Concern over loss of 35 parking spaces in HarrogateHonorary 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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Plan for community networks in North Yorkshire labelled ‘crackers’

Plans to create about 30 unelected community networks in North Yorkshire following the abolition of district councils have been criticised as “crackers” and “an academic exercise”.

Councillors from across the political spectrum have voiced a plethora of concerns about North Yorkshire County Council’s proposals to form forums based around market town areas.

The authority has pledged its successor unitary council would be committed to keeping services local and give communities a bigger say in services from April 1, 2023.

Under the proposals, local priorities will be decided by around 30 community networks, based around market town areas.

Made up of community and business groups, town and parish councils and representatives from other local groups and public services, including local councillors, the council claims community networks will act as local agents for economic and social change.

A meeting of the Tory-run council’s corporate scrutiny committee heard councillors brand the proposed forums as unnecessary, while others have said they would be toothless or poorly attended as they could not make financial decisions.

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who represents Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, said while elected members would be obliged to attend networks in the division to which they were elected, as the proposed 30 networks did not follow division boundaries, they would need to attend networks outside their division too.

He said elected community representatives needed more consideration in the proposals, which he described as “unpractical” and an “academic exercise”.

Cllr Brown said: 

“We have a job to do and we’re not really mentioned. If I’m having to go to meetings in somebody else’s division it seems a nonsense to me.

“It’s bad enough with 16 parish councils in my division, but if you are having to go to further meetings in someone else’s area because it’s a community hub covering the whole of several divisions, it’s crackers.”

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Hunmanby Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, an independent member, told the meeting there was a consensus among parish councils in her area that community networks would undermine their role in the community.

She added: 

“They feel they allow individuals who don’t have or are not honestly representative of the wider community to pursue their own projects.

“One thing that really has annoyed people, and it annoys me as a parish councillor, is that we are expected to do all the work and take responsibility, yet someone can now waltz onto the community network and have more influence than the average parish councillor.”

After the meeting, the authority’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said he recognised there were a range of concerns being raised about the community network proposals, but they remained “very much a work in progress” and were being shaped by a range of views.

He said the idea was to bring people together to discuss services and priorities in their areas and would not downgrade parish councils’ influence.

Cllr Les said: 

“In that respect I think it’s a worthy ambition to talk to people. In no way are they meant to negate the work or replace parish or town councils, or of the elected member. I appreciate the value of parish councils. I was a parish councillor for well over a decade.

“This is about working in clusters and the network might cover areas that are not covered by a parish council, but by a parish meeting, which only meet as and when they need to.”

He said such community networks had been in place across North Yorkshire for some time, with Community Engagement Forums in Selby district and Area Partnerships in Richmondshire.

Cllr Les added: 

“I have got great hope for these networks.”

Harrogate district parish councils ‘enraged’ by plans to set up unelected community networks

A Harrogate district councillor has said parish councils are “absolutely enraged” by plans to create Community Networks.

North Yorkshire County Council wants to create up to 30 networks to champion residents and businesses across the county.

It is hoped they will “fill the void” left by the abolition of district and borough councils, including Harrogate, in April next year. But some councillors have concerns about setting up unelected networks.

Nick Brown, a Conservative councillor representing Bishop Monkton, said democratically-elected parish councils in his area were “absolutely enraged at the potential for conflict” with the networks. He said:

“I do feel there’s going to be terrible trouble ahead, I’m sorry to say, with these parishes. They are very protective of their particular areas.”

Cllr Brown was speaking at a county council meeting this week which heard the networks would serve about a quarter of the population of a district or borough council and be largely based around towns.

Councillors were told it was hoped the networks would lead to greater collaboration and help communities become “the engine rooms of local action”.

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The meeting heard while the networks would be independent of the council, the council’s most senior managers would each be assigned networks to ensure strategic connections between the economic and social needs of local communities are made back into the council and with partners.

Officers stressed the networks were not about creating a new governance structure for the areas and they were not intended to undermine the legitimacy of the role of elected representatives on parish and town councils.

Too focused on towns

But several councillors branded them “undemocratic” and raised concerns over them becoming focused on towns rather than their rural hinterlands.

Craven District Council leader Cllr Richard Foster said:

“I don’t like the idea of non-democratic organisations being part of the formal structure of a democratic organisation.”

The meeting heard the networks had previously been set up across the county under different names by district and borough councils and some had proved effective in dealing with local matters.

However, Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons said giving the networks some funding was essential as they would otherwise end up as talking shops. He said:

“You have got to have something to encourage people to actively participate and not just wander away.”

Catterick councillor Kevin Foster added:

“There is a chance already for communities to get involved. All they need to do is turn up to their parish councils.”

Review into Harrogate’s 2019 UCI cycling championships finally set to come out

A review into Harrogate’s controversial hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships is finally set to be published – almost three years after the major cycling event was held.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which will be published ahead of a meeting on July 4.

The nine-day cycling event was hailed by organisers as a “once in a lifetime moment” for Harrogate, but was also criticised by businesses and residents in the town who had complaints about disruptions during road closures.

It is also infamously remembered for leaving Harrogate’s West Park Stray severely damaged after the parkland was used as a spectator area during heavy rainfall, with repair works and upgrades later costing £130,000.

Conservative councillor Nick Brown, who has chaired the cross-party review, previously said the commission hoped to publish a final report last year, however, there have been several delays.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said:

“I can confirm that after long deliberations, covid and the recent local elections, it is planned for me to present the review on 4 July.

“The purpose of the review is to fully understand the impacts of this large-scale event for people who live and work in the area, and to also make any recommendations based on the evidence presented during the investigation.

“It should make interesting reading and perhaps will be useful for the new North Yorkshire unitary authority which will be involved in holding future events.”

Cllr Brown also said the views of residents and businesses had been “extremely useful” in shaping the review which involved a survey last year.

The review is separate to an economic impact study carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

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This study concluded the championships resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million and was watched by a global television audience of 329 million.

It also said 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it.

However, it did not take into account a reported drop in earnings for some businesses, whose complaints rumbled on long after the event was held.

Retailers unhappy

Retail campaign group Independent Harrogate previously conducted its own survey looking into the event’s economic impact. After speaking to 22 of its members, the group claimed losses amounted to nearly £1m.

Based in Harrogate as the host town, the championships were held in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years after a joint-bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the government’s sport and culture department.

The event organisers were Yorkshire 2019 – a now-dissolved company which was set up by the government and later contributed £35,500 towards the West Park Stray repair costs.

A further £95,000 was spent on park upgrades by Harrogate Borough Council which spent a total of £606,000 on hosting the event.

The biggest single cost was £200,000 for the fan zone on West Park Stray.

Harrogate council HQ ‘like the Mary Celeste’, says councillor

A councillor has compared Harrogate Borough Council‘s headquarters at Knapping Mount to the abandoned ghost ship the Mary Celeste, due to the number of staff still working from home.

The multi-million-pound Civic Centre opened in 2017 and can accommodate up to 500 council workers. However, the council is still encouraging many staff to work from home despite lockdown restrictions being removed.

Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, told the Stray Ferret yesterday that he was unsatisfied with the response of Conservative council leader Richard Cooper to a question he asked at a council meeting last week.

Cllr Cooper said decisions about working practices should be made by senior officers rather than councillors.

Cllr Brown told the Stray Ferret:

“We councillors agreed to spend £13m on a new Civic Centre, opened in 2017, for officers to work in. Yet the leader now tells us that it is not members’ business to require council officers to work there.

“Prior to the covid pandemic, the Civic Centre was a busy place where I as a councillor could find the officers that I wished to speak to. Now it is like the Mary Celeste!”.

Cllr Brown believes ending the work from home policy would “benefit the local economy”.

He added:

“Our Conservative Prime Minister has given a clear message to end working from home in the public sector, in order to boost the economy.

“As a Conservative-led council, I believe we should get officers back at their desks and using the Civic Centre.”

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The public sector workers union Unison said it “broadly supports” the council’s decision to allow staff to work from home.

David Houlgate, branch secretary for the Harrogate district, told the Stray Ferret council staff proved during the pandemic they can work from home effectively.

He added:

“We believe the government’s Living with Covid strategy to scrap all remaining covid rules in England was reckless.

“So we broadly support this cautious approach taken by Harrogate Borough Council about returning to the Civic Centre at this time.

“Staff have demonstrated over a two-year period that they can deliver vital public services whether or not they are in the office or working from home.

“We’re confident that that can continue, though poor pay does present an ever increasing risk.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”

 

Harrogate council still expecting staff to work from home

Harrogate Borough Council says it expects some staff to continue working from home, despite all covid restrictions now being lifted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to working from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

At a full meeting of councillors last week, Conservative member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, questioned Conservative council leader Richard Cooper about the working from home directive.

The Civic Centre on St Luke’s Avenue off King’s Road cost the council £17m and opened in December 2017.

Cllr Brown said:

“This council spent many millions on the Civic Centre, which has stood almost empty for two years, Given recent directives by the Prime Minister, when can we expect all the council officers usually based at the Civic Centre to be back at their desks?”.

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In response, Cllr Cooper said some staff worked from home before covid hit and will continue to do so.

But he said any decisions about working practices would be made by senior officers and not councillors.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Staff will work from the Civic Centre and other venues when their line managers require them to do so, or when they need to be there for a specific reason, as they did before covid.

“If we think our job as councillors is to dictate who and where people can work, we are mistaken. That’s an operational decision for the chief executive and line managers.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”