A political row has broken out after Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper criticised the credibility of the local Liberal Democrats’ petitions.
Mr Cooper claimed two of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats’ petitions were never handed into the council and therefore had no impact on any decision making.
The Lib Dems group has hit back, saying these claims are “ridiculous” and “laughable”.
The group has confirmed neither petition was submitted but said the impact of the signatures was still apparent.
It said the Conyngham Hall petition wasn’t submitted because the group was told the decision was “years away” so it decided to continue building momentum.
Matt Walker, the ‘Hands of Conyngham Hall’ campaign spokesperson said:
“With the petition still gathering momentum, why would we have handed it in so soon? But then, without any notice – ‘years’ ahead of schedule – the council decided to announce a preferred option.”
The Lib Dems set up its petition to save Conyngham Hall from development.
“Every person who signed it thought they were supporting a local campaign but all that happened was that their contact details were taken electronically.”
“What a ridiculous claim from Richard Cooper.
“Hurling such an accusation is a blatant attempt to discourage people from signing petitions in future. It’s a running theme of this council: arrogant and never keen to hear even the most constructive of criticism.”
Read more:
- Harrogate Borough Council has employed a Somerset-based company to undertake its huge leisure services project.
- Knaresborough swimming pool’s current location has been set as the ‘preferred location’ by the borough council.
The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Cooper for further comment but he said he didn’t wish to add to his statement.
Cllr Pat Marsh, Lib Dem leader of the opposition on the borough council, disputed claims by Mr Cooper that the petition had no impact on the Conyngham Hall situation. She said:
“After our petition was launched and was quickly flooded with hundreds upon hundreds of signatures, the council paid for a second lot of consultants who, low and behold, came forward with an alternative site: Fysche Field.
“What changed if it wasn’t this mass community involvement, seeing residents of all politics stripes and none come together behind this campaign?”
The Coach and Horses in Harrogate has lodged an appeal against the council’s decision to revoke its licence.
Solicitors acting on behalf of the landlord John Nelson sent the appeal to magistrates last week. There is no set date or location for the hearing so far.
It comes after 429 people signed a petition that called for the council to give his daughter, Samantha Nelson, a licence to run the pub.
Read more:
- Coach and Horses alcohol licence revoked
- Harrogate pub could be shut down over lockdown breaches
- Harrogate pub owners said they followed government guidelines
- Why did the council serve The Coach and Horses with a prohibition notice?
Jonny Hick, who calls himself the pub’s “number one customer”, urged people to support her “responsible and professional stewardship”.
Harrogate Borough Council removed the pub’s licence in July after it showed a “blantant disregard” for social distancing rules.
John Nelson was allegedly “aggressive and abusive” towards council officials and the police when they served him a prohibition notice on May 31.
At the licensing sub-committee where the council revoked the licence, Mr Nelson’s lawyer Paddy Whur said his client “accepted he made a chronic error of judgement”.
Mr Whur suggested that the pub’s licence be suspended until Mr Nelson steps down – a suggestion that councillors rejected.
Lib Dems rally community to save Stray FMA petition has been set up calling for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national radio station.
Launched by the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, the petition says the loss of the service will be “a huge blow to our local communities”.
As announced this week, the 26-year-old Harrogate station is set to be replaced by Greatest Hits Radio, with three hours a day of regional presenting covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Lib Dem spokesperson Judith Rogerson told The Stray Ferret:
“For me, it came as a bit of a shock. During the week, I was talking to one of my friend from outside Harrogate and saying we’re lucky to have local radio, and then this news was announced.
“Stray FM is such a huge part of the community. So many of us just have it on in the background. It always sticks with me how good they are at what they do – in emergencies, like floods and snow, but also the fun stuff like the bed race. You see people around and recognise them and it’s a brand that everyone knows and likes.”
Ms Rogerson said she was concerned about the impact on community groups and events which are supported by Stray FM. Some of them have already spoken to The Stray Ferret about the imminent loss of help from local presenters, journalists and others at the station.
Stray FM entered and supported the Knaresborough Bed Race, among other community events
With the new station offering mostly national content and a small amount of regional programming, she said she fears its reflection of the unique nature of the Harrogate district will be lost.
She also expressed support for the Stray FM team, whose roles are currently under consultation for redundancy.
“It’s dreadful it has come at this time. Everyone’s life is so uncertain at the moment and the community has been really strong during the pandemic. To lose such an important bit of that community is awful, and I really feel for the people who work there too.”
The petition, which she said is for the community rather than a political statement, has already attracted more than 400 signatures in just a few hours. While she doesn’t know whether it will be enough to persuade Bauer to change their minds, she added: “It’s really important that someone speaks up to gather that strength of feeling.”
The Stray Ferret has approached Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for his views on the changes at Stray FM but has not received a response.
To view or sign the petition, click here.
Stallholders unite to fight for their future at Knaresborough and Ripon marketsThe Stray Ferret can exclusively reveal that stallholders in Knaresborough and Ripon are launching a joint petition, as they fight for their future at the two ancient markets.
With Harrogate Borough Council (HBC), proposing rent increases of up to 32.4 percent, both say it will lead to the loss of traders at each centre and they will be asking the public to sign a petition, calling on the council to rethink its plans.
Steve Teggin, a member of Knaresborough Market Working Group and president of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, says: “We are going to fight this all the way to protect our heritage asset. The town was granted its charter by Edward II in 1310 and we have the oldest continuous market in England.”
He adds: “We have suffered enough blows with high shop vacancy rates and our market – an important footfall driver on Wednesdays and particularly Christmas – must be protected, or the town centre will find itself under water.”
Knaresborough is anticipating the loss of up to six stallholders if the rent rise proposed by HBC goes ahead from April 1, while Brian Murphy, the stallholders’ representative for Ripon market – whose charter was granted by James I in 1604 – anticipates the loss of up to five traders from its Thursday market.
Mr Murphy, whose family has sold fruit and vegetables at the market for more than 100 years, points out: “This is the biggest increase in rent that any of us can remember and news of it was greeted with absolute shock and dismay”
He adds: “With some of our stallholders considering packing up because the rent rise will make them unviable, Harrogate Borough Council is about to shoot itself in both feet, because the market will be less attractive, fewer people will come into the city on Thursdays and all businesses who rely on footfall, including cafes, pubs and restaurants, will all be hit – it’s a lose-lose situation.”
The Stray Ferret asked HBC questions, ranging from how the council justifies the increase in rent to possible effects on footfall in Knaresborough and Ripon, if some stallholders decide to withdraw from the markets. We received the following reply from an HBC spokesperson:
“The increase (£5 per week) is to cover the cost of erecting a stall on behalf of the trader (the percentage changes because the charge is lower during winter months). Currently, it costs the local taxpayer £15 each time we erect a stall on behalf of a trader. For both self-assembly and provided-stalls, our rates remains competitive with nearby markets.
“We have never distinguished between HBC-erected and self-erect stalls before but felt it would be unfair to increase the price across all traders when the cost is actually only associated with only some of them (many traders in Knaresborough and Ripon use self-assembly stalls at these other markets they sell at). As previously mentioned, the cost of putting the stalls up is heavily subsidised by the tax payer.
“It is great to hear that traders feel they are seeing more footfall through the markets in Knaresborough and Ripon. This is the reason we want to introduce more diversity and flexibility in the way the market is run and the traders we can attract. It would be a shame if some of the regular traders missed the opportunity on offer to invest in their own equipment which would actually increase their trading scope to include other towns where council erected stalls are no longer an option.
“The budget was agreed on 12 February including the fees and charges for the 2020/21 financial year. This included the incentivised offer of a £5 reduction per week for traders to switch to self-erect for 2020/21 (if signed up between April and June). We look forward to seeing how many traders choose to take this offer and help ensure our town markets continue to thrive.”