Council leader apologises for saying only 129 bin collections missed

The leader of North Yorkshire Council has apologised after incorrectly stating just 129 bin collections were missed in the first 100 days of the new authority.

North Yorkshire Council took over responsibility for waste collections from the seven former district councils, including Harrogate, on April 1.

Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the council, said today that out of 5.6 million collections across the county since April 1, just 129 were missed in that time.

He said:

“We hope that there will be even fewer missed bins as we move forward as even one missed bin collection is important to that household.”

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However, Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East, questioned the accuracy of the figure at today’s meeting.

Cllr Gostlow said:

“Talking with my colleagues across the former Harrogate borough and hearing from my own residents, I understand that there has been a much higher than normal missed general, garden and recycling waste bins.

“Unfortunately it also includes assisted bin collections.”

Cllr Les apologised when it was established the figure was wrong, but added he was unable to provide Cllr Gostlow with the correct figure today.

He added that the information in his statement today was given in “good faith”.

Cllr Les said:

“I will establish that figure in due course. I will send you a written answer and circulate it to all members together with the verified figures.

“As I am wrong, I apologise.”

Tory mayor candidate says he has ‘vision and fight’ to make a difference

The Conservative hoping to become the first-ever Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has said he has the “vision and fight to make a difference”.

Journalist and councillor Keane Duncan was selected at a meeting of North Yorkshire Conservatives at the Bridge Hotel and Spa at Walshford, near Wetherby on Friday.

Only party members who attended were eligible to vote and the full results have not been announced.

A senior party source told the Stray Ferret six people applied for the role and the field was reduced to three on the ballot paper. Each gave a presentation then answered questions.

They said Mr Duncan received 141 votes, York tech entrepreneur Matt Freckelton polled 38 votes and Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives near Boroughbridge, received just 15.

Ms Metcalfe has not responded to questions from the Stray Ferret about the vote.

Her role will be subsumed by the mayor’s office after the election in May next year.

Whoever is chosen will also oversee the delivery of a £540m devolution deal, with responsibility for economic development, transport, housing and skills.

Mr Duncan, who is from Malton in North Yorkshire, is a deputy news editor on the Daily Star as well as the Conservative executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire Council. His councillor remit includes oversight of the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway,

He said:

“It’s an honour to win the confidence of party members to fight for my home area in this critical election.

“Our landmark £540m devolution deal represents an unprecedented chance to unlock opportunities for everyone who lives here, particularly the next generation.

“My vision for York and North Yorkshire is one that is open for business and proud of success – a greener and more productive area embracing future industries and offering highly-skilled, well-paid job opportunities.”

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He added:

“Ahead of polling day in May I hope to convince voters I have the vision and fight to make a difference for people in every corner of our diverse and vast county.”

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“Keane’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of York and North Yorkshire is impressive.

“He understands the challenges we face and the opportunities which devolution offers to address those challenges in transport, skills, housing and employment.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones’ office is he voted for Mr Duncan but was told he was in meetings all afternoon and it might not be possible to contact him.

Holiday clubs ‘lifesaver’ amid cost of living crisis, says Harrogate mum

A Harrogate mum has said a summer holiday programme will be a “lifesaver” amid the cost of living crisis.

The FEAST programme, which takes place from Monday, July 24, until Friday, September 1, gives children and young people across the county with a chance to socialise, learn new skills and stay active.

Open to all children and young people in North Yorkshire, those who receive benefits-related free school meals can attend for free and also receive a hot meal or packed lunch.

Single mother-of-two Jade Wrightson, from Harrogate, is among those who will benefit the scheme during the summer.

Ms Wrightson, whose children Freddie, aged nine, and eight-year-old Emmie, have taken part in the programme before, said it is a lifesaver at a time when money remains tight.

She said:

“Without FEAST I wouldn’t be able to work.

“I’m a teaching assistant and I clean too. I would have to save up to afford these activities or search for free things to do. Thanks to FEAST, the children enjoy a full day out playing and trying activities they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do.”

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North Yorkshire Council has been allocated funding by the Department of Education for this year’s provision of summer activities. 

The programme received bids from 120 activity providers this year of which 101 were successful – an increase compared to the 69 that offered the sessions last year.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive councillor for education, learning and skills, said:

“It’s heartening that we have the opportunity to build on the momentum of our previous success with the FEAST programme, which enables us to reach even more families this year.

“The FEAST programme offers a vitally important service to families, helping to ease the pressures that many households usually face during the school holiday period, such as added childcare and food costs.”

Eligible families across North Yorkshire will receive information about FEAST and a voucher to book their free place via their school.

For more information on the scheme, visit the North Yorkshire Together website here.

Conservatives select highways councillor Keane Duncan to stand for North Yorkshire mayor

The Conservative party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Keane Duncan as its candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Cllr Duncan, who is executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council and represents the Norton division, announced the news on social media late last night.

He is also deputy news editor of the Daily Star newspaper.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.

The role will also take on the powers of police and crime commissioner.

The 28-year-old will stand for election when voters go to the polls to elect the first mayor for the county in May 2024.

Following confirmation of his candidacy, he said:

“I could not be prouder.

“This is my home and I’ll be fighting every day to deliver results.”

https://twitter.com/keane_duncan/status/1679966223184871429?t=JOn3QRpzw9N18i77S9AnsQ&s=19

Former Harrogate councillor and current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, had bid to become the Conservative candidate.

Pateley Bridge businessman, Keith Tordoff, has also announced that he will stand as an independent candidate for mayor.

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Call for ban on trail hunting on North Yorkshire Council land

Councillors are to call on North Yorkshire Council to ban trail hunting on land owned by the local authority.

At a meeting next week, Labour councillor Rich Maw, who represents Weaponness and Ramshill, and Green councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, will table a motion calling for the practice to be prohibited.

Trail hunting involves laying an animal scent, usually urine, for hounds to track and is followed by a group on foot or horseback.

The practice is legal, but organisations such as animal welfare charity the RSPCA and the League Against Cruel Sports have called for it to be banned.

At a meeting in May, Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council, said the council “can’t confirm” whether or not trail hunts take place on its land.

He added that the authority was “not aware” of any formalised hunts taking place on its property.

However, in their motion, Cllr Maw and Warneken said the hunts had been used as a “loophole to carry on hunting foxes and other animals”. 

It adds:

“Across the country, hunts are using trail hunts as a loophole to carry on hunting foxes and other animals. 

“So called terrier men are frequently present with shovels and terriers, while scent trails are often not present.”

The motion adds that the Hunting Act 2004, which bans fox hunting, is unworkable and calls on the council to ban any trail hunts on council owned land.

It says:

“This council resolves to ban trail hunting, exempt hunting, hound exercise and hunt meets outright across all council land where legally possible, including any new tenancies where there are positive covenants attached to the land that currently require the council as owner to allow trail hunting events and formal gatherings.”

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council will debate the motion on July 19.

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The move comes as organisations have called on the government to change the law on trail hunting.

A pressure group called Time For Change, which is led by the League Against Cruel Sports, was set up last month to lobby ministers to strengthen the Hunting Act.

It includes 32 animal welfare charity groups such as the RSPCA, Human Society International UK, Cats Protection and PETA.

Andy Knott, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said:

“We’ve known since very soon after the Hunting Act 2004 was introduced that hunts were using its many exemptions – and something they call trail hunting – to carry on chasing and killing wildlife with hounds. 

“We and other like-minded organisations have been calling out for the law to be strengthened, for its many exemptions to be removed, and for trail hunting to be outlawed.”

Council to launch ‘once in a generation’ North Yorkshire economic strategy

North Yorkshire Council is set to launch a “once in a generation” economic strategy in an effort to support growth in the county.

The authority’s proposed economic growth strategy, which will first be considered by the council’s transport, economy, environment and enterprise scrutiny committee on Monday (July 10), has been drawn up to recognise the area’s unique scale and character and reflect the diversity of its component parts.

The document states: 

“This economic growth strategy is a key milestone, marking an exciting new phase for our economy.

“One where we take the lead on tackling some of the big economic challenges of our time such as net zero and energy security, and harness our strengths to combine accelerated economic growth with a carbon negative economy and outstanding quality of life.”

The document states the proposed strategy would provide business, investors, and other partners with a clear sense of North Yorkshire’s growth ambitions.

It adds: 

“These can only be achieved by partners from all of these groups working together in partnership to realise our collective ambitions for this great place.”

A final round of consultations, to be completed this month, is focusing on feedback from councillors, council bosses, and key external stakeholders to ensure the strategy aligns closely with other council strategies and plans for the new mayoral combined authority to be launched next year.

Cllr Derek Bastiman, the authority’s executive member for open to business, said the launch of the authority in April had presented a chance for a strategy that would not have been possible with seven different district council strategies.

He said: 

“I am quite excited as this document will benefit the whole of North Yorkshire.

“When there were seven different district authorities the boundaries did not give the ease and freedom to deliver a strategy targeting specific areas like this.”

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He said it was important north-south A1 corridor and east-west A59 and A64 corridor connectivity was identified as it would be the driving force for the economy of the county.

Cllr Bastiman said: 

“We must not take our eyes off what the market towns and larger villages, along with what smaller picture postcard coastal villages offer us.

“It is extremely important we take cognisance of all the area and the peculiarities, and I mean that in the nicest of ways, of such areas are taken into account because we don’t want to leave anybody behind with this. We want to bring people with us and consult all relevant bodies throughout the whole of North Yorkshire.”

Cllr Bastiman said he hoped the mayoral combined authority would play a supportive part in what North Yorkshire was trying to achieve.

“We do know the city of York will work with us on it, which is vitally important in delivering a cohesive, well thought out plan for the whole of North Yorkshire.”

Calls for urgent action to stop North Yorkshire children vaping

Calls have been made for urgent action to tackle children vaping across North Yorkshire amid an “explosion” in young people using e-cigarettes.

A meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s children and young people’s scrutiny committee heard the authority’s annual health and wellbeing survey concluded more than one in three of children aged 13 to 15 years old had at least tried vaping, while 9% said they used them regularly.

Smoking of traditional cigarettes was continuing to decrease and the use of illegal drugs remained low, the meeting was told, but some children were starting to vape while still at primary school.

The study found some 5% of 10 and 11-year-olds pupils responded that they had at least tried vaping.

However, councillors were warned the vaping statistics in its Growing Up In North Yorkshire study were “woefully out” and the actual prevalence of vaping was likely to be much higher.

Earlier this year Dr Mike McKean, of the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, said vaping was becoming “an epidemic” among teenagers.

He said if the growth of youngsters vaping continued at the same rate, almost all children would vape within five years.

Dr Tom Cavell-Taylor, who is a governor at Ripon Grammar School, told the scrutiny meeting: 

“I don’t think young people appreciate the dangers of vaping.

“Vaping was seen as a better alternative to smoking, but there is a bit of a health time bomb going on with vaping and I don’t think that message is fully appreciated with young people.”

Cllr Kirsty Poskitt, who is also a youth worker, added it was “not unusual for year five and six pupils to be vaping”.

She said: 

“What I’m really concerned with is how fast the public health is getting out. I have conversations daily with young people that vape that have no clue that it is in any way dangerous.

“The parents see it as a much better, they taste and smell nice, they’re trendy, you’re not going to have that first hacking  experience of cigarettes.

“It’s a huge explosion and it’s one of my biggest concerns with young people.”

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The meeting heard councillors call for the government to step up campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping in the way that it has highlighted the risks of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol or ban the sale of single-use vapes.

Councillors said by looking at the images in the windows of vaping shops alone, it was obvious children were being targeted.

The authority’s director of children and young people’s services, Stuart Carlton, said while he appreciated the immediate need to raise of the risks of vaping, it would be worse to launch a campaign that wasn’t accurate.

He said one of the issues with tackling vaping was that “the market moves really quickly”, so it was important to get messages precise.

Mr Carlton said: 

“I would just ban them. I think they should only be available on prescription as part of a smoking reduction programme to adults only. That’s how you get them out of the system.

“Some of the things that are giving us the most concern aren’t the ones sold in shops, it’s the illegal market. These are black market vapes with cannabinoid additions which are causing horrendous incidents to children who experiment. You can do something about vaping, but then miss the thing that’s doing to most damage.”

The scrutiny committee was told public health officials were teaming up with a range of bodies, including the NHS and Trading Standards, to tackle the issue in a coordinated way.

Scrapping YorBus will leave thousands without a bus service, councillor warns

Scrapping an on-demand bus service will leave thousands of passengers a month without a service, a councillor has warned.

North Yorkshire Council is examining cost-effective ways of boosting transport services after the authority admitted its flagship Yorbus demand-responsive transport pilot had failed.

It has emerged the Yorbus service for the Bedale, Ripon and Masham area cost more than £15 per passenger to run.

Ahead of launching the two-year pilot, which ends later this month, the council had been warned by public transport providers, including Moorbus, that demand-responsive transport would prove far too costly.

However, councillors disagree over whether there is any appetite for public transport in rural areas and if more frequent services would entice people to leave their cars.

The authority’s opposition leader, Cllr Bryn Griffiths said the ending of the trial later this month would mean “about 1,000 passengers a month without a bus service”.

A meeting of the council’s Richmond constituency committee heard him call for answers as to why the council had failed to win bids for huge amounts of government funding for public transport schemes such as Yorbus.

During a debate over Yorbus, Cllr John Weighell, who led North Yorkshire County Council for nearly 14 years, said Yorbus had not met the needs of residents with mobility issues in rural areas as the stops were too far apart.

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He said even before the Yorbus pilot was launched it had never appeared viable as the authority had previously worked on the principle of supporting services that needed a subsidy of £6 or less per passenger journey.

Cllr Weighell questioned whether demand-responsive transport services would work better if they were limited to short journeys, close to larger market towns.

He said the authority should instead invest more money into developing and supporting voluntary-run community transport.

Cllr Griffiths replied: 

“The problem is they rely on volunteers and we are struggling for volunteers at the moment. Stokesley has two community care buses and they are crying out for volunteers.”

Northallerton councillor Caroline Dickinson, a member of two North Yorkshire bus user groups, said there was “a big concern about the buses and getting people to appointments”.

She said: 

“There’s all the talk about getting people out of their cars onto buses, but in the Dales we don’t have buses.”

The authority’s leadership said they had believed it could have been the “silver bullet” for North Yorkshire’s sparse public transport provision, particularly in rural areas.

Responding to criticism over the authority paying more than £200,000 to continue the pilot for a second year, the council’s leader Cllr Carl Les said it had been necessary to thoroughly test ways to attract more customers, such as bookings arrangements.

He said: 

“It is right to stop now we have proved the costs are prohibitive.”

The authority is now considering increasing its work with volunteer-run community transport providers to reduce the cost of vehicles.

Cllr Les said the Little White Bus service, which has provided scheduled travel in Wensleydale and Swaledale since 2011, could be a better model to help improve transport access in rural areas.

Despite being in a remote area, the service run by paid and volunteer minibus drivers carries in excess of 60,000 passengers a year across 500,000 miles and provides school transport.

He said the authority was already promoting a car share scheme in Harrogate and would consider supporting such schemes for villages where people could search for any journeys they wanted to share, either as a driver or a passenger.

The Harrogate high sheriff with a dash of colour

In April, King Charles III appointed Harrogate artist Clare Granger as High Sheriff of North Yorkshire.

The high sheriff — a role which dates back over 1,000 years — represents the monarch in matters relating to law and order.

It may seem incongruous that an artist with a studio in High Birstwith is rubbing shoulders with barristers and judges on behalf of the king.

But Ms Granger is well qualified for the role: she studied law at Cambridge University and briefly worked as a lawyer before swapping legal briefs for paint brushes and forging a successful career as an artist, with annual shows in London.

Her son and daughter-in-law are barristers so “the law has never really left me”, as she puts it.

Art and law may appear unlikely bedfellows but Ms Granger brings a stamp of colour and style to the role.

Among her aims is to use the 12-month appointment to promote art as therapy for offenders. The role also involves representing the voluntary sector and emergency services, and she has revamped a Dragon’s Den-style contest run by Two Ridings Community Foundation by getting charities bidding for funding to submit photographs illustrating what they do. She says:

“Art is a therapeutic tool. It’s such a joyful thing to do. It makes people feel really happy.”

Ms Granger says she’s “more or less” retired from portraits and is focusing more on the use of colour in her art, which she works on from 9am to 5pm at her home studio. She says:

“I love colour. I’m enjoying the freedom of painting whatever I like and if someone likes it they buy it.”

But ironically, being high sheriff has left little time for painting.  The role comes with few essential engagements but Ms Granger has thrown herself so enthusiastically into the role, clocking up hundreds of miles each week to attend engagements in North Yorkshire, she has barely any time left.

The day before our interview, she visited the coroner’s office in Northallerton. After our early morning interview she was due to drive to Scarborough for a lunch and then participate in a 10 kilometre evening walk in York.

Tomorrow featured a community event in Birstwith, followed the day after by a visit to Yorkshire Air Ambulance in Nostell and the day after that she was due to attend a rewilding event in Sharow and another community event.

That took her to the weekend, where her engagements included the Harrogate Army Foundation College parade through Harrogate town centre, a golden wedding and a trip to an Open Studios art event.

With Mark Dowie, chief executive of RNLI

The size of North Yorkshire doesn’t make life easy.

Moreover, the role isn’t paid: she self-funds her trips and even hosted a big coronation garden party at her own expense in a marquee that had already been erected for her son’s wedding.

She doubts whether anyone could combine being high sheriff with a full-time job.

“You don’t have to take a year off to do it but it does compromise you.”

The high sheriff has no formal powers but the invitations have piled up. Why does she think this is?

“The value of saying ‘thank-you’ is huge. People appreciate someone coming and listening to their concerns. I don’t have any powers but I have conversations and can bring people together.”

Ms Granger is a big supporter of the police and is putting particular emphasis on supporting them as part of her role. She says:

“All of us expect the police to be there when push comes to shove yet we are constantly knocking them and if we are not careful nobody will want to do the job.”

Clare Granger High Sheriff of North Yorkshire (left) and Lady Justice King

With Lady Justice King in York when she accepted the role.

For all the robes of office and archaic traditions, Ms Granger brings a warmth that is often lacking to the legal world. Her name will join a long list of high sheriffs at York Crown Court.

But although she has a lot of respect for the legal profession, she doesn’t take long to respond when asked if she regrets giving it up to become an artist:

“Not one single jot! I love the fact that law is still in my life but I’m relieved not to have to do it myself. Perhaps I wasn’t a solicitor long enough to enjoy it but I think I’d find it boring.”

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Over 1,000 Ukrainians make North Yorkshire home since start of war

Some 1,267 Ukrainians have made North Yorkshire their home since the start of the Russian invasion last year, according to figures.

Ukrainian families fleeing war have found places to live through the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme with UK sponsors agreeing to house refugees for a minimum of six months.

North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, revealed how many Ukrainians have been supported through the scheme in an update to councillors this week.

Cllr Chance said that at the end of March 2023, the number of Ukrainians residing in North Yorkshire was 733.

In addition, 554 people who initially arrived in North Yorkshire have either moved on to live in independent accommodation, relocated to another council area or have returned to Ukraine, making up 1,287 arrivals since the scheme began in March 2022.

Over the winter, the council increased the ‘thank you’ payments for sponsors from £350 to £500 a month and this will be extended until October 2023 when it will again be reviewed.

To help new arrivals settle in, the council also has two dedicated employment advisors who work with Ukrainian residents to help them find training and apply for jobs.

Nationally, over 117,000 Ukrainians have moved to the UK through the resettlement scheme.

New housing in Harrogate

In March, it was confirmed that the council will spend £2m buying 19 homes for Ukrainians in the Harrogate district.

A report said: 

“Harrogate has a long and proud history of welcoming those fleeing violence and oppression in their home countries. In the past, this has included Belgium victims of the First World War and Jewish people escaping the Nazis.”

The money will come from the Local Authority Housing Fund, which is a £500m grant fund launched by the government so English councils can provide housing for those unable to find accommodation.

In recent months, there have been increasing reports of Ukrainians families struggling to find their own accommodation after leaving the sponsorship programme.

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