North Yorkshire Council has announced it will not use its voting power to influence ballots on the creation of business improvement districts (BIDs). 

The purpose of BIDs is to boost economic activity within their area, and they are funded by an additional levy on local business ratepayers. In Harrogate, the 1.5% levy raises more than £500,000 a year. 

BIDs are created following a majority vote by these ratepayers, which include local authorities. Because councils own so much town-centre property, they typically wield considerable voting power.

Harrogate BID was first created in 2018 after business ratepayers voted for it, and the result was in part due to the support and votes of Harrogate Borough Council. Ripon BID was created in 2021, also in part due to the support of the council. 

But when Harrogate BID came up for renewal in 2023, North Yorkshire Council – Harrogate Borough Council’s successor – chose not get involved, leaving it to businesses to decide. That vote went through with 76% in favour; the council’s backing would have added a further 12% to that figure. 

In its latest announcement, which was prompted by a vote on the Yorkshire Coast BID, North Yorkshire Council has maintained that stance and formalised it. 

A decision of the chief executive published this week stated: 

“The council is aware that due to its rateable value across North Yorkshire, that if it were to vote there is a risk that it could have a disproportionate impact on the outcome of the ballot. It is estimated that North Yorkshire may hold around 10% of the voting value for the YC BID. 

“The council therefore intends to abstain in the forthcoming Yorkshire Coast ballot, or other future BID levy ballots across North Yorkshire, to limit its influence and ensure it is businesses who determine the outcome.” 

Locally, the decision affects Harrogate and Ripon, where BIDs are already in place, and may in the future affect Knaresborough, if businesses there decide to create one. They narrowly voted against the idea in 2021. 

In Harrogate, town centre businesses will next be able to vote on whether or not to fund Harrogate BID for a third term in 2028. Ripon BID comes up for renewal in 2026.

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North Yorkshire Council is facing calls to explain the reasons behind the “shocking” 76% rise in expulsions.

An officer’s report to a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s executive on Tuesday (May 28) has revealed the latest available figures – for the academic year ending last July – saw 95 children permanently excluded from mainstream schools, an increase from 54 from the previous year.

The report states the trend has continued into the current academic year and that there were also 1,607 more suspensions in the year to the end of March, an increase of 34%.

The authority’s executive member for education, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, has been approached for comment.

When asked what was behind the increase, council officers did not directly respond, instead stating “persistent and general disruptive behaviour is the primary reason for exclusions in North Yorkshire accounting for over half of all exclusions”.

However, teaching unions have stated schools have insufficient resources to support pupils and earlier this year it emerged schools across North Yorkshire had forecast they are likely to face a collective annual deficit of more than £11m in just over two years.

Officers said the financial challenges were partly due to the high costs of providing education across a vast rural area not being being properly recognised by the government.

According to the latest Department for Education data, England and Wales saw the largest number of suspensions on record for one term last spring.

The Association of School and College Leaders says mental health issues, unmet special educational needs, disengagement with the curriculum and family issues are behind the national trend.

An Ofsted study published last year found 42 per cent of teachers had noted a decrease in behavior standards since the pandemic, partly due to a lack of “socialisation”.

Nevertheless, research by IBB Law published in March found exclusion rates for the five years to 2022 to be markedly higher in Yorkshire and the North-East than anywhere else in the country.

In 2019 the authority unveiled detailed plans to support a sea change in the way children at risk of exclusion were handled, described by the authority as a “preventative and inclusive culture”.

When asked if its strategies to reduce the number of children being excluded were working, a council spokesman said:

“Data relating to exclusions in North Yorkshire is similar to or below national levels. Preventative work is underway and is resulting in a number of children successfully remaining in schools.”

Former teacher and North Yorkshire Council’s children and families scrutiny committee chair, Councillor Barbara Brodigan, said she wanted to know how deeply the council was investigating the reasons behind the “shocking” exclusions rise.

Cllr Brodigan, who used to work with children at risk of exclusion and those who had been excluded, said changes the council introduced in 2019 “had not had any impact at all”.

She said:

“Is it linked to Ofsted inspections? Schools have been known to suspend children prior to an inspection because they don’t want disruptive children in the school.

“When I used to ask permanently excluded young people why they didn’t engage at school it was often due to the curriculum offer and how it was delivered.

“Locality boards are working with head teachers to develop creative alternative solutions. Schools hands are tied with the curriculum, but not how it is delivered. These children need extra support.”

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A mourner has been left heartbroken after finding Harrogate‘s Stonefall Cemetery in a “neglected state”.

Shirley Askew often goes to the cemetery to visit her late husband’s grave and has been left upset after seeing the ‘disrespectful’ state of the site.

Ms Askew went to the cemetery over the weekend and found weeds surrounding headstones and overflowing bins.

She said:

“I was very upset to find the area totally neglected with overflowing rubbish bins a few meters from where ashes are scattered. What was once a gentle flowing stream has been covered over by overgrown grass since last summer and has left a stagnant pool.

“The areas in front of the benches are full of weeds. But the really upsetting sight was all the headstones surrounded by 2-3 foot high weeds. No part of the cemetery should look like this, but these are all fairly recent graves. Have the council considered the feelings of grieving loved ones seeing such neglect and disrespect.”

Weeds surrounding headstones and benches at Stonefall Cemetery. Image: Shirley Askew

She added:

“I’m so relieved I visited alone as I would have been so ashamed for other family members to have seen my husbands resting place treated with such disrespect.”

This is not the first time mourners have been left distressed by the state of Stonefall Cemetery.

Two years ago, Trish Stephenson, who goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of her cousin, described the state of the site as “disgraceful”. At the time, the former Harrogate Borough Council said it would make the site a priority.

Graves are barely noticeable due to the overgrown weeds at Stonefall Cemetery. Image: Shirley Askew

At the time, a spokesperson for the council said:

“Demand on our teams has understandably been high over the last two years but these works will now be prioritised.

“The team will visit Stonefall Cemetery in the coming weeks and address any concerns that have been raised. Some areas are being left to grow and not mown as we want to encourage biodiversity, attract pollinators and create habitats. We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”

Immaculate war graves

The war graves are decorated with flower and maintained at Stonefall Cemetery

Ms Askew added that the Wetherby Road entrance up to and around the crematorium is completely free of weeds.

She added:

“Presumably because this is the area seen by funeral attendees. All of the rubbish bins should be placed behind fencing or hedges, not just the ones near the crematorium.”

The clean white headstones of the war graves at Stonefall Cemetery

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Council who said they would look into the issue but did not give any further details at this time.

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