Ripon appears to be in a strong position to take control of local assets, such as the town hall and market, which were previously run by Harrogate Borough Council.

North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded Harrogate Borough Council on April 1, has invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services.

It is part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda in which more assets and services are run locally.

The approach has sparked interest in Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, where some were aggrieved for years about decisions being made in Harrogate.

Ironically Harrogate does not yet have a town council so is excluded from the process and will continue to have its assets, such as Valley Gardens and Harrogate Convention Centre, run from Northallerton.

Ripon Town Hall

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les has revealed 12 expressions of interest have been received from town and parish councils so far.

Up to six will be chosen this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.

A list of town and parish councils to have submitted expressions of interest has not been published but Ripon in known to be among them.

Cllr Les told the Stray Ferret he would be amazed if Ripon wasn’t selected to be one of the pilot areas. He told the Stray Ferret:

“Ripon was one of the first out of the blocks on double devolution. It is one of the keenest parts of the county. I’ll be amazed if Ripon isn’t in there.”

Read more:

• Ripon councillor rejects ‘Tory puppet’ accusations
• Ripon Independent councillor Andrew Williams joins Tory alliance
• ‘Ripon did not want a Tory and now they have one’, claims councillor

Tory alliance

The relationship between the ruling Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council and Cllr Andrew Williams, an independent who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council has been in sharp focus this month.

Last week Cllr Williams became one of three independents who joined a political alliance with the Conservatives.

The alliance strengthens the Conservatives’ grip on the council, after a recent defection meant it had precisely half of the 90 councillors.

It followed North Yorkshire Council’s decision to select Ripon as one of five pilot areas for new community networks.

The developments have sparked concerns from independent and Liberal Democrat councillors about whether the Tories promised taxpayer-funded favours, including double devolution deals, in return for political support from the independents who joined the new Conservatives and Independents Group.

Cllr Les and Cllr Williams both denied the allegation. Cllr Les said double devolution talks had taken place for months before the new group was formed last week.

Has Ripon been undermined by Harrogate?

Cllr Williams said there had been “no seedy back room arrangements” and he remained an independent who would vote as his conscience allowed, rather than a Tory puppet.

He said he joined the alliance because there was no prospect of the 45 non-Conservative councillors of different political groups on North Yorkshire Council being able to agree a budget and form an administration. He added:

“Ripon’s best interests will be served by having an alliance with the majority group. I stand for the benefit of Ripon rather than any political party.

“There can be a perception of whatever, I don’t care quite frankly, as long as Ripon gets a double devolution deal.

“There has been woeful neglect of the city for years by Harrogate Borough Council and I’m determined Ripon will fare better under the new local government arrangements.

“I stood on a pro-Ripon ticket. That’s my job — to stand up and fight for Ripon.”

Harrogate district residents are being invited to take part in interactive virtual meetings to learn more about the new North Yorkshire Council.

The new council will start operating in April next year, as part of the largest local government reorganisation since 1974.

The shake-up will see the demise of eight local authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. All the services they provide will transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year.

The first locality roadshow is designed for people living in the Ripon and Skipton parliamentary constituency, It will be held next Monday (April 4).

Those living in the Selby and Ainsty constituency are invited to a meeting on April 6 and the virtual meeting for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will take place on April 12.

Candidates could be able to put themselves forward as soon as next week for May’s elections to the new North Yorkshire Council.

The election will be one of the most crucial in the county’s history because it will spell out the end of North Yorkshire County Council and the seven district and borough councils in Harrogate, Selby, Scarborough, Craven, Hambleton, Ryedale and Richmondshire.

They will be replaced by the new unitary authority from April 2023.

Nominations are likely to open on Friday next week for candidates hoping to become one of the 90 councillors who will lead a new era of local government.

That date is subject to new legislation, which is currently passing through Parliament and once approved will fire the starting gun for voting to take place on 5 May.

Speaking at a public briefing last night, Ben Nattrass, elections manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said parliamentary approval of the legislation was expected next week as he also set out some of the next steps.

He said:

“We are waiting for the Structural Changes Order to pass through Parliament and we expect that to be done next week, which would allow us to open nominations on March 18.

“Each candidate who wishes to stand in the elections must submit a set of nomination forms and these must be submitted no later than 4pm on 5 April.”

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Once approved, the Structural Changes Order will be followed by an official notice of election, which is likely to be published on March 17.

Voting on May 5

Candidate nominations will then open the following day before closing on April 5.

After voting takes place on May 5, polling cards will then be counted and the results announced the following day.

The newly elected councillors will represent 89 new divisions on North Yorkshire County Council for one year before serving a four-year term on the new council.

They will play a key role in shaping how public services will work in the future, with all areas from bin collections to road maintenance being transferred across to the new council in what will be a mammoth task.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, previously said:

“The councillors elected on 5 May will make decisions on services that affect individuals, families and communities, so we want to make sure that anyone who wants to consider stepping forward as a candidate has all the information they need.

“These elections are important for everyone in the county, so if you are eligible to vote, please make sure that you are registered, then you can be sure that your vote will count.”

The deadline for people to register to vote is April 14.

To find out more on how to become a candidate, tap or click here.

Elections will take place on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

The current two-tier system, where North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council provide different services locally, will be replaced by a single-tier system with one council in charge of England’s largest county.

A Structural Changes Order laid before Parliament, which paves the way for the elections, has confirmed the new council will be called North Yorkshire Council.

Councillors elected in May will serve on North Yorkshire County Council until April 1 2023 when they will move over to the new council.

Existing Harrogate borough councillors will remain in place until North Yorkshire Council is created.

There will be 90 new councillors in North Yorkshire Council, representing 89 divisions.

Read more:

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Conservative Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council said:

“This is an exciting moment for North Yorkshire and one which I hope people will look back on in the future as a game-changer for the county’s economic fortunes. The new single council will give our county a much stronger voice regionally and nationally and allows us to bring together the very best of all eight councils to build the best possible new one.

“These are very important elections, because the councillors voted in this May will serve the final year of the county council and then they will be the voice of the people for the first four years of the new single council.”

Background to the shake-up

The government announced on July 21, 2021 there would be a new single council for North Yorkshire.

The first day of the new North Yorkshire Council will be 1 April 2023.

On the first day of the new council, the current North Yorkshire County Council, the borough councils of Harrogate and Scarborough and the district councils serving Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Selby will cease to exist.

Until then all eight councils in the county will continue to run their own services and make their own decisions, while working together on the change programme.

Harrogate Borough Council is being urged to return assets such as the town hall and spa gardens to local ownership in Ripon before devolution comes into effect next year.

Harrogate Borough Council took control of the assets when it was created following local government reorganisation in 1974.

At the same time the Municipal Borough of Ripon was abolished and the city reduced to parish council status under the authority of Harrogate Borough Council.

Now, with another major shake-up of local government looming, Ripon City Council is calling for the city’s town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall, Market Square (pictured below), Spa Gardens and Spa Park to be transferred back to local ownership.

It says provisions in the Localism Act, designed to protect assets of community value (ACV), should be used to achieve this prior to the formation of the new North Yorkshire unitary authority next year.

Moves are already underway to retain community use at Spa Baths, after the city council successfully applied in September to have the historic building listed as an ACV.

Market Square

With Harrogate Borough Council due to be scrapped in April next year, independent Ripon city and district councillor Pauline McHardy told the Stray Ferret:

“There’s absolutely no reason for Harrogate to hang on to assets that rightfully belong to us.

“Not a penny was paid for them when they were handed to Harrogate in 1974 and we want them to be transferred back.”

Cllr McHardy put forward a notice of motion, seconded by fellow Ripon independent councillor Sid Hawke, which was due to be discussed at Harrogate Borough Council’s full council meeting in December, but the meeting was cancelled.

The motion calling for the return of the assets, is due to come before next month’s full meeting of HBC.

Cllr McHardy, pointed out:

“We will continue to press for the freehold of key assets in the city to be handed back to Ripon.”

Read More:

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• Council tax rise in prospect across the Harrogate district

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the seismic decision to scrap Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council as part of plans to create a new super-council for North Yorkshire.

The landscape of local government and politics in the Harrogate district is set for its biggest shake-up in 50 years.

The two-tier system, which has seen North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council provide different services, is to be replaced by a single-tier system, with one super-council in charge of England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire had avoided Westminster’s devolution agenda over the last 10 years.

Neighbouring Teeside and West Yorkshire have completed the transition, and now have their own mayors.

Now the process is well and truly underway in North Yorkshire.

Seismic decision

When senior county councillors confirmed they were in discussions with ministers over a devolution deal, the news probably perked the ears of only those political enthusiasts interested in the minutia of local politics.

But the consequences will be considerable, even if the process has been slow and cumbersome so far.

The intricacies of a council officer submitting a list of “asks” and a government minister sending a letter back bullet pointing requirements to proceed in negotiations is not a gripping political tale.

Read more:

• What will one super council for North Yorkshire look like?
• Government chooses single super authority to replace Harrogate council

Councils were responding to what then local government minister, Simon Clark, asked them to do in July 2020. He said that in order for North Yorkshire to get any power and control back from Whitehall, it would have to scrap its two-tier council system.

In other words, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining district authorities would no longer exist.

It was a seismic decision and one which will change the scope of politics in the county.

A super council

For some, the creation of one council for North Yorkshire will be little more than another logo on their council tax bill and a different council collecting bins on a morning.

Others will see a change in the political make-up of the county and an end to the more parochial way that local government is performed at the moment.

We don’t know the full list of political figures will be standing for the unitary council in May but there will be far fewer councillors and jostling for positions has begun.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has said he won’t be standing.

Whoever is elected, it will be a  new political beginning for the Harrogate district, albeit one that could well be run more remotely from Northallerton rather than from the Civic Centre at Knapping Mount, which Harrogate Borough Council moved into four years ago.

Huge decisions, such as the future of Harrogate Convention Centre, and responsibility for the Stray, will be taken by a different senior councillors from 2023.

When that first council tax bill lands on doormats across the Harrogate district in March 2024, it will be headed by a different name — but those making the decisions may no longer live in the district.

North Yorkshire County Council is to earmark £34 million to fund a transition to a new super authority.

Secretary of State Robert Jenrick made the seismic decision last month to abolish the eight councils in North Yorkshire and set up a unitary authority for the entire county.

A consultants report written by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the county council showed the new authority will cover 618,000 people and could cost up to £38 million to set up.

As a result, council officials have now recommended setting up a transition fund. Other authorities who have been replaced by a new council have faced costs over staffing, IT replacement and refurbishment of council-owned property.

A report due before senior county councillors next Tuesday (August 31) outlines the sources of funding.

A total of £34.2 million is to be set aside by the authority, but contributions will be requested from the remaining seven districts.

The council said it will pay for the fund partly through its covid reserve, which stands at £20.5 million.

Read more:

• What will one super council for North Yorkshire look like?
• Harrogate Parish Council could be created after devolution shake-up
• Robert Jenrick: Two councils for North Yorkshire would have been risky

Officials had set up the covid fund to help pay for any losses incurred by the pandemic. However, it has now received funding from government to help cover those costs.

A report due before county councillors said:

“In reality, receipts were much more buoyant and the government later announced a grant scheme to compensate for these losses on top of our internal provision. 

“The whole of this reserve is therefore available as funding towards the transitional costs.”

A total of £10 million from the council’s corporate contingency budget and £946,000 from other reserves will also be used, as well as £2.8 million budgeted from this financial quarter.

The move to a single council for the entirety of North Yorkshire is set to come into force by April 2023.

Letters published by the government showed that Mr Jenrick rejected an alternative proposal for two councils because it would have been too risky and was not “credible” geographically.

Ripon councillors have rejected new lease terms being offered for the city’s historic town hall.

The hall and other heritage assets were transferred into the ownership of Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) in 1974.

However, there has been no lease in place on the building for many years.

Elected members want to secure the council’s long-term tenure ahead of devolution- the biggest shake-up in local government for more than 45 years.

In addition, they are seeking to negotiate a long-term lease for Market Square South, which they say is an under-utilised public space.

Councillors say Market Square South will remain an under-utilised city asset if restrictive lease terms are applied to its use.

HBC is proposing that, as part of the service charge element of a two-year lease, Ripon City Council accepts part responsibility for the maintenance of the building.

City council leader Andrew Williams told a virtual full-council meeting

“Accepting such terms would land us with an open-ended liability.

“The Council is not in a position to accept financial responsibility for maintenance that could include large-scale works, such as repair or even replacement of the town hall roof.

“No commercial business tenant would accept such a liability and we will not accept it because of the potential financial ramifications for council precept payers.”

The meeting was also told that the current draft lease includes a clause which says HBC only has to give two week’s notice, if it wishes to stage an event on Market Square South.

This space is approximately half of the total area of Market Square and Cllr Williams, said:

“If Harrogate Borough Council has this preferential use, the city will be unable to do long-term planning for events on this half of the square.”

Read more:

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An HBC spokesman said:

“The lease of Ripon Town Hall is still being discussed between the tenant (Ripon City Council) and the landlord (Harrogate Borough Council). Therefore we have nothing to add.”

Councillors voted unanimously to set up a working group to handle negotiations with HBC officers.

Just 22 people tuned into the first public engagement event about the future of local government held by the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.

The seven councils are staging a series of online events on Zoom for the public to find out more about their proposed east/west model for a restructure of local government.

The government is keen to extend devolution but in July ministers made it a requirement to reduce the number of councils before it could happen.

The district councils want an east/west model but North Yorkshire County Council would prefer a single unitary authority.

Among the 22 online for the event were Keane Duncan, the leader of Ryedale District Council and members of the public. Further events will be held this month specifically aimed at businesses and community groups.

Read more:

• Yorkshire councils battle for support over devolution visions
• Districts to launch alternative council reorganisation bid
• ‘Double devolution’ for parish councils, under county council plan

Cllr Duncan gave a presentation and answered residents’ concerns about issues such as the future of highways, children’s services, adult social care and libraries, which are currently run by NYCC.

Cllr Duncan said the model proposed by the districts would bring services “closer to people”, have stronger democratic representation and have scope for shared services between the two councils.

Under the district councils’ plans, the west authority would serve Harrogate, Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire while the east would cover York, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

The west authority would cover 363,000 residents and the east authority would cover 465,000 people.

Officials said this would meet the threshold of around 400,000 set by Simon Clarke, local government minister, back in July.

Cllr Duncan said the plan would save £56 million a year and meet the government’s requirements for the restructure.

He said:

“This is the only one that ticks the boxes of government.

“We do feel that this model can deliver services more closer to people.”

NYCC’s alternative proposal for a single authority, alongside City of York, would cover 610,000 residents.

Last week, the county council revealed a “double devolution” model under its proposal which would see town and parishes councils receive more funding and powers.