Council leader threatens to expel person who leaked report to The Stray Ferret

Harrogate Borough Council’s leader has threatened to expel the leaker of confidential cabinet report which detailed the financial state of the town’s convention centre.

Cllr Richard Cooper told a meeting of the full council last night that if the leaker was found to be from the ruling Conservative group, he would expel them and call on them to stand down from the council.

It comes after a report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned HCC, which is subsidised by taxpayers, “will not survive” unless councillors approved an investment project and detailed the dire financial state of the venue. The leak is now being investigated by the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson.

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Cllr Cooper called for a commitment from Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Pat Marsh, to also expel any member of her group if they were found to have leaked the document.

He said:

“I think it is important that as leaders of groups we demonstrate that we do not support leaking of confidential information, particularly when the information damages the economy of the district.

“I have already told members of my own group that if the chief executive’s investigation reveals that one of them leaked these reports I will be expelling them from the Conservative group and calling upon them to resign from the council completely.”

Cllr Marsh agreed to the council leader’s commitment to expel the leaker if it is found to be a Liberal Democrat.

Tamsin O’Brien, the editor of the Stray Ferret, said:

“The report leaked to us contained information about the financial situation of Harrogate Convention Centre – it was not a matter of national security, but of taxpayers’ money.

“With a decision of this magnitude, which could lead to almost £50m of public money being spent, it is important that the public are given full access to the information behind the decision. The fact that the report was leaked demonstrates the level of concern around such a decision and how important it is for the public to be kept fully informed.

“It is vital that media organisations can scrutinise the actions of authorities and hold them to account, on behalf of taxpayers. The leaked report enabled us to give the public the full picture of the situation facing Harrogate Convention Centre, shining a light on the parts the council did not want people to know.”

Last night, councillors voted to spend £1 million on feasibility studies and design fees ahead of a potential £47 million investment in the HCC. The money will be spent ahead of a two phased redevelopment of the venue and a report on the business case for potential investment will return to the council at a later date.

Most of the £1 million cost would be borrowed, though council officers said that no sources of funding have yet been identified.

The Stray Ferret has a portal for contacting us anonymously and sending us confidential documents. We are grateful to anyone who gives us information of public importance. To find out more, click here.

 

Council leader leaves Harrogate BID

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has resigned from Harrogate BID.

Cllr Richard Cooper is still listed as a board member on the organisation’s website, but information on Companies House reveals he stepped down in June.

He was replaced on the same date by Trevor Watson, HBC’s director of economy and culture. Neither the council nor the BID has given a reason for the change.

Harrogate BID Acting Chair Sara Ferguson said:

“On behalf of Harrogate BID, its Board and members, I would like to thank Richard for his valuable contribution.

“Richard’s place on the BID board has been filled by Trevor Watson from Harrogate Borough Council’s economic development team, who has already attended a number of board meetings.

“Additionally, we have also co-opted two additional advisors, Lesley Wild, the former Chair of Bettys and Taylors Tea, and Jim Mossman, co-owner of Cold Bath Brewing Company.”

‘Strong influence’

Cllr Cooper’s resignation came six weeks after four board members – including the chairman – stepped down, citing the undue influence of the council in the organisation.

In their joint resignation letter, outgoing chairman Bob Kennedy and board members Chris Bentley, Robert Ogden and Rob Spencer said:

“Without a consensus view on the board of the dire state of the town’s economy, particularly its retail heart, and its causes, addressing the key issues cannot be achieved.

“The strong influence of Borough and County Council on the board of an organisation that according to government guidance is supposed to be a ‘business-led’ partnership means that any initiative that addresses the councils’ input is endlessly debated, and sensible options resisted. It has not even been possible to garner cross-board agreement that the current aesthetic state of Harrogate town centre is not adequate, something that is self-evident to business leaders and residents alike but is constantly denied or excused by councils.”

Mr Spencer, of Townhouse Design, told the Stray Ferret at the time that the council members on the board were “very defensive” about what others felt were problems in the town, such as the level of cleanliness and the overall appearance. The letter also said additional confidentiality restrictions imposed on board members were a threat to the organisation’s transparency and were incompatible with the function of a public body.

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Harrogate BID is funded by a compulsory rates levy on businesses in the centre of Harrogate. It was voted in at the end of 2018 and began operating the following year, with a five-year term before rate payers will have to vote on whether it should continue.

As lockdown was eased, the BID announced it would fund additional street cleaning in early June to make the town centre attractive to returning shoppers. It also offered small grants to businesses to fund social distancing measures to enable them to open safely, and sent out packs of signage for levy payers to use around their premises.

David Bowe, director of North Yorkshire County Council, remains on the BID board, along with representatives of local businesses across sectors including independent retailers, chain stores, hospitality and service companies.

Harrogate Borough Council did not respond to the Stray Ferret’s request for a comment.

Councillor’s ‘white lives matter’ comments ‘deplorable’, says council leader

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has described comments made by a parish councillor for a “white lives matter” protest as deplorable and shocking.

More than two weeks ago, Cllr Ernest Butler, who sits on Darley and Menwith Parish Council, posted comments on his Facebook page suggesting that people moving to the UK were “taking over”.

The borough council received complaints about the remarks, but pointed out that its code of conduct does not extend to social media comments made by councillors.

Cllr Matthew Webber, Liberal Democrat councillor, asked council leader Richard Cooper at a meeting of the authority’s full council last night about the council’s position on the matter.

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Cllr Cooper said:

“First thing to say is Cllr Butler, who I had never heard of before this, his comments are deplorable and just really shocking.

“But there is a legal position here about what the borough council can and cannot do and I will ask the council’s solicitor to forward a copy to you of that legal position which has been supplied to those people in the media.

“You will be able to see for yourself. In fact, after so many years on the council, you should understand the standards procedure and what is and is not possible.

“But I will ask for your benefit for the council’s head of legal and governance services to forward that to you and copy all councillors in as well.

“If I was Darley and Menwith Parish Council, I would have thought twice about co-opting this gentleman in the first place and I would certainly be putting pressure on him to stand down.”

Councillor Richard Cooper (bottom right) told a full council meeting that Cllr Butler’s comments were deplorable.

It comes as Cllr Butler’s comments sparked controversy with anti-racism campaigners who took complaints to his employers.

When The Stray Ferret approached Cllr Ernest Butler he was not apologetic about his comments and said he had not done anything wrong.

He said:

“I am not a racist person. What I said online is true, there are just people out there that disagree with me and want to bring me down. I just stick my head above the parapet and say what other people can’t. It’s not racist to say people from European countries are taking jobs here and driving down the wages.”

Council Leader: some Harrogate businesses will not survive

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper said Harrogate can “thrive again” following lockdown. However, he warned that some jobs and businesses in Harrogate will not survive.

Speaking alongside HBC chief executive Wallace Sampson last night at the first-ever virtual Harrogate District Chamber Meeting, he said “hard questions” need to be asked around the future of Harrogate retail.

He said he shopped online for the first time during lockdown and questioned if many shoppers who enjoyed the convenience of online shopping will ever return to the high street.

Cllr Cooper gave a vote of confidence in Harrogate International Centre and said the council is in discussions with the NHS about its future.

He said:

“We’re pleased to do our bit for national effort but we have to ask, we’re going to need the ability to hold large scale conferences to support the local economy.”

Wallace Sampson said the role of Harrogate town centre will change forever due to the lockdown.

Like Cllr Cooper, he said the conference centre will be crucial to how the town recovers but suggested it’s started to fall behind its competition.

He said “without a doubt” HBC needs to invest in the buildings to keep up with state-of-the-art conference facilities being built in other towns and cities. He said an investment case will be brought before HBC later this summer.

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Mr Sampson also praised HBC for its work supporting businesses during the lockdown. He mentioned various initiatives the council has undertaken including business rates holidays and a rent holiday for its commercial tenants.

He said:

“Without the rapid action of the council and a real can-do attitude from our staff, it is quite possible that many businesses wouldn’t have got through this difficult period.”

Both Mr Sampson and Cllr Cooper also praised the work of Harrogate BID during the lockdown.

Cllr Cooper said “the BID has had its problems but now some of the problems have gone away,” perhaps referring to the resignations of four of the BID’s board earlier this year.

Wallace Sampson and Richard Cooper at last night’s virtual meeting.

Mr Cooper and Mr Sampson answered four questions from Chamber members with two based around transport.

One person asked if Harrogate town centre should be pedestrianised, adding “Harrogate could be stunning – but isn’t”.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Yes, we have problems, but every time I visit my parents in Huddersfield I realise just what an amazing place we live.

“Regarding pedestrianisation, I’m on record as I’m saying I favour, as a trial period, to block off James Street, Albert Street and Princes Square.

“It’s funny, people who don’t want pedestrianisation shout very loudly. But I go and ask people and nearly everybody says they want it.

“If you do want pedestrianisation – you need to say so.”

‘I will not close Starbeck Baths’, vows council leader

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has said he will not close Starbeck Baths after approving a shake-up of the district’s leisure services.

Residents in Starbeck vowed to fight any future threat to the 150-year-old baths after a council officer report suggested the facility’s future “would need to be considered”.

But council leader Richard Cooper said he has made it clear that it will not close under his leadership.

It comes as the borough council’s cabinet voted to set up a new company to run services, including Starbeck, as part of an overhaul of leisure and sport.

The council said the move would help to save around £400,000 a year on services. Starbeck Baths were among the facilities which increased in cost year on year.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet addressed the fears over Starbeck Baths at a virtual meeting on YouTube last night.

A Freedom of Information request by The Stray Ferret showed the bill for running the baths increased from £234,193 in 2018/19 to an estimated £239,370 last year.

In a report before cabinet, the council estimated that it would save around £191,000 a year without Starbeck following investment and redevelopment of its other leisure facilities.

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Cllr Cooper said at the meeting streamed live on YouTube that he would not close the facility and the authority was being open with the costs of the baths:

“While I sit here, we are not closing Starbeck Baths and in any case it is not part of the plans. 

“It is just telling people how much things cost because we want people to know.”

Meanwhile, Michael Constantine, head of culture, tourism and sport, said the move was not a “stalking horse” and that any closure would need a separate council decision.

But Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said the she would rather Cllr Cooper had made a whole council commitment to Starbeck:

“I am pleased to hear the comments and to give the people that reassurance, but are we still going to have him as leader in a few years’ time?

“It would have been better if he had said: ‘This council will not close Starbeck Baths’.”

Last night, senior councillors voted to set up Brimham’s Active to run its leisure services which cost the taxpayer £3.5 million in the last financial year.

The authority will also borrow £26 million from the government’s Public Works Loans Board to fund an investment strategy into the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre in Knaresborough.

The new company is expected to be operating by August 2021 and will cost the council £300,000 to set up.