New software improving local gully maintenance, says council

North Yorkshire Council says a new software has helped to improve maintenance of the county’s gullies.

A council report, which was written by Nigel Smith, head of highway operations at North Yorkshire Council, will be presented to the transport, economy, environment and enterprise overview and scrutiny committee next Wednesday.

It says maintenance has reportedly improved since the roll-out of a pilot scheme using software from a company called Kaarbontech in 2021.

The Stray Ferret is often flooded with messages expressing concern about the infrastructure of local gullies. These only increased during the sodden winter.

But the council has said the new software helps to determine the number of gullies that need to be attended each year and where they are located based on the previous year’s figures.

Mr Smith said:

“The analysis of this data ensures that the gully crews only need to attend gullies that require attention, therefore saving time and costs associated with gully maintenance.”

The report says the previous system was “much less reliable”, adding when some locations were attended the crews would find the gully was “silt-free and water in the pipework running freely”.

But, since using the software, it adds the attendance-to-gullies figure increased to 85% in 2022 and 2023, which was a 10% increase from the year prior.

The report also says of those gullies attended in the same period, a total of 93.2% of gullies needed cleaning, which suggests the “data-led programme was working”. It adds:

“Our surveys show that there are 164,171 gullies on the highway network.

“Data collected and sense-checked indicates that as of March 11, 2024, the total number of gullies attended was 92,554 based on information to the end of the previous week. This represents 87.11% of the programme, meaning the 2022/23 figure (85%) has already been exceeded.”

Mr Smith also notes the data collected was taken “against a backdrop of ten named storms during the winter season”, adding more than 10,000 gullies were attended in addition to those included in the Kaarbontech programme.

The report forecasts the attendance figure to increase to 93% by the end of this year.

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Readers’ Letters: Harrogate ‘feels like Narnia’ compared to where I’m from

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter is in response to two stories. The first being about recent vandalism on Harrogate’s Parliament Street, which prompted a letter from a reader feeling ashamed of the town’s appearance.

Vandalism anywhere is wrong. I can’t understand why the Parliament Street building was vandalised and it makes me annoyed.

I moved here from Bradford in December 2022. Where I used to live, there was constant noise from balaclava-wearing youths riding quad bikes or off road bikes with no lights or reg plates and boy racers driving their cars down my road like it was a racetrack.

Bradford and Harrogate are like chalk and cheese when compared. I felt like I was in Narnia. The trees on the Stray were lit at night and not just for Christmas. Everywhere I walked I was in awe, and still am, of the magnificent buildings, the history and the open green spaces.

In addition, the ever changing flower displays; the shopping and hospitality choices; Harry’s walking tours and the events organised by the Harrogate BID and Harrogate International – and so much more – are brilliant.

I take pride in Harrogate, and I wasn’t even born here. I wonder how many residents, whether born and bred here, or incomers like me, either take it all for granted or don’t even notice the great things that surround them. If only they were to take their eyes off their mobiles for a minute and look up.

I can appreciate that the roads are not paved in gold (I am not going to rant about the potholes) and not everything is wonderful, like anti-social behaviour, county line drug dealing, homeless and street beggars.

I know these issues can be seen in towns and cities throughout the UK, but I find it sad knowing and seeing how much wealth there is in some areas of Harrogate and yet so much poverty in other areas. More social affordable housing needs to be developed and not just another conversion of a former office building.

Richard Coulter, Harrogate

Harrogate’s overflowing bins give a ‘dire impression’ of the town

The following two letters are in response to a story published this week about overflowing bins in Valley Gardens. North Yorkshire Council denied the claims, but the images were pretty damning.

How indescribably irritating it is to hear that as far as the council are concerned “there are no reports of bins overflowing”.

Frankly, it’s a routine sight in Harrogate, despite the new bins being installed. People are trying their level best to dispose of waste appropriately, but the number of times I’ve seen bins crammed to the hilt is too often to count. It’s now the norm, not the exception.

At the risk of sounding vicious… your staff are clearly lying. Because the fact of the matter remains that we constantly see bins overflowing in and around the town. It creates a dire impression and clearly indicates whatever measures are in situ are wholly inadequate.

Don’t rely on staff to report their own efficacy – go out and see the mess for yourself!

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

I have just read the article concerning rubbish bins in Valley Gardens. We are currently in Japan where there are no litter bins and no litter.

Everyone takes their litter home for disposal. We are simply a dirty and uncaring people.

Yes, the bins should be larger and emptied more frequently but we need to take some responsibility for our lovely town and gardens.

Cheryl Johnston, Harrogate

Perhaps the Dean should focus on Ripon residents – rather than one-day tourists

This letter is in response to the ongoing Ripon Cathedral annexe saga. The Stray Ferret has covered the topic extensively.

What’s wrong with the present toilet facilities which are a few yards away from the cathedral that would benefit from a smartening-up? The Dean appears to be the only person who is embarrassed about the cathedrals facilities that appear to have been accepted by most Ripon people for many years.

And if there is a concern with the running costs of the cathedral, why don’t they make an entrance charge as does York Minster?

A previous knowledgeable correspondent asked how do they expect to cover the overheads of the new annexe – which are bound to be very large.

Why wasn’t the Old Deanery, which is right on the doorstep and stood empty for many years, considered for the cathedrals expansion? It is such a magnificent building inside and out, and now leased as a restaurant.

Maybe it should have been time to give up when Historic England refused to back the south-side proposal for the new annexe – rather than ruin Minster Gardens with a huge carbuncle. It is beautiful, restful area with mature trees.

Rather than gaining funding from extra tourism from people who will be here one day and gone the next, maybe the Dean should be more concerned about looking after Ripon‘s city and its people, and invest its £8 million into more rewarding projects.

Gordon Lund, Sawley

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Council leader defends North Yorkshire Council record one year on

The leader of North Yorkshire Council has defended its record as it marks its one year anniversary since being established.

The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023 with the promise of making savings.

One year on from its launch, the Stray Ferret has looked at how the council has changed governance in the county and if people feel it has improved.

Among those we spoke to was Lord Wallace of Saltaire, a Liberal Democrat peer, who was highly critical of the move 12 months ago. He remained concerned that the authority felt detached from its constituents.

The Stray Ferret put the concerns to Conservative leader of the council, Cllr Carl Les, and asked what he felt the council’s achievements were over the last 12 months.

He pointed to £30 million worth of savings, which he said had been used to “protect vital services”.

Cllr Les said the money had been saved by streamlining services from the seven districts, plus various staff and management reviews. 

He described the move as a “local government reorganisation dividend” which had allowed the authority to protect frontline services.

Part of the protection of local services was also down to increasing council tax by 4.99%, he said. However, Cllr Less added that this was necessary.

He said:

“There are councils across the county that would want that dividend.

“There will also come a point that members can have a real good discussion about the council tax needed to run the authority. But, at the moment, we have used that money to protect services.”

Residents ‘not detached’ from council

Much of the criticism around the new council has that it is too remote.

This week, Lord Saltaire told the Stray Ferret that he stood by criticism he made about the authority in the House of Lords 12 months ago.

He said he felt that people feel detached from their local council and that councillors could not cope with the number of constituents within their divisions.

Lord Saltaire added that a district and county council model still worked, despite being criticised as “inefficient”.

He said:

“We still have county councils and district councils in some places. That in some ways is less efficient, but it does at least give people a connection.

“People do not feel any connection with their local authority.”

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In response, Cllr Les said he disagreed with the notion that the authority is detached from its residents.

He said that residents across North Yorkshire still had representatives that they could reach out to and that the council was responsive.

Cllr Les said:

“I have been a councillor for a number of years, both district and county, and I do not think my constituents would feel that they are detached from their representatives.

“Everybody still has a councillor.”

Cllr Les previously described the establishment of North Yorkshire Council as a “wastershed” moment for public services in the county.

The move was the first reorganisation of local government in the county since 1974.

He said it was still early days for the unitary council, but he felt it would last as long as its predecessor.

Cllr Les said:

“At the moment, we are only over a year into the new council. The last one lasted 50 years. I think this new authority will last 50 years.”

By-election candidates support Harrogate active travel proposals

Candidates standing in next week’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election have backed proposed new measures to encourage walking and cycling in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council is consulting on plans to introduce crossings at the junctions of Slingsby Walk and Oatlands Drive Slingsby Walk and Wetherby Road.

It hopes the move will encourage fewer journeys by car in a part of town densely populated by schoolchildren.

The Stray Ferret asked the five candidates standing in Thursday’s by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council for their views on the proposal.

Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Timothy, who will be defending the seat for the Lib Dems following Pat Marsh’s resignation in February, was the only one not to respond.

The Conservative, Labour, Green and Reform UK candidates all, however, supported the proposal.

John Ennis, who finished runner-up for the Tories when the seat was last contested in 2022, said:

“Having myself campaigned over several years for pedestrian / cyclist crossings at these two points on Slingsby Walk, I very much welcome the fact the council is bringing these proposals forward, and would encourage local residents to respond to the consultation.

“Regarding the council’s reference to possible further traffic changes in the Oatlands Drive area, I am supportive in principle of 20mph, but opposed to any introduction of local one-way systems.”

Labour candidate Geoff Foxall, a former Harrogate borough councillor, said:

“I agree to both of these as necessary safety precautions: for school pupils on Oatlands Drive and residents and school pupils on Wetherby Road. Hopefully, these measures will encourage school pupils to walk or cycle to school rather than be driven there by parents.”

The Slingsby Walk and Wetherby Road junction.

Gilly Charters, who is representing the Green Party, said many residents in the Saints area were worried about child safety  and the crossings would address this and support active travel.

She added:

“The local Greens have led the way at North Yorkshire to address speed limits and road safety issues in particular around schools and presented a pilot scheme to Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee which paved the way for campaign groups to get safety measures in place on the roads around schools on the western side of Harrogate.

Reform UK candidate John Swales said he supported the crossings but “with a number of concerns, or reservations”.

He said it wasn’t clear how the pre-consultation was undertaken, and why motorists were not included, or why the cost of the schemes had appeared to increase since they were first mooted.

Mr Swales added:

“Also, I wouldn’t support a 20mph speed limits or junctions being made one-way, without a clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks.”

The deadline for comments is Sunday, April 14. For more information and to view the plans, click here

Any comments should be emailed to Area6.Boroughbridge@northyorks.gov.uk using ‘Oatlands Drive/Wetherby Road crossing consultation’ in the email title.

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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.