Conservative councillor says Harrogate district alderman row ‘deeply disappointing’

Conservative councillor Nick Brown has told the Stray Ferret he was left deeply disappointed by the dispute over making him an Honorary Alderman of the Borough of Harrogate.

This week many Conservative councillors voted in favour of giving him the civic title, going against a motion put forward by Harrogate Borough Council‘s Conservative leader Richard Cooper.

The title is being bestowed on councillors who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority, which is being abolished next week after 49 years.

Cllr Brown said:

“I am honoured that most of my Conservative colleagues voted for me to become an honorary alderman despite the attempts of the council leader to block my nomination.”

Cllr Cooper’s motion proposed blocking any councillor from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they refused to take actions recommended by the council’s standards panel.

The row over Cllr Brown’s Alderman status centred on the outcome of a standards investigation into comments he made about Cllr Cooper.

Following the investigation, Cllr Brown issued an apology to the council leader, which he shared with all Conservative councillors.

But his apology was not accepted by Cllr Cooper, who said advice from the council’s Independent Person deemed the apology “not acceptable”.

Cllr Brown said:

“Although I made an apology, in the final decision by the external, independent, deputy monitoring officer appointed by the council, there was no necessity for an apology, or for it to be agreed by the council’s Independent Person.

“Many Conservative members of the public supported me and feel the whole issue created unnecessary division in the party locally on what should have been a harmonious final council meeting.

“I hope Cllr Cooper reflects on this.”

Cllr Brown said he now wished to put the matter behind him and focus on his new role as the councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton on the new North Yorkshire Council.

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Honorary alderman row overshadows final Harrogate council meeting

A row over standards in politics overshadowed the final full meeting of Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillors past and present, dignitaries and families members came to the Harrogate Convention Centre to watch the council bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwoman to councillors who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority, which is being abolished next week after 49 years.

Hookstone councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Pat Marsh, was eligible as she was first elected 33 years ago.

But last 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 Conservative council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

The panel asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology but she refused, citing the political make-up of the panel and her right to free speech.

At a meeting in December, Cllr Cooper put forward a successful motion to effectively ban a councillor from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they refuse to take recommended actions such as apologise to members.

However, Cllr Cooper revealed last night that Cllr Marsh had emailed him an apology over the affair, which he has accepted. He said:

“It would be wrong to claim that Pat Marsh and I have had a relationship of outstanding friendship over the last nine years of my leadership and her leadership. We’ve had our ups and downs.

“We’re talking about the recovery from a down. I was very pleased to receive your email. I wish you all the luck in the world with the new council.”

Cllr Cooper then proposed an amendment that would see Cllr Marsh become an honorary alderwomen.

‘Theft, corruption, lies and bullying’

But during the debate, Cllr Cooper’s deputy, Conservative councillor for Duchy, Graham Swift, spoke out against the wishes of his leader before demanding that Cllr Marsh made a public apology to the room.

Cllr Swift said:

“Theft, corruption, lies and bullying — these are all serious issues and there is no space for partisan politics in such things.

“The Liberal Democrats have form. I’ve been accused twice for very serious offences. I know what it’s like to have lies spread about you.

“Four of the Lib Dems here today signed a complaint against me even though they were not in the meeting. That’s how serious they are about throwing mud.

“In my own personal case, the complaints were dismissed but I never got an apology despite being accused of a very serious offence.

“Why has the apology come so late and why now? I suspect it would never have come out at all if the distinguished title of alderman was not available.”

But despite Cllr Swift’s intervention, councillors voted to approve Cllr Cooper’s amendment and Cllr Marsh was made an honorary alderwoman of the borough.

After accepting the title later in the evening, Cllr Marsh said:

“This is quite a surprise. If you can see a few tears, I’m sorry. I’ve represented the people of Hookstone ward for 33 years and it’s been such a privilege to do that.”

‘Stand up and be counted’

Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, has been a borough councillor for 15 years so he was also eligible to become an honorary alderman.

Like Cllr Marsh, he had been the subject of a standards investigation following comments he made about Cllr Cooper but there has been a disagreement over whether Cllr Brown took the recommended action following the investigation.

Cllr Sam Green, Conservative councillor for Wathvale, proposed an amendment that would see Cllr Brown awarded the title of honorary alderman due to his length of service and because of a “misunderstanding” over the apology.

He said Cllr Brown believed he had no outstanding course of action to take but added he still issued a “comprehensive and sincere” apology to Cllr Cooper and other councillors through email.

Cllr Green, who was elected last year in a by-election and is the youngest member on the council, called on councillors to have the “courage of your convictions” and “stand up and be counted” to award Cllr Brown the title. He said:

“Let us end this council united so the minutes of this meeting will be looked back on in years to come that a clear wrong against one of the best of our own was righted.”

However, Cllr Cooper said he would still not be accepting Cllr Brown’s apology. He said advice from the council’s Independent Person deemed it as “not acceptable”.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Nick has given stertling service to borough for a great many years, that’s not an issue.

“But on the standards complaint I can’t let that quite stand. It is a closed matter, there are no further actions to take, but it is not a resolved matter. It was drawn to a close without an apology. The independent person who is our sounding board deemed the apology was not acceptable.

“That principle isn’t something that I’m able to get over.”

Councillors eventually voted to approve each individual honorary alderman and alderwoman nomination, including Cllr Brown by 21 votes to eight with four abstentions.

Cllr Cooper has dominated local politics in Harrogate for the last decade but will retire as a councillor next week.

In a sign that his power has now waned, those who voted to award Cllr Brown the title included a large group of Conservative councillors. The four councillors who abstained on the vote were members of his cabinet.

Cllr Cooper was entitled to the honorary alderman title, but turned it down in January. The full list of councillors put forward for the title and how long they have served is:

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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.”

Former Harrogate councillor made Honorary Alderman for North Yorkshire

A former Harrogate councillor has been awarded Honorary Alderman status for North Yorkshire after 25 years of service.

Cliff Trotter, who represented Pannal and Lower Wharfdale on North Yorkshire County Council, served on the authority from 1997 until 2022.

The Conservative councillor also served as chairman of the county council in 2012.

He was one of six councillors who received the award at a meeting on Wednesday.

Mr Trotter, who has since retired from the council on medical advice, spoke of “honour” in accepting the award, adding his “time on the council has been really enjoyable”.

He was presented with the honour by deputy chairman of the council, Cllr David Ireton.

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The position of Honorary Alderman has parity of status with a past Mayor, enabling those who receive the title to be invited to the same civic functions and events

Mr Trotter joined former councillors John Blackie, Caroline Patmore, Peter Sowray MBE, Val Arnold and Helen Swiers in receiving the honour.

Jill McMullon, partner of the late Mr Blackie, accepted the honour on his behalf.

In total, the councillors served for nearly 150 years on the county council.

Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: 

“With a combined service of almost 150 years, these six councillors have spent a major part of their lives working to champion their local communities and causes close to their hearts.

“John Blackie’s legacy lives on in the Upper Dales and in the minds of myself and other councillors who had the privilege of working alongside him. He worked tirelessly to ensure that local services continue to be delivered despite the pressures that rural communities face.

“It’s testament to their drive and commitment as ward councillors that the retiring members have been awarded Honorary Aldermen titles.”