Announcement on re-opening Harrogate district care homes imminent

Care homes in the Harrogate district could re-open their doors to visitors soon.

North Yorkshire County Council advised care homes not to allow visits during October — a decision that distressed many residents and their families.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at the council, told a press briefing today an announcement was imminent. He said:

“On Friday I plan to make an announcement about visiting in care homes. We have had advice against visits all through October.

“This announcement will be contingent on what tier restrictions North Yorkshire is in.”

North Yorkshire could move from tier one to tier two by the end of the week, which would lead to tougher restrictions and may therefore impact the care home plans.

He said the decision about care homes also depended on their ability to prevent covid outbreaks. He said there had been three “large outbreaks” in the county’s care homes in the past week.

Care homes could operate a nominated visitor scheme whereby a designated visitor is tested regularly so they can continue visiting.

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Harrogate resident Judy Bass will be watching the decision closely. As previously reported, she has joined a pressure group called Right for Residents that is campaigning for restrictions on visits to be eased.

She and her brother visited their dad every day before March. Judy said:

“I just feel like I’ve let him down. What’s he living for at the moment? Hardly anything. He will just give up.”

 

North Yorkshire could enter tier two this week

North Yorkshire could move into tier two coronavirus restrictions by the end of the week, according to the county council’s director of health and adult services.

Richard Webb said this morning the situation in the county was “hanging by a thread” due to rising infection rates.

The Selby and Harrogate districts are particular problem areas, with seven-day infection rates of 230 cases and 203 cases per 100,000 people respectively.

Average infection rates in the county remain below the England average of 220 cases per 100,000.

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But they are rising, which prompted Mr Webb to issue the warning at today’s weekly press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of agencies that tackles emergencies. He said:

“The situation in North Yorkshire is now hanging by a thread. We are currently in tier one but that is really on a knife edge.

“We may even be in a situation at the end of this week where we move into tier two restrictions. But we are hoping that we can prevent that.

“We want to stay in tier one. It is better for livelihoods and for economic wellbeing. Today we are asking people to act now to save lives more than ever.”

Mr Webb said it would be up to the government to decide North Yorkshire’s fate.

People in tier two areas are prohibited from socialising with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting.

People in pubs and restaurants can only consume food and drink while seated. Takeaway food can only be bought after 10pm if ordered online or by phone.

The press briefing also revealed that Harrogate District Hospital has 12 coronavirus patients – three of whom are in intensive care.

£100,000 Skipton Road traffic light scheme delayed due to Nightingale

A £100,000 scheme to replace traffic lights on Skipton Road has been delayed until next year due to Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

North Yorkshire County Council was expected to refurbish Skipton Road’s junctions with Kings Road and Bilton Lane this year.

It would have included introducing a larger island at the Kings Road junction and installing new traffic lights at both junctions.

However, the scheme will now be delayed until the next financial year as the areas are deemed to be too close to the town’s Nightingale Hospital.

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Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the county council, said:

“The two sites for the scheme are very close to the Nightingale Hospital. We have not been able to progress the works due to the importance of Skipton Road at the early stages of the lockdown. 

“Where possible we must protect the key route around the hospital, particularly where closures are required. As a key route to the town centre and the Nightingale we will ensure works are delivered and managed effectively through temporary lights, avoiding closures where possible.  

“Design work has since re-started. Whilst we are in a position to progress, we will be mindful of the current coronavirus situation and the potential use of the Nightingale Hospital and plan accordingly.”

The area has had weeks of disruption since the summer, with first Northern Gas Networks and then CityFibre using temporary lights while they carried out work.

News of the delay to junction upgrades comes after the government announced that the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate has been placed on standby amid a second wave of infections.

However, Lord Newby, a House of Lords peer who lives in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret last week that the hospital “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

Single council for North Yorkshire ‘could cost £38 million to set up’

North Yorkshire County Council has outlined its case for a single council for the county in a move which officials say could cost up to £38 million to set up.

Consultants Pricewaterhouse Cooper reported to NYCC on the plans, revealing that setting up a single authority will cost a minimum of £18m and as much as £38m.

However, the authority also predicts savings of up to £252 million over five years, equivalent to £50.4m per year.

Outlining the county’s bid, Cllr Carl Les, leader of NYCC, said the proposal would cut waste and empower communities. As part of the plan, the model proposes 25 community networks with further devolved powers for parish councils.

It would see the single council sit alongside the City of York Council, which backed the model last week and would remain unaffected.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Cllr Les said:

“We propose a revolution in empowering residents and businesses with the voice and resources they need to secure what matters to them. Our bid sets out how 25 community networks would enable this change. We are also working in partnership with town and parish councils to further devolve power and resources to some community services and assets, to better suit local people.

“To ensure the public can access local advice and services in person and online, our proposal includes providing offices in every district alongside more than 30 access points. It also preserves the very many local delivery hubs we already have in place.”

The plan is one of two put forward for North Yorkshire as the government prepares to scrap both county and district councils, and replace them with one or more single-tier authorities in the area.

Alternative plans

Against NYCC’s plans for one unitary authority, the seven district councils – including Harrogate Borough Council – have put forward plans for an east-west model with two authorities, effectively splitting the county in two down the middle. York City Council would be dissolved and the city would become part of the eastern side of the split.

According to documents delivered by consultants KPMG, the east-west proposal could cost up to £39.4m. The minimum cost would be £29.1m, though the model could deliver savings of between £32.5m and £55.8m each year – equivalent to between £162.5m and £279m over a five year period.

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The district councils’ plans also say they would offer parish councils “the potential to take on additional responsibilities based on a two-way conversation”.

Although the number of elected councillors has yet to be agreed for the model, proposals say it is likely to be a reduction from the 348 posts currently filled across city, county and district authorities in North Yorkshire.

Under the county-wide model, NYCC said current boundaries suggest there would be 144 councillors, but a review of wards would be needed after the new authority came into effect. It proposes six area committees, each with around 15 councillors, in line with the constituencies of North Yorkshire’s MPs.

Election delay

Ahead of the submission, NYCC bosses are also expected to request that county council elections in May 2021 are delayed until the following year.

This would allow any councillors to be elected to the new authority, should it be approved.

The proposal comes after Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Local Government, invited councils to submit plans for a shake up of local councils ahead of a potential devolution bid.

Councils have until November 9 to submit an outline proposal to government, with a December 9 submission deadline for full plans.

Both North Yorkshire County Council’s executive and Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will meet next week to discuss their proposals and vote on whether to put them before their full councils. If they agree to do so, all councillors will have the opportunity to vote on the respective plans at separate full council meetings next Wednesday, November 4.

Battle lines drawn as councils to vote on local government shake-up

Battle lines have been drawn over the future of local government in North Yorkshire as political leaders reveal plans for a shake-up in the number of councils.

Both North Yorkshire County Council and the seven districts are to vote on their proposals in a few weeks, which would see proposals submitted to government to scrap the two-tier system.

Armed with accountancy firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG, both camps claim their models could save the county millions.

Today, district council leaders published their plans ahead of a submission to government.

The model, which the districts brought in KPMG to help devise, would see the county split in half with a council in the east and west.

The district councils’ proposal for an east/west model as outlined in the KPMG report.

The KPMG report, which the district councils have contributed £175,000 so far to pay for, outlines the case for two councils in the county.

It would see Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton in the west, and Selby, City of York, Ryedale and Scarborough in the east.

The report shows district leaders compared 11 different options, one of which included a north/south divide and another with three unitary councils.

It also includes the gross value added, which is the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, for each region. The figures are based on data from the Office for National Statistics.

However, officials settled on an east/west model with 363,297 people in the west area and 465,375 in the east. Council leaders argue the model could save the county up to £56 million a year.

County council’s single authority plan

Meanwhile, the county council wants a model which would see a single unitary council for the entire county alongside the City of York Council.

Its plan is due to be published next week ahead of a meeting on November 4 when the proposal is expected to be agreed and submitted to Secretary of State for Local Government, Robert Jenrick.

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County council officials said the model could deliver up to £252 million in savings over five years to support crucial frontline services.

The county has drafted in PwC to estimate the savings, which authority bosses say could amount to an initial £30 million a year.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader and executive councillor for finance, said the council had an “unique” opportunity with the model.

“We are presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity at a key moment in our history, as we battle to emerge from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.

“A unique chance to deliver very significant savings that will be ploughed back into frontline services, support enhanced local democracy and end unnecessary waste. Our bid maximises all the benefits and delivers those benefits more quickly. It is also the least disruptive.

“Our proposal represents a saving of up to £185 a year for every household in North Yorkshire which would be put back into service delivery. It would be negligent of us to not to chase down such an opportunity.

“No other bid can deliver the scale of savings in such a timeframe, while protecting nationally recognised services for the county’s most frail and vulnerable residents.”

The district councils will now vote to submit their model to government, while the county council will also vote on its proposal.

The government has set a deadline of November 9 for outline proposals to be submitted. A deadline of December 9 has been set for full proposals.

Harrogate district covid cases have more than doubled since September

More than half of the cumulative total number of coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district have occurred since the beginning of last month.

Analysis of Public Health England data reveals the number of infections in the district has rocketed from 796 at the start of September to 1,720 yesterday.

This means 924 infections have been confirmed in the last seven weeks, compared with just 796 from the start of the pandemic to the beginning of September.

Other North Yorkshire districts, such as Ryedale, Hambleton and Craven, have registered similar sharp increases since the start of the second wave.

In September alone, the number of cases in the Harrogate district increased by 43%. A total of 349 cases were confirmed during the month.

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By comparison, two months earlier Harrogate recorded its lowest number of cases with just 35 during July.

Graph showing the increase in cumulative cases since the pandemic started. Data: Public Health England. Graph: The Stray Ferret

Graph showing the cumulative cases since the pandemic started in the Harrogate district. Data: Public Health England. Graph: The Stray Ferret.

The growing national rate of new cases has led to the government introducing a new three-tier local lockdown system. North Yorkshire has been placed in the lowest category.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, said yesterday the majority of infections in the county were among “younger, fitter adults”.

He reiterated that the main cause of spread was within households, not in the hospitality sector or schools.

Meanwhile, Dr Sargeant said the authority was monitoring infections in vulnerable groups, particularly those aged over 65.

He said:

“The concern that we have is the rate of infection in the over 65s. In North Yorkshire, that rate is still relatively low.

“But we are concerned that it is increasing and that for us will be a key indicator of that spill over when [infections in] younger people begin to translate into infections in older people, who are by definition more vulnerable.”

Latest seven-day rolling averages show the Harrogate district rate of cases as of October 16 was 161 per 100,000 people.

Selby had the highest rate of the seven North Yorkshire districts at 166, while Richmondshire had the lowest with 91 cases.

Planning reforms ‘unclear’, says North Yorkshire County Council

Government plans to reform the planning system have been described as “unclear” by North Yorkshire County Council.

The council is set to respond to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on sweeping changes to “streamline and modernise” the planning system.

Harrogate Borough Council’s response to the reforms last week said the changes would “erode local democracy”.

Now county council officials have said the proposals are unclear and lack detail, but added some ideas were “intriguing”.

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A report prepared for the county council’s business and environmental services meeting on Friday says the current planning system is “not completely broken”.

It adds the government white paper Planning for the Future “sets out a range of intriguing ideas, but is short on detail”. It adds:

“It does not address all aspects of planning, choosing instead to focus heavily on processes related to housing, speed and efficiency. 

“It is worth noting that the current planning system is not completely broken. In recent years, North Yorkshire local planning authorities have had a good track record in consenting new homes in line with plan targets, and good progress has been made on working towards comprehensive up to date local plan coverage.”

‘Tear it down and start again’

The white paper suggests local authorities could develop local plans by zoning land into three categories: “growth”, “renewal” or “protection”.

Other suggestions include digitalising the planning system, allowing more permitted development applications, replacing section 106 payments with a new system for developers and giving government the final say on how many homes should be built in an area.

In the foreword to the white paper, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was critical of the current planning system.

He said:

“Thanks to our planning system, we have nowhere near enough homes in the right places. People cannot afford to move to where their talents can be matched with opportunity. Businesses cannot afford to grow and create jobs.

“The whole thing is beginning to crumble and the time has come to do what too many have for too long lacked the courage to do – tear it down and start again.”

York to back county council’s single authority plan

City of York Council is set to support North Yorkshire County Council’s plan for a single council in the county ahead of a devolution bid.

Authority leaders in York said there is “no logical reason” for it to merge into a western council, as outlined in district leaders’ plan for two councils in the east and west of North Yorkshire.

At a press briefing, Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat leader of City of York Council, said the authority will submit proposals to government to remain as a unitary authority and effectively support the county council’s model.

That would see a single authority created for North Yorkshire, alongside the City of York Council, and the seven district councils scrapped – including Harrogate Borough.

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Senior councillors at City of York Council are expected to back the proposal at an executive meeting on October 22, before the proposal goes to full council later this month.

Cllr Aspden said:

“Following consultation, we believe proposals that cause as little disruption as possible to allow City of York Council to concentrate on recovery at this critical time is the right way forward. 

“For this reason, the best way to support strong recovery, secure devolution quickly, and support the Levelling-Up agenda in York and North Yorkshire, is with City of York continuing as a unitary authority.  Any other model of local government would fail to effectively represent York’s history, communities and the unique characteristics of the city.

“York’s unique character, beautiful heritage and strong history is recognised across the world. Protecting our identity, whilst keeping costs low and minimising service disruption for our residents, is of paramount importance for our future long term prosperity.  

“Ultimately, any decision that affects York’s residents, businesses and communities, should be made in York.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“We have been very clear from the beginning that we believe a new single council, bringing together the best of the county and seven district councils, presents the best possible opportunity for everyone in North Yorkshire. 

“In preparing our proposal for government, we have and continue, to listen very carefully to a broad range of partners, groups, organisations, individuals and businesses over many weeks.

“We believe it is crucial to retain the identity of North Yorkshire and to offer every single person here the best possible chances in life and the same high quality services and support, regardless of where they live in the county.

“Our proposal also protects the unique identity of the City of York, which is already served by an established unitary council.”

It comes as Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for local government, invited councils across North Yorkshire to submit plans for reorganisation.

Councils have until December 9 to submit final proposals for the new-look local government structure.

The government said it would aim for any unitary council plan to be implemented by April 2023.

North Yorkshire devolution: what happens now?

The ball is now rolling for a shake-up of local government in North Yorkshire.

Last week, Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, began the process by inviting councils to submit plans for a new-look local authority model.

It would see the current two-tier system, which is made up of North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, scrapped and replaced with either one or two unitary authorities.

The process also opens the door for an elected mayor.

Former local government minister, Simon Clarke, made reorganisation a requirement ahead of any devolution bid.

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However, the government has yet to publish its white paper outlining plans for further devolution in England. The paper is expected to be revealed next year.

Following Mr Jenrick’s invitation, Cllr Keane Duncan, leader of Ryedale District Council, tweeted that it was “game on”.

The district councils and the county council have different views on how the new structure should look.

The county council wants a single council alongside the City of York; the district councils want two councils — one in the east and another in the west.

But how does the process work and when will we see a new local government system in the county?

What next?

Now both camps have been invited to submit plans, the government will choose its preferred option and consult with the public, councils and other public bodies on that model.

The government has asked for outline plans to be submitted by November 9, with a full proposal no later than December 9.

Once the minister has received all the responses, he will decide whether to set up a new authority. This would require legislation.

Councils would not get a vote on the new authority – the process would be handled by Parliament.

The government has said it intends to establish any unitary council plan by April 2023.

Have your say on cuts to children’s services

North Yorkshire County Council is to open a consultation on revised plans for children’s health services, which face cuts.

The council’s executive agreed yesterday that the consultation on its healthy child programme, which supports 130,000 young people aged 0-19 in the county and their families, will begin on October 26.

As part of national cuts to public health funding, the authority now needs to save £750,000 over three years on the service.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at the council, told the meeting:

“In an ideal world with adequate funding we would not have to make radical changes to our services.

“What we are proposing here for the healthy child programme is part and parcel of a whole series of service transformations that we have had to do across all public health services in response to cuts to the public health grant.

“We have prioritised the 0 to 5 years old elements. We think that is really key for children and families with a new child.”

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Councillors will consider the plans again after the 10-week consultation ends.

A report prepared for the executive meeting said:

“The proposed programme will not be able to provide the level of service that it currently provides to school aged children. Some services provided in school settings will stop, including hearing and vision screening for children aged 4-5 years and sexual health services drop-ins in schools.”

Currently children receive five in-person check-ups to the age of five. Under the new proposals three of these could be done virtually.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which delivers the programme in partnership with the council, would be awarded a 10-year contract if the plans go ahead.

Harrogate councillor Geoff Webber, who is the opposition Liberal Democrats leader on the council, criticised government cuts for forcing the council to reduce its services. 

He said:

“It is disgraceful the government have chosen this time to reduce public health spending in North Yorkshire by £4 million over the next few years.

“I am sure that members of all parties will support the effort to maintain the healthy child service and we look forward to seeing the result of the public consultation.”