Eight North Yorkshire Council officers set for £100,000 salaries

Eight senior managers at North Yorkshire Council are set to receive a salary of more than £100,000 a year.

The authority will replace Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council in April.

As part of the move, a new management has been appointed to oversee the authority.

A report due before the council tomorrow (January 24) will also recommend a pay structure for the management and council as a whole.

Among them includes Richard Flinton, the new chief executive, who will receive a salary of £198,935.

Meanwhile, Stuart Carlton, Richard Webb, Gary Fielding and Karl Battersby — all of whom are directors under the county council — will receive £150,044.

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An unnamed director of community development is due to receive a salary of £139,125.

Elsewhere Rachel Joyce and Trudy Forster are due to be paid £111,500 and Barry Khan, currently assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services at the county council, will receive £120,000.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council how it had arrived at the salaries, but had not receive a response by the time of publication.

A report due before senior councillors on Tuesday said:

“The grading structure has been amended this year following a review of all eight councils structures to consider the differences and the changing nature of the council resulting from local government reorganisation.

“Whilst North Yorkshire County Council is the continuing authority, changes in pay terms and conditions have been made as a result of this review, to address the changing nature of the council and also the market pressures causing ongoing staff attraction and retention difficulties.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“The pay which we offer is designed to attract and retain the most talented staff that we can, as we want the best people on board to drive forward the vision of the new North Yorkshire Council for the benefit of everybody who lives and works in the county.

“The new pay structure also highlights some significant savings on roles for chief executives and chief officers of £3.7 million compared to the costs across the previous eight councils.

“We are one of the largest local authorities in the country, managing large and complex operations. 

“In establishing the grades for the new management structure, senior managers’ salaries were analysed against other comparable authorities with the use of independent data.

“We are proud of the ability of our senior managers, and we believe it’s important to be open and transparent about our pay structure.” 

Explained: North Yorkshire Council’s plan for council tax

North Yorkshire Council looks set to propose a council tax hike as part of its first budget.

The authority, which will take over Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, is set to recommend a bill of £1,759.96.

However, the total bill will also include precepts for fire and police services which will be decided next month.

Here is all you need to know about your council tax this coming year.

What will my council tax be?

For 2023/24, taxpayers will no longer pay council tax to Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Instead, tax will be paid solely to the new North Yorkshire Council.

As part of its first budget, authority officials are proposing a band D rate of £1,759.96 for the year – an increase on last year by 4.99%.

That does not include the precepts for fire, police and parish councils which will be decided separately by those organisations.

Why has the council chosen to increase council tax?

The council is proposing the sum in order to meet costs for providing public services across the county.

It has also decided that council tax rates will be harmonised for the next two years – meaning taxpayers will pay the same sum across the county.

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The council has calculated that council tax for the average band D property in Harrogate would normally be valued at £1,783.35.

But, the harmonised average for the county – which includes a 4.99% hike – will be set at £1,759.96.

The council also says it has to make income in order to tackle a £30 million blackhole caused by inflation and spiralling costs.

What has the council said about the proposal?

Despite an increase in funding from the government, the new authority is set to start the next financial year from April with a predicted shortfall of more than £30 million in its budget.

The council is set to receive an additional £22 million from government as part of the announcement.

However, soaring inflation and the impact of the covid pandemic is still set to leave a blackhole in the authority’s finances.

A council press release said the shortfall would be met “by the one-off use of reserves as well as some savings”.

Senior councillors will meet to discuss the council’s first budget, including council tax, on January 24.

Conservative Cllr Carl Les, who will assume the leadership of North Yorkshire Council from April, said: 

“We are facing the greatest ever financial challenges in North Yorkshire, which means we have a huge task in ensuring that services can be delivered effectively and efficiently for the public.

“However, without the opportunities presented with the launch of the new council, the situation would be a great deal worse, and it is vital that we take full advantage of these opportunities.

“We have the chance to make millions of pounds in savings by reorganising the way services are delivered, meaning that we get the most out of every pound of taxpayers’ money in North Yorkshire.”

North Yorkshire Council leadership dismisses anti-democratic claims

Senior North Yorkshire councillors have dismissed suggestions they are “trying to curtail democracy” by limiting the number of questions elected councillors can publicly pose to the ruling group’s executive.

A meeting of Conservative-run North Yorkshire County Council’s executive saw proposals for the unitary North Yorkshire Council’s constitution pushed forward for consideration at a full council meeting next month.

But concerns were raised over democracy at the authority’s quarterly full council meetings, the only time where all 90 councillors can air issues together.

The meeting was told a clause of the constitution meant a restriction in the volume of questions the authority’s 10 executive members could face.

The authority’s opposition leader, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, questioned the rationale behind the proposal that “a maximum of five minutes will be permitted for questions to each executive member”.

The Liberal Democrat leader said the move was “effectively a guillotine from members of the council to executive members of the council”.

Corporate services executive member Cllr David Chance replied that the original constitution had stated members’ questions would be limited to those on the written reports of executive members to full council.

He added: 

“The questions have become lengthened…”

Cllr Chance said there had been “a suggestion from another quarter” that the Tory administration introduced a one-hour guillotine for members’ questions, but that the proposal had been dismissed as the council’s leading group did not believe that was sufficient.

He added: 

“So we settled on five minutes per question  with the chair having discretion to extend that if he felt that was needed.”

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The council’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said during discussions over the proposed change to full meetings of the council “on the face of it it seemed as though we were trying to curtail democracy and not hold executive members to account”.

He said the rule had been proposed to protect the integrity of the purpose of full council meetings and give members’ greater opportunities to raise issues with executive members.

Cllr Dadd said: 

“For me the purpose of full council is yes, to allow members of the authority to hold those in positions of responsibility to account, but the primary purpose of full council is to set policy and debate policy.

“After reflection… we have written a means into the constitution by which members can raise their concerns and hold accountable members to account with written questions that will be published on a website to enable the public to see responses to concerns raised by councillors.”

Cllr Dadd said during discussions with a cross-party group of councillors the five-minute limit had received a broad base of support, when considered alongside the move to publish any questions raised by members.

After the meeting, Independent group leader Cllr Stuart Parsons said even with the proposal to publish members’ questions, the move was set to stifle debate, perpetuating a situation where 10 executive members had “inordinate powers” and the remaining 80 elected councillors could “go swing”.

He said: 

“I think there will be quite a fight when we get to full council because putting that guillotine in effectively means what’s the point of being on North Yorkshire  Council because everybody will not have the opportunity to question people on their remits.

“If they carry on controlling or attempting to control scrutiny in the way they are there’s nothing that opposition members can actually do.”

Major event signs up for five more years in Harrogate

A major four-day fair in the Harrogate hospitality calendar has signed up to remain in the town for another five years.

The Christmas and Gift Fair, which runs every January, has agreed a contract to take place at Harrogate Convention Centre until 2028.

It typically attracts more than 5,000 visitors and the convention centre said its estimated economic impact for hospitality in the district is £375,000 over the four days of the event.

Convention centre director Paula Lorimer said:

“I am delighted to seal the long-term relationship with Harrogate Christmas and Gift, an important trade show that has gone from strength to strength over more than seven decades.

“Harrogate’s unique heritage in hosting large-scale events and our venue’s central location, premier space, facilities and expertise mean that we attract a constant flow of events that keep our spa town busy all year round.”

The fair took over seven halls from January 15 to 18 this year, with 90 exhibitors. It has been running since 1950 and is organised by Harrogate International Toy Fair Ltd, whose annual nursery fair is also contracted to HCC for the next two years.

Simon Anslow, organiser of Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair, said:

“Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair is the most important exhibition in the UK for trade buyers who are buying for the following Christmas. Exhibiters and buyers also love the vibe of Harrogate with its quality restaurants and bars.

“We are delighted in securing a new five-year contract with the Harrogate Convention Centre running from 2024 to 2028.”

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News of the new contract comes on the heels of disappointment for Harrogate Borough Council, which runs the convention centre. The council last night heard it had missed out on investment from the government’s levelling up fund to improve its facilities.

The council had asked for £20 million from the fund, towards its £49 million plans to overhaul the venue.

It has run at a loss for many years, though the council has supported it, arguing it brings benefits to the district’s economy.

Last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council which will take on responsibility for the centre, last week said the authority would not take on an “enormous drain on public finances”.

Government rejects £20m levelling up bid for Harrogate Convention Centre

The government has rejected Harrogate Borough Council‘s bid for £20 million to go towards the redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

Last night’s decision is a significant blow for plans for a £49 million upgrade of the ageing centre and casts further doubt on the facility’s future.

More than 100 projects have been awarded a share of £2.1 billion from round two of the Levelling Up Fund.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, led by Michael Gove, rewarded six schemes from Yorkshire and the Humber, including £41 million to West Yorkshire Combined Authority for better bus services.

There was also £19 million to regenerate Catterick Garrison in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Richmond constituency.

But there was nothing for Harrogate Convention Centre or anywhere else in the Harrogate district.

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A council Cabinet report on August 17 said it had submitted a levelling up funding bid on August 1.

It said Investment would “help to ensure that HCC can both sustain and enhance its position within the market place, support the ‘levelling up’ agenda and ensure that the economic benefits that this project delivers to the wider economy are maximised”.

But it also warned:

“Expectations do need to be managed as there are still some significant challenges in relation to this bid, in particular: Harrogate district is a priority three area therefore our chances of success are not high (only 7% of those were funded in round 1 of the fund).”

Control of the centre will transfer to North Yorkshire Council on April 1, when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished.

Last week Richard Flinton, who will be chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, refused to commit to the £49 million redevelopment and said the conference and events venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

Harrogate council defends decision to transfer audit staff to Veritau

Harrogate Borough Council has defended its decision not to transfer some staff to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Five audit services staff recently discovered they would transfer to Veritau, a shared service group owned by local authorities in Yorkshire and north-east England.

Public services union Unison said on Tuesday it was “dismayed” by the decision, which it said came after more than a year of talks in which it was expected all staff would transfer to the new super-council under TUPE terms.

Unison Harrogate branch secretary Dave Houlgate said it had raised a dispute and called on Harrogate Borough Council to “stand by its staff and resist this late change”, adding:

“We object in the strongest terms to this late change of plan which shows total disregard for the staff involved, denies them the opportunity to move on to new terms and conditions negotiated and agreed by Unison and ignores established procedures and protocols that are in place.”

A council spokesperson said today:

“Engagement with staff, and consultation with trade unions, has taken place at every stage of the transition to North Yorkshire Council. This will continue, ensuring staff are kept informed of progress and have the opportunity to raise concerns. All staff also continue to be offered support.

“The audit service for the new council will be provided by Veritau, a company created in 2009 by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council. Veritau has provided audit and other specialist services to the authorities, as well as other organisations, for many years. Providing income that will continue for the new council. Veritau already provides services to five of the seven district and borough councils that will be replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

“It is proposed staff currently providing the service in Harrogate will move to Veritau on April 1. Employment protection ensures that they will transfer on their existing terms and conditions. Individuals will have the option of choosing Veritau’s terms and conditions, should they wish to do so.”

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North Yorkshire Council plans council tax hike

North Yorkshire residents look set to have to find more than £100 extra from April to pay an average council tax bill, despite their newly-launched local authority embarking on a rigorous cost-cutting programme.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive will next Tuesday consider charging average band D households £83.64 more just for services that have traditionally been provided by the district, borough and county councils.

Residents are also facing having to pay significantly higher council tax bills due to expected rises in precepts from North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and parish councils, some of which are considering levying large-scale increases to cover their costs.

As the proposed police and fire precepts will not be announced until later this month it remains unclear what total council tax rise residents will face, but under the proposal for the unitary North Yorkshire Council element of council tax bills, band D residents would have to pay £1,759.96.

Residents of areas such as Hambleton will face yet steeper increases, paying about £45 extra on what they paid last year to bring their bills into line with those charged elsewhere in the county.

A report to the executive states even with a 4.99% increase in its charge, the new council will need to use £30m of reserves to balance its budget in 2023/24 alone alongside a cost-cutting programme to save up to £68m annually.

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Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s finance executive member, said he was acutely aware of financial pressures households are facing and that those in the greatest financial need would be given up to 100 per cent reductions on council tax bills.

The authority’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: 

“We are facing the greatest ever financial challenges in North Yorkshire, which means we have a huge task in ensuring that services can be delivered effectively and efficiently for the public.

“However, without the opportunities presented with the launch of the new council, the situation would be a great deal worse, and it is vital that we take full advantage of these opportunities.

“We have the chance to make millions of pounds in savings by reorganising the way services are delivered, meaning that we get the most out of every pound of taxpayers’ money in North Yorkshire.”

‘Forced on local councils’

Opposition groups on the authority said although the 4.99% increase would be very difficult for many households to cover, with inflation at 11% it meant a six per cent real terms reduction to pay for council services.

Cllr Andy Brown, Green Party leader, said: 

“This is being forced on local councils by national government decisions and it leaves North Yorkshire Council massively short of what it needs to provide a reasonable level of service.”

Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the Independents group, said as the government had failed to carry out its promised reforms of social care charging councils were being forced to put the charge onto council tax bills.

He said:

“It shows yet again the Conservatives are a high tax party. 

“Since 2010 onwards with austerity the government has savaged local authorities and then expected them to massively increase local taxation to cover their inadequacies.”

New taxi fares for North Yorkshire revealed

All hackney carriage vehicles in North Yorkshire look set to be allowed to charge a maximum of £7.40 for a standard two-mile journey.

Currently Harrogate Borough Council and the other six district councils in the county set their own fares for hackney carriages.

But the new North Yorkshire Council, which will become the sole licensing authority on April 1, will align the maximum fares when senior councillors meet next week. A report to the councillors is here.

The proposed new county-wide fare structure is based on what customers currently pay in both Harrogate and Selby districts.

Out of 350 local authorities Harrogate and Selby currently stand at number 76 in the national hackney carriage fare table — meaning the taxis will be more expensive than in almost 80% of other places.

Under the proposed tariff, a two-mile journey within North Yorkshire would cost a maximum of £7.40 between 6am and midnight. The price will go up after midnight and at Christmas and new year.

A maximum soiling charge of £100 – should a vehicle need to be cleaned – has also been set to align with the current charges in Richmondshire, Craven and Ryedale. The rate in the Harrogate district is currently £80.

Cllr Derek Bastiman

Cllr Derek Bastiman

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said:

“We need to ensure all businesses, residents and visitors across North Yorkshire are subject to the same maximum fare, regardless of where they live, work or visit.

“The setting of taxi fares is a statutory duty for the licensing authority and our aim is to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver, and not create confusion by varied fares in the licensed area.

“The proposed fares are the maximum hackney carriage drivers can charge. They can, of course, charge a lower fare, should they wish to do so.”

If approved by North Yorkshire County Council’s executive on Tuesday next week, the proposed fares will be subject to a statutory 14-day consultation period.

Once a tariff of fares has been set, a driver cannot charge more to passengers than the charge shown on the meter apart from in certain exceptional circumstance, such as where a journey ends outside of the council area and a fee has been agreed in advance.

Private hire vehicles set their own fares and cannot be regulated by the licensing authority, so customers should agree the fare before the journey commences.

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North Yorkshire councillors set for 50% pay rise from April

Councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council will have a 50% pay rise in April if proposals are approved next week.

The suggested increase has been put forward to “reflect their significantly increased workload” as the new unitary authority takes over from North Yorkshire County Council.

Councillors sitting on NYCC currently receive £10,316 per year as a basic allowance. If proposals are approved, this would increase to £15,500 for the next financial year.

Allowances for special responsibilities – those with portfolios for transport, health and other areas – would also increase by at least 4% under the plans.

The chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), John Thompson, said:

“Councillors volunteer for their roles. They are not employees and are not paid at a commercial rate for their time.

“However, the allowances should not be set at a level which acts as a disincentive to conscientious performance of duties, or which does not reflect the considerable time commitment required for the role.”

The proposed new allowances will be considered by NYCC’s executive next Tuesday, before being put to the full council for a final decision in February.

While Mr Thompson said he accepted that “in absolute terms this may be seen as a large increase”, the number of councillors was reducing from 319 to 90, so there would be savings to the taxpayer.

The cost of basic and special responsibility allowances at present is £2,553,319. Under the proposals it would fall to £1,845,686 – a saving of just over £700,000.

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Some NYCC councillors also sit on Harrogate Borough Council, meaning they can claim allowances from both authorities. From April, when the new unitary authority takes over, they will only sit on one council and be able to claim once.

Mr Thompson said the IRP had faced a difficult task in coming to its recommendation.

He added:

“Setting a fair and proportionate basic allowance and special responsibility allowance that reflects the workload of councillors in the new authority has been a complex task.

“The allowances paid in similar local authorities have been reviewed, inflation and cost of living pressures taken into account, information from councillors about their current and future workload considered, along with details of how the new council will work and the services that it will commission and provide.

“When considering the appropriate level for the allowances, it is also important to take into account the need to continue to attract the required calibre of candidate from a diverse range of backgrounds, to stand and serve as a councillor.”

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

“I thank the panel for its work and for looking at this issue with independent eyes. It is important that the level at which allowances are set is not a barrier that would prevent anyone from standing for a council position, regardless of such things as age, personal circumstances and whether they are in work.

“It will be a matter for each councillor to decide, at the full council meeting in February, whether to take all, some or none of the proposed allowances.”

Council freezes Ripon parish precept for third year running

Ripon’s parish precept, which is charged to council tax payers in the city, is being frozen at its current level for the third year in succession.

It means Ripon residents living in a Band D property will pay a parish precept of £70.77 for the financial year 2023/24. People in Bands A to C properties will pay less and those in Bands E to H will pay more.

Final council tax bills for the year ahead are calculated by adding the parish precept to the amounts also charged by the new North Yorkshire Council and the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The latter two have yet to finalise their amounts.

Ripon City Council unanimously approved its draft budget for 2023-2024 at its January full meeting after independent council leader Andrew Williams told members:

“Because of the increased number of new houses built in Ripon, there are more properties over which the precept will be charged and we are able to raise a levy of £420,000 at no extra cost to the charge payer.

“This is an increase from the £411,000 raised in the last financial year and will enable us to fund, among other things, the programme of public and civic events throughout the year, further improvements  to the city’s Christmas lights infrastructure and refurbishment of Hugh Ripley Hall to increase its earnings potential.”

In the new financial year that comes into effect from April, monies will also be earmarked from reserves to pay for any professional advice required arising from double devolution and negotiations on matters including the transfer of assets such as Ripon Town Hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and Market Square, to the city council

Cllr Williams said:

“These are very difficult times with the cost of living crisis putting families under greater financial pressure through increased food, fuel, mortgage, rent and other costs.

“Faced with these circumstances we thought it only right and proper to freeze the precept charge for the coming financial year.”

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