The Stray Ferret chaired a hustings event this week as the race to become the county’s first directly elected mayor enters its final three weeks.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Conservative Keane Duncan, the Green Party’s Kevin Foster and Labour’s David Skaith were quizzed in front of a live audience of business owners.

Tamsin O’Brien, the owner of the Stray Ferret, chaired the business-themed event, which was jointly organised by the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Make UK.

Each candidate outlined what they stood for and was quizzed by Ms O’Brien as well as audience members.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister

Ms Cunliffe-Lister is a North Yorkshire councillor and former commercial property lawyer who now owns Swinton Park, near Masham

She said 20,000-acre Swinton Park had doubled in size to employ 150 people and and diversified to include activities such as camping and a cookery school.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“I am the only candidate with the leadership, the business experience and the skills that are essential for this role. I am a politician with a career — I am not a career politician.”

Keane Duncan

Former Daily Star journalist Mr Duncan, who is the executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council, pledged a range of initiatives including free car parking for every town and city, support for dualling of the A64, £1 bus fares for under 21s, the region’s first mutual bank for businesses, and buying and restoring Scarborough’s Grand Hotel.

He said:

“I am standing in this election to shake things up, to do things in a different way, to break from the same old status quo politics that have held our region back for too long.”

Asked whether the mayor will be able to fund such schemes such as free parking, he said his plans for two hours or less of free parking currently costed the council £2.9 million and he would pledge that sum.

Kevin Foster

Mr Foster, the Green Party leader on North Yorkshire Council and a former army reservist, said not being a member of one of the large political parties meant he would be able to unite the different factions at Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council and Labour-run City of York Council.

He talked about the need for “a first class bidding system when we go for grants”, and creating “a better, cleaner, greener place for our businesses”. Mr Foster said:

“If one of the big parties get in it could be politics again as normal. i’ve never been whipped by my party, they would never tell me what to do, I’ve got freedom to make my own choices. I am focused on the task and have leadership skills.”

David Skaith

Harrogate-born Labour candidate David Skaith, who owns a shop and chairs York High Street Forum, said the first thing he would do as mayor would be to introduce a high street fund that would provide access to funding and support for businesses.

Mr Skaith said:

“Coming from having my own business, I don’t believe in having huge bold plans that are not realistic. I can’t buy into that and it’s not how business functions.

“We must build truly affordable homes for ownership and for rent, an integrated transport system with simpler harmonised ticketing system.”

The evening was a selective hustings event, run in accordance with electoral commission guidelines. This meant the Independent candidates, Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam, were not eligible to take part.

Voters go the polls to elect the mayor on May 2.

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This story is sponsored by Worldpay.

Retailers and hospitality providers can now earn free advertising with the Stray Ferret – by switching their payments system to Worldpay. 

The Stray Ferret is a referral partner of the global payment processing company, and has negotiated an agreement that sees everyone win. 

After a client signs up to Worldpay following a Stray Ferret introduction, a small fraction of the Worldpay invoice total is passed to the Stray Ferret. There is no uplift to the invoice total to cover this arrangement. 

Emma Harris, commercial manager at the Stray Ferret, said: 

“This is such a genius arrangement. Our clients are quoted competitive fee structures and get free advertising with us. 

“That counts for a lot. We have about 2.3 million page views each month, and we’re now the district’s most-read online local news source – so advertising with us really works. And when it’s free, what’s not to like?” 

Part of FIS, Worldpay is one of the world’s largest payment processors, handling more than 40 billion transactions a year in 126 currencies, worth more than $1.5 trillion. 

It is trusted by some of the best-known companies in the world, including Google, Microsoft, Sony and Samsung, as well as British household names such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S and Boots. 

Its terminals accept payment from all the main providers, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apply Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay. Clients have access to a dedicated account manager and 24/7 customer support, and the company offers next-business-day machine replacement.

Emma added:

“Worldpay already has a great proposition, but coupled with the option of free advertising with the Stray Ferret, it’s absolutely compelling. If your business takes card payments, this really is a no-brainer.”

Find out more: 

If you’d like to know more about how Worldpay can streamline how you take, make and manage payments, and about accruing free advertising credits with the Stray Ferret, contact Emma Harris at emma@thestrayferret.co.uk.

As the Stray Ferret enters its fourth year of providing the best media coverage of the Harrogate district, we have given our daily newsletter a makeover.

The newsletter provides a round-up of what our journalists have been up to. The new look makes it easier than ever to get a snapshot of what is happening, with links to all the articles.

It includes a nightly introduction from Stray Ferret editor John Plummer as well as a round up of our daily news content, plus Photo of the Week, lifestyle features and in-depth topics.

Mr Plummer said:

“We hope the fresh new look appeals to readers. We are very grateful to everyone who reads the Stray Ferret and hope you continue to support independent local journalism in 2024.”

You can sign up here to the newsletter to keep up to date and get the latest news straight to your inbox.

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Councillors today voted to recommend awarding a civic honour to Harrogate-born England footballer Rachel Daly.

Rachel’s first club — Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — launched a petition this year in conjunction with the Stray Ferret calling on North Yorkshire Council to officially recognise their former player.

The council has done nothing to mark Rachel’s achievements, which include winning Euro 2022, playing in the World Cup final and winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award this year.

The petition received more than the required 500 signatures to make it eligible for debate at the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which met today.

The petition was introduced by John Plummer, the editor of the Stray Ferret, who said:

“It’s difficult to think of anyone in North Yorkshire who has achieved more in recent years or done more to put Harrogate on the map.

“It is time for the council to wake up and realise Rachel Daly is a local superstar who should be celebrated — and honour our home-grown Lioness.”

Mr Plummer said it was “inconceivable that the council would not be falling over backwards to honour, say, Harry Kane if he was from Harrogate”, and it would “raise uncomfortable questions about the council, whose ruling executive is 80% male” if it denied recognition for Rachel, particularly as councillors had set a precedent by renaming Ripon leisure centre after Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher, who grew up in the city.

Rachel Daly on the pitch named after her at Killinghall Moor Community Park.

The petition suggested renaming Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre but Mr Plummer said the council was welcome to come up with an alternative “but it has to be meaningful and on a scale befitting her accomplishments”.

Cllr Michael Schofield, an Independent who represents Harlow and St George’s, said he had spoken to Rachel, who used to visit the Shepherd’s Dog pub he runs, and she had indicated that although she appreciated the support she didn’t feel naming the leisure centre after her was appropriate.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he felt others, including Harrogate’s Paralympic powerlifter Charlotte McGuinness, had an equal right to be recognised.

The council currently has nothing in place for bestowing civic honours.

The 13-person Liberal Democrat-controlled committee voted in favour of recommending the council “develops a civic honours-type scheme for the council and that Rachel Daly’s achievements are recognised through the new scheme”.

Cllr Peter Lacey, a Liberal Democrat who represents Coppice Valley and Duchy, said he hoped the matter could be dealt with swiftly.

Area constituency committees are advisory bodies to the council. It is now up to the council’s Conservative-controlled executive to decide whether to act on its recommendations.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly ranked 10th best player in world
• Football pitch in Killinghall named after local Lioness Rachel Daly

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Yorkshire Water is recruiting 16 new staff for a brand new river health department.

The company has set up the team to deliver a joined-up, region-wide approach to river health across the many organisations and stakeholders in Yorkshire.

The 34-strong team will be working closely with community groups to understand what is important to them and develop a way of working together to improve river health in partnership.

The firm is set to recruit an environmental investigation lead, river health improvement manager, river health partnership and community engagement advisor.

Kevin Reardon, head of river health at Yorkshire Water, said: 

“We are committed as a business to playing our part to further improve river and coastal water quality around the region. The health of our rivers is a key national conversation, and we all have a lot to do to deliver investment in the areas that will make improvements to water quality.

“We know river and coastal water quality is a key priority for our customers and this new department illustrates our commitment to doing the right thing and working hard, alongside other stakeholders, as we begin our largest programme of environmental investment since privatisation.

“Yorkshire Water colleagues are passionate about the environment and we’re currently recruiting for 16 additional roles to help complete our team, which we believe will make further improvements to river health in the next two years and prepare ourselves for the next investment period 2025-2030.”

For more information on the roles available, visit the Yorkshire Water website here.

Stray Ferret to host latest Business Club event

The Stray Ferret will host its latest Business Club event tomorrow with after work drinks at the West Park Hotel.

The event will see guest speaker Craig Hines from 2 Inspire give a talk about the various models that can be applied to support flexible working and the success and pitfalls businesses face in implementing these.

There will also be a chance to meet attendees at the event with a networking session.

Whether you’re looking to expand your professional network, explore potential collaborations, or simply enjoy a refreshing drink after a long day, this event is perfect for you.

The event will be held at the West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5pm and 7pm. You can purchase tickets here.

Read more:

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• Business Breakfast: Harrogate law firm appoints new commercial property solicitor

Hundreds of shoppers basked in the sun last weekend for the Harrogate Fashion Show.

The event, organised by Harrogate Business Improvement District with the Stray Ferret as media partner, saw retailers show off their latest collections.

Models took to the catwalk throughout the day outside Victoria Shopping Centre, which sponsored the event.

A seated area enabled fashionistas and passers-by to soak up the sun and see the latest styles.

The day was divided up into different fashion themes – the summer season, upcycling, wedding wear, Harrogate on the high street, activewear and children’s celebration.

Here are some pictures from Saturday’s event.

Read More:

• Retailers strike a pose at the Harrogate Fashion Show
• Catwalk line up announced for the Harrogate Fashion Show

The Stray Ferret has had a record breaking March, with more than two million page views and almost 300,000 unique users.

The Harrogate district news service, which is now three years old,  has seen consistent growth in readership.

The figures quoted have all been verified by Google Analytics.

More than 30,000 people follow Stray Ferret posts on the various social media channels.

The most read stories in March included hundreds of job losses due to the sudden close of telemarketing firm Amvoc in Harrogate, disruption across the district due to snow fall, Knaresborough tractor run and the closure of the fast food restaurant Leon. 

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

“We set out to provide a service that we thought the residents of the Harrogate district wanted — well written news and information in an easy-to-read digital format. We constantly  aim to be first with the news and be as local as possible.  To have two million page views shows just how much people value this information and are engaged in where they live.

“Our readers tell us how much they like the fact our news content is free of annoying pop-ups or Google ads and we only allow local advertisers who also want to engage local residents — so the whole site is solely for the people and businesses of the district.”

This month also saw the Stray Ferret launch its annual Business Awards and establish a networking Business Club.

Thanks to all our readers and advertisers. Please keep us up to date with your news and views.

Read more:

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• Headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough leaves after 15 years