Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: John Swales, Reform UK

Reform UK wants to shake up British politics this year and John Swales believes he can become the party’s first North Yorkshire councillor.

Mr Swales describes himself as one of Thatcher’s children but says that nationally and locally the Conservatives have lost their way.

He says Reform is winning over disenfranchised Tory voters “like there’s no tomorrow”.

He added:

“They are not Conservatives, they are following a globalist agenda around United Nations development goals. We’ve been bombarded with covid lockdowns and massive state control. Something is very wrong at the heart of British politics.”

Reform UK was previously known as the Brexit Party when it was led by Nigel Farage.

Mr Swales says the party has evolved from when it was largely a single-issue proposition for voters.

Locally, he said parking around Harrogate District Hospital is a big problem in the division, with hospital parking fees forcing people to park on nearby residential streets instead.

Mr Swales said:

“I’ve had elderly relatives down at the hospital and paying for parking is a regressive thing to do. I know they say it’s to fund the NHS but how much does it need, what are its priorities?”

He also questions active travel schemes in the town and was against previous council proposals such as the one-way system on Oatlands Drive that aimed to make the area more friendly for cyclists.

He says he’s also against the town’s £12.1m Station Gateway scheme, which he calls a “dog’s breakfast”. He added:

“It will please nobody. I don’t know why they are pushing ahead with it.”

When the division was last contested in 2022, independent Anna McIntee came last with just 167 votes. She ran a campaign that was not too dissimilar to Reform’s platform, voicing concerns about active travel and how the Conservatives had taken locals for granted.

However, Mr Swales says Reform has a raft of policies that are resonating with voters on issues from energy to the cost-of-living crisis. He said:

“We’re a major political party that has pragmatic and common sense solutions for the problems facing the country.”

He added:

“There’s a hubris with the Conservatives who are so disengaged from what’s going on in town. It feels like a change is coming, it’s exciting.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday, April 11. For more information, visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Harrogate businesses ‘trying their best to survive’ Kex Gill closure

Harrogate businesses on the A59 say they are trying to navigate income loss due to a closure at Kex Gill.

The road is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton and closed on February 2 after a crack appeared in the verge. It is set to remain closed until at least July.

North Yorkshire Council said repair work costing £750,000 will begin on April 15. Irish construction firm Sisk, which is carrying out the nearby £68.8 million three-mile realignment, has been appointed to undertake the work. Ivor King will carry out specialist steel sheet piling.

But, businesses which are based on the route say the closure has had a significant impact on trade.

Kex Gill, A59

David Suttill, owner of Mackenzies Farm Shop and Café took over the business in November last year and said trade was high through until January and “then overnight things changed due to the road closure”.

Mr Suttill told the Stray Ferret his business takings had fallen by a quarter, around 20% of food is wasted and he has even had to lay off two members of staff. He added the business used to average 150 to 250 customers a day and now they average 50 customers a week.

He said:

“Now the road is closed the café gets no passing trade which it heavily relies on. We have resorted to clearance sales and bargains just to get people through the doors.

“We are trying to find a way to survive and I know other businesses are trying their best to survive too. We are digging deep and finding a way to pay the bills but I don’t know how much longer we can survive. I just want to say there is still a clear run from Harrogate we have loads of deals come and grab a bargain.”

Mr Suttill called on the council to help local businesses. He said:

“It is disgusting it has been closed for months. I wish I could tell the council just to sort it out and get a concrete plan. We have had no communication from them at all and we’ve been offered no help or compensation. I just want an explanation and an apology it is ridiculous.

“We are trying our best to stay open and to donate wasted food with no help from them.”

Fewston farm shop and café

Another farm shop and cafe affected by the Kex Gill closure is Fewston farm shop and café. Lee Abbott, owner of the business, runs the site alongside his wife and said sales have halved since the road closure.

Mr Abbott said:

“We rely on passing trade especially in the summer and while people can still get here from Harrogate, we have lost all of our trade in the other direction.

“Now you can’t get here from Skipton. People are not going to go on almost an hours drive or pay for that fuel. We are at a dead loss.”

He added the café is seeing food waste like Mackenzies and called on the council to make change. He said:

“We have had no correspondence with the council, if we knew when it was going to be closed we could’ve planned around it but we can’t do anything. I know other businesses around us are struggling.”

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Andrew Timothy, Liberal Democrats

Andrew Timothy says North Yorkshire Council needs more enthusiasm in its ranks.

He believes he can offer that if elected as councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone on April 11. He’d be the youngest member of North Yorkshire Council at 25.

Originally from the West Midlands, he moved to Harrogate a few years ago to work in a science lab. He lives just outside the division on Leeds Road.

The nature of being on the council where meetings are held during the day means younger people can be put off from standing due to work commitments. Mr Timothy says his employer will allow him to go part-time so he can fulfil his duties.

He believes his age helps him better understand the challenges facing young people in Harrogate and points to the often-heard complaints that there’s not much for them to do here.

He said:

“It’s difficult for young people. We’ve seen youth services cut and teenagers have nowhere to go in Harrogate.”

Mr Timothy believes transport is a big issue for residents in the division and he says they have been let down by the Conservative administration in Northallerton.

He said:

“Their record on transport has been really poor. We’ve seen how the Station Gateway has got to a point where it now just looks like a face-saving exercise. It’s not worth the £12m quid spent on it.

“The roads are full of potholes too, patched up on the cheap.”

With his scientific background, he’s looked into a Scottish company that fills in potholes using recycled plastic. He believes it’s the sort of innovative approach needed to get the roads in a better condition.

The Lib Dems have had some bad press lately due to their leader Sir Ed Davey getting dragged into the Post Office scandal and the shock resignation of Pat Marsh, which led to the by-election.

If he’s going to be elected, he’ll need to win over the supporters of the long-serving councillor.

Mr Timothy said “it was right she was suspended and resigned” but that she also “did a lot of good over 30 years”.

Voters go to the polls on April 11 and Mr Timothy wants to be a forensic presence on North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s an asset that I’m coming in from a scientific background. I have the literacy to scrutinise the administration properly.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Council to revoke two air quality areas in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Council is set to remove two air quality management areas in the Harrogate district after levels of nitrogen dioxide dropped.

The council currently monitors air pollution on Low and High Skellgate in Ripon and York Place in Knaresborough.

Both management areas were introduced to review levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which are caused by traffic levels.

Monitoring of NO2 has been in place on Skellgate in Ripon since 2010 and on York Place in Knaresborough since 2017.

Both were declared after beaching the legal limit of 40 micrograms of annual NO2 per cubic metre of air.

However, a report due before the council’s transport, economy, environment and overview scrutiny committee on April 10 says both air quality management areas are due to be revoked.

It said the areas had not breached the limit for more than five years and are now planned to be removed.

In its annual air quality report in 2023, the council said the Ripon management area had gone six years under the limit.

It said:

“This is the sixth year that there have been no exceedance of the objective, in line with the above we propose to revoke the AQMA.”

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Meanwhile, air quality management areas in Harrogate on Wetherby Road and Bond End in Knaresborough are set to remain in place.

Both were implemented for breaching the limit for NO2.

However, despite both areas being under the 40 micrograms for this year, the council intends to keep them in place.

The UK government requires local authorities to take action to improve areas with particularly bad air pollution.

In September 2018, North Yorkshire County Council replaced traffic lights at Bond End with a double mini-roundabout to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic.

Sharow Lane near Ripon to close for three weeks

Sharow Lane, a main route from the village into Ripon, will close for three weeks from next week.

According to North Yorkshire Council’s roadworks map, the road closure will be in place “all the time” during the three-week period, as Northern Gas Networks carries out a “gas main replacement”.

The firm told the Stray Ferret the work is to “ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas to customers”.

A spokesperson added:

“Four-way temporary traffic lights are currently in place on the junction of North Road/River View Road/Magdalens Road and will be in situ until the end of next week (week commencing April 8).

“A road closure will be implemented on Sharow Lane for three weeks from Monday April 8 and a diversion route will be clearly signed.”

Sharow Lane

Northern Gas Networks also said for the duration of the road closure, traffic will be diverted through Ripon city centre, along North Street, North Road and Bondgate Green.

Mark Mawhood, operations manager for the company, added:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Ripon.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this essential scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

The work will last from Monday, April 8, until Friday, April 26.

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Plans approved for controversial development in Glasshouses

A planning application to develop five homes on a Glasshouses street has been approved.

The application, which was originally submitted to North Yorkshire Council in September, was given the go-ahead at North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon planning committee on Tuesday.

Final revised plans, which were put forward in December, proposed splitting an existing cottage on Harewell Close into two dwellings.

The agent, JC Robinson LTD, who submitted the plans on behalf of the applicant, on  also proposed to erect single-storey extensions to both divisions, as well as developing a further two dwellings to the rear of the site.

But the application generated 23 online objections.

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A report by a council officer to councillors before the meeting recommended the scheme be approved, subject to conditions. Councillors voted to agree with this recommendation.

The report said a ward member raised concerns that the land “includes areas not owned by the applicant” and felt access would be “restricted”.

It added Pateley Town Council, which said it neither supported nor objected the plans, raised several areas of concern.

These included sewage infrastructure not being able to cope with the additional demand, “compromised” vehicular and pedestrian access to the fields adjacent to the site and  “exacerbated” traffic congestion.

The report also said local objections referred to the impact on the Nidderdale AONB (now known as Nidderdale National Landscape), the impact on wildlife, that it was “not sympathetic” to neighbouring properties or the conservation area, and “inconsistencies” with the application.

However, the application also received support from local people.

The report said one letter in support of the original plan, which included the erection of three dwellings, felt “there is a lack of housing available in the area for first time buyers and young
families”, adding the development provides “sufficient parking provision”.

Despite concerns, the councillors granted approval of the plans subject to conditions.

The conditions included set times during which work can be carried out to avoid disruption locally, as well as matching the materials of the original building to the extensions to “protect the character and appearance” of the Nidderdale National Landscape.

Main road in Knaresborough to close for resurfacing

A main road in Knaresborough is to close during the evening for resurfacing.

Motorists on Briggate have faced recent delays due to long-term traffic lights caused by the collapse of a section of wall.

Now Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West, has been informed by North Yorkshire Council that resurfacing is due to start at the beginning of May for two-and-a-half weeks.

The road will be closed between 7pm until midnight each evening.

Cllr Walker said it was great the work was finally getting done but it “should not have taken three years of campaigning”.

He urged the council to tackle Wetherby Road in the town next:

“They now need to get on and do Wetherby Road. It’s an absolute disgrace and they keep patching it up and going back every few weeks to redo.

“I’ve asked for it to be resurfaced and what the criteria is but no response so far.

The council announced yesterday its annual surface dressing programme was due to take place this month and May. It will cost £5 million and cover 142 miles of road,

NYCC surface dressing

Surface dressing in Ryedale

It will begin in the Selby area from Beal to Kirkby Whalfe and from mid-April it will incorporate roads in Fewston and Darley in the Harrogate district.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“The annual surface dressing programme is a proactive measure that is vital to maintaining a safe network and preventing potholes arising.”

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Government inspector to assess plans for new town in Harrogate district

Plans to build a town the size of Thirsk in the Harrogate district are to be assessed by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

North Yorkshire Council said in a media release today it had submitted its draft new settlement development plan for Maltkiln to the inspectorate for independent examination.

The settlement, for a minimum of 3,000 homes, would be centred on Cattal rail station 10 miles east of Harrogate. Nearby villages, including Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Whixley, would be affected. The settlement would be built by developers Caddick Group.

The draft plan gives a broad 30-year vision for Maltkiln and a policy framework to guide how it is developed. However, many residents have concerns about the lack of detail that has been released so far.

They have also expressed concerns of feeling “bullied and threatened” after the council threatened to compulsory purchase land for the scheme after a disagreement with a landowner.

Cattal Station

‘Acute need for housing’

Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director of community development, said:

“We are acutely aware of the need for more housing across the whole of North Yorkshire to meet the demand for homes so that people can choose to live in the communities that they wish to.

“The Maltkiln development is a major scheme and is aimed at addressing the housing needs in the area.

“We have now submitted documents for the independent examination, and we will wait for the inspector’s comments to see how we can then hopefully progress the development.”

The draft plan, as well as accompanying evidence and consultation responses, will now be examined by an independent inspector to assess whether it has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is ‘sound’.

In most cases the examination will include hearing sessions which are held in public. The inspector will determine the appropriate format for these sessions.

At the end of the examination, the inspector will send a report to the council recommending whether or not it can adopt the plan, and if any modifications are needed.

Today’s statement said Maltkiln would be “heavily themed around sustainability and the environment and is set to provide local amenities and facilities alongside the new homes, as well as extensive areas of open space and landscaping”.

Cllr Arnold Warneken, a Green Party member who represents Ouseburn on the council, said:

“I want to stress to residents that if they made representation to the inspector on the original document they have a right to comment on this amended document.

“I still have serious concerns about its deliverability and viability, relying on including land that is not available and thus using compulsory purchase orders is fundamentally wrong.

“There is still no agreement with Network Rail which is required to make this so called exemplar in sustainability and environmental terms.”

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Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens fencing to remain for ‘foreseeable future’

Fencing put up in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens six months ago shows no sign of being removed.

Fences were erected to block a group of rough sleepers last October, who set up an encampment in the pavilion.

It came after nearby residents complained of anti-social behaviour from the rough sleepers, who were removed from the site after two weeks.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely at the time – and in the months following – and has repeatedly tried to find out what long-term measures would be put in place to prevent similar encampments and help those needing accommodation.

However, six months on, the fencing look set to remain indefinitely.

When we approached North Yorkshire Council for an update, Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said:

“The temporary fencing will remain up for the foreseeable future until a further solution can be found.

“We are working with Harrogate Business Improvement District with a view to wrapping it with images of the town/area in the short term.”

Matthew Chapman, chief executive of Harrogate BID, said the organisation held talks with the council along these lines before Christmas, and it was willing to “re-open that conversation”.

Rough sleepers offered ‘support and accommodation daily’

The Stray Ferret also asked what provisions are in place to help homeless people in Harrogate.

Kim Robertshaw, the council’s head of housing needs, said:

“We have a proactive rough sleeper team that engages with people at risk of rough sleeping on a daily basis, offering support and accommodation.

“We hope this consistent approach continues to reduce the number of instances where encampments are created in Harrogate. Where incidents do occur we work with partners to resolve issues as quickly as we can.”

The news comes just weeks after the Stray Ferret’s Trading Hell series, which investigated the anti-social behaviour faced by business owners in Harrogate.

Some traders did not feel confident that such offences would be dealt with by authorities, and some even pointed the finger at rough sleepers as the root cause.

You can read our Trading Hell feature on homeless charity, Harrogate Homeless Project, here.

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Overflowing bins in Valley Gardens prompt summer fears

A resident has raised concerns about litter in Valley Gardens in Harrogate after bins overflowed at Easter.

North Yorkshire Council has been criticised for its decision to reduce the number of litter bins to save money.

It is spending £478,000 on replacing about 1,500 litter bins in the former Harrogate district with 775 larger bins.

The Stray Ferret has covered the issue extensively, with the council saying in January it would review the policy after complaints.

Eileen Dockray, who took the photos accompanying this article on Sunday morning, raised concerns about the impact of the new approach on Valley Gardens.

She said:

“More than half of the bins in the gardens have been removed.

“I am not sure when they had last been emptied but they were not like that on Saturday morning. Monday was very similar after the good weather and families taking advantage of it.”

Ms Dockray added she feared the situation would get worse as summer approaches and visitor numbers increase.

A North Yorkshire Council spokesman denied there was a problem. They said:

“There was not a reduced service over Easter. The bins were emptied as normal with no overflowing bins reported.”

The spokesperson did not respond to our request for details about the number of bins that have been removed from Valley Gardens.

In 2022, smart bins were trialled in the town as a joint venture between the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council.

According to a Harrogate borough councillor at the time, the bins used sensors to send alerts when they need emptying to avoid overflowing. Later the same year Harrogate Borough Council installed six smart bins, costing a total of £26,100, in Valley Gardens.

Last year a May bank holiday gathering required a major clean-up operation the following day.

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