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North Yorkshire Council: Five things that have changed in Harrogate

It’s one year since the launch of North Yorkshire Council reshaped local government in the Harrogate district.

The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council with the promise of making savings.

The changes in governance were far reaching, from taxi licensing to planning decisions.

The Stray Ferret has looked at the areas which have changed under North Yorkshire Council’s regime since April 1, 2023.

Taxi licensing

Probably the most controversial area to be have been overhauled by the new council is the licensing of taxi cabs.

Under the authority’s harmonisation agenda, the zone which taxis could operate in was widened to county-wide.

Previously, cabbies could only trade within the Harrogate district.

However, the council overhauled its licensing policy so that taxis can now operate anywhere in North Yorkshire.

In theory, the move would allow drivers to pick up business across the county.

Photo of Ripon taxi driver Richard Fieldman

Richard Fieldman, who runs his taxi in Ripon.

But some drivers did not see it that way.

Richard Fieldman, who operated his taxi cab in Ripon for 28 years, said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

Planning decisions

One notable change under the new council is the overhaul of planning decisions.

Following its inception, the council created local area constituency committees which are made up of councillors from a particular area.

These committees also took on planning powers, but only for applications under 500 homes.

Any development which is above 500 homes or is a major employment site proposal goes before the council’s strategic planning committee, which meets in Northallerton.

In September 2023, a controversial plan to build a motorway service station off the A1(M) near Boroughbridge was referred to the council’s main committee instead of Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee.

Tourism

Much like most areas which effect Harrogate, tourism is also being slowly absorbed into the new council.

The district’s tourism body Destination Harrogate was set up by Harrogate Borough Council and transferred to North Yorkshire Council on April 1 last year. So far, all employees have kept their jobs and are still working from Harrogate.

However, the organisation has fallen under a county-wide review as the new authority looks to move towards a different structure.

North Yorkshire Council is now joining with City of York Council to create a new Local Visitor Economy Partnership for York and North Yorkshire.

Double devolution

One of the cornerstones of the Conservative leadership of North Yorkshire Council’s campaign for a single-authority was the pledge to let local people take control of local assets.

The promise came in the shape of the council’s double devolution agenda.

It would see town and parish councils given powers over local assets such as markets, car parks and public toilets.

The authority revealed in October that Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon City Council were chosen to advance bids to take control over some of their assets.

Knaresborough Town Council’s application to manage the town’s markets, storage facility and associated assets such as road closure signs is being progressed to a full business case.

Meanwhile, the council has considered a project team to work with Ripon City Council on its bid as it was deemed “particularly ambitious”.

It included management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.

Council tax harmonisation

As part of its harmonisation plans, the council also sought to level out council tax across North Yorkshire.

This saw the rate which people pay in the Harrogate district equalled with that in Ryedale, Richmondshire, Scarborough, Hambleton and Craven.

At the time, Harrogate’s council tax was the highest in North Yorkshire at £1,723.27 for the year.

A decision was taken to bring council tax levels up to Harrogate’s rate in order to raise £11.3 million.

Councillors had considered bringing down rates in line with the lowest amount at the time, which was Hambleton – however, council officials warned this would see annual funding raised by bills fall by £21 million.

Former Harrogate district MP takes up consultancy role

A former Harrogate district MP is set to advise UK and overseas firms as a consultant less than two years after leaving government.

Nigel Adams, who resigned as Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty in June 2023, has set up his own independent consultancy company to advise firms on IT and telecommunications.

Mr Adams, whose constituency included villages including Spofforth and Follifoot in the Harrogate district and was minister without portfolio under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, sought advice from the government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

According to letters from Acoba, he intends to work with companies such as Berlin-based Better Earth Partners and Warwickshire communications firm, CloudClevr Holdings Ltd.

His work would involve “providing advice and consulting services” to firms and organisations in the UK and abroad.

Lord Pickles, who chairs the committee, told Mr Adams that while it would not be “improper” for him to set up a consultancy firm, he would be required to consult Acoba on each commission he takes on.

He said:

“It would not be improper for you to operate a consultancy which draws on generic skills and experience you gained from your time in government.

“The potential risks in this case are hard to quantify given the broad and wide ranging nature of the consultancy; and you had access to a wide range of sensitive information and insight whilst in office.

“The committee considered you could offer a potential unfair advantage over competitors- whether in relation to seeking new clients, or in providing them with advice.”

Lord Pickles added that the cabinet office had no concerns over Mr Adams’ access to sensitive information given the time passed since he was a minister.

However, Mr Adams’ was warned not to become “personally involved in lobbying the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies” in the two years from his last day in ministerial office for either of the companies he is involved with.

The former MP resigned with immediate effect in June 2023 after Boris Johnson stood down as Prime Minister.

Mr Adams, who was a key ally of Mr Johnson, said at the time that he will not stand again at the next election.

Harrogate needs ‘collective approach’ to town centre problems, says MP

Harrogate needs a “collective approach” to tackling problems in the town centre, says Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP.

This week, the Stray Ferret revealed how town-centre traders feel about anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and threats to staff through our unprecedented Trading Hell survey.

We also took a deep dive into crime data, heard from Harrogate Homeless Project about the limits constraining the charity sector’s response and put concerns over trader confidence to North Yorkshire Police.

Nearly all of the businesses who responded to our survey agreed that anti-social behaviour was an issue in the town centre.

The Stray Ferret asked local politicians how they felt about our findings and what they feel could be done to tackle some of Harrogate’s problems.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the issues as complex and in need of a collective approach to tackle them.

He said:

“Although Harrogate is by any measure a safe town that does not mean we do not have our problems. We do and the Stray Ferret articles highlighted some of these.

“The interviews with the BID, the police, the Harrogate Homeless Project and other organisations highlighted the need for a collective approach to dealing with these issues.

“For example, simply asking the police to move street beggars from one street to the next does not tackle the underlying issues with which that person needs help.It may be a housing issue, a benefits issue, it might be a mental or physical health problem, it might be addiction, it might a criminal justice issues such as county lines drug dealing.

“We need to look on a case-by-case basis and decide which interventions are going to be most effective to support that individual so that they do not feel that street begging is the only or the most viable option for them to address their circumstances. We need to support them into a stable situation with their home, job, health and personal life.

“So these are complex issues and a complex approach involving many different groups is required to solve them.”

Mr Jones added that he would continue to meet with businesses and organisations to listen to concerns over the problems in the town.

He said:

“We all have the same objective. To continue to have a vibrant town centre where we see brilliant events, our trademark independent shops thrive alongside branded stores, where we feel safe as retailers and customers and where our town attracts tourists to provide the footfall businesses need.

“I meet regularly with the organisations who have contributed to this series of articles and will be doing so again to continue discussing how we can work together to achieve that objective. I hope the Stray Ferret will repeat their survey in a year’s time so we can see how effective the solutions we develop as a town centre community are.”

More comprehensive strategies needed

Meanwhile, Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, said the issues had been raised with him on the doorstep.

He said:

“Over the last few weeks and months this is something that has come up more frequently on the doorsteps and in my inbox. Retail employees make a huge contribution to our society and economy and they are the life blood of our town. Abuse against retail staff has an incredibly serious impact on those who experience it.

“The Liberal Democrats recognise that the UK government are asking shop workers to enforce the law themselves; they are enforcing the law on age-restricted products such as alcohol, games, DVDs and more.

“For retail workers specifically, we believe that where they are enforcing the law (e.g. minimum age for alcohol) or acting to prevent/detect crime (e.g. detaining a shoplifter), the law should give them extra protection.

“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are backing the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker, allowing for the aggravation of that offence where the retail worker is seeking to enforce a statutory age restriction.”

Tom Gordon.

However, Mr Gordon said more comprehensive strategies would be needed to tackle the issues in Harrogate.

He added:

“I welcome and support the efforts of Harrogate BID and other organisations working to tackle these problems, including initiatives such as the Report a Crime campaign. However, it’s clear that more comprehensive strategies are required.

“We also need to do more to look at and address the root causes of anti-social behaviour, such as substance abuse and homelessness. This requires an evidence based approach that is multifaceted and takes into account access to support services, mental health resources, and addiction treatment.”

Many North Yorkshire residents ‘unaware about incoming mayoral combined authority’

With just five weeks to go until York and North Yorkshire’s first elected mayor is installed, the top officer of the region’s incoming combined authority says he believes most residents remain unaware of the election or the role of the mayor.

In a wide-ranging interview, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s interim head of paid services James Farrar has revealed:

There is a “real risk of a low turnout” at the ballot box due to national politics and people being unaware of how the mayoral combined authority will aim to improve lives.
None of the cost of the combined authority would come directly from taxpayers, but rather from the £18m annual Mayoral Investment Fund given by the government and from funding for specific programmes.
Following concerns the combined authority would focus efforts on its largest urban area, York, it has been agreed to monitor and publish where all funds are distributed.

Mr Farrar said while some people perceived a mayor to be “robes and regalia”, in the first four-year term, the combined authority’s elected mayor’s main responsibilities would be growing the economy and taking on the governance of the police and fire services.

He was quick to dismiss criticisms from opposition politicians the combined authority would lack accountability as four of the five members of its decision-making executive were appointed by York and North Yorkshire councils.

Pointing toward the combined authority’s directly elected leader in the mayor, he said residents and business owners needed to get their voice heard at the ballot box as the mayor would be responsible for the combined authority, which would oversee investment of more than £600 million into the region.

Mr Farrar said:

“There is a fundamental issue we have got to address in raising awareness of what the mayor will be responsible for.

“People aren’t engaged in local politics, so the vast majority won’t be aware this is coming and there’s also a pretty negative view of national politics at the moment.

“The combined authority has been legally created now, but what’s really important is on May 2 people are motivated to vote for whichever mayor they want.”

When asked how the combined authority would balance its responsibilities between the contrasting areas of York and North Yorkshire, Mr Farrar said the two areas were already interdependent.

He pointed towards how money was being pumped into a new railway station at Haxby, north of York, it had helped strengthen the case for half-hourly trains to Scarborough.

He added:

“The combined authority should be making investment decisions based on what’s best for the whole region.

“All areas will benefit, but it won’t just be a carve up of the money between the two councils, looking at connections such as how Craven and Harrogate connect into West Yorkshire and Hambleton and Richmondshire link to Teesside.

“The purpose of the mayor is to be able to take that strategic overview across these geographies and make decisions on how people, product and business work, rather than be constrained by local authority boundaries.”

Mr Farrar said he believes the councils, which currently have Conservative and Labour leaderships, would be able to work together for the common good, and had already agreed a shared set of economic priorities for the combined authority.

He said set the mayoral combined authority would set the strategic vision and ambitions for York and North Yorkshire, secure investment to deliver the vision and to make investments to improve people’s lives, enable business growth and create jobs.

Mr Farrar added the councils would have an important role in delivering the objectives of the combined authority, which would go out and secure the investment.

Responding to concerns that pressing social issues such as housing and access to public transport, Mr Farrar said such issues would be picked up as part of the authority’s focus on improving places to attract investment.

He said affordable housing was “writ large in our economic framework”, adding:

“You can’t deliver a successful York and North Yorkshire if people can’t afford to live there.

“We know public transport is a challenge, we don’t quite know what the answer is to that problem. The mayor will bring the ability to invest, to find out the solution and put it in place.

“We are not thinking the mayor will swan in and answer difficult issues immediately. I think there needs to be a strategic review across the piece.”

North Yorkshire mayor to be paid £81,300

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire is set to be paid an allowance of £81,300 a year.

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which the elected mayor will chair, met to approve the figure yesterday (March 18) following an independent renumeration panel recommendation.

A report by the panel said the salary had to be of “sustainable value” to attract appropriately skilled candidates, but should also “note the public duty” of the role.

The figure is below that of Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, who is paid £110,000 but above the amount paid to Ben Houchen, of nearby Tees Valley, at £80,000.

The allowance will be reviewed in May 2025.

James Farrar, director of economy and interim head of paid service at the combined authority, told the Stray Ferret:

“Both City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council have an independent renumeration panel which are non-political people and experts from their region who they can call on.

“We brought them together and looked at the evidence base of what the role is, what other mayors get etc. That independent panel came forward with that recommendation and that recommendation was approved yesterday.”

In its report, the panel said it considered the level of payment to other metro mayors, the £76,300 salary of North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, whose role will taken over by the mayor, and the responsibilities of the mayor.

The panel also noted that the average allowance for a metro mayor nationally was £86.617.

It added:

“The panel agreed that the mayor’s allowance had to be of a sustainable value, sufficient to attract and retain appropriately skilled candidates, bearing in mind the budget and level of accountability and responsibility that the mayor will have across the York and North Yorkshire region, whilst also noting the public duty and nature of the role.”

Voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls on May 2 to elect the first ever mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

A combined authority report published in January revealed that the election is set to cost taxpayers £2.2 million.

Who is standing for mayor?

Pateley Bridge man and former police officer Keith Tordoff will stand as an independent.

The Green Party has chosen councillor and former soldier Kevin Foster as its candidate.

The Conservative Party has picked Malton councillor and ex-journalist Keane Duncan, who is currently in charge of transport at North Yorkshire Council.

Labour has chosen local business owner and chair of the York High Street Forum David Skaith.

Swinton Park owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

This week, Harrogate resident and North Yorkshire councillor, Paul Haslam, announced he will stand as an independent candidate after resigning from the Conservative Party.

Photo: Mayoral candidates (clockwise, from top left) Keane Duncan, David Skaith, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Paul Haslam, Kevin Foster and Keith Tordoff

Tory mayoral candidate pledges to pilot facial recognition cameras in Harrogate

The Conservative candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has pledged to introduce controversial facial recognition cameras to catch criminals.

The cameras, which scan people’s faces in public and compare them with people on watch lists, has been hailed by some as a way to improve policing. But others have concerns about human rights and discrimination.

Keane Duncan said he wanted to test the technology across the county, if elected.

The mayor will take on powers from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, which will be scrapped.

Mr Duncan said trials elsewhere in the country had found the cameras can cut the time required to identify criminals and missing people from days and months to “just minutes”.

He added that he wanted to pilot the technology in York, Harrogate and Scarborough.

Mr Duncan said:

“I want to embrace new technology to revolutionise the way in which policing is conducted in North Yorkshire.

“From apprehending dangerous criminals to locating vulnerable people, live facial recognition cameras represent an effective tool in the arsenal of our police.

“With potential to free up valuable manpower so officers can have a greater presence on our streets, I want the cameras to be tested here in North Yorkshire.”

The cameras are used by the Metropolitan Police in London.

According to the force, the technology was used to help arrest 10 people for offences including threats to kill, recall to prison for robbery, and possession of an offensive weapon in Croydon on December 14, 2023.

The technology uses a CCTV feed from a police van linked to facial-recognition software.

The police upload photos of wanted criminals and the software creates an alert when a biometric match is found. The match is then reviewed by a police officer to confirm its accuracy.

An election for the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire is expected to be held in May this year.

The Labour Party has selected York businessman David Skaith as its candidate for the role.

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

North Yorkshire councillor, Kevin Foster, will contest the election for the Green Party.

MPs Watch: New leisure centres, New Year’s Honours and spiking

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In December, Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre became the latest leisure facility to open its doors in the Harrogate district.

Meanwhile, the New Year’s Honours list was revealed and the government unveiled plans to tackle spiking across the UK.

We asked Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP, if he would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On December 11, he visited the newly opened Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.
On December 12, Mr Jones accused Liberal Democrats of covertly following him after his car was photographed in Harrogate without valid MOT.
On December 15, Mr Jones visited Harrogate business Techbuyer to sign an IT Repairs and Reuse declaration. He also received a tour of the company.
Mr Jones spoke in the House of Commons on December 18 to welcome to government’s plan to tackle spiking in the UK.
Mr Jones welcomed the arrival of the Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments for pensioner households worth up to £600 on December 28.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for December.

They included attending Vida Court care home to turn on their Christmas lights, meeting with with senior leadership at North Yorkshire Council to discuss SEND funding and welcoming students from Ashville College to Parliament.

Others included visiting Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School to present the winner of his Christmas card winner with their framed entry and certificate and participating in an episode of BBC Politics North in Leeds.

Mr Jones also attended a Christmas candlelight vigil at Stonefall cemetery in Harrogate and met with Cancer Research UK to discuss the Government’s smokefree generations pledge.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in December.
Mr Smith updated his website 13 times in December, which included posts promoting government initiatives and visits within his constituency.
On December 30, he congratulated Mary Fisher, lollipop lady at Darley and Summerbridge Community Primary School, for her New Year’s Honour British Empire Medal.
He posted 20 times on his X account, promoting various government funding initiatives and visits to local businesses in Skipton and Ripon.

When we contacted Mr Smith for comment, his office sent a roundup of his engagements for December.

Among them included attending the Skipton and Ripon Area Constiuency Committee, visiting Fisher Medical Centre and Skipton Job Centre to learn more about how they were supporting the community.

Mr Smith also met Simon Theakston, managing director of Theakston Brewery in Masham, to discuss the chancellor’s autumn statement and visited Moorside Primary School to speak to pupils from years 5 and 6 about his role as an MP.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:

Mr Mather posted 12 times on his Facebook page in December. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
He posted seven times on his X account, none of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
On December 6, he spoke in the House of Commons on a debate on conversion practices for LGBT people. He called on the government to ban conversion therapy in the UK.

Looking ahead: A new mayor and combined authority for North Yorkshire

From a new mayor to another layer of governance, the next year is set to bring a wave of political change in North Yorkshire.

Much like in neighbouring Tees Valley, the county is set to get its first metro mayor.

While for some the prospect of another elected politician will raise eyebrows, the role will come with significant powers.

From bus franchising to police and crime commissioner powers, the mayor will wield some influence in the county.

The race to secure the role has already started.

Three political parties – the Conservatives, Labour and Greens – have already unveiled their candidates for the election in May 2024.

Keane Duncan, who currently holds a senior position on North Yorkshire Council’s executive, will fight the contest for the Tories, while Kevin Foster and David Skaith will stand for the Greens and Labour. Keith Tordoff, a businessman from Pateley Bridge, will stand as an independent.

The whole prospect signals a shift in how politics will be carried out in the county beyond jostling for control of North Yorkshire Council and individual parliamentary constituencies.

A new layer of governance

Aside from a new political position, a new layer of governance is also set to be created.

As part of the devolution deal which was announced in August 2022, a combined authority will be set up for North Yorkshire and York.

The move will be historic for the county as it joins Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Tees Valley in setting up such an authority.

The combined authority, which will be overseen by the directly elected mayor, is expected to have powers to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

At the moment, talk of the authority appears to be couched in intangible and esoteric concepts such as “gainshare”.

But, for Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, the new organisation will show “tangible benefits” for residents across the county.

He said:

“The prospect of bringing more decision-making powers and millions of pounds in additional funding from the government will bring real and tangible benefits for hundreds of thousands of people in York and North Yorkshire.”

Its formation will be overseen by Harrogate-born James Farrar as chief operating officer in its transition year.

The new authority could be launched in January amid delays with the parliamentary process.

Regardless, its formation, along with the directly elected mayor, are set to represent a shift in how politics is carried out across North Yorkshire.

No 4: New council, new agenda

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at the formation of North Yorkshire Council and its new agenda.

The past 12 months have seen a seismic change in how the Harrogate district is governed.

In April, we said goodbye to Harrogate Borough Council as it was swept aside to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

Along the way, many of the local senior politicians also left. Borough council leader, Richard Cooper, stepped away from politics and Graham Swift failed in a bid to represent his Duchy division.

Instead, the last eight months have seen a shift in both how the district is governed and who calls the shots.

The new council has wasted little time in imposing its vision on the county.

Recently, it announced a new shake-up of leisure services – the second time in three years for facilities in the Harrogate area.

Planning decisions have also been divided up into constituency areas.

Although, if you ask some councillors in Harrogate, they’ll point out that there hasn’t been any decisions to make since September.

It has also introduced a new taxi licensing policy, scrapping the previous seven district zones in favour of one county-wide zone.

However, some areas remain the same.

Residents, campaigners and the council remain at loggerheads over the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

The scheme has been rolled back, but remains in limbo.

The major housing project known as Maltkiln has not progressed since the borough council was abolished, partly due to landowners withdrawing land.

Devolution on the horizon

Meanwhile, the change in the political landscape is expected to change further.

A combined authority for York and North Yorkshire is expected to come into force in the new year as part of a devolution deal for the county.

There is also an election on the horizon for a Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, which will be held in May.

Some may argue that, when it comes to the new council, the new boss is the same as the old boss.

But, whatever the perception of the new authority, the governance of the district has changed in 2023.

No 10: Harrogate becomes political battleground in 2023

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look back at an eventful year for politics in the Harrogate district.

The Harrogate district was a political battleground for much of the last 12 months.

From parliamentary by-elections to council party alliances being formed, the theatre of politics was never far from the headlines.

Perhaps the biggest story of the 2023 was the shaking of the political landscape in Selby and Ainsty.

The constituency, which includes Green Hammerton, Spofforth and Follifoot, found itself at the centre of the national picture as the Tories looked to keep a grip on what once was a safe seat.

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre was the culmination of the downfall of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre.

Nigel Adams, a key ally of Johnson and Selby and Ainsty MP, resigned with immediate affect in June amid a flurry of resignations at the time, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

Fast forward to July and the Tories were hoping to hang onto the seat.

Standing in the party’s way was 25-year-old former public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry, Keir Mather.

Mr Mather did the unthinkable and overturned a 20,137 Conservative majority to win.

Political alliances

Away from the national picture, the local political scene was also offering its own drama.

The balance of power at North Yorkshire Council was finely poised in July this year, with the ruling Conservative group having precisely half the 90 seats on the council.

The defection of Cllr Mike Jordan left the Tories looking elsewhere to shore up their grip on the authority.

The party looked to Ripon.

Cllr Andrew Williams had been elected to North Yorkshire Council in the May elections as a Ripon Independent.

Cllr Williams and two other unaffiliated independents agreed an alliance with the Tories in what Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said would “secure the stable and sustainable governance” of the authority.

However, the move was not without controversy. In the wake of the news, Liberal Democrat councillor, Barbara Brodigan, criticised Cllr William’s decision and described him as a “Tory puppet”.

He hit back and said:

“There needs to be stability and governance on the council. With a £30 million budget shortfall to resolve and local government reorganisation in its infancy, the last thing that’s needed is complete chaos in the council chamber.

“That would suit the the Lib Dems fine, but it doesn’t do anything for local residents. I haven’t agreed to do anything else. The only commitment I’ve made is to join a group for the stable governance of North Yorkshire.”

Andrew Jones and Tom Gordon.

Elsewhere, with the prospect of a general election on the horizon, the race to become Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP heated up this year.

Tom Gordon threw his hat in the ring for the Liberal Democrats, while Conservative Andrew Jones is hoping to win his fifth election in the constituency.

While further candidates have yet to come forward, Labour appears to have gone cold on its prospects of winning the seat.

This month, it was revealed that the national party had designated it as a “non-battleground” constituency.

The Lib Dems proclaimed this to mean that Harrogate and Knaresborough is now a two-horse race.

2024 will be another battleground year for politics.

Taxi licensing

Planning decisions

Tourism

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Double devolution

Council tax harmonisation

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More comprehensive strategies needed

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Who is standing for mayor?

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A new layer of governance

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Devolution on the horizon

Political alliances

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