Derelict Ripon petrol station finally set to be redeveloped

A decades-long wait to build flats on a former petrol station at Skellbank in Ripon could finally end soon.

The site has been derelict for more than 20 years and has been described as an “eyesore” by local residents.

In 2003, Harrogate Borough Council approved a plan to demolish it in order to build eight flats but it never came to fruition with the permission now lapsed.

A similar plan was submitted in 2016 but was then withdrawn three years later.

However, Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams revealed at a recent meeting that he’s had confirmation from the site’s owner that it will submit a new planning application for eight flats in the next few weeks.

The former petrol station is in a residential area on the edge of the city centre and is on the route from Ripon towards popular tourist landmark Fountains Abbey.

Cllr Williams said:

“I’m hopeful that an application will be lodged in next few weeks that will hopefully, after decades of this land being derelict and an eyesore, mean it’s brought back into constructive use.

“Members of this council have repeatedly expressed concerns about this site and I’ve used what influence I have to get it this far. I’ve also had indication that the owner would consider screening the site in the interim.

“Residents in that area have for years had to look out onto that piece of land. I hope in the next 12 months that piece of land will be transformed into something much more appropriate.”

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Major roads in Harrogate and Ripon to be resurfaced

Major roads in Ripon and Harrogate are set to be resurfaced as part of additional funding from government.

North Yorkshire Council is set to consider its highways capital programme on Friday (November 24), which outlines how £40.07 million funding from the Department for Transport, will be spent.

The sum was boosted by a further £9 million allocated last week by the national government to tackle road maintenance over the next two years.

Next year’s resurfacing programme includes £630,000 for Ripon Market Place, £300,000 for Pannal Ash Road and £582,000 for York Place in Harrogate.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, said:

“Keeping our 5,800 miles of roads in the best condition is a key priority for us, but an ongoing challenge.

“To rise to this immense task, we’ve already invested £6.5m more this year. I am pleased we can invest even more this year and next year, too.

“This significant, extra funding will be an immense boost and allow us to repair even more roads next year than expected.

“I know this investment in our road network will be welcomed across North Yorkshire.”

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The plans in Ripon come as have been calling for many years for the sets of paving blocks on Market Place East and Market Place West, which have become damaged and uneven, to be removed and replaced with a tarmac surface.

Cllr Andrew Williams, left, and Cllr Keane Duncan in Ripon’s Market Place.

Cllr Andrew Williams, left, and Cllr Keane Duncan in Ripon Market Place.

Cllr Andrew Williams, who represents the Ripon Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council, said: 

“While it is disappointing that the initial tests on the sub-structure mean further investigation is required, it is important that we get it right and we have a long-lasting, level road surface around the Market Place.

“I welcome the council’s commitment to Ripon by the inclusion of this scheme in the capital programme for 2024/25 and like all local residents will be delighted when the scheme is completed.”

Details on the council’s highways capital programme will be revealed at a later date.

Historic deal will see Ripon end years of neglect from Harrogate, says councillor

A “historic” deal is set to unshackle Ripon from years of neglect by councillors in Harrogate, it was claimed today.

North Yorkshire Council‘s ruling executive agreed to set up a project team to oversee Ripon people taking control of Ripon Town Hall, the market place and car park, public toilets and the Wakeman’s House.

The assets were controlled by Harrogate Borough Council until it was abolished in April.

North Yorkshire Council agreed to trial local management as part of its commitment to what its Conservative leadership calls “double devolution”.

Councillor Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside, praised the move at today’s meeting and launched an eviscerating attack on Harrogate Borough Council.

He said:

“This is for Ripon potentially a historic day in the building of a more constructive relationship with the unitary authority than it had previously with a rather fractured relationship that existed with Harrogate Borough Council.”

‘More grass on market than centre court at Wimbledon’

Cllr Williams said Ripon’s poor relationship with Harrogate led the city council to formulate “ambitious and complex” plans to take control of assets. He added:

“They all interlink to develop the central area of Ripon, which has sadly been neglected for some time.

“If you look at the Wakeman’s House that we are hoping to take ownership of, no work has been undertaken on that for over 10 years. The lease income from the business in there has been spent elsewhere.

“Ripon Town Hall last had maintenance carried out on it in 2004 when the queen visited.”

The Wakeman’s House 

Laughter was heard when Cllr Williams added:

“The market place will soon have more grass growing on it than the centre court at Wimbledon.”

He then criticised the decision to close public toilets at 9pm when the city encouraged visitors to watch the nightly hornblower ceremony. He added:

“We firmly believe Ripon people know Ripon better than anybody else and know best how to make it a success rather than it currently is, which is underachieving its potential.

“The people of Ripon and the council are firmly behind the principle of double devolution.”

Cllr Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa, told the meeting she endorsed Cllr Williams’ comments.

The executive agreed unanimously to proceed with the proposals.

Knaresborough also set for more local control

North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local assets in November last year.

Harrogate was excluded from the process because it doesn’t have a town council and moves to set one up have been delayed by local Conservatives.

Twelve parish councils submitted expressions of interest.

Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon City Council were among those selected to advance their proposals, with a view to formally taking over on April 1 next year.

Knaresborough bid to manage the markets and assets associated with managing the market, such as road closure signs and tables.

But Little Ouseburn’s proposal to take charge of grass cutting of the green area outside Broomfield Cottages.was rejected because it “did not evidence legal competence”.

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Ripon leisure centre work halted after ground movement detected

A £3.5 million scheme to stabilise the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has been halted because of new suspected land movement.

Groundwork began in June following the discovery of a “void” beneath the former leisure centre building in the sinkhole-prone area.

Members have had to use a temporary gym in the car park and attend group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre while remediation work takes place at the old building.

The new building, which includes a swimming pool, sauna and steam room has remained open.

Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre.

The new building on the site remains open.

Work was due to finish in spring next year but the latest discovery may jeopardise that — and spark fresh questions about the wisdom of choosing the site and continuing to spend money stabilising the land despite sinkhole fears.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if work had been halted after noticing a lack of activity in recent weeks.

Jo Ireland, the council’s assistant director for culture and leisure, said:

“Our contractors have temporarily paused groundworks at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre as a precautionary measure while they investigate and assess signs of movement that have appeared in the internal blockwork of the existing building.

“A specialist engineer has advised the movement is predominantly aesthetic with no grounds for concern over the safety of the building.

“We will be installing a monitoring system on site in the next few days to detect any further movement that may occur. This system will give us the data we need to allow us to restart work later this month.

“We would only need to pause work again should the monitoring system detect additional significant movement, at which point further assessment of the situation would take place.”

‘Throwing good money after bad’

In October last year Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, said it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and and “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.

He accused the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council, which took the decision to build on the site, of “blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin”.

Cllr Williams added:

“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.”

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Ripon leisure centre halts price increase due to ongoing work

A price increase at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has been halted after complaints from customers prompted a councillor to intervene.

Brimhams Active, the company that runs leisure centres in the Harrogate district on behalf of North Yorkshire Council, recently increased its monthly membership fees.

The council has spent £45 million on upgrading facilities in the district and this week re-opened the former Hydro under the new name Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre.

But the decision to increase the monthly membership fee at Ripon by £6.50 led to a backlash because customers are still using a temporary gym in the car park due to the delayed completion of ground stabilisation work on the old part of the building.

Group exercise classes are being provided offsite at Hugh Ripley Hall.

Work remains ongoing at Ripon leisure centre.

Mark Tweedie, managing director at Brimhams Active, said recent upgrades meant it now offered “significantly improved swim, gym and group exercise opportunities” but membership fees had increased.

He added:

“Although significant investment has been made to deliver a new state of the art leisure facility in Ripon comprising of a new swimming pool, sauna/steam experience and new gym equipment, following customer feedback we have acknowledged that the membership offer remains comparatively limited due to the delayed works to refurbish the ground floor facilities which will include upgraded group exercise studios.

“Therefore, we have committed to holding back on increasing the price of our all-inclusive membership for Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre customers until we are confident the offer is comparable to our other facilities.”

Photo of Cllr Andrew Williams

Cllr Andrew Williams

Cllr Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group on North Yorkshire Council who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside, raised residents’ concerns with the council.

Cllr Williams said the council had agreed not to proceed with the £6.50 monthly price hike in Ripon. He said:

“I welcome following my intervention the decision to withdraw plans to increase the fees in September and to revisit the whole situation when the facilities in Ripon are comparable with those elsewhere in the area.

“This is a clear example of the council listening to the concerns raised by residents and seeking to respond positively and swiftly to address their concerns.”

Cllr Williams added:

“Any future decision on the fees at Ripon leisure centre will have to be subject of appropriate consultation.”

‘Fantastic value’

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre opened this week.

Mr Tweedie said Brimhams Active’s all-inclusive monthly membership fee, which allows unlimited swim, gym and group exercise at all of its facilities, “represents fantastic value which we have been able to achieve despite significantly increased operational costs”. It costs £44.95 a month or £35.95 for concessions at non-Ripon sites.

Besides new facilities in Ripon and Harrogate, the gym at Nidderdale Leisure and Wellness Centre in Pateley Bridge has been refurbished and the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre is due to open this year.

Mr Tweedie added:

“We also bringing a new leading edge customer offer for people who take out a Brimhams Active membership. This involves a range of new, more personalised, services designed to support members with a holistic approach to help them achieve their health and wellbeing goals to be their best selves.”

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Ripon on track to run local assets previously controlled in Harrogate

Ripon appears to be in a strong position to take control of local assets, such as the town hall and market, which were previously run by Harrogate Borough Council.

North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded Harrogate Borough Council on April 1, has invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services.

It is part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda in which more assets and services are run locally.

The approach has sparked interest in Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, where some were aggrieved for years about decisions being made in Harrogate.

Ironically Harrogate does not yet have a town council so is excluded from the process and will continue to have its assets, such as Valley Gardens and Harrogate Convention Centre, run from Northallerton.

Ripon Town Hall

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les has revealed 12 expressions of interest have been received from town and parish councils so far.

Up to six will be chosen this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.

A list of town and parish councils to have submitted expressions of interest has not been published but Ripon in known to be among them.

Cllr Les told the Stray Ferret he would be amazed if Ripon wasn’t selected to be one of the pilot areas. He told the Stray Ferret:

“Ripon was one of the first out of the blocks on double devolution. It is one of the keenest parts of the county. I’ll be amazed if Ripon isn’t in there.”

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Tory alliance

The relationship between the ruling Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council and Cllr Andrew Williams, an independent who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council has been in sharp focus this month.

Last week Cllr Williams became one of three independents who joined a political alliance with the Conservatives.

The alliance strengthens the Conservatives’ grip on the council, after a recent defection meant it had precisely half of the 90 councillors.

It followed North Yorkshire Council’s decision to select Ripon as one of five pilot areas for new community networks.

The developments have sparked concerns from independent and Liberal Democrat councillors about whether the Tories promised taxpayer-funded favours, including double devolution deals, in return for political support from the independents who joined the new Conservatives and Independents Group.

Cllr Les and Cllr Williams both denied the allegation. Cllr Les said double devolution talks had taken place for months before the new group was formed last week.

Has Ripon been undermined by Harrogate?

Cllr Williams said there had been “no seedy back room arrangements” and he remained an independent who would vote as his conscience allowed, rather than a Tory puppet.

He said he joined the alliance because there was no prospect of the 45 non-Conservative councillors of different political groups on North Yorkshire Council being able to agree a budget and form an administration. He added:

“Ripon’s best interests will be served by having an alliance with the majority group. I stand for the benefit of Ripon rather than any political party.

“There can be a perception of whatever, I don’t care quite frankly, as long as Ripon gets a double devolution deal.

“There has been woeful neglect of the city for years by Harrogate Borough Council and I’m determined Ripon will fare better under the new local government arrangements.

“I stood on a pro-Ripon ticket. That’s my job — to stand up and fight for Ripon.”

 

New organisation could shape future growth of Ripon

Ripon has been chosen to be one of five areas in North Yorkshire to pilot new community networks.

The networks will aim to bring together public, private and voluntary sector organisations to “unleash energy and ambition” and drive change.

North Yorkshire Council‘s decision to create the networks has generated controversy because members won’t be elected, leading to fears they are undemocratic and could duplicate the work of existing councils.

One Conservative councillor even branded them “crackers”.

But Ripon’s two councillors on North Yorkshire Council welcomed the move to make Ripon one the first areas in the county to trial the networks. Easingwold, Leyburn and Middleham, Sherburn-in-Elmet and Thornton-le-Dale have also been selected.

Cllr Andrew Williams, an Independent who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside and is also leader of Ripon City Council, said he and Cllr Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa, both recognised the networks’ potential for improving the city.

He said:

“They will bring together groups across the city and create an opportunity to explore ideas and issues.”

Cllr Williams added the networks would “not replace any level of local government” but would allow people to talk more broadly about improving their local area in ways in which the constraints of formal council meetings did not allow.

ripon city centre kirkgate

Asked to give examples, he said the networks might develop a 10-year masterplan for Ripon or consider ways to get neighbouring parishes more involved in the city.

North Yorkshire Council isn’t providing any funding for the networks but Cllr Williams said this wasn’t an issue:

“It’s about considering what Ripon would look like in an ideal world if there was a magic wand and then going off and seeking funding for various schemes.”

He said he expected organisations such as Ripon City Council, Ripon Business Improvement District, Ripon Together and Ripon Museums to be involved.

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North Yorkshire Council’s ruling executive will meet on Tuesday next week to ratify the pilot areas, with a view to later rolling out 30 networks across the county.

Carl Les

Carl Les

North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“The networks will mobilise communities, unleashing energy and ambition and giving people a stronger voice to tackle those issues that mean the most to them.”

Cllr David Chance, the council’s executive member for stronger communities, Cllr David Chance, said the pilot areas would “help us shape the model for the community networks as they are set to be introduced across the county”.

What will be the legacy of Harrogate Borough Council?

From the towns of Knaresborough, Masham and Pateley Bridge to the villages of North Rigton, Summerbridge and Kirkby Malzeard, life will continue without Harrogate Borough Council.

For anyone still not aware, the council will be abolished at the end of this month after 49 years of existence.

From April 1, a new council called North Yorkshire Council will be created for the whole county and HBC will eventually become a distant memory.

Harrogate Borough Council has played a role, small or large, in the life of every resident so the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked four different people in the Harrogate district the same question — what will be its ultimate legacy?

The view from residents

Rene Dziabas

For some residents, the council begins and ends with when their bins are collected.
Others are more engaged with the ins-and-outs of council business and how it spends public money.

Rene Dziabas is the chair of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, a group that covers an area from Harlow Hill to Rossett Green and Arthurs Avenue to Castle Hill.

Mr Dziabas has lived in Harrogate for 40 years. He said even though the town has seen major changes on the council’s watch he would still move here today if he could.

He said:

“The recycling set up and bin collection has been good. The Valley Gardens and the Pinewoods look good. Those elements are still nice features of Harrogate. The Mercer Art Gallery is an absolute jewel, it punches above its weight. Its exhibitions are really good and well-curated.”

But despite these uniquely Harrogate benefits that the council delivers, Mr Dziabas said over-subscribed schools, poor quality roads and pressure on Harrogate District Hospital have all been made worse by planning decisions taken by Harrogate Borough Council.

Over 4,000 homes could eventually be built in the west of Harrogate over the next decade, including over 1,000 homes in fields next to RHS Garden Harlow Carr on Otley Road.

As with elsewhere in the district, these new developments will change the face of Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash forever. However, residents were disappointed with a document drawn up Harrogate Borough Council last year that said how the homes will link up with local roads, schools and healthcare services.

Mr Dziabas said:

“In this neck of the woods, Harrogate Borough Council is not leaving it in a better state. I can’t think of any major piece of work that’s really had a significant mitigation effect on the problems at the west of Harrogate.”

The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, will mean thousands more people can enjoy living in the Harrogate district but Mr Dziabas said there are lessons to be learned when it comes to consulting with residents about development. He added:

“Harrogate Borough Council ought to have been more communicative with the public in general. Ultimately we live in a democratic society, we are funding those institutions and I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to communicate.”

The view from the staff

The Civic Centre in Harrogate

Local government union Unison estimates Harrogate Borough Council has employed around 10,000 people since it was created in 1974.

David Houlgate, who has been Harrogate branch secretary at Unison for the last 18 years, said it’s these people who will be the council’s “enduring and lasting legacy”. He said:

“They are the ones who have delivered services over the years, they are the ones who kept those services going during the pandemic, they are the real stars of Harrogate Borough Council.”

The vast majority of council staff will automatically transfer over to the new authority North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Mr Houlgate is hopeful these staff members will deliver quality services to residents despite the well-documented cost pressures the new council will face. He said:

“If it gets things right and works with its staff and the trade unions to deliver joined-up and effective services then it’s likely that Harrogate Borough Council will fade in the memory.  If the new council fails to deliver on what it has said it would then inevitably Harrogate council will no doubt be missed.”

Mr Houlgate has worked for the council for the last 26 years and is currently a local taxation team leader.

Since 2010, the government has slashed funding for the council, which he said has resulted in higher workloads and stress for staff. He added:

“It has changed an awful lot in my time at the council.  It delivers more with less which has been necessary as a result of drastic cuts to funding from a central government that only seems to pay lip service to public services.

“To do this it has, over the years, cut the terms and conditions of staff, pay has not kept pace with inflation and workloads and stress absences have increased.

“As it comes to an end, there are recruitment and retention issues like never before.  It probably does not offer the career paths it once did.  The new council will hopefully offer more opportunities. We will have to wait and see.”

The view from outside of Harrogate

Photo of Cllr Andrew Williams

Cllr Andrew Williams

Harrogate Borough Council was created in 1974 as an amalgamation of smaller councils including those in Knaresborough, Nidderdale, Ripon and Harrogate.

The council has been based in Harrogate for all that time, moving from Crescent Gardens to the Civic Centre in 2017.

But for some people living outside of the town, Harrogate Borough Council has focused too much on the district’s largest urban area.

Cllr Andrew Williams is a former councillor on Harrogate Borough Council. He currently sits on North Yorkshire County Council as an independent and is also leader of Ripon City Council.

There are hopes in Ripon that the new council will look at the city as an equal to similar-sized market towns in the county like Thirsk, Malton and Northallerton.

Cllr Williams has been an outspoken critic of Harrogate Borough Council as he believes the authority has not given Ripon a fair shake.

The council has invested heavily in the Harrogate Convention Centre, which he believes has resulted in few benefits for his city.

However, he praised the council’s staff for their work in delivering services to residents over the years. Cllr Williams said:

“It would be fair to say that some of the services provided are not unreasonable. The refuse collection service, parks and gardens and the housing department do their best.

“The staff have worked incredibly hard to deliver services for residents across the district.”

Harrogate Borough Council points to its investment in new state-of-the-art leisure facilities in Ripon and Knaresborough as examples of its commitment to towns outside of Harrogate.

Cllr Williams called the new pool in Ripon a “significant improvement” but added:

“One project in 50 years is hardly justification for its previous misdemeanours in my view.”

Cllr Williams said Harrogate Borough Council’s legacy in Ripon will not be positive:

“[Their legacy is] under-investment and a failure to recognise the Harrogate district encompasses more than Harrogate, the conference centre being the prime example.

“Money has been poured into Harrogate at the expense of everywhere else in the district.”

The view from charities

Jackie Snape

Harrogate Borough Council has been a staunch supporter of the district’s voluntary and community sector.

There are more than 700 charitable organisations in the Harrogate district and many have stepped up over the last 13 years as the council has been forced to cut services due to austerity.

The council organises the Local Fund, which was launched in 2018 by Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.

Last year the fund granted £85,000 to 29 different groups.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said she has enjoyed working with local councillors on various campaigns, including a recent push to improve accessbility at tourist venues. Ms Snape said:

“Harrogate Borough Council was an early adopter of our Think Access campaign, and one of the major factors that we, and other charities, will miss is the local knowledge with individual councillors, often showing a great interest in causes close to their heart and local area.”

Key to the council’s relationship with charities is the role of the mayor, which is a councillor that for 12 months has a packed diary full of meeting charities and attending events.

Current and final Harrogate borough mayor Victoria Oldham was seen getting stuck in with a shovel last year to break ground at Disability Action Yorkshire’s £7.5m supported living complex at Claro Road.

Ms Snape added:

“For many years we were blessed by regular visits by the mayor of the day, all of whom paid great interest in the work we do, both at Hornbeam Park and at Claro Road.

Ms Snape said the council’s legacy of supporting charities will be remembered. Many charities rely on funding from the council and she hopes the new authority will show the same level of support. She said:

“Its work in helping and supporting a raft of charities working with some of the most vulnerable people in society will certainly be remembered for many years to come.

“We hope that when April 1 arrives, and North Yorkshire Council takes over that the same level of local funding and support continues, which is vital to the survival of many charities in the district.”

Looking ahead

If four more people were asked their opinion on what Harrogate Borough Council has achieved and what its legacy will be — it would likely generate another four very different answers.

This perhaps shows the council has done more for the district than it is sometimes given credit for.

But most would probably agree that how fondly Harrogate Borough Council will be remembered is likely to depend on how successful the new council is at the delivering the nuts and bolts services that residents have always expected for the last 49 years.

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‘Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate’, claims Ripon councillor

A Ripon councillor has suggested there is little for tourists to do in Harrogate after visiting the famous tearooms Bettys.

Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire County Council, was speaking at the final Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee meeting before the new North Yorkshire Council is formed on April 1.

He referred to the sometimes thorny relationship between Harrogate and Ripon and said reorganisation was a chance for the city to be presented in a different way to tourists.

Ripon is currently marketed as a tourist destination within Destination Harrogate — Harrogate Borough Council’s destination management organisation.

But Destination Harrogate’s future is unclear as the new council looks to set up a county-wide tourism strategy instead.

Cllr Williams was critical of how Ripon has positioned within Destination Harrogate. He said:

“[We need to] remove the idea that Ripon is somehow linked to Destination Harrogate. It should be Destination Ripon.

“We are two very distinct localities. We don’t want to be marketed as a day trip from Harrogate. We’re far more than a day trip from Harrogate.”

“Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate, quite frankly.”

‘Rose-tinted view’

Officers spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities in Ripon, which included a presentation on how the city’s economy has performed since covid.

Dave Caulfield, who will be assistant director economic development at the new council, said tourism was crucial to Ripon’s economy and the city’s offer would form part of a new tourism strategy that is being developed for North Yorkshire.

But Cllr Williams said the report presented a “rose-tinted view” of Ripon. He called on the new council to “listen to local people in Ripon and work with them rather than ignoring them”.

In response, Mr Caulfield said:

“It’s important we do listen as a new council. We want to look at opportunities to do things better when we can.”

There were also warms words for Ripon from David Staveley, Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent.

He told Cllr Williams:

“You are stepping out of the shadow of Harrogate and you will be equal partners here. Ripon has an awful lot to offer.”

Ripon councillor calls for action amid concerns about broadband installation

A Ripon councillor has called for action following complaints about the disruption caused by contractors involved in the installation of a full fibre broadband network.

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council and North Yorkshire county councillor for the Minster and Moorside division, told the Stray Ferret the works by the Make Happen Group on behalf of CityFibre had brought complaints from more than a dozen residents living on Whitcliffe Lane, Whitcliffe Drive and Elm Road.

He added:

“They are concerned about the potential dangers for both pedestrians and motorists, of accessing and leaving their properties on streets where construction work is ongoing, that have blocked off footpaths and are lined with barriers.”

Closed footpath on Whitcliffe Lane

A closed section of footpath on Whitcliffe Lane

Cllr Williams, who has called for intervention from North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department, which issued permits for the work to go ahead, said:

“When I visited the area at the weekend there were no road closed signs, no diversion signs in place. It was a complete mess. I even witnessed a motorist having to drive on a footpath to get around one of the contractors’ vehicles.

“On Whitcliffe Lane one side of the pavement is unavailable and on the opposite side of the road they have put the signage on the pavement advising of the roadworks thus preventing people in wheelchairs or with a pram from using it.

“They are working in three locations at once, but these are not urgent works and therefore proper road closure signs should be in place with diversions and advance warning given to local residents.”

David Black, one of the agents overlooking the installation on behalf of Make Happen Group, said:

“We operate to the the highest possible standards and our work is independently assessed, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.

“Our aim is to complete the installation quickly, efficiently and safely in a way designed to minimise disruption to residents.”

Mr Black added:

“Our work on Elm Road is now complete and will be completed soon on Whitcliffe Lane and Whitcliffe Drive.

“I have been in contact with Cllr Williams and invited him to meet with me on site. That invitation remains open.”

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