Review finds Harrogate 2019 UCI cycling championships ‘effectively closed’ town centre

A draft review into Harrogate’s controversial hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships has found that there was a perception that the event “effectively closed” the centre of the town for a month.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which has been published ahead of a meeting on July 4 where it will be considered.

The report found that while there was a place for shorter events which “portray Harrogate and North Yorkshire in a good light, nationally and throughout the world”, residents and businesses considered the road closures for the UCI “unacceptable”.

It also concluded that “in future greater priority should be given to serving the needs of those who live, work and create wealth and employment in this great town and district”.

The nine-day cycling event was hailed by organisers as a “once in a lifetime moment” for Harrogate, but was also criticised by businesses and residents in the town who had complaints about disruptions during road closures.

Fifteen recommendations have been made as part of the review, which are aimed at assisting the planning of major events in North Yorkshire in future.

‘Effectively closed’ Harrogate

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who chaired the cross-party review, said in a foreword for the report that the review was “wide-ranging” and considered the views of residents, businesses and others.

He said that one conclusion reached by the committee was that there was a “common perception” that the set-up and dismantling of the UCI shut off the town centre to residents.

Cllr Brown said:

“An important conclusion reached was that there was a common perception that the event effectively closed down the centre of Harrogate not just for the nine days of the UCI but for nearly a month including set up and dismantling and this was considered unacceptable to many residents and businesses in the town.”

The UCI World Cycling Championships came to Harrogate in 2019. Credit: Tony Bailey

The review has made a number of recommendations including involving residents in planning events at an “early stage” and including Harrogate Borough Council on the board of large scale events.

Other recommendations include early engagement on large events and hosting short events in the district in order to “minimise disruption for local residents”.

Cllr Brown added:

“The recommendations and an outline of the findings of the review are presented in this summary report and have taken into account the views and evidence from residents and organisations about this major event in Harrogate.

“It is intended that they assist the planning and hosting of major future events in North Yorkshire.”

Separate reviews

The review is separate to an economic impact study carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

This study concluded the championships resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million and was watched by a global television audience of 329 million.

It also said 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it.

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However, it did not take into account a reported drop in earnings for some businesses, whose complaints rumbled on long after the event was held.

Based in Harrogate as the host town, the championships were held in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years after a joint-bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the government’s sport and culture department.

The event organisers were Yorkshire 2019 – a now-dissolved company which was set up by the government and later contributed £35,500 towards the West Park Stray repair costs.

A further £95,000 was spent on park upgrades by Harrogate Borough Council which spent a total of £606,000 on hosting the event.

The biggest single cost was £200,000 for the fan zone on West Park Stray.

Findings of UCI review to be published before end of the year

The findings of a council-run review into Harrogate’s hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships could be revealed before the end of this year.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are running the review into the cycling event, which was hailed as a success by organisers but criticised by many businesses and residents who had complaints over road closures and diversions.

The nine-day event will also be remembered for leaving West Park Stray severely damaged after it was used as a spectator area during heavy rainfall, with repairs works and upgrades later costing £130,000.

Cllr Nick Brown, who is one of several councillors leading the cross-party review, told a meeting on Monday that the commission had asked residents to give their views on the event as part of a consultation which will now be opened up to businesses.

He said: 

“The public consultation has been undertaken – we have got about 700 responses which for a consultation is quite a lot.

“Those have been analysed and we are going to do some further consultation with the business community and a number of other organisations.

“This has taken rather longer than I would have liked, but obviously we have had covid so it has not been a very easy time.

“We will hopefully have a report to the commission in December.”

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If the findings are published in December, it will mark more than two years since the event was held in September 2019 when hundreds of international cyclists competed in races starting in different towns and cities across Yorkshire but with each finishing in Harrogate.

The review of the event was launched last year with the aim of “building on its successes and identifying any areas for improvement to inform the organisation of future events,” the council previously said.

It is also separate to an economic impact study of the event which was carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

The study concluded the championships was watched by a global television audience of 329 million and resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million.

However, it did not take into account losses by businesses affected by road closures and a reported drop in town centre footfall – something the new review is aiming to cover.

UCI World Championships caused ‘major disruption’ in Harrogate, says report

A new report into the UCI Road World Championships 2019 has said the event inspired people to cycle more — but had a ‘major disruptive impact on the community in Harrogate’.

The study commissioned jointly by British Cycling, Sport England and UK Sport found that 45% of those surveyed said they would take up cycling or cycle more after watching the event.

The 11-day event in September 2019 received a hostile response from many local businesses because road closures hampered trade. The event also caused £130,000 worth of damage to the West Park Stray.

The report, compiled by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, covers awareness of the event, its perceived impacts, and the extent to which it influenced changes in physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual and community development.

It found that:

But the report adds:

“There were also some negative consequences of the Road World Championships expressed by host community residents surveyed, particularly in Harrogate, where respondents were critical of the inconvenience and disruption due to the prolonged road closures compared with other host locations such as Doncaster and Leeds.

“Another sticking point in Harrogate was the damage caused to a section of the Stray – a protected public area of green space – where the Championship Fan Zone was located.

“The event was seen to have had a major disruptive impact on the community in Harrogate, which is illustrated starkly by Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refrain temporarily from hosting major events of this scale.”

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Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the report showed the UCI Road World Championships had inspired people to get more involved in sport.

He added:

“It is inevitable that hosting an international event of this scale can cause some disruption on day-to-day life.

“But the global television audience has no doubt left a lasting impression on what Yorkshire and specifically the Harrogate district has to offer. This will no doubt encourage a number of visits in the future which our tourist economy so desperately needs.

“It was also positive to read that the volunteering opportunities the event created has had a lasting impression on those involved.”

Rod Findlay, British Cycling’s business services director, said:

“The 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire was a truly momentous celebration of cycling, and from the report published today it’s clear that the legacy of those nine days of racing will be felt for many years to come.”

Review into UCI

Last week, a public survey into the UCI championships, which were held in Harrogate, closed.

Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee set up the review to build on “its successes and identifying any areas for improvement to inform the organisation of future events”.

However, questions were raised over why the committee decided to hold a review on the UCI two years after the event.

Council Stray repairs contract given under ‘urgent circumstances’

A controversial council decision to bring in Lancashire based contractors to restore West Park Stray was made under “urgent circumstances” – seven months after the UCI World Cycling Championships.

Details seen by The Stray Ferret show the six-month contract handed to Glendale Services is worth an estimated £40,926.29 and was a direct appointment by the council in April, meaning it was not put out to competitive tender.

At the time, the decision to outsource to Glendale was met with fierce criticism from local contractors who said they were “absolutely disgusted” that they weren’t invited to tender for the work.

Harrogate Borough Council brought in the Chorley-based company to restore the Stray which was left with a £130,000 repair bill following the cycling championships.

Glendale have since started reseeding work, which council bosses say will be complete by September.

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Liberal Democrat county councillor, Geoff Webber, who asked the borough council through a Freedom of Information request about the contract, said he was disappointed that there was no competition for the work.

He said: “It is particularly disappointing to see this contact go to an ‘out of area’ company when the county council has been running a campaign for individuals and businesses to ‘shop local’.  

“I understand that there were at least two reputable local companies who could have carried out this work, possibly cheaper, but were not even given the chance to tender.”

 

Aerial shot of The Stray taken recently yet to be seeded.

Mark Smith, Managing Director of local contractor HACS, described the urgent decision as “rubbish”.

He told The Stray Ferret:

“I’ve never heard of such rubbish in my life. How could an event that happened last Autumn be urgent?

“They had six months from when the damage was done to appoint a contractor. We’ve had the driest spring on record so if a contractor had been appointed earlier they could have hit the ground running and seeded it earlier. Now, they’ve missed the optimum Spring sowing date for grass seed.”

The council expects the overall works to the Stray to cost £129,971:

Yorkshire 2019, the organisers of the UCI, has agreed to pay £35,500 to help restore the Stray.

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment on the urgent decision, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Why bring in contractors from Lancashire for the Stray restoration?

Two Harrogate-based contractors have questioned why the council is bringing in contractors from Lancashire to restore the Stray.

Harrogate Borough Council this week outlined details of its £130,000 plan to be carried out by Glendale Services, from Chorley.

Representatives from HACS Construction Group and Ray Skelton, firms with significant experience in groundworks and landscaping, wanted the council to look closer to home at a time when many are struggling financially.

Mark Smith, from HACS, told the Stray Ferret that he is “absolutely disgusted”  that the council did not ask local firms to tender for the work.

“They are bringing in workers from Chorley in Lancashire and not supporting local firms. 70% of my staff are furloughed and I have all the equipment to do the work. It’s a disgrace. Local firms should have had the opportunity to price for the main work – the only thing I was asked to price for was the corner work”

They feel that part of the problem with the UCI Championships last year was because the organisers did not understand that the Stray is more than a patch of grass to the residents of Harrogate. Stuart Skelton also said that the council did not ask his firm to tender for the work.

“How do they know if it’s best value? Why get a company outside Harrogate? A local firm understands how important the Stray is to the town.”

The Stray Ferret took these concerns to Harrogate Borough Council. The council responded by saying it welcomes any local businesses that wish to join its database and sent us information about how to register as a supplier.

Both companies pointed out that they have been doing work for the council for decades.

Will the year-long restoration be enough?

HACS Construction and the Stray Defence Association have also questioned whether the restoration, which is estimated to be complete a year after the UCI, will be a long term solution.

Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret that, before any re-seeding, the main area of West Park Stray that was damaged needs to be properly drained.

He has also warned that what’s being done is “cosmetic” and any big event held thereafter next year could see a repeat of the problem. He outlined what he felt needs to be done:

The Stray Defence Association has made a statement in which it questions whether the work will be enough:

“After seven months without use of West Park Stray, eight if you include the usage by the UCI, we are pleased that at long last something appears to be happening after many weeks of spring weather when, surely,  work could have begun. Whether what is planned will be both proficient and sufficient remains to be seen. We were told initially that the ‘drainage issues’ were going to be resolved prior to any restoration. Has this in fact been done or will the Stray be dug up again for future work?

“Also, other experts have given details of much more complex renovations which they believe should be undertaken. Will our Stray actually be properly restored? This was a clearly stipulated condition, asked for by the SDA and granted, when the government agreed to the Stray being used for this event last year. Whatever the case Harrogate’s people, to whom the Stray belongs, must be told the truth.”

EXCLUSIVE: Harrogate council will spend more than £200,000 restoring the Stray

The Stray Ferret can reveal that Harrogate Borough Council will spend more than £200,000 on the Stray’s restoration after the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

The council confirmed it has set aside “revenue expenditure of £150,000 or more” this financial year for the work. That’s on top of the £51,000 it had already spent up to the end of January this year.

Lawnmowers are out on the Stray today with scarifying and re-seeding work starting this week. The restoration work is set to continue until autumn – a year on from when the championships started.

One thing that is unclear is who will foot the restoration bill. It could be Harrogate Borough Council and so ultimately the council taxpayers, Yorkshire 2019 Ltd which was set up to run the event, or their insurers.

The Stray in March this year

What has the council done to restore the Stray?

By the end of January, the council had spent £51,000 on repair work, re-seeding on the West Park section and installing protective netting.

As of February, it had repaired damaged verges, restored bedding, repaired and opened all footpaths, and installed netting around waterlogged and unsafe areas.

The council has not released details of its restoration work since then or exactly what the £150,000 will be spent on. When asked for an update on progress, a council spokesperson said:

“We are addressing the historical drainage issues in the top corner of West Park Stray as well as re-seeding work.”

As well as repairing the damage, the work could include addressing the long-standing problem of flooding on West Park Stray, particularly if future events are being considered. Although, the council has said it is not taking bookings for the Stray until 2021.

The Stray back in October after the championships. Photo: The Stray Defence Association

The Stray Defence Association (SDA) has safeguarded the Stray since it formed in 1933 and was particularly outspoken when the UCI Road World Championships devastated the grounds.

While the SDA says it is sympathetic to council employees for the criticism they have received, it has been dedicated to pushing the council for answers and action ever since the championships.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, from the SDA, told The Stray Ferret:

“I would venture to suggest that, understandably, whilst many will be angered that the SDA, or anyone, is taking an interest in the restoration of West Park Stray during the current exceptional circumstances, there are many who do wish to know. If nothing else, its renovation would make exercise and social distancing easier and, hopefully, there will be a time in the not too distant future when the people of Harrogate, especially the young footballers and school children, might also be able to use it freely again.”