The leaders of a council which has remained under Conservative stewardship for decades have dismissed proposed changes to its constitution.

A full meeting of North Yorkshire County Council, which has been run by Tories for all but eight of the last 50 years, saw the authority likened to the Russian parliament under Vladimir Putin as opposition members vented frustration over the level of control Conservatives exert over meetings.

The meeting heard while the Conservatives only attracted 41% of the votes at last May’s elections, the political group held 100% of the posts on its decision-making executive, control of all but one of its watchdog-style scrutiny committees, and was now looking to restrict the time opposition members could ask questions.

A proposal had been put forward to allow more time for questions, with its proponents saying it would allow them to better hold the ruling administration to account.

Leader of the opposition, Councillor Bryn Griffiths, told the meeting proposals for the county council’s successor unitary authority’s constitution contained clauses that would limit the quarterly question time for the authority’s leader to ten minutes and to five minutes to other executive members.

The Liberal Democrat group leader said democracy was effectively being “guillotined”, leaving sufficient time for only two or three questions to be answered, and no time for follow-up questions.

Coun Giffiths said the Tories’ concession to publish councillors’ questions and the council’s answers on its website was welcome, but it was “not an alternative to democratic questioning and scrutiny in the council chamber and in the public forum”.

Green group leader Councillor Andy Brown told the meeting elected members had a right to have their voice heard and that should not come at the gift of the ruling group.

He urged the Conservatives to give opposition members “the chance to ask sensible questions for a reasonable time”.

Coun Brown added:

“I know nobody here wants to establish a Soviet-style parliament, but if you’re not careful this resembles very much the kind of rule that exists in the Russian parliament at the moment to curb debate. If you vote for it all you will be doing is forcing the opposition to work more closely together.”

The meeting also heard opposition calls for more of the council’s scrutiny committees to be lead by councillors who are not in the administration’s party, but Conservatives rejected claims they were “marking their own homework” and argued they had an open transparent system of scrutiny that had worked well for many years.

A move to end notices of motion to full council being referred to the council’s executive without debate was also voted down by Conservatives, who argued the proposal would lead to inordinately long and unfocused meetings.

However, the meeting heard the proposed constitution would give about 90 minutes for councillors’ questions.

The authority’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, said the constitution would be reviewed in a year.

He said rather than having to wait for the quarterly full council meetings to ask questions, the proposed system would enable members to ask questions immediately and get a response from executive members within ten working days.

Coun Dadd said by publishing councillors’ questions and responses to them the unitary authority would operate “a more modern way of doing business”.

Both Coun Dadd and other executive members underlined that the council chamber was about debate and holding the executive to account, rather than raisng very parochial issues, and the constitution aimed to “protect the integrity of the council chamber”.

Images of death and destruction in Ukraine remain fresh in the mind of Ripon man Lewis Edwards.

Now he is expressing his feelings through art, to help him come to terms with the terrifying turmoil of the Russian invasion that turned his life and the lives of millions of others, upside down.

Mr Edwards, a former student of Ripon Grammar School who studied contemporary art at Leeds Met (now Leeds Beckett University), has created paintings on a series of panels. They provide an insight into the impact the war has had on the people of Ukraine, as well as the Russian army.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“When I arrived back in the UK with my partner, Tanya, earlier this year, I went through the process of thinking about what happened to us and what we witnessed as we fled to the safety of Slovakia.

“I then decided to turn these thoughts into paintings, including one that I have called Still (a) Life which tells the story of our rapid departure from our home, with food left uneaten on our table.”

Minska Metro

Another canvas captures scenes from the Minska Metro in Kyiv, where Mr Edwards and his Ukrainian partner stayed on the eve of their perilous 500-kilometre journey to Slovakia.

Once they were safely over the border, they set up a shelter to help fellow refugees. The humanitarian venture was made possible through £20,000 raised in Ripon from charity events and a GoFundMe page set up by the Edwards family.

Mr Edwards is planning to exhibit his work and has already made arrangements for the paintings to go on show at the Slung Low community arts hub in Leeds.

He said:

“I would very much like to put on an exhibition in the Ripon area if I can find a suitable location.”

Mr Edwards can be contacted via his Instagram account eye.fly.art

The owners of Ainsty Farm Shop have said if a new Prime Minister had been appointed sooner it could have saved their business.

This morning, the government announced a huge package of support for businesses that will see energy bills cut in half for the next six months.

Despite the energy crisis growing all summer, the measures were only announced after the two-month Conservative Party leadership battle between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

For the farm shop off the A59, which closed last week, it’s come too late.

The Stray Ferret reported in August how farmers Lily and Stuart Beaton had run the popular store for 22 years but planned to close due to spiralling bills.

They had been given an energy quote of £90,000 — a massive increase from the £20,000 a year they had previously been paying.

Ms Beaton said:

“In all honesty, if they’d got on with choosing the Prime Minister quicker, and made the announcement [on energy bills] sooner, we might have sat down and worked out the figures and looked if we’d be able to go on. gone on.

“I think we would have had a go at putting our prices up and seeing what the reaction was from people.”

Read more:

• Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire
• £70,000 energy bill increase forces Harrogate district farm shop to close

The package of support will last for six months, which Ms Beaton described as a “stay of execution”.

She is worried that next winter, businesses could again be placed in a perilous position with no guarantee of another government bailout.

She added:

“I think there are a lot of businesses that will benefit but I feel it’s moving the problem on. In six months time we won’t have all the renewable power in place, that’s the way we need to go.”

The couple are now busy removing the fridges, tills and shelving from the store as they prepare to simplify their business.

They will continue to sell meat and produce from their farm via an online mailing list and through their online shop.

For the first time ever it now costs over £2 a litre to fill up with diesel at a fuel station in Harrogate.

A photo taken outside Texaco on Skipton Road reveals it is the place in the town to have broken the £2 barrier for diesel, with others in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon heading in the same direction.

Prices at the pump are rising due to increases in the cost of crude oil, which is used to make petrol and diesel.

Diesel in particular has jumped sharply over the last few days. Trade publication Rigzone blames the Russian invasion of Ukraine for a shortage of barrels across Europe this week.

This week’s rail strikes will also see more commuters using their cars which will increase demand and could push up prices.

This month it was announced that it now costs over £100 to fill up a 55-litre family car, which motoring body RAC called a “truly dark day” for motorists.

Read more:

• Petrol station in Harrogate district has joint most expensive fuel in country

• No trains in Harrogate and Knaresborough as strike begins

Where is the cheapest place to fill up?

The website PetrolPrices publishes up-to-date fuel prices at sites across the country.

It says the cheapest place to fill up in Harrogate is at Asda where it’s currently 182.7p per litre of petrol and 190.7p for diesel.

In Knaresborough, it is Co-op Manse Road where petrol costs 188.9 per litre and diesel is 191.1p.

In Ripon petrol is cheapest at BP where it currently costs 188.9p per litre. Esso is the cheapest for diesel at 192.9p per litre.

How has the rise in fuel affected you or your business? email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk 

Ukrainians who have fled war in their homeland have started to arrive in North Yorkshire, where around 180 households will welcome the refugees into their homes.

Council officials said the first refugees will be housed “very shortly” under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows residents to sponsor a Ukrainian.

Those who have signed up as hosts will have their homes checked by local councils to ensure they are suitable.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said the process also includes background checks on sponsors and arranging education for refugee children.

The spokesperson said: 

“In partnership with our colleagues at North Yorkshire Council County, North Yorkshire Police and the other district councils across North Yorkshire, we are working together to do whatever is necessary to help Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing devastation.

“Early data indicates around 180 households across the county have signed-up and are likely to receive guests, some very shortly.”

The government-led scheme has been criticised for not working quickly enough to grant visas to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Read more:

• Ripon fundraisers for Ukraine aim to beat £20,000 target
• Harrogate’s John Shackleton hoping to deliver ambulance to Ukraine

There are also concerns that councils have not been provided all the information they need to run the programme.

Craven District Council has signed up to the scheme and said it was awaiting guidance on when the home checks should take place and how they will work.

It also said it was awaiting more information on how payments will be made to hosts.

Paul Ellis, director of services at Craven District Council, said: 

“Our officers are taking the necessary steps to support our Ukrainian friends escaping the violence in their homeland.

“The government is providing funding of £10,500 per person to councils to enable them to provide support to families.

“This will be reimbursed for paying sponsors £350 per month, tax-free, for up to 12 months. Again, we are awaiting further government guidance on this.”

Unlike other refugee schemes, the government is assuming that all local authorities will participate, rather than inviting them to take part.

As well as individual households – charities, community groups and businesses can also apply to bring Ukrainians to safety, including those with no family ties to the UK.

In the first phase of the scheme, people will need the name of a specific Ukrainian individual or family they wish to sponsor.

The government advises them to “get in contact with them directly, and prepare to fill in a visa application with all their details and yours”.

Those who don’t personally know anyone fleeing Ukraine can still register their interest on the government’s website.

Reminders of the desperate plight of the embattled people of Ukraine have been evident across Ripon in recent days.

From the Rotary Club of Ripon collection at a bustling Market Place, to the contemplative silence of churches, there have been opportunities for residents to provide financial support, pray, or both.

On Rotary Way, customers at the Marks & Spencer food store are being invited to make a donation when they pay for their shopping. Similar collections are being held at other Ripon shops and businesses

Further down Rotary Way, an iconic image from another war provides a simple and moving message of support for passing motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The silhouette of the First World War soldier and his sweetheart has had the blue and yellow ribbons of Ukraine added along with a posy of flowers of the same colours.

The Our Lady of Fountains Altar at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church, where The Pope’s prayer for peace can be seen

At St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church on Coltsgate Hill, the altar of Our Lady of Fountains is decked in yellow and blue. The altar also displays the prayer for peace of Pope Francis.

The altar was bequeathed to the church by the family of the 1st Marquess of Ripon, a man known for his kindness and compassion, who died in 1909.

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin and his consort Nigel Guy (right), are pictured with Ali Edwards (centre) her partner Lizzie, and some of the 40-plus people who attended the fundraising event

Ripon’s Lewis Edwards, who escaped Kyiv late last month with his Ukrainian partner Tanya Bogdanovska and is now in Slovakia, spoke via his mobile phone to family, friends and supporters gathered at a fundraising event held at the Magdalens pub on Saturday evening.

Mr Edwards told attendees at the packed venue, how former Harrogate soldier Mike Heelan had arrived safely in Slovakia to lend an extra experienced pair of hands to the 10-strong team, which is helping refugees seeking sanctuary in countries across Europe.

The event, hosted by the pub’s owners, the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and his consort Nigel Guy, raised more than £1,300, which be will added to £16,000-plus already raised through donations to the gofundme page set up by Mr Edwards’ family.

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate has raised £504.98 for a Ukraine humanitarian appeal by selling crafts and old school uniforms.

St Robert’s has a large number of Eastern European children so the school wanted to do something to help at such a difficult time.

Mum Catherine Maguire made Ukraine-inspired crafts, including painted stones, cards, bookmarks, ribbons, pom-poms and cupcakes.

The school also donated all proceeds from a school uniform sale held at the same time to the Ukrainian disaster appeal run by the Catholic aid agency Cafod on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Some of the crafts that were on sale

Ms Maguire said:

“It’s about showing our support for them and their families. It’s not just about raising money”.

The school also created a prayer tree where children could write prayers on a sunflower and hang them.

Read more:

• Ukraine crisis: Guide to how you can help locally

• Ukrainian couple in Harrogate speak of fears for family under Russian fire

Headteacher Jill Collins added:

“St Robert’s Catholic Primary has lots of children from different countries and especially eastern European countries. We want to extend our love and support to our families who have relatives in Ukraine and nearby countries.

“The fundraising event is small way of letting people know we are truing to help and support in any way we can.”

Thankful for support

Ukrainian couple Taras and Viktoriia Jakubiak, whose daughter Isabella attends St Robert’s, said they were thankful to everyone at the school for holding the fundraiser, which took place on Friday afternoon.

The Jakubiak family at the fundraiser.

Mr Jakubiak also spoke about his fears for close family members who are encircled by Russian forces in Ukraine and unable to flee.

Read the full article here.

Almost 97,000 people who have contributed to the North York and York local government pension scheme could see up to £5 million of the fund wiped out unless those managing it are able to recover investments they have made in Russia.

However, council bosses have emphasised that whether or not the investments in Russian companies can be retrieved when trading eventually resumes on Moscow’s stock exchange the £5 billion pension fund is in a particularly strong position.

The North Yorkshire and York Pension fund represents a tiny fraction of the £5 billion in shares British investors have trapped in Moscow’s stock market, which has remained closed since sweeping sanctions were launched against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Officers overseeing the pension scheme said while it had no direct investments in Russia, some of the external fund managers the fund used had discretion to invest where they could generate the greatest returns for the former and current local authority employees and numerous other public, education and voluntary sector staff in the scheme.

They confirmed while the pension scheme had no holdings in states such as North Korea or Iran, some 0.1% of the investments were in Russia and due to China’s economic strength it was almost impossible to avoid having a significant amount of holdings on the Shanghai exchange if the pension fund was to grow.

The last decade has seen a turnaround in the fortunes of the North Yorkshire Pension Fund which has been described by council officers as “miraculous”, going from a funding level of just 35% to 129%, with a £1 billion surplus.

Read more: 

• City council to make formal complaint about policing in Ripon
• Exclusive: Council invests £70m into climate-damaging fossil fuel companies
• £4.9bn North Yorkshire pension fund struggles to offload holdings in Russia

Officers said even with the loss of the Russian holdings the funding level would remain well above 128% funding level.

Despite this, opposition councillors have questioned why those managing the pension fund did not withdraw the Russian investments as the prospect of war mounted over several weeks.

Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the opposition on the county council, said it had been clear Russia was an unsuitable place to invest in since its invasion of Crimea in 2014, and those concerns had been heightened by Russia’s actions such as the Salisbury novichok posoinings.

He said many of the 97,000 people invested in the fund would recoil in horror at the thought of their contributions bolstering the Russian economy and regime.

While the pension fund’s managers already invest within parameters, it is understood some bosses overseeing the fund will examine whether it is possible to further restrict where and how the pension fund can be used in future.

Cllr John Weighell, who led the county council for 14 years and now chairs the Pension Fund Committee, said fund managers were instructed to go over and above ethical criteria, with a commitment to “responsible investments”.

He added the pension fund had a responsibility to generate returns for its contributors so councillors would never direct experts it employed about individual investments.

Asked why the Russian investments had not been withdrawn before the invasion, Cllr Weighell said the Russian action had not been foreseeable as there had not been such a conflict in Europe for many decades.

A spokesman for the North Yorkshire Pension Fund said it was working with fund managers and its investment advisers to determine the most appropriate action in the longer term.

He said: 

“We are saddened by and strongly condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  

“Given the current circumstances we have immediately suspended making any further investments in Russia, and continue to review our existing investments including our approach to exiting in due course as and when markets permit.”