Live music, al fresco dining and entertainment will draw residents and visitors into central Ripon on Easter Monday.

The day of entertainment will see Kirkgate closed to traffic on April 10 from 10am to 4pm, allowing people to enjoy the party atmosphere and businesses to see the impact of pedestrianisation.

The street party will feature live music from Hyde Family Jam, as well as pop-up entertainers and street food from Jaflong Indian and Manchega’s tapas.

The event will be part of the new Totally Locally scheme being adopted by traders and Ripon Business Improvement District, designed to encourage people to spend with independent businesses in the city.

Promoting the event, the BID said:

“Totally Locally have calculated that if every adult in the population were to spend just £5 per week in local shops and businesses, that would contribute £13.5 billion per year to the local UK economy.

“If every adult in Ripon spent just £5 per week in their local independent shops that would result in an extra £3.1 million per year going into our local Ripon economy.

“Kirkgate is the heart of independent business. The street party on Easter Monday is a celebration of the ‘buy local’ movement.”

Independent businesses interested in getting involved in the event can contact Manchega.

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The Stray Ferret has been speaking to Independent shops in Harrogate to find out how trade has been going since re-opening on Monday.

Most have introduced safety measures such as reduced numbers in-store at one time and signage to help customers adhere to the 2m rule. People are also being asked to use the hand sanitisers provided as they enter and exit each shop.

Some shops also have plastic screens at the tills, one way systems, floor markings and payment card only policies.

Louise Chesters, owns a clothing store called ‘Dizzy Duck Harrogate’

“I was quite nervous about opening but it’s been amazing… we have had some new faces too… We have only been here since September so during lockdown, I have been able to spread the word, get more followers on social media which has really helped us grow… l will actually continue to do online sales.”

Natalie Smith, Manager at Farrah’s Olde Sweet Shop told the Stray Ferret:

“Monday kicked off really well, yesterday wasn’t the best, but fathers day is a good boost for us, and with the expected good weather this weekend we’re hoping it goes well. I think customers were nervous at first, but word of mouth as the week goes by, is reassuring them that the appropriate measures are in place within the town.”

Tim Ward who runs 27 West Park Antique shop also opened his doors on Monday:

“One woman was jumping up and down at the entrance as she was so happy we were open again… It has been a really good week, much better than we expected.”

Georgie Roberts, co-owner of Georgie’s in Harrogate, which is a clothing shop, told us:

” We have been here over 20 years so we have our regulars which is great, we have also had people travelling from Newcastle and Doncaster to see us, so we are slowly getting back to normal. We are letting people try things on as clothes just look so different off the peg. We are steaming each item after someone has tried it, which is working well.”

Tomorrow will be the first weekend since the re-opening of shops. It is expected that Harrogate town will once again be busy with shoppers.

Harrogate BID was established in the course of 2018 with the aim of giving businesses a greater say in the way their town developed.

It was always supposed to be business-led – a fundamental rule of all BIDs is that they cannot be used to replace the work of local authorities. The blurring of the lines between the BID, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, however, lies at the heart of today’s resignations.

Harrogate BID is a limited company and is funded through a levy that is paid by all the business rate payers within a designated BID area, in addition to the business rates bill.  The levy in Harrogate’s case earns the BID more than £500,000 a year.

Because its properties fall within the BID area, Harrogate Borough Council is a significant contributor to that income, and its leader, Coun Richard Cooper, sits on the BID board alongside NYCC’s corporate director for business and environmental services, David Bowe. With Sgt Alex Sellars of North Yorkshire Police, they fill the three public sector positions on the board of 15.

Local authority representation is recommended in the government’s best practice advice to BIDs. It says:

“It is essential that you establish a positive relationship with your Local Authority. It is important you identify a key contact at the authority and keep them informed of progress at every stage.

“An authority will have its own plans for the area and will need to appreciate the benefits to businesses and the community of having a BID. It will want to be assured that the BID arrangements complement and preferably enhance the local authority’s proposals.

“Ideally the local authority will have a seat on the BID Board. The authority and BID will need to agree the additional services the BID intends to deliver.”

According to the four who resigned today, however, that relationship has hampered Harrogate BID’s ability to progress its plans for the benefit of its levy payers. After today’s resignations, all three of the board’s positions for independent businesses are vacant.

Changes to the board

In the spring of 2019 in the BID’s first newsletter, the then chairman, John Fox, talked of “exciting projects” to help attract more footfall to Harrogate.

However, in the months that passed, the BID struggled to find a way of working: only three of the current 15 board members have been in place since this time last year. John Fox stepped down at the end of 2019 and a manager appointed last July left the post within four months.

Today’s letter of resignation by its new chairman – only appointed in March – and three other board members, all from the private sector, shows how frustrated and disempowered they felt at not being able to get things done – how BID proposals were either resisted or subject to “endless debate” about the local authorities’ work. There were arguments too over what was the council’s responsibility and what was the BID’s.

The Harrogate BID website says the aim of the BID is to “empower local businesses to tackle local issues…” Today’s letter makes clear that the Chairman and directors who resigned have no faith in the ability of the BID to tackle Harrogate’s issues – which, they say, run much deeper than its board is willing to admit.

Interim BID manager, Simon Kent

Earlier this week, the new interim BID manager, Simon Kent, told The Stray Ferret he wanted “to turn conversations and plans into real actions” and outlined its priorities. Mr Kent’s job to achieve those goals got a whole load more difficult today.

There are questions now for the two local authorities about how they have worked with the BID and how they can answer the criticism levied at them in the resignation letter.

Concluding their letter with a warning that Harrogate was struggling before the current lockdown, the chairman and directors say “the reality of the situation is becoming very serious indeed” for Harrogate town centre. There is huge pressure now on remaining board members to make levy payers feel their contribution was worth it and for the BID, despite the current circumstances, to deliver some meaningful results.