EXCLUSIVE: Rob Northfield resigns as Harrogate Railway chairmanWATCH: Harrogate Railway’s new chairman on money, ambitions and having funNew chairman of North Yorkshire Council appointed

A new chairman has been appointed ahead of the launch of North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr David Ireton, a self-employed butcher and farmer, was elected as the county council’s chair at the full council meeting this week. He has served as the interim chair following the death of his predecessor, Cllr Margaret Atkinson, in November last year.

The new council will launch on April 1, when it replaces Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining district authorities.

Cllr Ireton, who represents Bentham & Ingleton, said:

“I was lucky enough to serve as deputy chair alongside Margaret and her passing came as a huge shock and with great sadness to everybody who had the pleasure of working with her over the years.

“I am honoured to be taking on this role as we launch the new council in April which will deliver many benefits. We now have just one set of councillors who will be accountable for all services, so it’s clear who represents each area.

“There’s also the prospect of a devolution deal in the coming year, which represents a huge opportunity to take on more decision-making powers. It is certainly a time of change for North Yorkshire and I’m proud to be part of it.”

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Cllr Ireton was first elected to the county council in 1999 and has been a Craven district councillor since May 1998. He also sits on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Meanwhile, Cllr Roberta Swiers, who represents Clayton, was appointed vice chair of the council.

Both will be in post until May this year.

Business Breakfast: Cloud Nine develops its own photo studios

The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. Early bird tickets are available until February 9. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. 

Global hair and beauty brand, Cloud Nine, has opened two new studios at its Harrogate headquarters, bringing all previously outsourced photo and video shoots in-house.

The beauty company says the aim of the new studio is to develop the creative, commercial and media skills of its team.

The hair and skin stylist area has mirrors and lights with different coloured walls to suit models with different skin tones. There’s also a Green Room designed for the models and guests to relax in before and after each shoot.

CEO Martin Rae, who launched the business with his brother, Gavin, in 2009, said:

“We have created our own studios for two very good reasons. The first is we have a fantastically talented team based within our Harrogate headquarters, who are eager to create their own campaigns, from inception through to execution”.

“And secondly, harnessing the artistic skills of our own people makes perfect business sense, and will benefit us commercially”.

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Knaresborough business group supports Ukraine

A lorry full of of medical equipment, blankets and warm clothing, supplied Knaresborough charity PhysioNet and the town’s Rotary Club, is due to arrive in Ukraine today.

The lorry left Knaresborough five days ago and has made its way to Zaporizhzhia in the South East of Ukraine.

Knaresborough Rotary President and Chairman of Physionet, David Kaye, said:

“This is the sixth PhysioNet consignment for Ukraine. The £6,000 transport costs have been paid for entirely by Rotary in Yorkshire”.

PhysioNet was founded in 2005 by Knaresborough Rotarian Peter Thompson.

It collects and refurbishes discarded mobility and physiotherapy equipment – including wheelchairs, Zimmer frames, crutches and walking sticks – and redistributes it for use by the disabled in developing countries.

 

PhysioNet and Rotary volunteers gave up their Saturday morning to load the lorry for Zaporizhzhia.

Ripon councillor elected as county council chairman

A Ripon councillor has been elected as the new chairman of North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Stuart Martin, a retired firefighter who has represented Ripon south on the authority since 2017, was voted in at a meeting yesterday. He will chair the county council for the next 12 months.

Although Cllr Martin is a Conservative, the role of chairman is apolitical. He will be responsible for promoting the council at civic and ceremonial events as well as chair full county council meetings.

Cllr Martin was until last month mayor of Harrogate borough. He also represents Ripon Moorside ward on both Harrogate Borough Council and Ripon City Council.

Cllr Margaret Atkinson, who represents the Conservatives in Masham and Fountains division, has been elected as deputy chair of the county council.

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Cllr Martin said he wanted to commemorate Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day more appropriately during his time in the position.

He said:

“I am looking forward to supporting organisations and charities as much as possible as we open up and I am looking at setting up a chairman’s fund, because so many charities have taken such a hit over the last 18 months.

“It is essential that the civic side of things carries on and whoever is in this role continues to support businesses and the community. I know from previously being mayor of Ripon and of Harrogate district how appreciative businesses and organisations are of that support.

“It is vital we open slowly and don’t try to rush things, but as things open up I am keen to help. I think it is important that we all try to do our bit to help.”

 

Proposal to close NHS dentist in Harrogate

An NHS dentist in Harrogate could close and move its patients to Starbeck if planned changes go ahead.

Chatsworth House Dental Centre, based on Kings Road, sent out letters to its patients to tell them about the plans to merge with Starbeck Dental Centre.

Under the proposals, patients would need to travel 1.7 miles to the practice on Starbeck High Street – a six-minute drive or more than 30-minute walk.

The service provider, Target Dental Group, has not formally approached the NHS with its proposal and it is unclear what the timescale is for the closure.

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In the letter to patients, the provider said the merger would create a hub of dental services and “create an even greater patient experience”.

“Starbeck Dental Centre is situated in a modern spacious building. It is able to offer a broad range of services alongside full disabled access, modern facilities and easy access via public transport.”

The Stray Ferret approached the provider for a comment but received no response by the time of publication.

How easy is it to get an NHS dentist in Harrogate?

The proposed closure of Chatsworth House Dental Centre will likely prompt fears about NHS dentist spaces in Harrogate.

Of the 11 NHS dentists in the town, only the Harrogate Dental Centre on Hookstone Park is advertising for new adult NHS patients. South Park Dental Practice is also advertising for child places up to the age of 18.

Currently, NHS dentists are not taking on any new patients because of the coronavirus pandemic. That could change by October, depending on guidance at the time.

Harrogate BID – what went wrong and where does it go from here?

Harrogate BID was established in the course of 2018 with the aim of giving businesses a greater say in the way their town developed.

It was always supposed to be business-led – a fundamental rule of all BIDs is that they cannot be used to replace the work of local authorities. The blurring of the lines between the BID, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, however, lies at the heart of today’s resignations.

Harrogate BID is a limited company and is funded through a levy that is paid by all the business rate payers within a designated BID area, in addition to the business rates bill.  The levy in Harrogate’s case earns the BID more than £500,000 a year.

Because its properties fall within the BID area, Harrogate Borough Council is a significant contributor to that income, and its leader, Coun Richard Cooper, sits on the BID board alongside NYCC’s corporate director for business and environmental services, David Bowe. With Sgt Alex Sellars of North Yorkshire Police, they fill the three public sector positions on the board of 15.

Local authority representation is recommended in the government’s best practice advice to BIDs. It says:

“It is essential that you establish a positive relationship with your Local Authority. It is important you identify a key contact at the authority and keep them informed of progress at every stage.
“An authority will have its own plans for the area and will need to appreciate the benefits to businesses and the community of having a BID. It will want to be assured that the BID arrangements complement and preferably enhance the local authority’s proposals.
“Ideally the local authority will have a seat on the BID Board. The authority and BID will need to agree the additional services the BID intends to deliver.”

According to the four who resigned today, however, that relationship has hampered Harrogate BID’s ability to progress its plans for the benefit of its levy payers. After today’s resignations, all three of the board’s positions for independent businesses are vacant.

Changes to the board

In the spring of 2019 in the BID’s first newsletter, the then chairman, John Fox, talked of “exciting projects” to help attract more footfall to Harrogate.

However, in the months that passed, the BID struggled to find a way of working: only three of the current 15 board members have been in place since this time last year. John Fox stepped down at the end of 2019 and a manager appointed last July left the post within four months.

Today’s letter of resignation by its new chairman – only appointed in March – and three other board members, all from the private sector, shows how frustrated and disempowered they felt at not being able to get things done – how BID proposals were either resisted or subject to “endless debate” about the local authorities’ work. There were arguments too over what was the council’s responsibility and what was the BID’s.

The Harrogate BID website says the aim of the BID is to “empower local businesses to tackle local issues…” Today’s letter makes clear that the Chairman and directors who resigned have no faith in the ability of the BID to tackle Harrogate’s issues – which, they say, run much deeper than its board is willing to admit.

Simon Kent is interim manager at Harrogate BID

Interim BID manager, Simon Kent

Earlier this week, the new interim BID manager, Simon Kent, told The Stray Ferret he wanted “to turn conversations and plans into real actions” and outlined its priorities. Mr Kent’s job to achieve those goals got a whole load more difficult today.

There are questions now for the two local authorities about how they have worked with the BID and how they can answer the criticism levied at them in the resignation letter.

Concluding their letter with a warning that Harrogate was struggling before the current lockdown, the chairman and directors say “the reality of the situation is becoming very serious indeed” for Harrogate town centre. There is huge pressure now on remaining board members to make levy payers feel their contribution was worth it and for the BID, despite the current circumstances, to deliver some meaningful results.