A major four-day fair in the Harrogate hospitality calendar has signed up to remain in the town for another five years.

The Christmas and Gift Fair, which runs every January, has agreed a contract to take place at Harrogate Convention Centre until 2028.

It typically attracts more than 5,000 visitors and the convention centre said its estimated economic impact for hospitality in the district is £375,000 over the four days of the event.

Convention centre director Paula Lorimer said:

“I am delighted to seal the long-term relationship with Harrogate Christmas and Gift, an important trade show that has gone from strength to strength over more than seven decades.

“Harrogate’s unique heritage in hosting large-scale events and our venue’s central location, premier space, facilities and expertise mean that we attract a constant flow of events that keep our spa town busy all year round.”

The fair took over seven halls from January 15 to 18 this year, with 90 exhibitors. It has been running since 1950 and is organised by Harrogate International Toy Fair Ltd, whose annual nursery fair is also contracted to HCC for the next two years.

Simon Anslow, organiser of Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair, said:

“Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair is the most important exhibition in the UK for trade buyers who are buying for the following Christmas. Exhibiters and buyers also love the vibe of Harrogate with its quality restaurants and bars.

“We are delighted in securing a new five-year contract with the Harrogate Convention Centre running from 2024 to 2028.”

Read more:

• Council leader ‘disappointed’ after Harrogate Convention Centre funding refusal
• New council chief questions future of Harrogate Convention Centre

News of the new contract comes on the heels of disappointment for Harrogate Borough Council, which runs the convention centre. The council last night heard it had missed out on investment from the government’s levelling up fund to improve its facilities.

The council had asked for £20 million from the fund, towards its £49 million plans to overhaul the venue.

It has run at a loss for many years, though the council has supported it, arguing it brings benefits to the district’s economy.

Last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council which will take on responsibility for the centre, last week said the authority would not take on an “enormous drain on public finances”.

The incoming chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council has raised questions about the future of Harrogate Convention Centre.

In a significant change of tone, Richard Flinton refused to commit to a £49 million redevelopment of the venue proposed by Harrogate Borough Council, which will be abolished at the end of March.

Mr Flinton also questioned the future use of the site, saying the conference and events venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

Speaking at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly meeting at Rudding Park last night, Mr Flinton said the council had “inherited issues we didn’t expect” about the centre and decisions were not “straightforward”. He said:

“The level of investment the conference centre needs to make sure it’s a relevant venue is something we are facing up to.

“£50 million into one place is a big investment ask. We will need to understand how the conference centre earns its way, faces up to the challenge from Leeds and is a strong investable asset for the new council.”

Mr Flinton at last night’s meeting

Harrogate Borough Council has consistently defended the loss-making centre on the basis that the thousands of visitors it attracts benefit the town’s hotels, bars and restaurants and bring a wider economic benefit to the district as a whole.

But control of the venue will transfer to North Yorkshire Council on April 1, when it comes into existence and Harrogate Borough Council ceases to exist.

The new local authority, based in Northallerton, could find it harder to justify to residents in places such as Scarborough and Selby the merit of spending almost five per cent of its annual £1.2 billion budget on a single building in Harrogate.

Read more:

• New board to review Harrogate Convention Centre operating model
• Working group set up to steer future of Harrogate Convention Centre

In his speech last night, Mr Flinton also cited diversification as one of the new council’s business aims for Harrogate and said there were questions about the town’s over-reliance on the centre.

Michael Schofield, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harlow and St George’s on North Yorkshire County Council, asked whether the new council would consider “repurposing the HCC to make it a viable business”.

Mr Flinton reiterated that it needed to be vibrant rather than a drain on public finances.

Cllr Carl Les and Richard Flinton last night

Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, said:

“We have to consider it again with a fresh pair of eyes.”

In October, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council formed a working group to discuss the convention centre’s £49 million redevelopment plan and how it could be funded, as well as how the venue should be run in the future.

Now is your time to shine with the Stray Ferret Business Awards. We are encouraging businesses of all sizes from right across the Harrogate district to enter for our awards and get recognition from our top panel of judges. Entries close on January 16.

The effect of North Yorkshire devolution on Harrogate businesses will be in the spotlight at a meeting tonight.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, and Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, will address business leaders at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce event.

The meeting will focus on how changes in local government from April 1 and the prospect of a directly elected mayor for the county will impact traders.

David Simister, chamber chief executive, said: 

“The creation of a new, single tier authority is the biggest change in local government since 1974, and we are delighted to have Cllr Les and Mr Flinton with us for our first meeting of 2023.

“We are keen to hear from them their vision for economic growth, and to know what the likely implications of greater devolution, and a directly elected mayor for North Yorkshire, will be for the district’s business community.

“Harrogate Convention Centre is one of the biggest economic drivers for the district. Currently owned and operated by Harrogate Borough Council, come April 1 it will then fall under the new authority.

“We have learned that a new strategic board is to be created to oversee the proposed £49m redevelopment project, and to assess the most appropriate operating model for the venue in the future. What we don’t know yet is the makeup of this body.”

The meeting will be held at Rudding Park Hotel and doors will open for networking from 5.30pm. Speakers will start at 6.15pm.

For information on how to attend the meeting, visit the chamber website here.

Housing developer creates North Yorkshire division

A housing developer has announced it has set up a North Yorkshire regional division as part of its business.

Avant Homes, which has approval for an 80-home development in Green Hammerton, launched the new division. It is expected to include 726 homes across five schemes.

It also includes projects in York and Leeds and is valued at £206 million.

Scott Varley, regional chairman of Avant Homes, said:

“Avant Homes North Yorkshire is an exciting expansion to our business which forms part of our ongoing nationwide strategic growth plan.

“Launching with three developments underway, and two others receiving planning approval, means we have a great deal of momentum in North Yorkshire allowing us to deliver much-needed, new-build homes for people in the region.”

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• Business Breakfast: Harrogate IT company posts improved revenue in interim results

The Stray Ferret is delighted to announce that the chief executive of North Yorkshire Council will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Stray Ferret Business Awards.

Richard Flinton’s speech at the awards in March 2023 will be timely because the new council will come into existence the following month.

Mr Flinton, who is currently chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, is at the forefront of the creation of the new unitary authority so he is well-placed to give our audience an insight into the changes to come.

Since joining North Yorkshire County Council as a trainee trading standards officer 30 years ago, Mr Flinton has held many roles including assistant head of trading standards, lead of the council’s economic development team, assistant chief executive and director of business and environmental services before becoming chief executive.

As chief executive he has covered statutory roles as director of children and young people’s services and director of health and adult services. He now chairs the chief executives group and the local resilience forum.

From April 2023, he will oversee the merging of the existing seven district and borough councils with North Yorkshire County Council to form North Yorkshire Council.

Once complete, he will be responsible for around 10,500 staff and a budget of £1.4 billion.

Many challenges ahead for North Yorkshire Council

There are significant challenges ahead for North Yorkshire Council, with inflation at its highest level for 40 years, a growing elderly population which is already at one-in-four of the county’s population and a recruitment crisis.

With so many changes and challenges for North Yorkshire Council, this is a keynote speaker that can’t be missed.

Get your early access tickets for the Stray Ferret Business Awards now and make sure to enter your business for one or more of our ten award categories by clicking or tapping here.

Richard Flinton was this morning appointed as the first chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Flinton will take up the £180,000 to £197,000 a year role when the new authority comes into existence in April 2023.

An extraordinary meeting this morning ratified his appointment. Sixteen applications for the role were received.

Mr Flinton is the current chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council. Carl Les, the current leader of the county council, will be the new leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr John McCartney, an Independent councillor for Osgoldcross, told the meeting people had been assured North Yorkshire devolution would not amount to a “power grab” by the county council but that appeared to be the case now that it had been named the continuing authority and there was a continuing chief executive.

He added:

“The perception of this is absolutely appalling out there. It’s just a disgraceful perception.

“People do not understand why they did not get a vote on the governance of their local councils and their local services and they do not get a vote on how their council tax will be used.”

Read more:

• County council boss set to be appointed chief executive of new North Yorkshire Council
• Harrogate council could dip into reserves to cover soaring energy costs

Cllr McCartney went onto add that there was a “disconnect” between the council and the county, which would be “as big as the Humber estuary” when the unitary council comes into force.

He said:

“Residents who vote Conservative in the main at General Elections are irked and discombobulated and feel like they have been treated with contempt.

“I don’t take much from the USA, but government of the people, for the people and by the people is a pretty good recipe for democracy. But that is not what North Yorkshire County Council is going to be.”

In response, Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said the process for choosing Mr Flinton was “well done” and attended by all political groups within the council.

He said:

“I don’t know what to say to John McCartney. I don’t think much of what you have said has anything to do with what we are discussing today which is the appointment of a chief executive.”

Cllr Les added Mr Flinton had “grown through the ranks of this organisation and grown into every role we have given him. I am sure he will continue to do so.”

Following the meeting, Mr Flinton said:

“I am honoured to have been chosen to become the chief executive of the new council at a time of huge change and opportunity in North Yorkshire.

“We are faced with some unprecedented challenges that have arisen from rising inflation as well as pressures on social care and also the issues which all local authorities are facing in recruiting and retaining staff to their workforces.

“But with those challenges come immense opportunities, while working with colleagues in North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils to introduce the new unitary authority.”

The chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council is set to be appointed as the head of the new unitary authority next month.

Richard Flinton, who has held his current role since 2010, was today named as the preferred candidate to take the helm at North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Flinton, who lives in Ryedale, will be paid up to £197,000 for the role,

The recommendation comes from NYCC’s cross-party chief officer appointments committee, which conducted the selection process.

The final decision will be made by councillors at a full meeting of NYCC on Wednesday, August 17.

The committee chairman, Cllr Carl Les – who is also leader of NYCC and will become leader of the new authority next year – said:

“Our new council will be one of the largest authorities in the country but we are building it around the needs of people, communities and businesses; so it will also be one of the most local.

“The successful candidate for the role of chief executive will be in charge of ensuring that the county’s 600,000 residents, and tens of thousands of businesses, get the best possible service and value for money.

“The person will also manage a revenue budget of around £1.4 billion and an ongoing capital programme of around £350 million while driving the transformation programme to bring public services together in a way that is effective and practical. This programme is estimated to make significant financial savings, which will then be used to help finance frontline services.

“As you would expect for a job this important, the process to select a preferred candidate has been competitive and robust and involved all political parties. It is now for wider councillors to make the final decision when they meet in a few weeks’ time.”

Read more:

• County Council’s ambition for devolution deal on Yorkshire Day
• Councillors delay North Yorkshire climate change proposals

Mr Flinton, who was born in Scarborough, has worked for NYCC since 1987, initially in trading standards. He rose through the ranks to become corporate director of business and environmental services in 2008, before becoming chief executive two years later.

The county council said the recruitment process for his new role was open and promoted nationally.

He said:

“I am humbled to have been chosen as the preferred candidate for the role of chief executive officer of the new North Yorkshire Council. The move to the new authority represents huge challenges and opportunities, and to be able to play a part in that would be a huge honour.

“There are so many hugely talented people across all of the eight councils which will become one next year, and it would be a real privilege to work with them.”

He will take up the post on April 1, when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into effect.

At that point, the 90 councillors elected in May to NYCC will transfer to the new authority where they will serve the first four-year term before another election is held.

At the same time, North Yorkshire’s seven district councils – including Harrogate Borough Council – will be abolished.

People in the Harrogate district will go to the polls tomorrow for perhaps the most important local elections for almost 50 years.

Voters will shape key services for 600,000 people in the county by deciding the political make-up of the new North Yorkshire Council.

The unitary authority, which comes into existence on April 1 next year, will replace North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillors elected tomorrow will serve the final year of North Yorkshire County Council and then a further four years on North Yorkshire Council.

It represents the biggest shake-up in local government in North Yorkshire since 1974, when the current structure of local government was introduced.

Tomorrow’s elections will see 310 candidates contest 90 seats in 89 electoral divisions.

Read more:

• Plans to redevelop Harrogate council’s former headquarters set to be approved
• Miles of bunting wrapped around Ripon for the jubilee

The Conservative Party, which currently controls North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, is fielding candidates in all 90 seats. There will also be 67 Labour and Co-operative Party candidates, 48 Green Party candidates, 45 Liberal Democrats and 45 Independents. The remaining 15 candidates will be from a range of other smaller parties.

Richard Flinton, the county returning officer for the election who is also the chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“This is an opportunity for everyone who is registered to vote to help decide on who they want to represent them at what is a defining moment for North Yorkshire.

“The importance of these elections is hugely significant, as it not only lays the foundations for the decision-makers for the new unitary authority, but it also paves the way for a devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York.”

The government has stipulated that a new unitary authority is a key requirement for any devolution deal for North Yorkshire, which could see an elected mayor with new powers.

Polling stations will be open across the county from 7am until 10pm tomorrow.

More details about the new electoral divisions and the May 5 county council elections are available here.

Four Harrogate Borough Council officers earning more than £100,000 have been named in an annual public sector “rich list” published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The pressure group, which claims to speak for ‘ordinary taxpayers fed up with government waste’, published its Town Hall Rich List 2022 report today.

The list covers authority officials across the country who earn in total more than £100,000 as part of their renumeration for the last financial year.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, was named the top earner in Harrogate with a total pay package of £121,536.

Meanwhile, Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, earned £118,505.

The Harrogate officers in the report are:

• Wallace Sampson, chief executive: £118,505
• Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre: £121,536
• Rachel Bowles, director of corporate affairs: £115,856
• Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture: £112,981

Elsewhere, 10 North Yorkshire County Council officials were included on the list.

Richard Flinton, chief executive, was the top earner at the county council with a total pay package of £212,667.

Read more:

• Harrogate bus plans in tatters after government rejects £116m funding bid
• Harrogate council approves sale of Knaresborough flats

Others included Stuart Carlton, director of children and young people’s services, with £161,776 and Gary Fielding, director of strategic resources, with £157,078.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“Taxpayers facing a cost of living crisis want to know they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.

“With households having suffered through the pandemic and now struggling under colossal tax bills, the country needs councils to prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes.

“These figures will allow residents to judge town hall bosses for themselves and hold their local councils to account.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Harrogate district residents are being invited to take part in interactive virtual meetings to learn more about the new North Yorkshire Council.

The new council will start operating in April next year, as part of the largest local government reorganisation since 1974.

The shake-up will see the demise of eight local authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. All the services they provide will transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year.

The first locality roadshow is designed for people living in the Ripon and Skipton parliamentary constituency, It will be held next Monday (April 4).

Those living in the Selby and Ainsty constituency are invited to a meeting on April 6 and the virtual meeting for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will take place on April 12.

A chief executive for the upcoming North Yorkshire Council is due to be in place by autumn this year.

The move to a single council will mark the biggest change to local government in North Yorkshire in almost 50 years.

The existing county council and seven district and borough councils will be scrapped to make way for North Yorkshire Council.

This week, senior councillors agreed on an implementation plan for the new authority, which will come into place in April 2023.

As part of the plan, a new senior management board and chief executive will be appointed as part of an open process.

The document before senior councillors said:

“For all posts, but critically those with senior management and leadership responsibilities, it is critically important that the new council has the right people at the right level doing the right things and behaving the right way.”

Details of salary and roles at the new council have yet to be published. 

Current county council chief executive, Richard Flinton, received a total pay packet, including allowances, of £179,431 in 2019/20, according to latest transparency figures published by the authority.

Read more:

• Harrogate can be economic driver for North Yorkshire after devolution, says council chief
• Roadmap to new North Yorkshire Council will ‘hold feet to the fire’ on promise of better services

Four other senior officers also earn more than £100,000.

Meanwhile, almost all remaining staff will then be transferred across on April 1, 2023, as all services from bin collections to business support, and social care to highways, come under new control.

North Yorkshire councils chief executive salaries:

• Richard Flinton, North Yorkshire County Council – £179,431
• Wallace Sampson, Harrogate Borough Council – £115,277
• Justin Ives, Hambleton District Council – £132,676
• Mike Greene, Scarborough Borough Council – £112,892
• Tony Clark, Richmondshire District Council – £98,702
• Paul Shelvin, Craven District Council – £105,669
• Janet Waggott, Selby District Council – £109,767
• Stacey Burlet, Ryedale District Council – £105,504

*Figures are based on each council’s latest transparency information.

Key decisions on the new council, such as its location, decision making and economic strategy, are set to be made after the May elections.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, was one of several members of a new executive board that approved the implementation plan for the new North Yorkshire Council.

He said while he previously supported a rival vision for two new councils split on an east/west basis, he believed the plan would ensure the single council meets the overall aims of saving money and streamlining services.

Cllr Swift said:

“Today we have got a document in the public domain which I find extremely exciting because it starts to lay out the principles of what the new council can be.

“This is a document which can be used to display with confidence the plans that our councils have, but it will also keep our feet to the fire.”

Elections for the new North Yorkshire Council will be held on May 5. and the deadline to register to vote is April 14. You can register to vote here.