north yorkshire county council Archives - Page 77 of 96

Call for voting system change ahead of councils shake-up

Campaigners in North Yorkshire are calling for a change to the voting system ahead of a shake-up of local government.

Make Votes Matter, a national pressure group that campaigns to abolish first-past-the-post voting, said the forthcoming overhaul of councils would be an “ideal opportunity” to alter the system.

The Government is currently consulting on the biggest change to local councils in the county since 1974.

It has proposals to scrap North Yorkshire County Council and the seven districts and replace them with either one or two new councils.

Louise Mauborgne, spokesperson for the North Yorkshire group of Make Votes Matter, said the current voting system was unfair.

She added that elections for the new county authorities would be better with proportional representation or single transferable vote.

Ms Mauborgne said:

“First past the post means huge numbers of votes don’t count. Forty three per cent voted Conservative in 2019; what happened to the rest of the votes? Nothing.

“The unfair voting system means often people do not bother to vote because they think their vote will not mean anything.

“It can also lead to a lack of trust in authority and disengagement with national or local government. Votes are cast in protest or tactically rather than honestly for policies they really want.”

Voters could be heading to the ballot box as early as May 2023, under the new local government make-up in the county.

The government’s consultation on the reorganisation closes on Monday April 19. You can have your say here.

Rural people being denied ‘fundamental human right’ to buses

Rural residents are being deprived of their “fundamental human right” of public transport, a meeting has heard.

Resident Bill Bracknell told North Yorkshire County Council‘s transport, economy and environment scrutiny committee that many rural people had little option other than to use cars because of a lack of buses.

Responding to a report on local rural transport, Mr Bracknell said there were many things the council could do to improve buses but it did not recognise their essential value to country life.

He said:

“Rural transport is a basic human right and a social equity issue. Community transport and demand responsive transport can’t substitute for clear, timetabled bus services with the capacity to be accessible to all and to cope with volatile demand.

“There is still a lack of direction in how England’s largest county can help its communities and visitors to travel with confidence, equality and a clean environmental conscience.

“I still think it’s a fundamental human right to have substantial and sustainable transport in our rural areas.”

In response, officers told the meeting the council had provided financial support to 85 local bus services with 18 operators last year.

Officers said as part of a drive to provide innovative solutions, a new digital demand responsive service would be launched in the summer in Ripon area for an anticipated 12 month trial period.

Councillors heard transport would be shared with other services and vehicles would vary their routes based on demand rather than using a fixed route or timetable.

Alongside this, members were told the council supported 15 voluntary car schemes as well as six dial-a-ride schemes run by voluntary organisations, which during 2019/20 saw a combined 103,000 journeys made.

Nevertheless, officers said it remained unclear how the new national bus strategy would affect bus service provision in North Yorkshire, where demand continued to outstrip the available funding for public transport, leaving some communities feeling left out.

Last chance to have your say on Harrogate travel schemes

Today is the last chance to have your say on plans to overhaul three highways in the Harrogate district to give greater priority for cyclists and pedestrians.

North Yorkshire County Council is behind the schemes for Victoria Avenue, Oatlands Drive and the A59 near Knaresborough, which are being backed by the government’s active travel fund and have been out for consultation since February.

The plans are designed to get more people walking and cycling as the district emerges from the pandemic.

But they have proved controversial, with a proposal to make traffic on Oatlands Drive one-way being scrapped after a backlash from residents.

And while new proposals for a 20mph limit, junction upgrades and restrictions on cars using the nearby St Hilda’s Road and St Winifred’s Drive have now been put forward, there are still concerns from some locals who say the changes will turn streets into “rat runs” and make the area “more dangerous” for pedestrians and cyclists.

Under the plans for Victoria Avenue, it was revealed last month that the street could get the county’s first Cyclops junction. which would work by separating cyclists from general traffic with the aim of improving safety for all road users.

These are the plans for the A59 near Knaresborough. Photo: NYCC.

The UK’s first Cyclops junction was built in Manchester last year and the proposal for Harrogate could link up with the town’s £7.9 million Gateway project, which includes major road changes and public space improvements in the Station Parade area.

Other proposals for Victoria Avenue include new cycle lanes, a zebra crossing and a ‘floating’ bus stop, which would see a stop being repositioned from the curb side to between bike lanes and the road.

The final scheme for the A59 between Harrogate and Knaresborough also includes new cycle lanes, as well as a 40mph limit between Badger Mount and Maple Close, junction upgrades and improvements to a crossing near Harrogate Golf Club.

The plans for Victoria Avenue. Photo: NYCC

Designs for all three schemes were revealed at the end of March as part of a second stage of the consultation, which will end at midnight tonight.

The feedback from residents will be used to develop the draft designs further before a final decision on which schemes will progress is made.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, previously said:

“We have listened and are trying to reach a broad consensus about the measures we put in place, given that these directly affect people’s movements and their property.

“We think we can come up with something that addresses most of the concerns raised, but that still provides significant benefits for people who are cycling and walking.

“We encourage residents to take part in this latest consultation. Your views are important to us and they will help shape the final designs of these four schemes.”

The county council received more than £1 million from the government’s active travel fund for the schemes and must spend the money before April 2022.

You can have your say here.

Stray Views: Don’t turn the Stray into a beer garden

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Don’t let the Stray become an uncontrolled beer garden

I am aware Harrogate Borough Council has said (subject to feedback from the Duchy of Lancaster) consideration is being given as to whether hospitality businesses can use limited parts of the Stray.

Whatever the proposal is, I object most strongly. When this was allowed last summer it was a most unpleasant experience having to battle your way through groups of people obviously influenced by alcohol.

The area of the Stray in question on Montpellier Parade looked a disgrace and gave the wrong impression of Harrogate. We do not want a proliferation of tables and chairs all over Montpelier Stray or indeed any part of West Park Stray.

Will the free and unhindered use and access to those parts of the Stray still be allowed for all and not just restricted to customers frequenting those particular outlets? And what about those that cannot expand onto the Stray?

The council should honour and uphold the purpose of the Stray Act. If it is ignored this time then it will inevitably happen again, which will open up a can of worms. Why should some hospitality outlets be treated differently to others who do not have such opportunities?

The Stray Act is in place for a good reason to safeguard the Stray against encroachment from all quarters. It protects and limits the use of the Stray so that it remains an intrinsic and a unique asset of community value for the benefit of the town and its visitors as a whole.

It is not for commercial exploitation and benefit by a limited few, especially as some uncontrolled beer garden.

What is the point of a law if it is broken when it becomes inconvenient to an individual or certain parties, including local authorities?

Why is the council therefore seeking a consultation on the interpretation of a law which is already in place? Is the council, as custodian of the Stray, incapable of making such a management decision?

Barry Adams, Harrogate

Consider making Parliament Street in Harrogate two-way

As a transport and distribution professional of over 50 years experience, it is obvious that one traffic lane on Station Road is going to massively slow traffic on this major Harrogate throughway. Two lanes are vital and an ageing population is hardly likely to be encouraged to bike to and through the town.

The problems will not be solvable until another way through the centre is opened up and perhaps looking at making Parliament Street two-way should at least be considered. With Debenhams going it is no longer the main street in Harrogate and two-way traffic would be the cheapest of all solutions.

Brian Hicks, Pateley Bridge

Councillor’s ‘wild’ covid death claims are inaccurate

Regarding the wild claims by this councillor, based on his experience as a funeral director:

1 Does he not know that the excess death figure is a verifiable guide as to how many deaths were from covid, not only for the UK but for every country in the world that records those statistics [most of them]?

2 There may be more — because influenza hospitalisations have dropped dramatically — as well as other illnesses. Hence associated deaths will have dropped.

3 Car accident deaths are very likely to have dropped because of months of lockdown.

Therefore the figure is likely to be actually more than the excess death rate.

Teresa Liddell Shepherd, Harrogate

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Transport leader Don Mackenzie to step down next year

Harrogate Conservative county councillor Don Mackenzie has said he will not stand for re-election in 2022.

Cllr Mackenzie has represented the Saltergate ward in Jennyfields on North Yorkshire County Council since 2009.

He is also NYCC’s executive member for access, which includes responsibility for transport.

He has been the council’s public face for numerous high profile transport proposals in recent years, including the £60 million Kex Gill re-route, the controversial Nidd Gorge relief road that was rejected, the Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood and the Station Gateway.

County council elections were due to take place in May this year but have been delayed until May 2022 because of local government reorganisation.

Cllr Mackenzie will be aged 72 by then and told the Stray Ferret that it would be “the right time to call it a day”.

He added:

“I shall look forward to some time to myself. But there’s a lot to do between now and then and I’m not thinking about my pipe and slippers just yet.”

Cllr Mackenzie has sent leaflets to residents in his ward informing them of his intention to step down.

He first won a seat on North Yorkshire County Council in 2009 when he took Saltergate from the Liberal Democrats.

He was also elected to represent Harlow Moor on Harrogate Borough Council in 2006 and spent time as the borough council leader in 2011/12. He stepped down as a borough councillor in 2018.

Prior to being a councillor, he had a career in business for the Harrogate-based industrial firm MMP.

Two weeks left to have your say on North Yorkshire reorganisation

Less than two weeks remain for people in North Yorkshire to have a say on how the county’s local government will look in the future.

Earlier this year, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that two proposals from councils in the area would be taken forward as part of the Local Government Reorganisation process. The consultation closes on April 19.

North Yorkshire County Council has submitted a bid for one large authority to cover the county, with more powers passed on to town and parish councils. City of York Council, itself already a unitary, would be left as it is under the proposals.

Six of the county’s seven district councils – Scarborough, Harrogate, Ryedale, Craven, Selby and Richmondshire – submitted a proposal dubbed the “East & West plan” that would see the county and York split in half to create two authorities of roughly the same population size under one Mayor.

Scarborough, Ryedale, Selby and York would be in one authority with Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Harrogate in the other. Both bids would see Scarborough and the other six district councils scrapped.

The consultation asks a number of questions about each proposal around value for money, proposed geography of the council and impact of the proposal on local services.

Residents, councils, Local Enterprise Partnerships, public service providers, businesses and voluntary organisations all have the opportunity to have their say on which proposal, if any, they see as the best fit for their area.

Jenrick will consider all proposals following the consultation before making a decision about which option, if any, to implement. This would be subject to Parliamentary approval.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, it is expected that any new unitary council would be fully operational from April 2023 with transitional arrangements expected to be in place from 2022, including elections in May 2022 to the shadow or continuing councils.

To take part in the consultation visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-locally-led-reorganisation-of-local-government-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset.

County council to buy Cardale Park site for care facility

North Yorkshire County Council is in talks to buy land previously earmarked for a mental health facility at Cardale Park, Harrogate.

The council confirmed it has set money aside to purchase land at the site, which is owned by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

The land had previously been given approval for a 36-bed mental health facility, following the closure of Harrogate District Hospital’s Briary Unit, which helped adults with mental illness.

However, those plans were dropped in 2019 and inpatients on the unit were sent to Foss Park Hospital in York instead.

Dale Owens, assistant director for commissioning and quality at the county council, said:

“We have agreed that funding set aside for extra care will be used to purchase land at Cardale Park to assist with social care market development in the Harrogate area.

“Different options will be considered before detailed plans are brought forward. A separate report will be brought to the executive in due course seeking approval for any final plans.

“Discussions are ongoing about the purchase and further details will also be brought to the executive.”

Cllr Jim Clark, a Conservative councillor who sits on the West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel to represent North Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret he was pleased the site was going to be used.

He said:

“It is important that this site is used for the benefit of local people.

“I would have preferred it to be a mental health facility, but I am glad that it is going to be used for assisted housing for people instead.”

The trust, which runs mental health services in Harrogate, has relocated services following the closure of the Briary Wing.

The unit’s mental health crisis team moved to The Orchards in Ripon last year.

Despite assurances that the move was not a “long term solution”, the trust has yet to find a new base for the service.

Avoid recycling centres over Easter, says council

People in the Harrogate district have been advised to avoid household recycling centres this weekend because of expected queues.

North Yorkshire County Council’s 20 recycling centres remain open during lockdown but queueing systems to comply with social distance guidelines have caused tailbacks.

The Harrogate district has three centres: Wetherby Road and Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon.

Queues at the recycling centre on Wetherby Road. Photo: Mark Westerman

Councillor Andrew Lee, executive member for open to business, said:

“We expect the household waste recycling centres to be extremely busy over the holiday weekend, as Easter is always a busy time.

“Given the rules in place to ensure the sites can operate safely, this will inevitably lead to queues.

“We’re asking people to consider whether they really need to visit their household waste recycling centre this weekend. Could you keep the waste at home for another week or so and take it at a less busy time?”

The centres moved to summer opening hours today, meaning they are now open from 8.30am to 5pm every day except Wednesdays.

Hannah Corlett, spokesperson for the Harrogate and District Green Party said the location of the centres was the main issue. She said:

“I know people from Ripon who have travelled all the way to Bedale recycling centres because the queues are so large so we should be asking why the centres are where they are.

“These high traffic areas are a bad place for them if they’re causing such big queues.

“Asking people to avoid them this weekend also sends a bad message about accessibility. Lots of people don’t have time to travel to their local recycling centre and so more and smaller recycling centres would probably be a better option.”

Knaresborough free parking extension to end as shops reopen

A one-hour free parking policy in Knaresborough town centre is to end in the week non-essential shops reopen.

North Yorkshire County Council doubled the length of time cars can park for free on Market Place from 30 minutes to an hour last summer.

The temporary move aimed to help businesses while social distancing measures were in place.

But the move will end on April 18 – six days after shops.

Council officials said parking data showed the majority of motorists left within the hour and that reverting back to 30 minutes would encourage a greater turnover of shoppers.

Karl Battersby, the county council’s corporate director of business and environmental services, said:

“While we accept that the current circumstances are not reflective of typical conditions, analysis of the performance of the one-hour free parking offers no basis for it to be introduced permanently.

“The anticipated easing of lockdown restrictions in the coming months supports a return to the normal operation to aid traffic management and to provide better turnover of spaces.”

The one-hour extension was agreed in July and then became operational in September.

Councillor Ed Darling, who sits on both Knaresborough Town Council and Harrogate Borough Council, said while the return to 30 minutes may be “disappointing” for some, it was backed by data.

He urged shoppers to get behind the town by supporting local businesses when they reopen on April 12.

He said:

“The past year has been exceptionally difficult for town centre retailers who have been forced to close for the majority of the year.

“I do hope that our local community gets behind our town centre, supporting our local businesses and shops to kickstart our local economy once again.”

Bill Taylor, secretary of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, added:

“All town centres struggle with parking generally, and how to charge is a part of that.

“As shops reopen in April then moving back to the original charging system seems reasonable and allows for a higher turnover of shoppers for the greater variety of shops that are open.

“In addition, Knaresborough has a large, good value but under-utilised car park on York Place and Knaresborough Town Council has worked with the county council to install new signs around town for that car park.”

Rural roadworks in North Yorkshire suffer £13m axe

Concerns have been raised for North Yorkshire’s rural economy after £13 million of planned roadworks were dropped due to government funding cuts.

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed “a long list” of road repair schemes and projects to prevent highways from deteriorating across its 9,200km road network has been postponed.

It blamed this on receiving less government funding than expected when it set this year’s roadworks programme.

The cuts come as £1 million is being spent on active travel plans in Harrogate, including new cycle lanes and initiatives to encourage walking.

Meanwhile, £7.9 million has been secured from government for the town’s Station Gateway project, which could include the pedestrianisation of James Street and a single lane on Station Parade.

Kex Gill goes ahead

Government spending on major road schemes remains intact, meaning the £500 million on creating a final stretch of dual carriageway on the A66 between the M6 and Scotch Corner and £56 million on re-routing the A59 around a landslip-prone area at Kex Gill will go ahead.

But some smaller road maintenance projects will be shelved.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s finance boss and deputy leader, said this would hit rural businesses and the impact of the cuts would disproportionately impact on North Yorkshire’s economy.

He said:

“The highway network is a the most important asset in rural area like North Yorkshire in terms of supporting the economy. The effect on the economy of North Yorkshire with a highways cut is far more severe than in a more urban city centre.

“It’s just a bit of a rural disconnect. With the best will in the world, highways have got to be, in terms of the economy, our biggest priority. We can’t just let them go into disrepair.

“I don’t believe this is signalling a further wave of austerity, as there is money being put into other priorities, such as meeting the government’s carbon cutting focus, but it’s also important that rural needs continue to be met. If we can bring home devolution in the quickest possible time, then local priorities such as highways can be addressed.”

Hopeful of attracting more funds

Cllr Dadd said the authority had battled for decades to try and maintain roads, with some success compared to other parts of the country.

He added the council’s determination to maintain roads was displayed by the amount of resources it spent on winter maintenance.

He said:

“We grit and treat more than anywhere else in the country in percentage and quantum terms. That’s a great achievement given austerity.”

The council’s highways boss Cllr Don Mackenzie said he remained hopeful the council would attract additional funding for highways repairs later this year.

He said the authority consistently tried to reduce future repair bills by operating a policy of good maintenance. He said:

“If you maintain roads well now you reduce repair bills in the future. That’s the position we try to keep ourselves in.”

In response, Thirsk and Malton Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said Cllr Dadd had raised “a very good point”, which he would raise with his neighbouring constituency MP and Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

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Don’t let the Stray become an uncontrolled beer garden

Consider making Parliament Street in Harrogate two-way

Councillor’s ‘wild’ covid death claims are inaccurate

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Kex Gill goes ahead

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Hopeful of attracting more funds