Harrogate council still expecting staff to work from home

Harrogate Borough Council says it expects some staff to continue working from home, despite all covid restrictions now being lifted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to working from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

At a full meeting of councillors last week, Conservative member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, questioned Conservative council leader Richard Cooper about the working from home directive.

The Civic Centre on St Luke’s Avenue off King’s Road cost the council £17m and opened in December 2017.

Cllr Brown said:

“This council spent many millions on the Civic Centre, which has stood almost empty for two years, Given recent directives by the Prime Minister, when can we expect all the council officers usually based at the Civic Centre to be back at their desks?”.

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In response, Cllr Cooper said some staff worked from home before covid hit and will continue to do so.

But he said any decisions about working practices would be made by senior officers and not councillors.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Staff will work from the Civic Centre and other venues when their line managers require them to do so, or when they need to be there for a specific reason, as they did before covid.

“If we think our job as councillors is to dictate who and where people can work, we are mistaken. That’s an operational decision for the chief executive and line managers.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”

Working on Christmas Day: Harrogate taxi driver

Not all heroes wear capes, and while most of us are tucking into our turkey spare a thought for those who are still working on Christmas Day.

Kevin O’Boyle, the owner of Central Taxis in Harrogate, says he has worked every Christmas Day except three in the last 56 years.

Mr O’Boyle may therefore appear more likely to wear a Grinch outfit than a Santa hat on the big day, but he certainly has that special Christmas spirit inside.

He is semi-retired but always steps up to the plate when needed. And he is rarely more needed than on Christmas Day.

Central Taxis has a contract with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust as well as Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

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So when public transport stops on Christmas Day, NHS staff turn to taxis to get them to work. Mr O’Boyle told the Stray Ferret:

“There are quite a number of NHS staff who rely on public transport so when that stops they turn to us for help.

“Not only do we take NHS staff to work but we also do other vital work. Like last Christmas, I was picking up drugs for the hospital from Manchester.”

He may have regrets about missing Christmas with his four children but Mr O’Boyle feels a sense of duty to the NHS so he is willing to make the sacrifice.

So when you are celebrating tomorrow spare a thought for those in the Harrogate district who are working.