north yorkshire county council Archives - Page 31 of 96

Ripon regeneration plans ‘paused’ amid contract talks

Work on a masterplan for the regeneration of Ripon has been paused due to negotiations over a £85,000 contract.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded the contract to Bauman Lyons Architects last year to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.

However, there have been delays for the Ripon Renewal scheme, which was due for completion earlier this year.

And now the project has been halted while a contract variation is agreed with the Leeds-based firm.

Ripon Moorside councillor Stuart Martin told a meeting on Monday that he was concerned about the delays as he questioned whether the project would be completed before the council is abolished.

In response, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said he did not know when the project would be done, but the aim was before the launch of the replacement North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

He said:

“We are in dialogue with the consultants and it is very difficult to say when that conversation will be concluded.

“But it will be our intention to bring the project forward in that timeframe.”

The project started in February 2021 and was due for completion a year later. Bauman Lyons Architects has been contacted for comment on the delays.

Regeneration projects

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held last year with residents, businesses and community groups which highlighted problems in the city.

These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

There were also calls for better traffic management on Low Skellgate and Westgate, and a new green route linking the Workhouse Museum and Ripon Cathedral.

The Ripon Renewal project is being funded by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Separately, the borough council made a joint bid for £6 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

This included cash for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the bid was rejected by the government last year and the plans have been put on hold.

Harrogate park and ride plans could finally be revealed next year

A study looking into a park and ride bus service for Harrogate could finally bring forward proposals next year.

North Yorkshire County Council said feasibility work is underway and should take around six months to assess a scheme which has long been seen as part of the solution to the town’s congestion woes.

Plans would then be produced before a funding bid is made for the service where motorists would park outside Harrogate town centre and get the bus in.

However, it is unclear how much money would be needed and where it would come from as the council said “it is too early to provide costs”.

It was previously suggested that construction costs could exceed £10 million.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at the council, said it was looking at several locations to run the service from and that there were no longer any plans for a trial.

He said:

“We are actively considering the feasibility of a park and ride for Harrogate and it remains a key priority for us as we work to tackle congestion.

“We expect this will take around six months to complete and then the findings will be used to determine which proposals should be developed into a bid for funding.

“There are no plans for a pilot.”

More than 100 locations have been examined and the two most promising were last year revealed as land near Pannal Golf Club and the Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.

These were identified as they connect to the 36 bus service which runs between Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds on the A61.

Making use of existing bus routes is a priority for the council as its other park and ride services often run at a financial loss due to the high costs involved.

Harrogate Bus Company runs the 36 service, and Alex Hornby, chief executive of its parent company Transdev Blazefield, said he was happy to support the council in progressing its plans.

Mr Hornby said:

“The Harrogate Bus Company has long advocated for bus-based park and ride on the A61 – served by the 36 as an existing, high quality bus service – as we believe that will help manage congestion and emissions by reducing car journeys in the town centre.”

Determined to push ahead

The long-awaited progress comes at a worrying time for North Yorkshire’s buses after a bid for £116 million in government cash was rejected before warnings that services are at risk of being axed when other funding comes to an end in October.

The bid to the high-profile Bus Back Better scheme included new bus lanes, other infrastructure improvements and cash to keep services running.

However, it was rejected in its entirety by the Department for Transport which said the bid lacked “sufficient ambition”.

Although funding for a Harrogate park and ride service was not included in the bid, Cllr Duncan stressed the council’s determination to push ahead with the plans.

He said:

“While we suffered a setback with our Bus Service Improvement Plan bid to the Department for Transport being unsuccessful, we are working to identify potential sites along the A61 corridor and elsewhere in town.

“This will build on the work we’ve already undertaken as part of the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study that was completed in 2021.”

Richard Flinton appointed first North Yorkshire Council chief executive

Richard Flinton was this morning appointed as the first chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Flinton will take up the £180,000 to £197,000 a year role when the new authority comes into existence in April 2023.

An extraordinary meeting this morning ratified his appointment. Sixteen applications for the role were received.

Mr Flinton is the current chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council. Carl Les, the current leader of the county council, will be the new leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr John McCartney, an Independent councillor for Osgoldcross, told the meeting people had been assured North Yorkshire devolution would not amount to a “power grab” by the county council but that appeared to be the case now that it had been named the continuing authority and there was a continuing chief executive.

He added:

“The perception of this is absolutely appalling out there. It’s just a disgraceful perception.

“People do not understand why they did not get a vote on the governance of their local councils and their local services and they do not get a vote on how their council tax will be used.”

Cllr McCartney went onto add that there was a “disconnect” between the council and the county, which would be “as big as the Humber estuary” when the unitary council comes into force.

He said:

“Residents who vote Conservative in the main at General Elections are irked and discombobulated and feel like they have been treated with contempt.

“I don’t take much from the USA, but government of the people, for the people and by the people is a pretty good recipe for democracy. But that is not what North Yorkshire County Council is going to be.”

In response, Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said the process for choosing Mr Flinton was “well done” and attended by all political groups within the council.

He said:

“I don’t know what to say to John McCartney. I don’t think much of what you have said has anything to do with what we are discussing today which is the appointment of a chief executive.”

Cllr Les added Mr Flinton had “grown through the ranks of this organisation and grown into every role we have given him. I am sure he will continue to do so.”

Following the meeting, Mr Flinton said:

“I am honoured to have been chosen to become the chief executive of the new council at a time of huge change and opportunity in North Yorkshire.

“We are faced with some unprecedented challenges that have arisen from rising inflation as well as pressures on social care and also the issues which all local authorities are facing in recruiting and retaining staff to their workforces.

“But with those challenges come immense opportunities, while working with colleagues in North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils to introduce the new unitary authority.”

Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

Watering of public flower displays in the Harrogate district could be reduced over the coming weeks after the announcement of a hosepipe ban later this month.

Harrogate Borough Council said it will be working to reduce its water use in line with Yorkshire Water’s decision, which comes into force on Friday, August 26.

However, the authority said its three public paddling pools will remain open in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens, and Borrage Green in Ripon.

A spokesperson said:

“Following the Yorkshire Water announcement about the hosepipe ban, we are looking at what measures we can and should implement to conserve water supplies.

“Unfortunately, this may result in our baskets and floral displays looking a bit the worse for wear but we hope people will understand the reasons why.

“Our paddling pools are currently filled until after the August bank holiday, and we welcome residents and visitors using ours across the Harrogate district rather than their own.”

Harrogate’s famous floral displays could go un-watered.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council said it would be following the rules when the hosepipe ban comes into force.

Council leader Carl Les, whose portfolio includes emergency planning, said:

“We are looking at our services and where exemptions may apply, and we will be conforming with the rules. We would urge all residents to follow the advice already given out nationally and regionally on how they can conserve water usage, as we will be.

“Let’s also take care in these tinder dry conditions to avoid starting fires, which not only use large amounts of water to extinguish, but can also threaten property and in some cases lives.”

The hosepipe ban is the first to be introduced in Yorkshire since 1995.

People are asked not to use hosepipes for domestic activities including watering plants or grass, washing cars, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning outdoor surfaces.

The activities are still permitted if they are carried out without a hosepipe, such as with a bucket or watering can, or if a water butt is used, for example.

Blue Badge holders, people on Yorkshire Water priority services register and those on the WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.

The restrictions do not apply to commercial premises using a hosepipe for essential activities.

Planters moved as Harrogate’s Beech Grove reopens

Harrogate’s Beech Grove has re-opened to through traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council introduced an experimental order in February last year closing the road at the junction with Lancaster Road.

The move was initially brought in as a one-year trial but was later extended to 18 months.

It aimed to encourage cycling and walking and there were suggestions the closure could become permanent.

But the council announced this month the order would end.

The decision proved popular with some residents and motorists, who said it merely increased traffic on neighbouring streets, but upset some cyclists, who had been told Beech Grove would be a central part of plans to create an integrated cycle route between Cardale Park and Harrogate train station.

Today the planters enforcing the closure were removed, two days before the experimental order was due to expire.

A council spokesman said this afternoon:

“Beech Grove and Lancaster Road are now open to vehicles.”

But what happens next is unclear.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said it will review the situation and then “bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together”.

Final consultation event on Harrogate Gateway to be held online today

An online event on Harrogate’s Station Gateway project will be held today after officials signalled their determination to push ahead with the scheme despite a legal threat.

It will be held at 6pm after drop-in sessions took place at the Victoria Shopping Centre last week.

The events are part of a third consultation on the £10.9 million project which aims to make the town centre more accessible with cycle lanes and pedestrianisation.

However, the plans have failed to win over the support of some residents and businesses who are worried the changes could cause more congestion and drive shoppers away.

These concerns came to a head when one of Harrogate’s leading property companies made a proposed claim for a judicial review against North Yorkshire County Council which is leading on the project and delayed the submission of a final business case to secure funding.

Hornbeam Park Developments claims a previous consultation was “unlawful” and that the county council “failed conscientiously” to take into account the feedback.

Yet the authority said it “does not accept” the claims and now aims to submit the final business case at the beginning of next year.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways, said the county council wanted to “crack on” with next stages of the project as he also urged people to share their views on the latest designs.

He said:

“The county council is keen to hear views on ambitious plans to help make Harrogate town centre more accessible to residents and visitors.

“As part of the latest consultation we will be sharing updated designs and seeking views on key elements of the Gateway project, particularly around traffic and transport.

“Your responses will be vital to ensuring we deliver the very best scheme for residents and businesses.”

An online survey is also being run as part of the latest consultation which will close on 23 August.

The county council has stressed that the survey is not revisiting the principle of key parts of the project – including reducing Station Parade to one-lane traffic and a part-time pedestrianisation of James Street – but instead is gathering views on final designs and traffic impacts.

After the consultation ends, the authority aims to start construction early next year with completion in winter 2023/24.

There are, however, questions over how possible court proceedings could impact deadlines for the project which is being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

A Department for Transport spokesman said it expects the project to be delivered by an already extended deadline of March 2024 and that where there are any further delays, deadlines will be “reassessed by a panel on a case-by-case basis”.

But when asked what a possible judicial review could mean for the scheme, the spokesman added “we can’t comment on the specific funding arrangements… as this information is commercially sensitive”.

Also included in the Gateway plans are upgrades for Station Square and the One Arch underpass, as well the Odeon cinema roundabout and several other streets in the area.

More details of the proposals are available online where you can also have your say and find out more about today’s online event.

Go to www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/harrogate.

County’s first recycled plastic bridge installed at Masham

North Yorkshire’s first recycled plastic bridge has been installed at Masham.

The new bridge was fitted at Swinney Beck near to the town and was put in place to provide an alternative to traditional crossings.

The area is prone to flooding and was hit by floods in February 2020. Residents raised concern over the condition of the bridge following the storms.

North Yorkshire County Council officials took the decision to replace the bridge with a recycled plastic structure. They said the material will last longer, will not corrode or rust and will not require painting or maintenance.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive county councillor for highways and transportation, said that the new bridge fits well with its surroundings.

He said:

“Long-term maintenance costs are a huge consideration when installing new bridges on our public rights of way network. This is why we have taken the opportunity to introduce a recycled plastic alternative which is becoming popular in other parts of the country.

“It’s very exciting to see that plastic waste can be used in construction.

“The appearance of Swinney Beck bridge is in-keeping with the area and the previous structure – the only difference is the increased lifespan and environmental credentials.”

Richard King, who lives in Ellingstring village near to the beck, first raised the concerns over the condition of the bridge with the county council.

He said:

“Villagers and our many holidaying visitors love to walk on the local footpaths as a perfect escape from the stresses of normal life, enjoying the wildlife and the fabulous views we get being high up on the side of Wensleydale.

“In November 2020 I was crossing the old Swinney Beck Bridge on one of my daily outings and I saw that the bridge had collapsed and was partially submerged, and therefore dangerous to use.

“I reported it to the county council and they have replaced it with a handsome, practical and safe new crossing, which should last for many years, and has the added benefit of being made from recycled materials.

“This will allow walkers to enjoy many more years of access to a quiet and tranquil corner of our beautiful landscape.”

Cllr Margaret Atkinson, who represents the Masham and Fountains division on North Yorkshire County Council, added:

“This route is well-used by local residents and walking groups who raised its poor condition and have welcomed the replacement.

“The recycled plastic bridge is a pioneering addition to North Yorkshire’s public rights of way network. I hope it proves a success and more are considered elsewhere in the county.”

The new top local politician in the Harrogate district

The local political landscape is being utterly transformed.

A new unitary authority is coming; eight existing councils, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, are going.

A devolution deal this week paved the way for a countywide mayor and the creation of a combined authority overseeing £540 million.

It’s not just the institutions changing. So too are the politicians.

Richard Cooper and Graham Swift, the long-serving Conservative leader and deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, will step down when it is abolished next year.

Don Mackenzie, the Conservative councillor previously in charge of transport at North Yorkshire County Council, did not seek re-election in the local elections on May 5.

Since then a new man has emerged as the most senior local politician and although he too is a Conservative he is a somewhat different beast.

As executive member for health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, Michael Harrison is the only person from the Harrogate district sitting on what is effectively the 10-person cabinet making key decisions on spending in the county.

Cllr Harrison (far right), sitting on the county council’s cabinet.

Cllr Harrison’s portfolio is responsible for more than half of the county council’s £380 million annual budget. But most people aren’t interested in social care until they need it, so his role attracts far less attention than the transport brief Keane Duncan inherited from Don Mackenzie, even though the sums are higher.

Cllr Harrison, who lives at Killinghall Moor, is far from unhappy about his low profile. He says:

“I enjoy contributing in an executive capacity. Adult social care is a complex area — you are dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“I feel I have a lot to offer there. It’s completely different to being the local face of the council.”

From Killinghall to Northallerton

Born in Sunderland, and with the accent to prove it, Cllr Harrison, 52, moved to the Harrogate district in the mid-1990s with his job at Lloyds Banking Group. He still works for the bank in risk management.

He joined Killinghall Parish Council in 2002, was elected to Harrogate Borough Council in 2004 and nine years later was also voted on to North Yorkshire County Council.

While some of his Conservative colleagues fell by the wayside at May’s local election, he received a commanding 54% share of the vote to ensure he will represent Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on the county council and its successor, the new North Yorkshire Council, until at least 2027.

Many people think councillors are full time professionals, but most combine politics with full-time jobs. Each county councillor receives a basic allowance of £10,316. Executive members, like Cllr Harrison, also receive special responsibility allowances of £15,939.

North Yorkshire County Council's offices in Northallerton.

County Hall in Northallerton, home of North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Harrison often takes his laptop to County Hall in Northallerton to work on his day job between meetings. Juggling the two isn’t easy, but he says:

“I think it’s important that councillors are drawn from society itself. It wouldn’t be healthy if only retired people could do it. But it is difficult to do it alongside a full-time job. You need the support of your family and employer.”

Pragmatism over politics

Although he’s a lifelong Conservative, Cllr Harrison does not come across as overtly political. He doesn’t name any political heroes and claims not to be ambitious.

“I’ve never had any particular political ambitions. I get a lot out of delivering quietly behind the scenes. I adopt a pragmatic approach to problems.”

He is backing Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, saying he wants someone who can “reintroduce honesty and integrity into central government”.

County Hall in Northallerton operates like Whitehall in London. The politically elected executive members set the direction of travel and professional civil servants carry out the day-to-day work.

Cllr Harrison seems more comfortable talking about the nuts and bolts of North Yorkshire politics rather than banging the drum for the Tories.

He says the new unitary authority will deliver services more efficiently than the current two-tier system by removing bureaucracy and will also end confusion over which council does what. But he admits there are challenges:

“Can the new council demonstrate it understands local needs? Tensions will be there within the district. The key is to understand priorities in each area.”

He says some services, such as gritting and waste disposal, are best handled centrally in Northallerton, but other services, such as leisure and tourism, require a more local focus.

Unusually for a leading Conservative, he’s a member of the banking union Accord and talks warmly about it. He says:

“Unions have a key role to play in representing employees.”

He also has rheumatoid arthritis, which he says is under control. Typically, he doesn’t make a fuss about it and is soon talking about social care again. He seems happy with it this way:

“Prior to getting into local government I said to people ‘I’m not into politics’. I’m more interested in delivering services for residents and hopefully being a common sense voice around the table.”

Beech Grove decision leaves Harrogate in slow lane for cycling

Beech Grove was supposed to be the centre of a new cycle network in Harrogate from Cardale Park to the train station.

It would link cycle routes on Otley Road and Victoria Avenue, encouraging people in the west of Harrogate to travel in and out of town on bikes.

So this week’s decision to re-open the road to through traffic came as an unwelcome surprise to cyclists and left many wondering when the much-vaunted active travel measures for the town would actually be active.

It is now five years since North Yorkshire County Council secured funding for the Otley Road route. So far a third of it has been built, hardly to a fanfare of applause.

Two years ago the county council also successfully bid for funding to create cycle routes on Oatlands Drive and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and on Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

The Oatlands scheme has been shelved and there appears to be little prospect of work starting soon on the other projects.

Beech Grove

Some people hailed the council’s decision not to extend the 18-month Beech Grove experiment as a victory for common sense.

Former headteacher Dennis Richards said it was a well intentioned but half-baked proposal that turned nearby Victoria Road into a racetrack as motorists sought alternative routes.

There were plans to extend traffic calming measures into Victoria Road.

But active travel supporters were left gloomy about the prospect of progress on schemes to make Harrogate more cycle friendly and reduce the carbon footprint.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said:

“We are very disappointed. We knew nothing about the fact that they were going to take this decision.

“If you bid for these funds, you have to deliver them.”

Mr Douglas described Beech Grove as a “key link” in the plans to develop cycling in Harrogate. Without it, he said the Otley Road scheme lost much of its value.

Otley Road

The council introduced the experimental order in February last year and Mr Douglas said this gave it 18 months to resolve any issues.

The council had talked about making Victoria Road one way and creating a wider low traffic neighbourhood but any plans appear to be back at square one. Several cyclists took to Twitter to vent their frustration.

Terrible decision by N Yorkshire. Worse that the 1st major decision by new Executive Member for Access Keane Duncan is to give a thumbs down to active travel, and the green light to rat-running traffic. It shows a lack of backbone & failure to commit to active travel.

— Hedgehog Cycling (@HedgehogCycling) August 4, 2022

So does the end of the Beech Grove experiment spell the end of plans to develop cycling in the area? It would appear not.

A council spokeswoman said:

“This information and feedback will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together as planned.

“We will involve residents and interested parties as we draw up plans for a wider package of permanent measures, which we plan to consult in September.”

But the prospect of another round of consultation doesn’t thrill cyclists who are desperate to see progress.

Mr Douglas said:

“What we need is less consultation and more action.”

New cycling plans for Harrogate to be drawn up next month

A “detailed and co-ordinated plan” to encourage cycling and walking in Harrogate will be drawn up next month.

North Yorkshire County Council said today the plan will connect active travel initiatives such as the Otley Road cycle route and the Station Gateway.

It comes a day after the council revealed the Beech Grove road closure, which was introduced to encourage cycling, will end on August 14.

Beech Grove was seen as a key part of an integrated cycle route from Cardale Park to Harrogate train station.

So the decision to re-open it to through traffic was greeted with dismay by some cyclists and environmentalists.

But that doesn’t appear to be the end of the matter.

A council spokeswoman said today the Beech Grove measures, which cost £10,000, were introduced on a trial-only basis in February 2021, for a maximum of 18 months.

Bollards being installed on Beech Grove last year.

Because the trial is due to end on August 14, the “measures must legally be removed on this date”, the spokeswoman said, adding:

“Throughout the trial period we have reviewed consultation responses, collected traffic survey data and carried out site observations.

“This information and feedback will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together as planned.

“We will involve residents and interested parties as we draw up plans for a wider package of permanent measures, which we plan to consult in September.”

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Regeneration projects

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Determined to push ahead

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From Killinghall to Northallerton

Pragmatism over politics

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