north yorkshire county council Archives - Page 3 of 96

Concern over tree felling as part of Kex Gill reroute

Concern has been raised over tree felling as part of the £69 million Kex Gill realignment.

The project, which is North Yorkshire County Council’s most expensive and ambitious, will reroute a landslip-blighted road between Harrogate and Skipton.

As part of the scheme, the authority has started to clear woodland off the A59.

However, residents have raised concern that the move is “disproportionate” to the highways project.

Sheenagh Powell, who lives nearby, said the move was “distressing”.

She said:

“Hundreds of trees have already been felled which appears totally disproportionate to the scheme.

“The environmental impact is huge.”

However, county council officials have defended the move and said site clearance had been undertaken now to avoid the bird nesting season.

A spokesperson added:

“The stretch of the A59 at Kex Gill runs through important habitats including a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

“Plans are in place to mitigate the impact on wildlife in the area such as barn owls, bats, nightjars, wild game, toads and badgers.”

The A59 at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. Since 2000, the route has been closed 12 times following landslips.

Ministers at the Department for Transport gave the final go-ahead for the route last month.

The move will see the road rerouted to the west of Blubberhouses and is expected to be completed in May 2025.

The scheme has faced numerous delays and, following tender returns, the estimated cost of the scheme increased by £7.2 million to £68.8 million, which the council attributed to inflation affecting constructions costs.

The project will be funded by a £56.1 million grant from the Department for Transport, with the council covering the rest from its reserves.

A further £11 million has been factored into the budget to cover any issues with ground conditions or bad weather.

County council will not fund ‘indefinite e-cigarettes habit’

North Yorkshire County Council has emphasised it will not fund people’s use of e-cigarettes indefinitely after agreeing to supply the electric vaporisers to those wanting to quit tobacco.

The authority approved supplying e-cigarettes to smokers who choose to adopt them as a method of quitting, as part of its Living Well Smokefree programme, which is being credited with enabling a dramatic decline in smoking across the county over the last decade.

While some 18% of adults in North Yorkshire smoked in 2011, by 2021 that had fallen to just 11%, significantly less than the national average of 13.3%.

The authority’s executive member for public health Cllr Michael Harrison said in order to meet the national ambition of a smoke-free population by 2030 access to all stop smoking aids was essential.

The move follows a pilot by the county’s Living Well Smokefree service finding a 93% success rate of 144 people set a quit date with the intent of using an e-cigarette as a harm reduction intervention.

When asked if the government’s ambition to have a a smoke-free population by 2030 was possible in North Yorkshire, Cllr Harrison said it would take “real action”, such as the Living Well Smokefree Service initiative.

He said:

“So many health complaints that people hace are still smoking-related, so it’s still one of the biggest concerns for the NHS and public health teams.

“It is right that we use public health monies to try and improve the situation. It’s great to see that there’s lots of people stopping, but there’s too many people starting smoking.”

A public health officer’s report states although the most recent evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking tobacco, they are not risk-free.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, as well as other ingredients such as propylene glycol, glycerine and flavourings.

Cancer Research UK says while some potentially dangerous chemicals have been found in e-cigarettes, levels are usually low and generally far lower than in tobacco cigarettes.

The charity says exposure may be the same as people who use nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum, which the county’s stop smoking service is already providing.

When asked if supplying e-cigarettes to people could lead to mixed messages, particularly following concerns that an increasing number of children were being attracted to e-cigarettes, Cllr Harrison emphasised e-cigarettes were “a short-term tool”.

He said emphasised e-cigarettes would only be given to people giving up smoking tobacco when they were on the 12-week programme, during which time the strength of the e-cigarettes would be reduced.

He said:

“There’s too many people going straight from not smoking to e-cigarettes, but that’s not a good idea. E-cigarettes are only a good idea in the short-term to help someone give up tobacco.

“Public health are not endorsing e-cigarettes, which evidence says are less harmful than tobacco, but the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown.

“We are certainly not going to fund someone’s e-cigarette habit. There is not going to be taxpayer-funded long-term e-cigarette use.”

County council rejects claim it is watching on as small schools close

Senior county councillors have rejected accusations that the authority is failing to prevent classroom closures as it pushed forward moves to axe two village primaries.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive saw members express sympathy with those wanting to maintain Skelton Newby Hall, near Boroughbridge, and Hovingham, near York.

But they said extremely low school rolls had left them with few options.

The accusations levelled by Skelton Cum Newby Parish Council’s chairman Guy Critchlow follow those from numerous other community leaders, including Hovingham, as a succession of small rural schools across North Yorkshire have been closed in recent years.

They include Kell Bank Church of England Primary School near Masham.

Urging the council to consider alternatives to simply closing the school, Cllr Critchlow said the school was “viable and valuable to the surrounding areas” and the fact that pupil numbers had fallen to a single child was “not organically driven”.

He said a policy was developing “on the side of closing small schools”.

Cllr Critchlow said while Skelton Newby Hall school had been failed by its federation with Sharow school, while it had been run by the council it not been marketed appropriately to attract new pupils.

He added:

“The community feel this was a consultation in name only. We are a canary in the mine for the very essence of rural communities in North Yorkshire and for the new North Yorkshire Council.”

The meeting heard despite parents of children attending Skelton school being advised to find places for their children elsewhere several months before a consultation to close it, neither the Sharow school or the county council had discussed the matter with the Skelton community.

Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative representing Wathvale and Bishop Monkton division, said:

“I would like to think in future that whenever a school is in danger of closing, because of the pattern of warning signs from falling school numbers, then this information should be shared with North Yorkshire councillors and parish and town councils, much much earlier, so they can help with any ideas that would help prevent closure.”

However, the meeting heard “sharing early information” about school concerns on other occasions had seen parents vote with their feet.

‘Stark reality’

Cllr Janet Sanderson, executive member for children and families, said the council was frustrated with the small school closures situation and the restrictions of the closure process that had been handed down to it by government.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, said no applications had been received for pupils wanting to attend Hovingham as their first choice school from September, and that as a long-standing institution in the village near Malton it would be greatly missed.

She said North Yorkshire had about 50 schools and academies with fewer than 50 pupils, which was a sign of the council’s commitment to provide education in deeply rural communities.

Cllr Wilkinson said:

“The stark reality is that many of our schools, particularly those in rural areas, are seeing pupil numbers reduce year on year.

“Low numbers not only make the school unviable to keep running, but it is not always possible to provide children with a broad curriculum and high quality education.”

New tenants soon for Harrogate’s Viper Rooms and nearby bar?

Harrogate’s struggling Royal Baths could soon have two new tenants.

North Yorkshire County Council bought the site as an investment asset for £9 million in 2018 but it has not generated the returns hoped for.

When the council bought the site, the units were occupied by J D Wetherspoon, The Potting Shed bar, the Viper Rooms nightclub and Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant.

But the Potting Shed has been closed for years and the sudden demise of the Viper Rooms in December left half the units unoccupied.

Days after the Viper Rooms closed, the council said the site had attracted “significant interest from potential tenants”. But three months on it remains empty.

In an update today, Gary Fielding, the county council’s corporate director for strategic resources, said:

“A unit which did house the Viper Rooms is continuing to attract significant interest, and an agent has been appointed to co-ordinate discussions with potential tenants.

“A lease has been signed for the final unit and a dialogue with the tenant is continuing to establish when the new venture will be launched.”

The new North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the Grade II listed Royal Baths on April 1 when the county council, along with seven district councils including Harrogate Borough Council, ceases to exist.

Advertise your Coronation event on the Stray Ferret for free

Events or street parties being held over the bank holiday weekend can be advertised on our What’s On page for free, using the code King.

Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey, in London. He will be crowned alongside the Queen Consort.

In February 2023, North Yorkshire County Council confirmed fees for street parties held in the Harrogate district to celebrate the coronation will be waived.

The standard street closure fee of £300 is being waived from Saturday 6 May to Monday 8 May for residential streets.

Various events will be held around the Harrogate district to celebrate the royally momentous occasion.

Submissions to the Stray Ferret What’s On can be made until Friday 5 May using the discount code.

The code can only be used on Standard Listings and only for events in aid of the coronation.

Submissions will be approved before posting.

Call to turn Boroughbridge school facing closure into forest school

Calls have been made to retain a village school near Boroughbridge that faces closure as a forest school.

Under plans put forward by North Yorkshire County Council, Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School will shut in August 2023.

But, Cllr Guy Critchlow, chair of Skelton cum Newby Parish Council, told county councillors today the site was a “ready-made forest school” with a large amenity space and playground.

Forest schools teach pupils in an outdoor learning environment and focus on play and exploration for education.

A council report said numbers at the school had been “falling over the past few years” and there were concerns about the impact on pupils’ education.

As of this year, nine children and one nursery pupil were on the school roll. It has capacity for 52.

Senior county councillors voted today to publish notices of the school’s closure with a final decision to be taken on May 30.

At the meeting, Cllr Critchlow argued that the school could be viable as a forest school. He said:

“We deserve the opportunity to rebuild our school and demonstrate its viability.

“We cannot do this alone. We want to work with and not against the council.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative who represents the Skelton-on-Ure village on the county council, told councillors he was disappointed discussions had not taken place with the community and the parish council prior to the proposal being published in December 2022.

He added the process should be delayed in order to consider whether to use the site for a forest school.

He said:

“In light of the recent budget and the proposed increase in childcare provision, to enable much more employment opportunities surely a one-and-a-half acre school site would lend itself perfectly to nursery provision in a rural, safe environment.”

However, Cllr Annabelle Wilkinson, the executive councillor for education, said the site and its outdoor learning area alone had not been “sufficient enough” to attract parents.

She added:

“The school building and site is not owned by the county council.

“The owners will take decisions about the future use of the school site and building after the closure proposal has been determined.”

The council has proposed that, should the school close, then the catchment area will be taken in by Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School.

Representations on the closure can still be made to the council by April 27.

‘Comprehensive’ road safety improvements announced for Harrogate schools

Traffic restrictions, new crossing points and vehicle activated signs are to be introduced to make schools safer in the Harrogate district.

A meeting was held at St Aidan’s Church of England High School yesterday in response to growing concerns about traffic outside schools.

School leaders, councillors, road safety leads from the emergency services and campaigners Hazel Peacock, Dr Vicki Evans and Dr Jenny Marks were among those attending.

Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire County Council’s Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said afterwards a series of measures would be introduced to “make travelling to school safer, healthier and happier”.

Full details are yet to be revealed but the measures will include Harrogate’s first School Streets pilot at Oatlands Junior School, which will see traffic banned except for residents and emergency vehicles on roads outside the school at busy times during school terms.

Cllr Duncan said:

“Today’s meeting represents a crucial step towards improving road safety and promoting more sustainable journeys for children and families.

“We are working closely with all Pannal Ash and Oatlands area schools, local councillors and residents to make improvements in these busy areas.

“The council has agreed to a comprehensive package of highway improvements to be delivered in the immediate term, including new crossing points, vehicle activated signs and Harrogate’s first School Streets pilot at Oatlands Junior School.

“We are continuing to work on further measures to be delivered in the longer term, including consideration of requests for new 20mph zones.”

Concern about pupil safety was heightened when two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School were seriously injured outside Ashville College on February 2.

The 20’s Plenty for Us campaign, which wants 20mph to be the default option on residential streets and in town and village centres, has also been calling for change.

Representatives from the following schools attended the meeting: Harrogate Grammar School, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Rossett School, Western Primary, Rossett Acre Primary, Oatlands Junior School, Oatlands Infant School, St John Fisher’s Catholic High School, Ashville College, Harrogate College and Willow Tree Primary.

Planned Harrogate district taxi licence fare hikes ‘far too much’

A Harrogate district taxi driver has criticised new taxi fare and licence fees planned for North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council unveiled the new charges as part of its new licensing policy for cabs under the upcoming North Yorkshire Council.

It will see the fixed start fee for a district cabbie increase from £3.60 to £4.00.

However, the night time and Christmas tariffs would remain fixed at £5.40 and £7.20.

Meanwhile, the council is also proposing increasing licence fees for new drivers from the current Harrogate rate of £319 for one-year to £350.

It is also planning a renewal fee increase from £249 to £280 – a hike of 12.5%.

The proposed table of tariffs are due to go before a county council executive tomorrow.

Richard Fieldman, who runs a taxi firm in Ripon, said the new tariffs would not help those who work night shifts.

He criticised the policy and added that the licence fees increase of 12.5% was “far too much”.

Mr Fieldman said:

“They have put their hand in a lottery bag and thrown it in.”

The move comes as North Yorkshire County Council will introduce a single hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy from the spring.

The existing seven district councils, including Harrogate, currently have their own hackney carriage and private hire licensing policies. However, under the new policy, drivers will be able to operate in any area of the county.

Cllr Derek Bastiman, executive councillor for open to business, said:

“The proposed licence fees ensure we can provide the administration of vehicle and operators’ licences, carry out essential inspections of vehicles so that passengers can continue to travel safely and maintain hackney carriage stands, as well as the enforcement of the licences, without creating an additional cost to the taxpayer.

“With the launch of a single local licensing authority for North Yorkshire, the proposed fees also ensures hackney carriage and private hire licence holders and taxi operators across the county are treated equally, and will hopefully encourage them to continue to invest in and maintain high-quality and safe vehicles.

“The setting of taxi fares is also 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.”

Call for council to ‘get its act together’ over active travel in Harrogate

A senior highways officer at North Yorkshire County Council has been told to focus on delivering walking and cycling schemes in Harrogate following the scrapping of two high-profile projects in six months.

At a meeting of the Harrogate & Knaresborough area constituency committee in Harrogate today, North Yorkshire County Council highways officer Melisa Burnham gave a presentation to councillors that updated them on the current direction of active travel in the town.

Ms Burnham reaffirmed the reasons for scrapping the second phase of the Otley Road cycle path and said why it decided to not continue with the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood after an 18-month pilot. She said both schemes had faced public opposition.

She said the council is expecting an answer from the government tomorrow on whether they have been successful in funding bids for segregated cycle routes on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and the section of Knaresborough Road between Mother Shipton’s Cave and Harrogate Golf Club.

She also said the results of a long-awaited study into improvements in the Oatlands Drive area will be published next month. In 2021, the council scrapped plans to make the road one-way following fierce opposition from local residents.

In 2019, the council undertook a major public consultation regarding congestion in Harrogate where over 15,000 people responded.

It showed there was an appetite for active travel as 77% of respondents said they would like better walking and cycling routes.

But since the survey, only the much-criticised first phase of the Otley Road cycle path has been delivered and still remains.

This promoted Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate & Kingsley, to suggest the people who said they wanted more active travel are being let down by the county council.

He said:

“We need to get our act together and to be faithful to the 15,000 respondents of that survey. It’s even more congested than in 2019 and we need to start doing things.

“Hopefully we’ll have some more money tomorrow. I’d like to see that Victoria Avenue scheme happen in the next 12 months as it sends out a message we’re actually serious about active travel.”

‘Thank you for seeing sense’

Sam Gibbs, Conserative councillor for Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate, thanked the county council for “seeing sense” on phase 2 of the Otley Road cycle path.

The unspent money that was earmarked for the cycle path will now be spent on an as-yet-unannounced scheme in the Otley Road area.

Cllr Gibbs said:

“Thank you for listening. It’s long been a criticism of the county council, perhaps unfairly, that they haven’t always listened.

“Thank you for seeing sense on the Otley Road cycle way. I’m not against the idea of cycle ways but Otley Road just wasn’t working. I’m sure we can spend that money on something far better.”

He added:

“I hope we’ve learned the lessons from Otley Road and other things and going forward we can get an active travel scheme that does what it says on the tin and does not hinder those that are using it.”

Ms Burnham also revealed the county council has undertaken feasibility studies into reducing traffic on Leeds Road. She said design options are being developed and will be issued in the coming weeks.

This was welcomed by John Mann, councillor for Oatlands & Pannal.

He said:

“Leeds Road is an exceedingly busy road with 27,000 vehicles a day. We get long queues at the Pannal and Marks and Spencer traffic lights and we get queues all the way back to Butterside Bar roundabout. Congestion is very severe along that road so any proposals to alleviate that would be much appreciated.”

Harrogate cabbie criticises council after taxi licensing meeting

A Harrogate district taxi driver has criticised North Yorkshire County Council over a licensing policy following a meeting with a senior councillor.

Cabbies from Harrogate, Ripon and the GMB Union met with Conservative councillor Derek Bastiman, executive councillor for open to business, over the new single zone policy in North Yorkshire yesterday.

Under the plan, the new North Yorkshire Council will create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It will mean drivers in Harrogate can operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

After the proposal was announced, drivers predicted it would cause “chaos” and called for a meeting with the council over the policy.

Following the meeting with Cllr Bastiman, drivers criticised the council over the continuing with the proposal.

Richard Fieldman, who has run his taxi company for 28 years in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret that he felt the council “did not know what it was doing”.

He said:

“The top and bottom of it is they have not got a clue what they are doing. I have said before, this is going to cause destruction for the trade.”

Mr Fieldman added that some drivers would lose out under the new system.

He said cabbies raised concern over the policy and potential new fees and fare with Cllr Bastiman.

However, Mr Fieldman said he felt that the trade was “fighting a losing battle”, but that added they would continue to oppose the changes until the new system begins next month.

In response, Cllr Bastiman told the Stray Ferret:

“I can confirm that the meeting was very cordial.

“Driver’s comments were taken away with an assurance that following a meeting that I will arrange with the relevant officers hopefully next week, a full response will be provided to the representative from the GMBU who offered to circulate to those operators present at the meeting.

“Those present were happy with this proposal.”

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‘Stark reality’

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‘Thank you for seeing sense’

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