north yorkshire county council Archives - Page 43 of 96

£7.8 million awarded to help make Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet all-electric

Harrogate Bus Company and North Yorkshire County Council have been awarded £7.8 million as part of a joint bid to make the firm’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses.

The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with around £11.5 million being invested by Transdev – the French parent firm of Harrogate Bus Company.

It will see 20 single-decker and 19 double-decker buses provided over the next three years, as well as the supporting charging infrastructure.

All the new vehicles will have next stop announcements, USB power and free Wi-Fi.

The joint bid was originally made for more than £8 million, and the £7.8 million received will be used to improve vehicles on routes, including the high-profile 36 from Ripon through Harrogate to Leeds.

The money is coming from the government’s £200 million Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund, which is delivering almost 1,000 new buses across the country – including 221 in Yorkshire.

Criticism of Harrogate’s level of funding

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the successful bid signalled the authority’s intent to foster a more environmentally-friendly generation of public transport.

His comments follow repeated criticism against the county council over its high proportion of bids for travel-related funding being focused on Harrogate, due to the town being the largest centre of population.

When asked if other areas of the county would see similar schemes, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“Clearly we would be keen to convert all buses that are used in North Yorkshire eventually to electric.”

Earlier this month, Cllr Mackenzie also said he was “confident” that Harrogate would still be able to trial a park and ride service despite funding cuts to a separate government scheme.

The Bus Back Better initiative is seen as key to the government’s “levelling up” agenda, but has seen its funding more than halved from £3 billion to £1.4 billion.

New bus lanes

North Yorkshire County Council has bid for £116 million from the scheme to fund its Bus Service Improvement Plan, which also includes new bus lanes, more cash support for services and other upgrades across the county.

However, Cllr Mackenzie previously said it was unlikely that the county council would get “anything near” the full amount it bid for. He added:

“Even if we get reduced funding – which is likely – I’m confident there will be money for the various interventions we want to make in Harrogate, including a pilot for a park and ride.”

The county council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan includes £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for bus services.

There is also an aim to increase the 12.1 million passenger journeys in North Yorkshire in the year to March 2019 to 14.3 million journeys by 2030.

Council could sell Harrogate district grass verge cuttings

North Yorkshire County Council will trial collecting the grass it cuts from verges, saying cuttings that have for years been left to rot away are “a potential revenue-earner”.

The council will examine the commercial demand for harnessing energy from the cuttings to boost the country’s electricity supply while also improving the biodiversity and appearance of its road network.

The authority has approved investigating the benefits of taking grass cuttings to one or more anaerobic digesters as it continues trials of alternate rural grass cutting regimes to identify ways it can help to enhance flora, while ensuring changes grass cutting regimes do not impact on highway safety.

It comes days after Harrogate Borough Council said it intended to repeat last year’s experiment of leaving parts of the Stray to grow wild to encourage biodiversity.

Three-year trial

The trials at about 20 locations across the county are set to last three years.

Following the authority significantly reducing the amount of verge mowing in 2015 to save an annual £500,000 as part of austerity cutbacks, grass cutting and verge management has continued to be one of the leading issues raised by residents.

With county council-funded cuts in urban and rural areas reduced to five and two per season respectively, the authority has been approached by several town councils seeking to enhance biodiversity in their communities.

An officer’s report states while cut grass is currently left on the verges to decompose, the authority is preparing a proposal for funding from its Beyond Carbon programme to allow for a commercial cut and collect operation to be assessed, alongside identifying the “wider appetite for verge cutting material” from anaerobic digestion firms.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the authority’s executive member for access, said although collecting the cuttings would cost more, the grass could be used at the Allerton Waste Recovery Plant near Knaresborough to generate electricity and make money for the authority.

He said:

“If you remove the grass cuttings, the advantage to the environment is it makes the soil much less fertile which would encourage the growth of the sorts of wildflowers, such as buttercups, poppies and cornflowers that people would like to see on their verges.

“Leaving the grass cuttings on the verges tends to encourage only the growth of nettles and course grass.”

The authority’s leadership believes that with the relatively simple change of collecting the cuttings they could see what was a lose-lose situation transform into a win-win one.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“You get criticism from both sides of the spectrum. Certain people say because some verges have been left uncut they look untidy while others question why the verges are being cut as it doesn’t encourage biodiversity. While we get criticism from both sides, if we are in the middle we are just about getting it right.”

Free public Wi-Fi rolled out on in Harrogate

Harrogate has become the final town of 20 in North Yorkshire to get free public access Wi-Fi.

It means people with limited or no broadband will be able to access the internet more easily in the town centre.

North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, in partnership with Harrogate telecommunications firm NYnet, have provided the scheme. Public access Wi-Fi was switched on in Knaresborough and Ripon last year.

The scheme aims to support post-covid recovery in North Yorkshire. Harrogate Borough Council has provided £300,000 to provide extra coverage across the district.

Robert Ling, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for technology and change, said:

“Harrogate is one of the largest, busiest towns in North Yorkshire which boasts thriving businesses, tourist attractions and stunning gardens. Our hope is that the free Wi-Fi service will prove popular, as it is certain to boost the town’s digital infrastructure.”

Matt Roberts, Harrogate Borough Council’s economy and transport officer, said:

“By providing free public spaces Wi-Fi it allows people of all ages to keep connected, look up local businesses and discover all that the Harrogate district has to offer. It also supports our economic growth strategy which aims to make the Harrogate district the best place to live, work and visit.”

York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership allocated £3.6million to the scheme part of its allocation from the government’s Getting Building Fund.

David Dickson, chair of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This whole programme of work to improve digital infrastructure in North Yorkshire is really important for the region. It will support York and North Yorkshire in becoming a greener, fairer and stronger economy.”

No deals expected between Harrogate district opposition parties ahead of election

No pacts are expected to be made between opposition parties in the Harrogate district ahead of the May local elections.

Voters will head to the polls in just under six weeks time to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party said it had reached out to both the Liberal Democrats and Labour to discuss a deal to unseat the Conservatives.

However, the Stray Ferret understands that no agreement has been made and that the Lib Dems and Labour are expected to field a candidate in every ward.

Shan Oakes, of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party, said the party had invited opposition groups to come up with a deal.

She said:

“We have invited Labour and the Lib Dems to talk to us.

“Between us, we hope we can get somewhere.”

(Left) Chris Watt, acting chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party and Shan Oakes, Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party.

It follows the Green Party and Liberal Democrats striking a deal in July 2021 when the Greens stood down a candidate and called on supporters to vote for the Lib Dems in the Knaresbroough Scriven Park by-election.

‘We do not agree to any deals’

However, Chris Watt, acting chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said the party will be standing a candidate in every ward on May 5.

He said:

“We do not agree to any deals.

“We will be putting forward our case on the doorstep.”

Mr Watt added that the party will be campaigning on housing, public transport and working with police to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Some of the new North Yorkshire Council ward boundaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Picture: NYCC.

Meanwhile, Philip Broadbank, who currently represents the Liberal Democrats on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said it was up to individual candidates to make their case.

He said:

“All we can do is get around as much as we can and get the issues raised.

“We have all got to get out there and press our case.”

The Lib Dems are also expected to field a candidate in every seat with a campaign focus on housing, green policies and transport.

Conservatives hoping to hold onto power

Meanwhile, local Conservatives are hoping to increase their share of councillors at the upcoming elections.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservatives currently hold power on Harrogate Borough Council with 28 seats and hold 14 on North Yorkshire County Council – which is also in overall Tory control.

Nick Brown, who is a Conservative councillor on the borough council representing Bishop Monkton, said the party was confident ahead of polling day.

“We are very positive and well prepared

“On the doorstep we’ve been explaining what the new authority is going to be about. It is going to be more efficient and it is going to save money.”

Local Conservatives have agreed their list of candidates, which will be published along with other parties on April 6.

Register to vote deadline

A total of 13 councillors will be elected in Harrogate and Knaresborough to the new authority, with an average of 6,194 people to each representative. A further seven will be elected across Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge.

Those wishing to vote in the upcoming election have until April 14 to register to vote. You can register here.

Meanwhile, events will be held online for residents across Harrogate and Knaresborough to learn more about the upcoming unitary council.

People will be given the opportunity to ask a panel of senior council officials about the changes and what it means for them.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, and Neil Irving, from North Yorkshire County Council, will appear on the panel at the event on April 12. You can find more information on how to attend here.

Highways chief orders study into Harrogate’s Prince of Wales roundabout crossing

North Yorkshire County Council is to look into installing a zebra crossing at the Prince of Wales roundabout in Harrogate.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for highways, has ordered council officers to conduct a feasibility study into creating an uncontrolled crossing on the exit at York Place. ‘Uncontrolled’ means there wouldn’t be any traffic lights.

The move comes after Malcolm Margolis, a local environment campaigner, posted a video on social media showing people struggling to cross the roundabout due to the volume of oncoming cars.

Mr Margolis said the crossing was “unsafe by design” and left people having to wait for cars to let them cross the road.

He said:

“They [pedestrians] either have to wait – and wait – for a decent gap in the traffic or, as here, rely on the kindness of drivers holding up traffic behind them while they make a run for it.”

Cllr Mackenzie told the Stray Ferret a study will be prepared to look at the viability of a zebra crossing on the site.

He ruled out a traffic light crossing as this would see “cars stuck on the roundabout”.

Prince of Wales roundabout #Harrogate. Unsafe for pedestrians by design. They either have to wait – and wait – for a decent gap in the traffic or, as here, rely on the kindness of drivers holding up traffic behind them while they make a run for it. Zebra crossing essential. pic.twitter.com/rbwTlmUxaJ

— Malcolm Margolis BEM (@MalcolmMargolis) March 23, 2022

Cllr Mackenzie, who is due to step down from the county council at the May elections, said crossing at the Prince of Wales roundabout had been an issue for “many years”.

Cllr Don Mackenzie

He said:

“This has been something that has been existing for many years and we think the time has come that this needs to be looked at afresh.

“I have often heard people say that this is a difficult road to cross and you have to rely on the politeness of drivers.”

A study will now be drawn up by county council officials and brought before either Cllr Mackenzie or his successor as county councillor for highways.

Knaresborough survey reveals key issues for local people

Speeding, mental health and activities for young people are among the main issues concerning Knaresborough residents, according to a new survey platform.

Multiple town groups set up Knaresborough Voice this year to give local people the opportunity to discuss what matters to them. With devolution looming, the groups wanted a platform for people to discuss where investment in the town should go.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, Knaresborough Connectors and North Yorkshire County Council are among those supporting the venture.

The platform uses technology called Polis – an artificial intelligence-driven software designed to find communities’ complex views.

People offer anonymous responses or agree and disagree with other people’s statements on certain topics.

Three conversations so far

So far, the platform has been used to start three conversations:

What’s most important in making Knaresborough an even better place to live and work?
Should there be a default speed limit of 20mph – rather than 30mph – in the town and in residential areas?
The state of mental health in the area after the two years of covid.

The conversation about what’s most important in Knaresborough is the first to be completed.

It generated 116 responses, which received almost 5,700 votes.

Over 80% of respondents agreed there needed to be more opportunities for young people; that the town should welcome diversity; that there is a need to fill the gaps in the town centre offer; that pavements needed to be kept tidy and safe and that more needed to be made of York Road car park.

The groups behind Knaresborough Voice hope it will become a well-used platform for debate that can impact decisions made by local councillors.

Peter Lacey, a chamber committee member, said:

“The platform was set up in the light of devolution to collect views and connect community groups. A conversation starts by a someone suggesting a topic and we work to shape the statements and post the survey.”

The findings will be taken to Knaresborough Town Council next month in the hope they will be used to shape its decisions.

North Yorkshire’s roadside litter branded ‘an absolute disgrace’

Local authorities in England’s largest county have been accused of allowing “corridors of shame” by failing to clear roadside litter.

A North Yorkshire County Council meeting today heard the cleanliness of many verges, ranging from the A1(M) to country lanes, branded “an absolute disgrace”.

The meeting was told although there appeared to be a rising tide of takeaway wrappers and human waste being thrown from vehicles, some roadsides in the county had not been cleared for at least 15 years by district and borough councils, despite them having a statutory responsibility to clear it.

Members were told the main challenge to clearing roadside litter related to safety.

Amanda Dyson, Richmondshire District Council’s waste and street scene manager, said the authority was constrained by safety issues and having to work when Highways England was carrying out road repairs.

She said because safety rules meant single carriageway A-roads could only be cleaned at night, the cleaning was dependent on council staff volunteering to work night shifts to deal with often unpleasant litter, such as bottles of urine.

Ms Dyson said:

“We have calculated there could be huge costs involved if we were to do this.”

Chris Brown, a parish councillor from Newsham, close to the A66, said National Highways had declined to accept responsibility for cleaning the A66, as it has for other major roads elsewhere, before suggesting the Department for Transport could resolve the issue.

Members were told the DfT had stated cleaning roadside litter was not its responsibility and referred campaigners to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

No confidence in council officers making a difference

Defra had simply replied to Coun Brown that there was unlikely to be any significant change to the bodies responsible for clearing roadside litter for the foreseeable future, the meeting heard.

Coun Brown said he had no confidence senior council officers were determined to make an immediate difference, adding:

“Do local residents and people who travel through the area continue to have to travel through what I call the corridor of shame? It looks like the side of a landfill tip in parts.”

The meeting heard councillors call for a county-wide strategy and action, saying the roadsides of North Yorkshire were poor in comparison with those in neighbouring council areas such as County Durham.

County council deputy leader Councillor Gareth Dadd said while the authority’s executive was currently restricted to raising roadside litter concerns with the district and borough councils responsible for clearing it, it was “an issue that could be looked at with a little more depth and seriousness” by the unitary North Yorkshire Council after it is launched in May 2023. He added:

“As with any aspiration or desire it will come with a price tag, and that will have to go into the mix with the other priorities and challenges everybody has.”

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route ‘on budget’ despite problems

Harrogate’s long-delayed Otley Road cycle path is on budget despite the troubled project running into more problems.

That is according to North Yorkshire County Council, which first secured funding five years ago and has recently faced design and safety complaints over the first phase of works completed in January.

The council – which is now reviewing designs for the final two phases – said the cycle path has so far been delivered to the expected costs and that it currently did not anticipate “any overspend”.

The project is part of a wider package of transport improvements for the west of Harrogate which once completed will cost around £4.6 million.

Around £2 million of this was allocated for the Otley Road cycle path, and so far £1.6 million has been spent on design, construction and utility costs, according to the council.

This is made up of £1.04 million on phase one and £559,182 on phase two which has yet to begin.

A council spokesperson said:

“Invoices are still due for phase one, and phase two has yet to be started therefore costs will increase, however we are on budget.”

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

Phase one and two are being funded by the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, while phase three will be built using contributions from housing developers planning to build hundreds of new homes in the west of Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the campaign group had been given “no indication” of how these negotiations with developers were progressing and that this was a “worry” for when the project could be completed in full.

He added:

“The main issue for us is the time this project has taken already and with the further delays surely that means the costs are going to go up.

“Hopefully the council keeps within budget for the whole project and it gets delivered in full soon.”

His comments come after members of Harrogate District Cycle Action recently met with council officials to highlight their concerns over the first phase.

Parts of the completed works have been described as “unsafe” and “badly designed,” with a narrowed section of cycle path at Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road being a particular concern.

The council is currently in talks with Yorkshire Water to buy a small plot of land in order to remove a wall and widen a corner on this part of the route.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

The council also said it would take all feedback onboard as part of its review of phases two and three which are being redrawn in line with new government guidance.

Mr Douglas added:

“The higher quality cycle path we get, the more people will use it – that has always been our view as we want a scheme that delivers facilities which everyone can use.

“We also want lessons to be learnt from the first phase, and hopefully there is a genuine willingness to take on board the points we made.”

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two in April.

However, this is now likely to be in May or June.

Boroughbridge gets free public WiFi — and Harrogate is next

Boroughbridge is one of three towns in North Yorkshire to benefit from the latest phase of the roll-out of free public Wi-Fi.

North Yorkshire County Council is working in partnership with Harrogate telecommunications company NYnet to roll out the scheme in 20 market towns across the county to support recovery and growth.

The final town to benefit will be Harrogate later this month.

Free public access Wi-Fi means people with limited or no broadband can connect to the internet more easily.

Boroughbridge, Settle and Sherburn in Elmet are the latest to be switched on.

Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade said in a statement:

“The coverage runs from the Post Office, along Fishergate, up the High Street and to the St James Square area.

“It should be good for business, adding to the town’s appeal and helping us present a modern image to our residents and visitors.”

Boroughbridge

Robert Ling, assistant director for technology and change at the council, said:

“We know that the offer of free Wi-Fi in public spaces is drawing people into our town centres to both work and visit.

“Anybody visiting these three towns will now benefit from savings to their mobile data plans by accessing the internet for free with no time restrictions.

“We are nearing the end of the scheme, which represents the latest investment to improve North Yorkshire’s digital infrastructure.”

York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership awarded £3.6m for the initiative as part of its allocation from the government’s £900m Getting Building Fund, which boosts infrastructure in areas facing the biggest challenges caused by the pandemic.

David Dickson, chair of York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This whole programme of work to improve digital infrastructure in North Yorkshire is really important for the region. It will support York and North Yorkshire in becoming a greener, fairer and stronger economy.”

The towns included in the scheme are: Northallerton, Leyburn, Scarborough, Ripon, Skipton, Malton, Richmond, Whitby, Selby, Stokesley, Pickering, Knaresborough, Tadcaster, Catterick, Thirsk, Easingwold, Boroughbridge, Settle, Sherburn in Elmet and Harrogate.

Harrogate will be the final one to be switched on.

Speculation mounts over Harrogate independent candidates after website set up

A new website has fuelled speculation that a wave of independent candidates is being lined up in Harrogate ahead of local elections on May 5.

The website, called Time for a Change, has been shared widely on social media and outlines various planning decisions, publicly-funded projects and traffic schemes in the district made by both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

It includes references to contentious decisions such as housing developments in the Kingsley area and the ongoing Harrogate Station Gateway project.

However, nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the site. There is also the possibility that the new movement could backfire by splitting the opposition vote.

Harrogate Residents Association has been vocal in its criticism of many council schemes and has called for independent candidates to put themselves forward on polling day.

But Anna McIntee, co-founder of the association, denied the group was behind the Time for a Change site.

The Time for a Change website.

However, she added the association supported its aims and wanted to see “fresh” candidates on the ballot paper.

Ms McIntee said:

“We are hoping there are some independent candidates to vote for because we want to see change.

“People are fed up. There is nothing fresh. People need to ask: ‘do we want more of the same?’”

Nominations open

Nominations have opened for candidates hoping to become one of the 90 councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council.

Candidates will have until April 5 to put their names forward. Confirmation of those standing for election will be published on April 6.

A total of 13 councillors will be elected in Harrogate and Knaresborough to the new authority, with an average of 6,194 people to each representative.

Meanwhile, those wishing to vote in the upcoming election have until April 14 to register to vote. You can register here.

Criticism of Harrogate’s level of funding

Read more:

New bus lanes

Three-year trial

Read more:

Read more:

‘We do not agree to any deals’

Conservatives hoping to hold onto power

Read more:

Register to vote deadline

Read more:

Three conversations so far

Read more:

Read more:

No confidence in council officers making a difference

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Nominations open