Staff have made allegations of bullying, harassment and undermining at Harrogate Borough Council.

As part of an ongoing review into pay at the authority, some staff responded to a survey with claims that their bosses “work together to threaten” and “get what they want” from more junior colleagues.

One member of staff said in a report that the council “bullies and harasses its staff regularly,” adding:

“I have been on the receiving end of this – the lies, being made to feel incompetent, being bullied and harassed on returning to work.

“Harrogate Borough Council needs to take a long hard look at itself.”

Reacting to the allegations, David Houlgate, secretary of the trade union Unison Harrogate, which represents council workers, said the claims were “not a surprise”. But he added he did not believe there was a “culture” of bullying at the authority:

“The council is a large employer with over 1,000 staff. It is sadly inevitable that bullying behaviour will and does occur.

“The council has policies and procedures to deal with these. When our members come to us with complaints we fully expect the council to engage with us and fully respond and resolve the issues being raised.

“If we feel this is not happening, then we do involve our legal representatives but this does not happen very often.”

A spokesperson for the council said there had been two complaints of inappropriate behaviour and one grievance regarding bullying and harassment raised in 2021. These are currently under investigation.

In 2020, one grievance was raised regarding bullying and harassment with no further action taken at either stages one or two of the grievance procedure.

And in 2019, one complaint of bullying and harassment was investigated and an appropriate level of warning issued.

The spokesperson said: “Sadly, at some time or another, all employers will have to deal with bullying and/or harassment in their workplace.

“It is something we will not stand for and any incident is dealt with in accordance our behaviour policy. Thankfully, these reports are very few and far between.

“It is encouraging to see that the Local Government Association agree that our new pay and grading structure is consistent with the national position.”

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The allegations were made as part of a review into pay, which could see 17 of the council’s most senior staff next month get pay rises totalling around £133,000 between them.

Meanwhile, mainstream workers, who had their pay structure reviewed more recently two years ago, are currently in negotiations for a further rise.

This is after a study concluded the recruitment and retention of staff was challenging and that pay was a factor.

Out of the 553 employees who responded to the survey held in August, over 80% gave pay as one of the main reasons why they would consider quitting their jobs.

Mr Houlgate said staff have been offered a “derisory” 1.5% pay rise this year – an increase which he believes does not go far enough to recognise them as the “unsung heroes” of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Unison has been clear for a long time that levels of pay for council staff has been a major contributory factor in relation to recruitment and retention issues.

“We have seen a decade of staff being overworked and undervalued whilst enduring significant real term pay cuts, redundancies and increased workloads.

“The council now seems to be waking up to this and says it is putting things in place to tackle these issues but we have real concerns about the timeframe it has set and whether it will deliver on these.

“This needs to happen now otherwise people will leave.”

As well as the bullying and harassment allegations, and complaints over pay, several staff also responded to the survey with positive comments about working at the council.

Positive comments from the survey

• “The fact that the council offers a free mental health service is a great benefit to the whole council.”

• “I really have no intention to leave at the moment because I enjoy my job. It offers challenge, variety, flexibility etc.”
• “The council is a great place to work, however the pay is not competitive with other local authorities.”

• “I have really enjoyed working for Harrogate Borough Council and have been able to progress and work flexibly.”

Negative comments from the survey

• “Harrogate Borough Council bullies and harasses its staff regularly. HR and managers, including directors work together to threaten, undermine and bully the staff to get what they want. I have been on the receiving end of this, the lies, being made to feel incompetent, being bullied and harassed on returning to work.”

• “Employees over 50 aren’t valued. I have heard more than one manager say that employees over 50 are ‘a threat to the organisation’.”
• “I feel Harrogate Borough Council is lagging behind other authorities in its pay levels and it impacts on our ability to recruit and keep good staff.”
• “The council acts as though they care but it is clear they do not and also they do not have staff trained to offer support when it is requested hence my response to the council not caring about health and wellbeing – it is all lip service and rather patronising when we have real work to do and deadlines.”
• “Some managers do not care about feelings or wellbeing which makes a complete mockery of the council.

• “There is very little in the way of career progression at Harrogate Borough Council – it is very much ‘dead men’s shoes’.”

Do you have experience of bullying at the council? Write to us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

A trade union has warned that almost half of Harrogate Borough Council‘s museum and tourism staff could lose their jobs in a “dumbing down” of the services.

Unison Harrogate local government branch added the move could also cause “huge reputational damage to the district and the council and also impact on much-needed income generation”.

It urged the council to reconsider its plans, which are part of a staff review instigated in the wake of the creation of a new destination management organisation in September.

The organisation will, according to the council, “ensure the best possible visitor experience and make the district of Harrogate a must visit destination for leisure and business tourists alike”.

But its plans to merge Visit Harrogate, the convention centre’s marketing team and the tourist information centres have met opposition from Unison.

David Houlgate, Unison branch secretary, said the proposals could lead to “a reduction in staffing of nearly 50%” as well as new ways of working that would worsen the service provided and pose risks to staff safety.

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Remaining staff would have to carry out “hybrid roles” as tourist information and museum posts are merged and visitors would be denied seeing as many staff.

Mr Houlgate said:

“We have been through many reviews at Harrogate Borough Council over the past 10 or so years and technology has enabled some automation and rationalisation but you cannot deliver museum services online, you need people in place to engage with visitors and know what they are talking about and if the full proposals go through there simply won’t be enough staff to do that, nor will they have time to enhance their knowledge through training or professional development.

“There may have in recent years been a shift in how the public accesses tourist information but it has not got to the stage where a physical presence is not needed.”

A source alerted the Stray Ferret last month to concerns staff would be made redundant if they didn’t accept new roles. It is believed up to 30 staff are affected by the changes.

Mr Houlgate called on the authority to put the plans back in order to “fully engage with staff in visitor, cultural and museum services”.

He said:

“This will enable the focus to be on the new place marketing, event bureau and partnership and commercial development functions, so that these can get successfully established and embedded in their own right and staff can be fully engaged and involved with the process throughout.

“It will also enable the council to fully engage with staff in visitor, cultural and museum services too and allow time to explore a number of opportunities and options staff have identified regarding increased footfall, enhanced income generation and service improvement.  This should maintain and build on the current service provision with the aim of complimenting the new functions being introduced.

“It would seem at odds that the new destination management organisation has been set up to position Harrogate as an exceptional place to live, visit, meet and invest and yet at the same time it’s cultural and heritage offer is being downgraded.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“The destination management organisation for the district of Harrogate will bring together the strengths of Visit Harrogate, the convention centre’s marketing team and the tourist information centres.

“This collaboration will ensure the best possible visitor experience and make the district of Harrogate a must visit destination for leisure and business tourists alike.

“This DMO will also work closely with Think Harrogate, Harrogate BID, and other organisations such as Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association to further strengthen the economic impact and support the district’s recovery plans following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As part of the DMO being established, we will be ensuring we have the right roles across the organisation to help deliver these aims and provide best value for the tax payer.

“These proposals are still being developed and will involve a consultation with staff.”

The trade union Unison has expressed concerns that some Harrogate Borough Council may have to use public toilets during office hours.

Knaresborough Tourist Information Centre is currently located in the town’s library.

But it is due to move to the Courthouse Museum, in the grounds Knaresborough Castle, in June.

Unison is concerned the museum does not have adequate on-site toilet facilities, forcing staff to use public toilets on Cheapside.

David Houlgate, Unison Harrogate branch secretary, said:

“We understand that for very many years staff at the courthouse museum have been expected to use the public toilets near to Cheapside.  Of course this was never really acceptable but now with the Tourist Information Centre re-locating there will be more staff, probably longer opening hours and increased footfall.

“Whilst public toilets are OK if people are caught short when out and about in the town they are not suitable to be the designated toilets for staff working in an indoor environment promoting the town and wider district.

“There is also no guarantee that they will be open when needed.”

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Mr Houlgate said if the council could not provide toilets, it should make an arrangement with a nearby organisation to allow council staff to use their toilets.

He added these concerns were put to the council when the move was first discussed in 2019 but they hadn’t been addressed. He also questioned what consultation had taken place.

The move to the museum was delayed due to the pandemic but is now scheduled to take place in June.

Disabled access also a concern

Unison also raised concerns about the tourist information centre’s disabled access. Mr Houlgate said:

“Whilst there is some provision to get in and out of the Courthouse, the nature of the building may restrict access within which is not ideal and may even be discriminatory.”

The union has asked the council if there has been an equality impact assessment in relation to the move.

Harrogate Borough Council has been contacted for a response.

Union officials have lodged a formal dispute to Harrogate Borough Council over the cost of staff working from home.

Unison said the authority refuses to cover any additional costs incurred by remote working and had been doing so for a full year.

It added that union officials had made “reasonable and legitimate” requests for the borough council to pay a tax free allowance of £6 a week for those who have no choice but to work from home.

But, the council said less than 50% of its staff are working from home and it had ensured that all of them are aware of the tax relief available from HMRC for working from home.

The tax relief offered by the government offers people who have to work from home the chance to claim costs based upon the rate in which they pay tax.

For example, a person who pays 20% basic rate claiming relief on £6 per week would receive £1.20 per week.

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David Houlgate, branch secretary for Unison Harrogate Local Government branch, said the relief from HMRC “does not come close” to covering increased costs of working from home.

He said:

“Staff have incurred increased gas, electric and water bills as a result of working from home and are in effect being asked to subsidise the council in delivering its services. Against this are the savings in these very same utilities that we believe the council is making by way of staff working from home and council sites being closed or sparsely occupied.

“It should be noted that we do not accept any argument that staff are saving on travel costs. This may benefit some but by no means all.

“The dispute also includes an issue around mileage because of a deferral by the council on a decision relating to Unison’s request for the council to change its policy on mileage to reflect the fact that the workplace has now in effect changed by way of staff being forced to work from home. 

“Ordinarily staff who use their own vehicles on council business can claim for mileage when doing so but only from the established workplace. Unison believes that the workplace is no longer the office but is in fact the home.”

In response, a council spokeswoman said:

“In a time when many employers are going out of business, making redundancies or putting staff on furlough we have managed to ensure no one has been put in this position. This has been achieved by being in a relatively strong financial position before the pandemic, redeploying staff to other council services and being extremely cautious with our finances over the last 12-months.

“We have ensured that staff who are working at home as a result of the ongoing global pandemic – which we believe to be less than 50% of all employees – are aware of the HMRC tax relief for additional household costs. This tax relief is backdated for the 2020/21 tax year and equates to £62.40 for the basic tax payer. Any member of staff who believes they have higher costs than £6 a week, can claim via the HMRC.

“A vast proportion of office-based staff are also saving on travel costs, whether public transport or their own vehicles.”

The trade union Unison is seeking urgent talks on the future of Harrogate Borough Council leisure and sports centre staff when venues close this week.

Leisure centres and gyms across the district will shut on Thursday following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a second lockdown in England.

Unison’s local government branch has asked to meet senior managers at the council to discuss the future of those affected.

Union officials said they will be seeking clarity on the futures of staff in sport, leisure and parks, as well as on whether the civic centre should remain open to visitors.

Many council staff, including leisure employees, were redeployed to other services during the spring lockdown to deal with extra demand.

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David Houlgate, branch secretary at Unison Harrogate, said council staff had ‘gone the extra mile’ during the pandemic and there was a need to know what would happen to them. He said:

“We have worked tirelessly with the council through the pandemic and we remain hopeful that, provided appropriate health and safety protocols are maintained and followed, HBC will continue to deliver much needed services and support to residents and businesses in the district.”

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We are currently having discussions regarding staffing arrangements following the latest government restrictions.”

Discussions have been held between the council and trade unions over plans to transfer sport and leisure services to a private company.

Unison has this morning confirmed that it has met with Harrogate Borough Council representatives to discuss the proposal to form a Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC) to run its leisure facilities.

Unison branch secretary David Houlgate said:

“We are thankful that the Council is now talking to us and the meeting yesterday was helpful.  We are also pleased that the Council has let us have some written detail too.  We need to take a good look at that but already we can make the following observations:

“Clearly the council has ambitious plans for new and upgraded facilities and we cautiously welcome this but it has to be remembered that sport and leisure is a discretionary service so we would not wish to see high spending in this area impact on other, more critical, services elsewhere which could put jobs at risk.”

As well as the council’s six six leisure centres and its Active Health service, the plans could include transferring Little Explorers Day Nursery, the Turkish Baths, and community centres in Jennyfield, Fairfax and Knaresborough to the LACC.

According to a report set to be considered by HBC’s cabinet next week, transferring services stands to save £222,000 in business rates and £76,000 in VAT, with improved financial performance of £130,000 per year. There would be additional costs of £144,000, leaving savings of £284,000 per year, in the council’s figures.

The council has projected an increase in revenue of around £500,000 – equivalent to 10 percent of its current income – as a result of being run by a single-focus company.

The report also states that the council commissioned four studies into its leisure services in and alternative ways of delivering them, in 2018. It adds:

“SLL’s final report was presented to Cabinet on December 16, 2019 and as a result cabinet agreed in principle to progress the creation of a Company to run its sport and leisure facilities and services.”

Discussions between HBC and unions this week follow a public disagreement between them. Unison said on Monday it was disappointed that the council had failed to make any contact with its members – a claim which HBC branded “ridiculous”.

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• Unions speak out about the lack of communication on plans which have “no overwhelming public support”
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The council consulted with residents last month about the proposals. In the report to cabinet, the results show 46 percent of the 433 people who responded either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the plans. Twenty-seven percent agreed or strongly agreed, while 27 percent neither agreed nor disagreed.

“We have seen the council report and it would appear that this decision was actually taken last year, so we do wonder what the point of the recent resident’s survey was.  Having now seen the survey responses it does seem to confirm our view that there is not much support from the 433 residents who responded, for sport and leisure to be run by a LACC.”

The union has welcomed measures to protect employees, including keeping them in the local government pension scheme. However, it raised concerns about changing terms and conditions after the LACC is formed, and the possibility that an outside provider will be found to run services in future.

The proposals to create the LACC will be put before the council’s cabinet when it meets online next Wednesday, June 17.

Harrogate Borough Council has described union concerns that the authority is being tight-lipped over its leisure plans as “ridiculous”.

The authority was responding to concerns from Unison that the council had not kept union bosses informed over proposals and that it had “no overwhelming support”.

But, the council said the plan, which it has consulted residents on, will save the authority £400,000 a year.

It comes as the council faces an estimated £15 million deficit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report due before the authority’s cabinet next week, the company would be called Brimham’s Active and has a target set up date of August 2021.

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If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

Unison bosses said they were concerned that not enough information had been shared with them about the proposal, but the council has said it would be unrealistic to provide a running commentary on the company.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“For Unison to suggest we have been “tight lipped” is ridiculous.

“The union is aware of the proposal to create a local authority controlled company to manage our sport and leisure services.

“To expect a running commentary while a report is prepared for councillors to consider at next week’s meeting of cabinet is unrealistic.

“The proposal would enable us to save £400,000 a year and invest in new facilities for the benefit of people across the district.

“Our valued colleagues would be transferred to the new company on exactly the same terms and conditions they enjoy now.”

Union bosses in Harrogate have claimed there is no overwhelming public support for council-run leisure services to be handed over to an arms-length company.

Officials from Unison have sought further information on the proposal after they say they have had no contact from the authority on the matter.

Harrogate Borough Council has consulted with residents on plans to hand over services to an authority-run company which it says will save £400,000 a year.

It comes as the council faces an estimated £15 million deficit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more on this story:

• Unions fear jobs are under threat as Harrogate council plans new leisure company
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If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

But unions say they fear that the move could lead to job losses and have requested further information on the survey carried out by the council.

A spokesperson for Unison Harrogate Local Government Branch said today: 

“To date Unison, have had no proactive contact from the council on the LACC, either before or after the consultation period ended.

“We do not believe there is overwhelming public support for such a change so we are seeking further information.

“We have recently requested information on how many residents had previously stated the cost of sport and leisure was too high (at 37p a week), which the council have said is one of the drivers of the move to a LACC.

“We have also requested to know how many residents have responded to the recent survey and what the responses are.

“We do know staff are worried because there has been an increase in our membership in sport and leisure since the proposal became public and our concerns remain around changes to terms and conditions, together with pension provision if staff transfer over.  There should be no doubt that this can happen if the council ultimately decides to go ahead with the transfer.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Who will be running the Ripon’s refurbished and extended Leisure Centre when it eventually opens?

The question arises, with construction workers back in force at the Dallamires Lane site, where a swimming pool will be part of the £10m leisure complex commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council is currently consulting on the possibility of creating a Local Authority Controlled Company or LACC, to run leisure facilities that it owns.

As reported by The Stray Ferret, Ripon Leisure Centre is among the council-owned facilities that would be run by the LACC, if the money-saving proposals go ahead, meaning that staff currently employed directly by the local authority would transfer to the new arm’s-length company – a move which Unison’s Harrogate Local Government Branch says raises concerns about jobs and the terms and conditions that would apply to employees.

The council declined to comment when approached about Unison’s concerns.

Ripon’s new six-lane 25 metre swimming pool will replace the city’s Edwardian Spa Baths, that opened in 1905. It will be part of an extended leisure centre (see artist’s impression above) with new changing rooms, community areas, two dance studios and a ‘spin’ studio. Outside, there will be new play areas, a reconfigured car park and sheltered cycle rack.

Following a shut-down caused by the coronavirus crisis, approximately 30 workers, including management, have been back on site since 30th April and Nick Corrigan, operations director for principal contractor Willmott Dixon, said:

“Work started safely in accordance with public health guidelines and adhering to the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operating Procedures, to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone on site.”

Last week, construction was among the sectors for which the government encouraged workers to resume work, as it revised its lockdown guidance.

Construction sites have to be operated following strict procedures including travel to work, site access and egress, social distancing of employees, hygiene, use of canteens and toilet facilities.