north yorkshire county council Archives - Page 22 of 96

New branding for North Yorkshire Council revealed

County council bosses have unveiled plans for a new brand ahead of the creation of North Yorkshire Council.

The authority will come into force on April 1, 2023, when North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and the other six districts will be abolished.

In a report due before the authority’s executive tomorrow, officials will recommend pressing ahead with proposals to implement a rebrand at a cost of £393,969.

It would see the the new brand included on main access points, libraries, registrar offices, crematoriums, adult social care venues and the county records office.

Much of the cost includes implementing the logo on staff lanyards, letterhead, email, certificates, licences, consents, permissions and orders.

How the new brand will look.

In a report, Vanessa Glover, head of communications, said:

“The design of an identity for North Yorkshire Council has been developed entirely using internal experience and expertise from the eight councils involved in local government reorganisation. There have therefore been no external costs incurred.”

She added:

“The new North Yorkshire Council is legally required to adopt an identity. It is not possible to utilise any of the eight council brands currently in place.

“Therefore, this paper suggests a staged and proportionate approach to satisfying those legal requirements, while recommending a relatively low-cost approach to limited symbolic branding.”

The authority will be legally required to include the brand on certain assets as of April 1, 2023.

This includes council tax bills, employee IDs and tariff boards in all council owned or operated car parks.

However, the council intends to keep district authority branding on some assets until they are worn out.

According to the report, this includes cemeteries, bus stops and wheelie bins.

Call to restart consultation on new Harrogate district town

A councillor has called for a consultation on the new Harrogate district town the size of Thirsk to be extended or started again.

Arnold Warneken, who represents the Green Party on North Yorkshire County Council, issued the plea after it emerged the consultation documents had been changed midway through – without people being told.

The move has heightened concerns among residents in the area affected that the planning process is being rushed before Harrogate Borough Council is abolished on April 1. They say allowing more time would increase support for the process and show transparency.

The proposed new town, called Maltkiln, would be built in the Cattal and Green Hammerton area in the east of the district.

The council opened a six-week consultation on October 3 into its draft new settlement development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision and policy framework on how Maltkiln is designed and developed.

It emerged this week that both the hardcopy and online versions of the document had been changed during the consultation process.

Cllr Warneken said although the changes were minor, the failure to inform people was significant, particularly “given the magnitude of this plan and its impact on the surrounding parishes”.

He said in a letter to the council:

“I accept mistakes do happen but how we deal with them is critical in demonstrating how seriously we take our accountability and transparency.

“I am surprised that I and the parishes were not advised by Harrogate Borough Council of these errors.

“I think we all agree that it’s important that the new settlement process is actually done correctly and not just seen to be done right, initially I was thinking an extension to the process might suffice but on reflection I would like to ask that the consultation be restarted with the corrected document.”

But the council said the consultation would end on November 14 as planned.

A spokesperson said:

“The online portal version of the Maltkiln development plan document included a minor change that was not included in either the online PDF or hard copy version.

“Both the online PDF version and hard copies of the consultation material have been amended to reflect this change.

“The amendment related to the inclusion of an extra paragraph in the climate change chapter, the result of which effects [sic] the numbering of paragraphs. As well as an additional sentence at the end of local centre chapter.

“At the time that we made the amendment, we had only received a limited number of responses and having reviewed these, none of them relate to the wording that has been revised.

“Should someone have saved the earlier version of the document in order to comment at a later date, these comments are also reviewed to ensure that they relate to the correct part of the document.”

You can have your say here.

Council appoints London consultants to draw up North Yorkshire growth strategy

An £89,537 contract to draw up a strategy to grow the economy in North Yorkshire has been handed to a London company.

North Yorkshire County Council has commissioned Steer-ED to carry out the work on behalf of the upcoming North Yorkshire Council.

The new authority will come into force on April 1, 2023.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council whether it had considered local companies for the work and if the strategy could have been drawn up by its own staff.

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

“The advent of the new North Yorkshire Council provides us with an opportunity to create a county-wide strategy to drive forward economic growth and support existing businesses while attracting new enterprise.

“Working with council officers, Steer-ED will produce a new county-wide economic growth strategy which will be guided by extensive consultations and engagement with a number of key organisations. This will help us maximise North Yorkshire’s economic potential and drive inward investment across the county.

“Steer-ED was appointed following a competitive procurement process, and the contract was awarded in accordance with the procurement framework requirements. The framework consists of 41 consultants from across the country, and all were invited to tender for the contract.

“Our economic development teams will work very closely with Steer-ED. The decision was taken to recruit consultants to provide an important external perspective as well as ensuring there is additional capacity so the work is completed soon after the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1 next year.”

The move is the latest contract to be awarded to a national firm as the county council transitions towards the new North Yorkshire Council.

In July, the Stray Ferret revealed that four consultancy companies were awarded £5 million for “reorganisation support for North Yorkshire Council”.

The contract was awarded to KPMG, Price Waterhouse Cooper, PA Consulting Ltd and Capita Business Service Ltd.

However, councillors on the authority criticised the move as a “waste of money” and questioned whether it could have been better spent elsewhere.

Council forecasts North Yorkshire needs 3,161 EV charge points by 2030

A public consultation into plans for electric vehicle charging points across North Yorkshire looks set to be launched.

Senior councillors on North Yorkshire County Council’s executive are expected to agree next week to start the consultation this month.

It will lead to the creation of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure strategy to expand the infrastructure.

Latest figures show there are almost 4,000 electric vehicles registered in North Yorkshire, and 225 publicly available charge points, and take-up of electric vehicles is rising rapidly each year.

County council officers forecast that 3,161 charge points will be needed by 2030, of which half will need to be funded by the public sector at an estimated cost of £10.3 million.

Cllr Greg White, the council’s executive member for climate change, said:

“The ownership of electric vehicles in North Yorkshire is increasing quickly. This is encouraging – to achieve the county’s ambitious carbon zero target, for smaller vehicles, we need to make the switch to electric as close as possible to 2030.

“But North Yorkshire faces particular challenges, partly due to its rural nature and partly the lack of off-street parking in some villages and urban residential areas.

“We need to understand these needs and the challenges they present and be ready to meet them. That’s why we want to seek the input and feedback of the public to help to shape our strategy for the coming years.”

The council has already secured more than £2 million from the government to finance the expansion of the county’s network of electric vehicle charging points.

electric vehicle chargepoints (1)

In August, the authority revealed that the Harrogate district would get 10 chargers.

The chargers are part of the new Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme where the council and industry work in partnership.

It was previously suggested that Markington, Pateley Bridge and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough could receive new chargepoints. However, this has yet to be confirmed.

Permission sought to demolish Ripon homes affected by subsidence

Planning permission is being sought to demolish a block of four empty Ripon homes in a perilous condition caused by subsidence and sinkhole issues.

The properties at Bedern Court and Skellgarths were evacuated in October 2020, after being deemed unsafe for habitation.

A section of Peacock’s Passage, which is adjacent to the site, has been blocked off ever since.

In a document confirming his support for demolition of the block, Harrogate Borough Council’s principal building control officer Darren Sykes said:

“We have been involved with these buildings as a dangerous structure in recent months so we are aware of the concerns regarding their stability.”

The application also seeks demolition of these steps and walls, where the effects of subsidence can be seen

A report prepared by Architecture:AB on behalf of Bedern Court Ltd, which manages the 29-unit residential development, says:

“Bedern Court Ltd are seeking consent to demolish 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths because of damage to the building’s structure caused by subsidence.”

The report adds that the buildings have been monitored by structural engineers for more than a decade after subsidence occurred on an adjacent site.

With movement in the structure continuing, residents had to vacate the properties, which have been deemed unfit for habitation.

Last November, councillors at a full Ripon City Council meeting called on North Yorkshire County Council as highways authority to intervene and bring about an urgent demolition of the stricken block.

At that time, city council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“The movement of the affected block caused by sinkhole activity in the area is gaining speed and the implications for public safety are enormous.

“The block fronts onto the public highway and pavement and the potential impact of collapse and possibility of opening up of more damaging sinkholes in neighbouring areas cannot be ignored.

“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t be safe to walk or drive past it on Skellgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”

Harrogate Borough Council will decide whether to give permission for the demolition in the coming months, with the date for the decision yet to be confirmed.

Taxi licensing changes will cause ‘chaos’, says Ripon cabbie

A Ripon taxi driver has said plans for a single licensing policy for North Yorkshire will lead to “chaos”.

Under proposals just put forward, the new North Yorkshire Council would create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It would mean drivers in Harrogate could operate anywhere in North Yorkshire whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for 28 years, said the planned changes would see drivers “swamp” areas during the busiest times of day.

Mr Fieldman said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

He said:

“It will mean that any taxi can work in any area.

“You are going to have swamps of taxis in busy areas at busy times. That in itself brings chaos.”

Mr Fieldman added that he feared the council could introduce a single fare rate for the county, which he said would make business “unviable” for drivers.

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire County Council for comment.

County council officials said the planned policy would offer drivers “flexibility to operate across the county”.

The authority has launched a public consultation on the changes, which is set to last for 12 weeks.

A review of fare rates across the county will be carried out at a later date.

The council said in a statement:

“In accordance with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance, it is proposed that the new council will operate one hackney carriage ‘zone’ for North Yorkshire.

“Thereby providing drivers with the flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“There are no plans to impose hackney carriage quantity restrictions on the creation of a new single zone. Hackney carriage fares and fees will also be reviewed at a later date.”

A consultation into the policy changes is open until January 19, 2023. You can have your say here.

Roadworks bring traffic ‘chaos’ to Harrogate district villages

Roadworks on the A658 Harrogate Road have diverted a large volume of traffic through two Harrogate district villages.

Five days of roadworks began today between Gravelly Hill Lane and Hall Green Lane on the busy Harrogate Road.

It is causing delays for vehicles travelling in both directions. But it has also brought problems to locals because traffic is being diverted along Crag Lane, The Sleights and Gravelly Hill Lane through North Rigton and Huby while work takes place.

Villagers have expressed concerns about the speed and volume of traffic passing through the villages as well as the effectiveness of the diversion signs.

One makeshift cardboard sign (see below) appeared in Huby this morning to help drivers navigate the diversion.

Huby traffic diversion sign

Work is being carried out to resurface the Harrogate Road.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire County Council said it wasn’t aware of any issues. She said:

“Works on the A658 are taking place from October 31 to November 4. The closure runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm daily. A signed diversion is in place.”

New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities

A consultation is being launched today on what the new North Yorkshire Council’s funding priorities should be, amid stark warnings about its economic situation.

North Yorkshire Council will come into existence on April 1 when the seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, are abolished.

The postponement of the Chancellor’s autumn statement means the new local authority still doesn’t know how much funding it will be allocated by national government.

In addition, the new authority is expected to start life by inheriting a £27 million deficit from the eight councils it is replacing. Rising inflation is also believed to have added an additional £70 million in costs.

Against this backdrop, county council leader Carl Les said the budget for the new authority will be the most challenging he has witnessed.

Cllr Les, who will become the leader of the new North Yorkshire Council, said:

“These challenges for the forthcoming financial year are the greatest I have ever known, caused by a succession of issues that, taken in isolation, would present significant problems to overcome in themselves.

“We have launched the consultation to give the public the chance to highlight what they believe are the financial priorities which the new North Yorkshire Council should be focused on, and it is so important that we hear those views to help us form the budget for the authority.”

Cllr Les added that the restructuring of local government in North Yorkshire “could not have come at a more prescient time amid all the challenges we are facing” because merging eight councils and streamlining services “will be invaluable in ensuring that budgets can be balanced”.

He believes the restructure could lead to savings of up to £70 million a year.

North Yorkshire County Council alone has had to make savings of £200 million since 2010 from an original net budget of £520 million, excluding funding for schools – equating to a 40 per cent reduction in spending.

North Yorkshire Council will serve the greatest geographical area of any local authority in the country, and it will have an overall spend of about £1.4 billion, including £343 million on schools.

The Let’s Talk Money conversation begins today and runs until December 23. Details are available here.

Library seeking volunteers to support Starbeck community this winter

A vital community service in Harrogate could be under threat this winter if more volunteers are not recruited.

Starbeck Library is run by more than 30 volunteers, but their numbers have fallen by around 25% compared to before the pandemic.

While they are still able to cover the 17 hours it is open each week, the reduced pool of people is putting extra pressure on them all and opening hours could be reduced if more help is not found.

Volunteer coordinator Ann Lewsley told the Stray Ferret:

“We’ve got 18 shifts a week to fill with 30-something people. We’re putting increasing begging emails out and people are ending up having to do more than they want to do, and then we’re in danger of scaring them off.

“Volunteering really doesn’t have to be a big commitment. If people can give us three hours once or twice a month, that would be great.

“Lots of people do every other week and some are just once a month. We don’t normally put any pressure on people to do more than they want to do, and the more volunteers we have, the easier it is for everyone.”

The community library is supported by North Yorkshire County Council, with access to its books, computer software and a shared professional librarian.

Each shift is staffed by at least two volunteers, and ideally three, and Ann described it as a small but friendly team in a welcoming environment. Most of the team members come from Starbeck, but many travel from further afield around Harrogate and even beyond.

The volunteers have recently been given a 10-year lease by the council to offer long-term security for the community library.

As well as book lending, it offers audio and ebooks, access to computers, and regular events for people of all ages including children’s story time.

Volunteers are supported by equipment and systems from NYCC

Earlier this year, the library was used by NYCC as an access point for people applying for help from the household support fund who did not have the internet at home.

Ann said one of the challenges of the volunteer rota was ensuring there was the right combination of people with complementary skills to meet visitors’ needs.

This winter, the library could also become a lifeline to people struggling to heat their homes, or looking for some company during the day.

Its team is happy to welcome people who want somewhere to read a book or newspaper, to knit, or to meet friends.

Ann added:

“With the winter coming, we’re saying, like lots of public spaces, come and use our electricity, come and be warm, read a book in the library for a couple of hours.

“We have a cafe on a Saturday where we sell drinks, but during the week, the volunteers will quite happily make a coffee or tea for someone.

“That’s all part of what we want to be able to offer to our community.”

A volunteers’ coffee morning for people interested in finding out more about volunteering is being held next Saturday, November 5, from 11am until noon. Anyone interested who can’t visit at that time can email volunteers.starbeckcl@gmail.com or call in to the library any day during opening hours.

Harrogate councillor is Rishi Sunak’s agent in Richmond

Rishi Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister this week has thrust a Harrogate councillor to the forefront of national politics.

Sam Gibbs is the Conservative Party agent in Richmond — Mr Sunak’s constituency.

As such, he works closely with Mr Sunak, who was elected to the safe Tory seat in 2015 with 51% of the vote. He increased this share to 64% at the last election in 2019.

Agents typically advise their MPs as well as oversee the smooth running of the local party.

Mr Sunak’s elevation to the highest office in the land is likely to increase the workload on the party in Richmond and on Mr Gibbs.

Besides helping Mr Sunak, Mr Gibbs, who lives on Forest Avenue in Harrogate, has served as the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Valley Gardens on Harrogate Borough Council since 2018.

Last year he campaigned for new ‘no cycling’ signs to be painted on footpaths on the Stray after local residents complained about speeding cyclists using the parkland.

Councillor Gibbs in a photo about the new tree lighting on the Stray.

This year he was appointed the cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling when council leader Richard Cooper reshuffled his team in March. He is also a member of the cabinet.

Election success this year

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished in April but Mr Gibbs’ interest in local politics won’t end then.

This year he won the Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate division on North Yorkshire County Council in May’s local elections. He received 871 votes, ahead of Liberal Democrat David Johnson, who polled 545 votes and independent Lucy Gardiner, who received 331 votes.

It means he will represent the division for a further four-and-a-half years, first on the county council and, from April, on the new North Yorkshire Council.

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Gibbs, who is also a trustee of Harrogate and District Community Action, to ask about his role with Mr Sunak, and whether Mr Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister would affect his councillor positions. However, he did not reply.

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Election success this year

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