Call to hold Harrogate town council elections next year

A Liberal Democrats councillor has called for elections to be held for a future Harrogate town council in May 2024 rather than 2025.

In July, North Yorkshire Council agreed to pause work on the new council to undertake a third public consultation about how it will be formed.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only two areas in the county without a parish council and the council is creating them at the same time.

But the Lib Dems have raised concerns that another consultation will mean a longer wait for Harrogate residents to be represented on a town council.

Harrogate Town Council would have far fewer powers than North Yorkshire Council or the former Harrogate Borough Council but it could run some local services.

Philip Broadbank

Cllr Philip Broadbank

Cllr Broadbank, who represents Fairfax and Starbeck, raised the subject at a meeting in Northallerton last week.

He asked if Harrogate could be treated separately from Scarborough and if the process could be speeded up so elections can take place in six months’ time.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“Whilst new warding proposals for Scarborough will of course be new and take longer to formulate, boundaries for Harrogate town already exist.

“A consultation on whether Harrogate has single member or two member wards can be done quickly and allow elections next year rather than 2025 as currently envisaged.”

However, his proposal was knocked by Conservative executive member for corporate services David Chance, who said a decision had already been taken by councillors in July.

Cllr Chance said:

“The proposals for Harrogate and Scarborough have been brought forward together and delivered in tandem to deliver parity in our approach.”

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Last month, the council revealed the winners and losers of the 12 ‘double-devolution’ bids from parishes that would like to take control of assets in their areas.

These included Ripon City Council, which wants to take over the running of assets including the town hall and market square.

Knaresborough Town Council has been invited to develop a business case to run the town’s weekly market.

Harrogate was excluded from the process because it doesn’t have a parish council. If a Harrogate Town Council were created, it could bid to run services in the town such as looking after its parks or the Stray, operating car parks or managing the Royal Hall.

It has previously been suggested by North Yorkshire Council that residents would pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to pay for the new council.

Don’t forget Wetherby Road and Skipton Road in congestion plans, say Harrogate councillors

Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.

North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.

This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.

The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.

Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.

Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.

But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.

Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:

“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.

“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”

Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.

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After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.

‘It just goes on forever’

Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.

Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:

“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.

“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.

“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.

It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.

Fears more Harrogate schools could follow in footsteps of closure-threatened Woodfield primary

Harrogate councillors have called for the reversal of closure plans for Woodfield Primary School as they also expressed fears that many more schools facing difficulties could follow in its footsteps.

A consultation on the proposed closure ended this week after the school failed to find an academy sponsor to take it over.

At a Harrogate Borough Council meeting on Wednesday, councillors spoke in support of parents and staff who say the school should stay open because it is a “vital” part of the community.

Councillor Philip Broadbank said it was “sad to see how a once thriving school now finds itself in this position”.

He added those “closely involved in the school feel let down by Ofsted, the government and its academisation policy”.

Councillor Broadbank said:

“A series of attempts have been made by hard-working, dedicated staff and there is a genuine desire to see this community facility stay open.

“Some people say the situation is being driven by an ideological academisation agenda which threatens the very future of more schools in North Yorkshire.

“Many schools are already in financial deficits and this is expected to get worse.”

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The government has outlined plans for all schools to join academies by 2030 in a nationwide expansion of the model which sees schools receive funding directly rather than through a local authority.

Academy-run schools are overseen by charitable bodies called trusts which have more freedom of areas such as pupil admissions.

Woodfield Primary School was rated as inadequate and put into special measures by Ofsted in 2020 before being ordered to find an academy sponsor.

However, the Regional Schools Commissioner was unable to secure a backer.

The school – which has seen pupil numbers fall from 154 to just 37 in four years – was then set to merge with Grove Road Primary School before the nearby school pulled out of the proposals.

Woodfield Primary School now faces the prospect of closing for good in December.

This comes at a time when Baldersby St James Church of England Primary School near Thirsk is due to close next month and governors at Fountains Earth CE Primary School in Lofthouse have recently requested a closure consultation.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School in Masham also closed last year when its 200-year history came to an end.

Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate, which is at risk of closure.

Woodfield Primary School could close in December

For Woodfield Primary School, the next stage of the process will see North Yorkshire County Council’s executive meet on July 19 to decide whether to publish statutory closure proposals.

A further four-week consultation would then follow ahead of a final decision by the council on October 19.

Councillor Matt Scott, who represents the Bilton Woodfield ward, told yesterday’s meeting that while the school has had its “fair share” of challenges, he believes it should stay open because it now “benefits from really excellent staff and a quality governing body”.

He said:

“The school is a brilliant building – it is connected to an excellent library staffed by committed local volunteers. As a whole, the site is really a first class facility.

“It is right that this council sends a message to the education authority that there is a future here.”

Why election victory means so much for Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Lib Dems

After more than a decade of Conservative control in Harrogate, the announcement of last week’s election results was a momentous moment for the Liberal Democrats.

Previously, the Lib Dems had just two district seats on North Yorkshire County Council.

Now they have 10 compared to nine for the Conservatives in what marks a big swing of power and public mood.

Not only that, but the Lib Dems look set to remain the biggest party in Harrogate for at least five years as the next local elections are not until 2027.

It is important to remember that North Yorkshire on the whole is still a Conservative majority after the party won 47 of the 90 available seats across the county.

But if the new North Yorkshire Council gets the local decision-making powers that have previously been discussed, the Lib Dems will very much be in Harrogate’s driving seat for years to come.

Speaking on Friday, Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh – who was elected as councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone – said the party was “thrilled” with the election results which she said reflected a belief that Harrogate had “lost its way” under Tory control.

Her long-serving Lib Dem colleague Philip Broadbank has now said the party’s focus will be on making sure decision-making powers over areas including planning and education are filtered down to a local level.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“The first and most immediate thing to get right is the decision-making arrangements in the new council and devolving power as much as possible to local areas.

“We will work to ensure our area gets a fair share of the funding promised by devolution and that our town centres receive the investment needed to encourage people to shop and meet for leisure.

“The next five years will give everyone a challenge to plan for long-term changes and find new ways of creating the investment that will be needed.”

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Cllr Broadbank, who won the Fairfax and Starbeck division, also said “no time should be lost” in pursuing the creation of a Harrogate Town Council which could require a local referendum.

Setting out his party’s other priorities for the new council, Cllr Broadbank said:

“We need to ensure that any savings that are found in the reorganisation are invested in our roads, footpaths, social and adult care, and public transport systems.

“We also need to encourage people to walk or cycle more when travelling short distances.

“Over the next few years there will need to be much more emphasis on enhancing and improving environmental initiatives.”

The new councillors elected last week will serve one year on North Yorkshire County Council, before a four-year term on the new North Yorkshire Council which launches in April 2023.

At this point, the existing county, district and borough councils – including Harrogate – will be abolished.

40 years on: Remembering when Harrogate hosted Eurovision

On April 24 1982, millions of people from 30 countries had their eyes on Harrogate when the town hosted the 27th Eurovision Song Contest.

Four decades later, it seems almost unbelievable that little Harrogate got to host one of the biggest events in Europe. It turned out to be an occasion to remember.

Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam recalls in one of his books:

“The contest itself was a great publicity coup for the town, generating a tremendous atmosphere.

“Michael Hine, former Harrogate tourism promotion manager, said ‘It was the most exciting event to work on and it promoted the newly built conference centre to the world… The atmosphere in the town was truly amazing. “

HCC at Eurovision

How the conference centre looked on the night.

On the four previous occasions the UK had staged the event, it had been held three times in London and once in Brighton. But in 1982, Harrogate had a shiny new conference centre up its sleeve when the search was on for a venue.

Philip Broadbank, who is the only surviving Harrogate borough councillor from 1982, looks back on the manoeuvrings that led to its selection and recalls the trial night.

Then Giles Rocholl, a 19-year-old trainee press photographer at the time, gives his memories of a week like no other in Harrogate’s history.

Philip Broadbank: ‘It showed Europe there was life outside London’

“When the UK won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 it was widely known that a UK venue would be needed and I think somewhere outside London was sought – probably to show the rest of Europe that there was life in the UK outside London!

It was known that the conference centre in Harrogate would be open and available for use and that it was big enough to host the event. Harrogate wanted something big to show the conference centre off and the organisers of the event were asked to consider Harrogate to host the venue. It was accepted as the venue and it was scheduled to be the big opening event of Harrogate Conference Centre.

I don’t recall any bids being made but the event was seen as a huge publicity boost for our district. I wasn’t involved in the behind-the-scenes negotiations and it was kept confidential until it was deemed certain to go ahead.

1982 Eurovision pic BBC

The signs on the convention centre.

I am the only councillor left who was on Harrogate Borough Council in 1982 and none of the staff involved then are still working for it. Tony Miles was the officer in charge of the centre – he passed away some time ago. Paul Lewis was deputy director of the conference centre and I think he is now living somewhere in Wales.

My recollection is that everybody involved the construction of the conference centre was confident that it would be open for business by April 1982. They were looking for a big event that would draw attention to the building and the district and when the UK won the 1981 contest.

In those days the venue was big enough to host the Eurovision Song Contest – something that would not be possible now. In March 1982 there were a couple of events held at the centre to test out the technical, organisation and sound arrangements and there was the trial run held on the Friday night. There was quite a buzz about the place because such an event with a potential live audience of around 250 million people certainly put the district on the map.

Jan Leeming 1982 pic BBC

Jan Leeming looking at the scoreboard.

There was a dress rehearsal the night before and nearly 2,000 free tickets were distributed to local people to be in the audience. My wife and I were there and it was a great night with lots of interest and excitement both for the event itself and the opening of the centre after six long years and controversial problems and issues with the construction of the building.

We picked out the song that we thought would win – A Little Peace by Nicole of West Germany, which did indeed turn out to be the winner. There was one act, from Denmark whose singer jumped around on stage and hit a giant pom-pom on his head while singing the song in Danish. He stormed off stage halfway through his song because he resented the audience laughter at his act.

Nobody could understand why until the following night, when it was televised live, Terry Wogan explained it was a song about not having the nuclear bomb dropped on his head. Obviously the Friday night audience didn’t have the benefit of subtitles to read while the artists were performing.

The Eurovision Song Contest broadcast obviously put Harrogate on the European map that night and helped to promote the centre for bookings.”

Giles Rocholl: ‘It was a week-long festival of fun’

Photographer Giles Rocholl was a 19-year-old trainee press photographer at Ackrill Newspapers Group, which was based at Herald Buildings, Montpellier. The site later became the Slug & Lettuce pub.

“In the three years I had worked, this was by far the biggest news event the town had hosted. Swarms of photographers and news crews from all over Europe descended on Harrogate. The hotels were fully booked with parties and photo opportunities throughout the week running up to the big night.

Eurovision British entrants. Pic by Giles Rochell

Giles Rocholl (centre) with UK Eurovision entrants Bardo. Pic courtesy of Giles Rocholl

“It felt like a festival of fun and I managed to cover several events over the week. So many languages, colourful costumes, laughing and singing — it was an exciting and vibrant time.

“I was envious of the German photographers’ top of the range camera kit and particularly their Metz Flashguns — a beast of light production. I got one a few years later for myself.

“On the big night I remember having a brief chat with the late, great Terry Wogan and snapping a photo of my editor’s wife Rosie with him before the contest. Jan Leeming looked stunning and even more charming than she appeared on TV.

Eurovision winner Nicole. Pic by Giles Rochell

Giles Rocholl’s picture of West German winner Nicole. Pic courtesy of Giles Rocholl

“During the show the press had our own hall to view the events going on above us on stage at the conference centre and when the winner Nicole was announced the German photographers all leapt up and were overjoyed.

“We photographers were all escorted up to the stage by security and Nicole and her band were lined up ready for us. As we all filed in, I felt I could not get a good photo because I was squeezed out by the mass of photographers so I very naughtily broke ranks and went around the back of the performers as I saw they were turning around to wave and thank the audience.

“I managed to get the shot I wanted of Nicole and felt that having all the photographers in the background added to the focus on her. Happy days!”

How the Harrogate district’s wards will change ahead of local election

When voters in the Harrogate district head to the polls on May 5, the wards they fall into will look very different.

Twenty-one of the 89 councillors elected to the new North Yorkshire Council will be from the district.

Currently, councillors elected to Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council represent 57 wards – 40 on the borough council and 17 on the county council.

So the new wards will be much bigger and there will be far fewer in total. Each one will average 6,194 residents to one representative.

The cull of councillors has led to allegations that the district will be under-represented on the new North Yorkshire Council

But ruling Conservatives on the current North Yorkshire County Council argue the new authority will be more efficient and that the new boundaries could be subject to change in five years time.

What are the new wards?

The Harrogate district will have 21 seats on the new council.

Of that number, 13 are in Harrogate and Knaresborough with the remaining eight covering Pateley Bridge, Masham and Ripon.

Harrogate itself will have nine wards, while Knaresborough will have two and Boroughbridge a single seat.

The changes to boundaries have seen seats such as Starbeck merged with Fairfax and Hookstone and Woodlands now joins the Stray to form a new ward.

Meanwhile, Bilton have two seats with Bilton and Nidd Gorge and Bilton Grange and New Park.

In Knaresborough, the town will be divided into Knaresborough East and Knaresborough West.

The full list of wards

Harrogate and Knaresborough ‘considerably underrepresented’

The proposal for the wards was signed off by the government as part of the Structural Changes Order in January.

However, Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat councillor on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, attempted to change the boundaries after criticising them as underrepresenting Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He said:

“In my view, it makes this largest urban area in the county considerably underrepresented on the new authority.”

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Cllr Broadbank submitted a fresh proposal, which would have reduced the average resident to councillor number from 6,194 to 5,329 – which is the number seen in other districts. However, this was rejected by the government.

However, Conservative Cllr John Weighell, who led the working group on the council boundaries, told Cllr Broadbank previously:

“I do accept underrepresentation, I always have, but I think this is absolutely the only way to maintain community identity.

“Of the 18 Harrogate and Knaresborough members currently in the borough council area, 16 are twin-hatted and that says everything really.

“Some people are saying ‘we can’t represent that number of residents’ – but they are doing it already.”

The new arrangements will stay in place until 2027 when the Boundary Commission will carry out a full review.

Across North Yorkshire, there would be 89 councillors serving the county’s 600,000 population.

This would be a higher proportion of representatives than the 99 that serve Leeds’ 800,000 residents, but a lower proportion than the 126 councillors who serve County Durham’s 425,000 population.

Whole of Harrogate’s Bogs Lane now to be resurfaced

North Yorkshire County Council has agreed to resurface the whole of Bogs Lane.

Previously, the council said it would only lay fresh tarmac on the stretch of road from the Forest Lane junction of Knaresborough Road to Henshaw’s College. Work began last week.

The road, just off the main A59 Knaresborough Road, is in a busy residential area that has been affected by numerous new housing schemes.

However, following requests from resident Malcolm Binks and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank, the county council has now agreed to resurface the whole stretch of road.

Cllr Broadbank said that this will now include the section from Henshaw’s College to the low bridge that connects Bogs Lane to Kingsley Road.

He said:

“The road’s been in a very poor condition for a long time. It beggared belief the county council didn’t decide to do it until now.”

The councillor said the resurfacing work should be completed by the end of this week.

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Bid to tackle ‘inadequate’ funding of Harrogate district secondary schools

A Harrogate councillor has questioned why secondary schools in the county receive less funding per pupil than most other places.

North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 138 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding per pupil.

On average, a school in North Yorkshire has received £5,570 per pupil for 2021-22 compared to the national average of £5,935.

A report to councillors at today’s meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee said that for a 1,500-pupil secondary school, this equated to a difference in funding of £0.5m.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the county council, described the situation as unacceptable and wanted to know why the figure for North Yorkshire was “way below” that of other local authority areas.

He told the meeting:

“I just wondered what we as councillors can do to help because this clearly is not an acceptable position.”

Andrew Jones to be asked to help

Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck, suggested Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, could lobby national government on behalf of local schools.

Mr Jones is due to attend the council’s next Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in March.

Mr Broadbank said:

“Our MPs are there to lobby. This is something we can ask Andrew about at our next meeting.”

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Sally Dunn, head of finance for early years and high need at the council, said school funding was based on the Department for Education’s national funding formula.

She added the formula was based on factors such as deprivation and prior attainment and the DfE was in the process of transitioning the criteria.

Ms Dunn added it was “an issue we continue to lobby on and we continue to speak to the DfE on a very regular basis”, adding that there was most concern for small rural secondary schools, which faced “significant financial pressures”.

Primary schools fare better

North Yorkshire primary schools fare better: they are placed 35 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding.

Primary schools in the county receive on average £4,715 per pupil compared to the national average of £4,611.