate”, adding:

“All trustees believe that through collaboration we can achieve more thorough local activity and be a stronger voice in North Yorkshire.

“I’m looking forward to working with ZCH over the next 12 months, as we look deliver activities that lead to a more sustainable future.”

Coalition’s short existence

The coalition had a short but rocky existence.

Set up by Harrogate Borough Council, it was rocked by the resignation in 2021 of Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, who claimed the group had been ‘plagued by inaction’.

The organisation said its acquisition of charitable status later that year put it in a strong position to “accelerate action and increase its local impact”.

This was borne out when it organised Harrogate’s first climate action festival, which included a business conference at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The coalition had 12 trustees, including representatives of Harrogate Borough Council, which ceased to exist on April 1 this year.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Keane Duncan, the councillor responsible for major transport schemes such as the Harrogate Station Gateway and the Otley Road cycle route, is to meet business leaders in Harrogate on Monday.

Cllr Duncan succeeded Don Mackenzie as North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transportation this year.

He will talk about his vision for transport in and around Harrogate at Harrogate District Chamber of Trade‘s monthly meeting at the Cedar Court Hotel.

Doors open at 5.30pm for open networking with the main meeting commencing at 6.15pm.

The meeting will also hear presentations from three chamber businesses about carbon reduction.

Paul White, from Auditel, will talk about his firm’s journey to carbon neutrality.

Sarah Jones, from Full Circle Funerals, will explain how her business attained Corp B status – a certification which verifies a business is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance.

Danny Wild, Harrogate College principal and a member of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, will speak about its work on retrofit to support businesses.

Chamber chief executive David Simister said:

“I’ll also be updating members on the letter I sent to the district’s MPs about the energy price crisis, as well as introducing our newest members and inviting members to share their latest news with us.

“And whilst this meeting is open to non-members attending for the first time, it is a first and foremost a business meeting and not a public meeting.”

You can register to attend here on the Chamber website here.

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Harrogate training provider acquired

The team at FW Solutions

Harrogate-based training provider FW Solutions, has been acquired by Sheffield firm Realise.

FW Solutions, based in Windsor House, delivers apprenticeships and training to more than 100 early years settings across Yorkshire and North-East England.

It was formed in 2008 by husband-and-wife partnership Rodney and Sandra Hardy, who are now retiring.

The entire FW Solutions team, including all trainers, will move to become part of Realise, which will extend its provision by offering training in residential childcare.

Mr Hardy said:

“It is with a heavy heart that we are leaving FW Solutions but it’s the right time for Sandra and I to retire.

“We will miss all members of our highly qualified team, who have shown such loyal support and dedication over the last 14 years, as well as the expanding number of settings we have been fortunate to partner with.

“When we were initially approached by Realise regarding an acquisition, we knew this was an exciting opportunity to expand on the initial concept of FW Solutions yet retain the family-based environment which has been such a key part of the success.”

Realise, which became a standalone business two years ago when private equity investor Enact provided funding to support a management buyout, delivers apprenticeships at level two, three and five to hundreds of settings across the UK.

Harrogate Borough Council has been given a low score by a national campaign group for its plan to tackle climate change.

Climate Emergency UK employed a team of 120 volunteers to assess over 450 UK councils’ written plans to cut emissions.

They wanted to find out if each plan is costed, whether it has a clear goal and if local residents were engaged with what the councils were doing.

Harrogate Borough Council’s plan was ranked in the bottom 15% of all councils.

The authority’s carbon reduction strategy sets a target of a net zero-carbon economy in the district by 2038. This means the district would put no more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than what it takes out.

A public consultation on the council’s updated carbon reduction strategy ended this month.

Climate emergency

Unlike around 300 UK councils, Harrogate Borough Council has not called a climate emergency.

Volunteers found its strategy did not outline the implications of climate change on the local area and failed to engage well with the community.

Each council’s climate plan was given a score out of 100, with Harrogate receiving 19. The UK average was 43 with Somerset West and Taunton coming top with 92.

Read Harrogate Borough Council full scorecard here.

‘No surprise’

Harrogate and District Green Party executive Arnold Warneken said Harrogate’s low score for tackling climate change “comes as no surprise”.

He said:

“We have seen how slow the council reacts to an “emergency“, a word that doesn’t feature in the climate motion.

“There is no mention either of ecology or biodiversity, at all, demonstrating a lack of commitment the council has to protecting our future.

“I want to see us lead on the climate issue, not just following forward-thinking authorities at a pace just fast enough to stay on the scoreboard.”

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Kirsty Hallett, from Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, said the group was encouraging Harrogate Borough Council to develop a “robust roadmap” to reach net-zero.

She said:

“In December 2021, HDCCC trustees met with Harrogate Borough Council and responded to the council’s consultation on their revised carbon reduction plan, which has been updated since the version scored by Climate Emergency UK.

“We highlighted the need for a fully costed action plan with measurable and timed targets for climate friendly changes to our housing, energy and transport.

“Climate action plans should be communicated effectively to ensure local people understand the need to decarbonise and to highlight the climate, ecological and personal benefits of change.

“We are looking forward to seeing what improvements Harrogate Borough Council have made to their carbon reduction plan following the recent consultation.”

Jemima Parker, chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, said she hoped the updated carbon reduction strategy can be fully costed:

“We suggested that a more holistic climate response was needed, not just carbon reduction but also climate resilience and carbon sequestration strategies were needed.

“Additionally, we felt that having an action plan which is fully costed, provides the likely carbon outcomes and also looks at the co benefits of each action would help the council prioritise their actions.”

Council’s response

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“Unfortunately, we were unable to engage with Climate Emergency UK directly and understandably they have used historic information from our website. If we could have we would have provided a comprehensive wealth of information about the proactive work now underway across the Harrogate district.

“We have also recently consulted on an updated plan, which we look forward to sharing in the coming months.

“The existing action plan includes; improving our operational council buildings, introducing and supporting sustainable transport, working with business and public sector partners as well as influencing new development locations. The improvements we’ve made are already saving hundreds of tonnes of CO2 every year.

“We also have plans for more than 17-hectres of council-owned land have been allocated to support the White Rose Forest project. This project is a collaboration between councils across the Yorkshire region that aims to plant a substantial number of trees that will truly transform the region and help achieve carbon reduction goals. Thousands of trees will complement the 13,000 trees and hedgerow we’ve already planted.

“We are continually improving energy efficiency in our existing council buildings. The introduction of LED lighting, for example, not only makes us more energy efficient but also generates significant financial savings for the tax-payer every year.

“We’ve adopted an ultra-low emission vehicle strategy and are encouraging new developments to cater for the advances in electric vehicles. These new developments are also being supported with alternative travel options. We have also recently agreed to install electric charging points in a number of our car parks.

“Following a successful £1.8million bid from the borough council, through the government’s public sector decarbonisation scheme, the existing gas boilers at the Hydro will be replaced with heat pumps, along with the installation of solar panels as well as metering and energy monitoring and control systems. It is anticipated that the carbon footprint for the building will be reduced by up to 60%

“These are just some of the schemes and projects – to date – that will help us reach this target.

“The most effective projects for achieving our ambitious targets are not going to happen overnight but we are committed to working hard to implement the right measures in the best way possible.

“We can’t do this alone – and nor would we want to – and plan on continuing to work with partners, business, the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition and communities to help achieve our target of a net zero-carbon economy by 2038.

“Together we can make a difference.”

Harrogate’s business community met today to discuss how to meet the challenges of climate change and net-zero emissions.

The Business Net Zero Conference is being held all day at the Harrogate Convention Centre and has been organised by Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.

It’s part of the Climate Action Festival that is taking place all month in the district in the run up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Today’s speakers included representatives from Techbuyer, Transdev, Yorkshire Water and Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate.

‘A sign of hope’

The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, opened the day by challenging business people in the room whether their goal was profit “at all costs” or developing a social and environmental mission.

She said:

“Today’s conference is a sign of hope but we shouldn’t underestimate the challenges.”

Harrogate-resident Professor Piers Forster, from the University of Leeds, offered a scientific grounding to the debate during his speech.

Prof Forster sits on the UK government’s climate change committee and will be heading to the COP26 summit to help negotiate ambitious climate targets with other governments.

He showed a video of frightening wildfires in Canada caused by greenhouse gas emissions. However, he emphasised that he is optimistic that change can happen if businesses get on board.

“It’s within our power to change where we end up together.”

Read more:

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Decentralisation of energy

Jennifer Woodhall, marketing director of Harrogate firm Chameleon Technology also spoke. The company is a Harrogate success story as its smart meters are in seven million homes across the UK.

Ms Woodhall said decentralisation of energy was essential to avoid the volatility that is currently engulfing the market.

“We can’t rely on a few, large sources of power.”

Paul Haslam, a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as a Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition member, told the Stray Ferret he hoped the conference would become an annual event.

“It’s great we’ve got to this point. I’m delighted and we’ve got some fantastic speakers. It will be bigger and better next year.”

Pictured are: (from left) Jemima Parker, Cllr Paul Haslam, Prof Neil Coles, the Bishop of Ripon, Jennifer Woodhall, Cllr Phil Ireland, Jade Boggost, Kirsty Hallett, Prof Piers Forster

An eco-friendly house is set to be built in just two days at this year’s Harrogate District Climate Action Festival.

The home will be one of the main features at the festival, which will be held at Harrogate College next month.

Pure Haus, a Leeds-based company that builds eco-friendly homes, said the home will demonstrate passive house principles, which means it requires very little energy and results in near zero carbon homes.

The design and construction principles include high insulation, airtightness and high performance windows.

Kevin Pratt, director of the company, said designing and building such houses helps to reduce carbon emissions and reach climate targets.

He added he hoped the ‘show pod’, which will be brought in on a crane lorry and put together in two or three days, would give an insight into how homes can be built on eco-friendly principles.

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The festival, which takes place from October 1 until October 21, is being coordinated by the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.

It will include a range of guest speakers, including Professor Andy Shepherd, who is professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds, and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

No booking is required and attendance is free.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said:

“We are proud to be hosting the launch day for this festival as its aims align perfectly with the college’s commitment to sustainability and a greener future.”

Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, has resigned from the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, accusing the group of being “plagued by inaction”.

HDCCC was set up by Harrogate Borough Council over a year ago to bring together local government, green groups and business.

HBC described the group as a “great leap forward” for the environment but the coalition has faced accusations from members over the past year that it is little more than a “talking shop”.

In a letter to Cllr Phil Ireland, HBC’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, Cllr Marsh said the group had not done enough to tackle climate change locally.

She also criticised the group for its “neutral” response to Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial application in the Pinewoods. She said:

“A climate coalition’ was never our preferred option. We were always concerned that it would be plagued by inaction. Nevertheless, I and others joined the committee to push for positive change from the inside.

“However, our initial fears have been proven correct and it’s clear that only by engaging with residents across the district – bringing them into the process – do we have any hope of tackling this crisis.

“Liberal Democrat campaigners and I will continue working with local residents for a greener district, fighting to declare a local climate emergency and for bold solutions.”

Read more:

• Is Harrogate big enough for two major climate coalitions?

• Harrogate Climate Coalition faces fresh criticism

The Lib Dems have long called for the council to declare a “climate emergency”, which has been rejected.

HDCCC has four subgroups, which meet several times a year to discuss issues such as sustainable transport, tree planting, renewable energy, recycling and communications.

The Stray Ferret approached HBC and HDCCC for comment but did not receive one by the time of publication.