A former Harrogate councillor has been awarded Honorary Alderman status for North Yorkshire after 25 years of service.
Cliff Trotter, who represented Pannal and Lower Wharfdale on North Yorkshire County Council, served on the authority from 1997 until 2022.
The Conservative councillor also served as chairman of the county council in 2012.
He was one of six councillors who received the award at a meeting on Wednesday.
Mr Trotter, who has since retired from the council on medical advice, spoke of “honour” in accepting the award, adding his “time on the council has been really enjoyable”.
He was presented with the honour by deputy chairman of the council, Cllr David Ireton.
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The position of Honorary Alderman has parity of status with a past Mayor, enabling those who receive the title to be invited to the same civic functions and events
Mr Trotter joined former councillors John Blackie, Caroline Patmore, Peter Sowray MBE, Val Arnold and Helen Swiers in receiving the honour.
Jill McMullon, partner of the late Mr Blackie, accepted the honour on his behalf.
In total, the councillors served for nearly 150 years on the county council.
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:
Pannal Ash under-11s football team set for cup final“With a combined service of almost 150 years, these six councillors have spent a major part of their lives working to champion their local communities and causes close to their hearts.
“John Blackie’s legacy lives on in the Upper Dales and in the minds of myself and other councillors who had the privilege of working alongside him. He worked tirelessly to ensure that local services continue to be delivered despite the pressures that rural communities face.
“It’s testament to their drive and commitment as ward councillors that the retiring members have been awarded Honorary Aldermen titles.”
Pannal Ash Whites under-11s football team will play in the Leeds and District cup final tomorrow.
A total of 98 teams entered the competition in September 2021 and the road to the final has seen the team beat Leeds City, Pontefract Collieries, Farsley Celtic, Chapeltown and Whitkirk.
Pannal Ash have scored an impressive 34 goals and only conceded 3.
The team will play Hunslet Club in the final.
Head coach Andy Pears said:
‘’I am immensely proud of the boys on what they have achieved in reaching the cup final.’’
‘’Myself and Simon Evans started the Whites team last season and despite disruption due to the pandemic, the way they have progressed and developed is a credit to the group we have.
‘’A talented group that always want to learn, they have really matured this year.”
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The final will take place tomorrow at Whitkirk FC, Selby Road, Leeds, LS15 OAA.
Kick-off is at 10:30 and there is a small entrance fee for anyone that wants to come and support the team. It’s £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for concessions.
A good season for the club
It has been a good season for Pannal Ash as its under-14s and under-16s have also made cup finals.
The under-14s will play in the Leeds FA District cup final against Wortley FC on March 27. They will also play in the County Cup final against Yorkshire Amateur Juniors on April 24.
The under-16s will play in the Harrogate FA Final against Pannal Sports JFC on a to-be-confirmed date. They will also play in the County Cup final against Horsforth St Margarets on April 1.
Councillor claims Harrogate vaccine staff ‘bored stiff’A Harrogate councillor has claimed that staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground were “bored stiff” because not enough people are coming forward to get jabbed.
Cliff Trotter, a Conservative who represents Pannal and Lower Wharfedale division, urged more people to get vaccines, saying that Harrogate was in a “bad place” due to the virus.
Speaking at a council meeting yesterday, Mr Trotter said he spoke to a tenant who works at the showground in Harrogate. He added:
“She said yesterday she was absolutely bored stiff. She jabbed 34 people only and there should be hundreds coming in because there are a lot of people in Harrogate that aren’t jabbed — all ages.”
He said central government was pushing the message daily on TV to get jabbed and pleaded with council colleagues to do the same.
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Cllr Trotter said he was concerned by talk that covid could be over by March. He said:
“Talking to experts, this virus could go on for five, six, eight, 10 years and we have to educate the people to get jabbed to stop it spreading because it’s really serious.
“So please can you just tell everybody and plead with them to just get jabbed because Harrogate is a bad place at the moment.”
Cllr Trotter’s comments were made during a meeting today of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.
More than 103,000 boosters
According to government figures, 103,149 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of yesterday.
A total of 135,730 have had first jabs and 126,645 have had second jabs.
The district’s seven-day covid average stands at 1,507 per 100,000 people.
This is a record high but below both the county average, which stands at 1,623, and the England rate of 1,799.
Walk-in covid booster jabs are still available at Yorkshire Showground, Ripon Racecourse and the Chain Lane vaccination site in Knaresborough.
Both the Chain Lane and Yorkshire Showground sites will also be open this weekend for walk-in appointments.
