Mr Watson added:
The leader of Ripon City Council has said he hopes devolution in April will end “almost half a century of under investment” in Ripon by leaders in Harrogate.
The new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority will come into effect on April 1, when Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished.
At the city council’s full meeting this month, members resolved unanimously to submit an expression of interest in taking over the running of key assets that have been under the control of Harrogate Borough Council since 1974.
The assets range from the town hall to public toilets and the list also includes Market Square (pictured below) the Wakeman’s House and Hugh Ripley Hall.
Independent City Council leader Andrew Williams, who was elected to North Yorkshire County Council in May, said:
“As part of the Harrogate district we have suffered from almost half a century of under investment that has held Ripon back, but I am convinced that we can emerge from the doldrums by having greater involvement in running assets and ensuring that their potential is fully realised.”
He added:
“You only need to look at Ripon Town Hall, which has been left largely empty under Harrogate’s control, when it could have been providing valuable space for businesses and earning money for the city.
“By contrast, the city council has successfully managed Hugh Ripley Hall under a long lease from Harrogate and following our investment in upgrading the building it has become a very well used and profitable facility.”
Hugh Ripley Hall has been operating profitably under the management of Ripon City Council.
The route to greater involvement in running Ripon’s assets lies in the the double devolution proposals announced earlier this year by North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).
NYCC has said:
“The new council will work with any town and parish council that wants to do more, for example, to deliver or commission services; providing they are able to demonstrate value for money and the ability to deliver.
“If these conditions are met then the new council will be open to funding the arrangements. The council would work with a first wave of forerunner town and parish councils to develop the concept.
“Other town and parish councils could then follow. Representatives from parish and town councils have worked with us to identify the types of service that could potentially be devolved from the new council if your local parish or town council would like to take them on.”
Ripon is aiming to be one of the forerunner councils to be selected to pilot the double devolution scheme.
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Ripon City Council says children pay price for ‘incompetent handling’ of leisure centre project
The children of Ripon are paying the price for Harrogate Borough Council’s ‘incompetent handling’ of the multi-million pound leisure centre project.
That’s the view of Ripon City Council, which backed a call from Independent leader Andrew Williams for immediate action to make the overgrown playing fields at the Camp Close site useable in time for the summer holidays.
Councillors also called for barriers, restricting access to the bike and skate park on site, to be removed so that proper access is restored. Some fencing has been forced down by young people wanting to use the facility (pictured above).
The centre opened behind schedule and over budget in March.
The council also agreed on Monday evening, to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to HBC for a key report to be made public to discover the financial liability that council tax payers face for remedial work to leisure centre foundations.
The report, which was prepared by engineering consultancy Stantec, was received by HBC more than two months ago, prior to the local elections in May, but has yet to be presented to the council’s cabinet.
Overgrown and yet to be landscaped, the playing fields.
Cllr Williams, who was elected to represent Ripon at parish and North Yorkshire level, claimed:
“There is a clear attempt to suppress this report and literally kick it into the leisure centre’s long grass.
“But the public has a right to know the full financial consequences, before the successor authority has to deal with the mess of HBC’s incompetent handling of the project from the outset, starting with their decision to build on a site with a known history of ground instability.”
What was promised and what has been delivered?
The £10.2 million contract signed with construction company Willmott Dixon in November 2019, was for delivery of the new pool, a refurbished leisure centre, creation of a children’s playground, landscaping of the site, reinstatement of a football pitch, provision of parking for vehicles and bicycles and installation of electric car charging points.
To date, the pool, children’s playground, parking facilities and charging points, have been delivered, but only the gym on the upper floor of the leisure centre is open, with activities, such as spin classes relocated to the Hugh Ripley Hall.
The agreed completion date for the contract was May 2021, but delays caused by ground instability meant extensive grouting (injection of concrete) had to take place which held up the opening of the pool until March of this year.
Reluctance to release the Stantec report
Following an initial inspection by Stantec of a ‘void’ near the entrance to the leisure centre, discovered during construction work in September 2020, the consultancy was appointed to carry out a detailed investigation of the foundations.
In April, chartered engineer and Ripon resident Stanley Mackintosh, submitted an FOI request to HBC, seeking release of the Stantec report, but despite repeated attempts to obtain a copy, he still awaits their decision on whether or not the report will be released to him.
Escalating costs
Mr Mackintosh, pointed out:
“The known running total for the project as of September 2021, was standing at £14,590,665 and In my opinion, considerable additional monies will be needed to carry out the extremely complex works.
“This is because the foundations will need to be thickened from 200mm to 750mm, and superstructure modifications will be required to improve the structural stiffness of the building.
“It’s a very costly exercise to carry out under an existing building and even then, long-term sustainability cannot be guaranteed, because of the on-going underground gypsum dissolution that will continue to occur.”
He pointed out:
“Ground instability will be a constant feature in this area of Ripon, as evidenced by the opening up of a sinkhole in February 2018 on the leisure centre car park and the discovery of a further sinkhole close to the centre’s entrance in September 2020.
Chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh, pictured outside the site before the swimming pool opened
“The actual remediation costs will only be known when the findings of the Stantec report are released and I have been attempting, under FOI legislation, to obtain a copy of that report, but the council appears reluctant to let me have it.”
“This stonewalling is a classic case of kicking the can down the road, because the council knows that there will be significant financial implications for council tax payers, long after HBC’s affairs have been taken over by the new North Yorkshire Council next April.”
What does Harrogate Borough Council have to say?
HBC has confirmed that the Stantec report has not been presented to its cabinet members.
A spokesperson, said in a statement:
“The report, and recommendations, will be presented to the meeting of the cabinet in due course.”
The spokesperson also confirmed that the council considers that remedial works that will need to be carried out under the centre are a financially viable proposition.
Asked when the landscaping works and restoration of the football pitch will be carried out, so that children can use the area for recreation once more, the spokesperson didn’t give any specific dates, but said:
“This work will be completed towards the end of the investment project at the leisure and wellbeing centre.”
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- Ripon pool opening delayed again
- Sinkhole experts urge councillors to consider new site for Ripon pool
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Ripon’s new councillors to focus on roads, housing and crime
Ripon voters heralded in a new era at both city and North Yorkshire level when they went to the polls last week.
Independent Andrew Williams was elected to the new unitary North Yorkshire Council by a landslide in the Minster and Moorside division while Barbara Brodigan, standing for election for the first time, won comfortably for the Lib Dems in the Spa and Ure Bank division.
Prior to Thursday, Ripon’s north and south wards had been represented at North Yorkshire County Council by Conservatives Mike Chambers and Stuart Martin.
However, Cllr Chambers, who is also a member of Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet, lost his county seat while first-time Conservative candidate Thomas Averre saw the seat formerly occupied by Cllr Martin change hands in emphatic fashion.
Conservatives relegated to third
Cllr Williams, who has served as Ripon City Council leader since 2020, was elected with the largest majority of any candidate standing in the 21 Harrogate district divisions.
He took the seat more than 1,100 votes clear of second placed Lib Dem Thomas Cavell-Taylor, while Mr Averre finished third of the three candidates.
Cllr Chambers will, like Cllr Martin, remain a member of Harrogate Borough Council until its abolition in April, when the new unitary authority comes into being.
He finished third of the four candidates in the Spa and Ure Bank division, behind victor Barbara Brodigan and lndependent Sid Hawke, who won his city council seat and will remain on Harrogate Borough Council until it ceases to exist.
Survey of Ripon residents highlighted the issues
Cllr Brodigan, who will be one of 10 Lib Dems from the Harrogate district on the new unitary authority, told the Stray Ferret:
“We surveyed Ripon residents earlier this year to ask them about the main issues they want to have addressed.
Roads that can cope with traffic associated with new homes is a priority for newly-elected councillor Barbara Brodigan.
“These were principally over-supply of housing in the city and lack of a suitable road infrastructure to accommodate the extra traffic generated by the new homes.
“In addition, there are major concerns about the lack of facilities for young people, which is seen as one of the reasons for the high incidence of antisocial behaviour in the city.”
The former teacher, who has years of experience working in Leeds with students who had been expelled from their schools, hopes her expertise in dealing with disruptive children can be put to good effect locally and at North Yorkshire level.
Ripon’s needs ahead of party politics
Cllr Williams said:
“We had a clear message that the needs of Ripon and its citizens come before party politics and that resonated with the voters.
“They told us on their doorsteps, that they are worried about rocketing fuel prices, the cost of living crisis, the dreadful state of roads and pavements in Ripon and the poor standard of policing in the city.
“During weeks of campaigning, we knocked on thousands of doors and it was clear from those that we spoke with that illegal parties at Number Ten was barely an election issue.”
Looking ahead, Cllr Williams added:
“We will seek to work with Harrogate Borough Council, while it still exists and North Yorkshire County Council in its present form, to see power devolved and community assets returned to Ripon.
“We will also look to address other outstanding issues – a key one being the need for rapid improvement of policing in our city, which is not fit for purpose.
“The city council made a formal complaint to North Yorkshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, in March and we are still awaiting her response.
“The anti-social behaviour that has plagued Ripon for years, grew worse with the covid lockdowns and we will be focusing on a root cause, which is the very poor provision by HBC and NYCC of facilities and activities for young people.”
In addition to Cllr Brodigan’s election to the city council for the Lib-Dems, other new faces are Independents Jackie Crozier, Tony Duncan, Stuart Flatley and Julie-Ann Martin-Long, who join fellow Independents Jo Bate, Chris Hardisty, Sid Hawke, Peter Horton, Pauline McHardy, Eamon Parkin and Andrew Williams – all of whom were re-elected.
Read more:
- What went wrong for the Conservatives in Ripon?
- Lib Dems victorious in Harrogate district
- Ripon City Council says police are ‘not fit for purpose’
Bid to retain Ripon Spa Baths for community use fails
Ripon Spa Baths is set to be sold to a commercial developer after a bid to retain the building for community use failed.
Harrogate Borough Council, which has owned the Edwardian building since the reorganisation of local government in 1974, has confirmed that it intends to sell the Park Street property to the unnamed commercial bidder.
Ripon City Council successfully applied for for the building to be listed as an asset of community value in September. This meant it had six months to raise the finance to purchase the building to keep it in commercial use. But time has now run out.
The city council also called this month for the ownership of the Grade II listed building, which was used as a swimming pool until it closed in November, to be transferred back to Ripon without charge when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished next year.
Ripon councillors argued that Spa Baths and other city assets, including the town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall, Market Square, Spa Gardens and Spa Park, should be handed back for free by Harrogate Borough Council as it had not paid a penny for them.
The building is recognised as a key heritage asset by Ripon Civic Society
But Harrogate Borough Council’s response to Ripon City Council’s request for the reversion of ownership, seen by the Stray Ferret, confirms the building will be sold to a developer.
Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy and culture said in the email, which has been circulated to all city councillors:
“As you are aware we are selling Ripon Spa Baths because a brand new pool has been built in Ripon and this building is no longer needed.
“Our main objective through this disposal is to ensure that the building continues to be used in future and supports the sustainability of Ripon City Centre. To achieve this objective we have undertaken a comprehensive sales strategy which generated market interest in purchasing the building.
“The preferred bidder can demonstrate the experience, capacity and capability in bringing buildings back into use. In addition the proposed sale to the current preferred bidder will generate a capital receipt.
“The generation of capital receipts for assets that are no longer needed allows significant investment to be made in new assets, such as the new Ripon Pool.”
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Harrogate council to be asked to support return of assets to communities“At its meeting on 13 October 2021, Harrogate cabinet have previously agreed to dispose of the building to the preferred bidder.
“As the building is listed as an Asset of Community Value a moratorium period was initiated and implemented where the council has not been able to dispose of the building, now that this period has expired we will execute this decision.
“We believe that this will deliver the best way of ensuring the future, sustainable use of this asset and enable Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council to continue to invest in the continuous improvement of Ripon City and its neighbourhoods.”
Harrogate Borough Council will be asked next week to support the return of community assets to Ripon City Council and Knaresborough Town Council.
A motion due before a full council meeting calls on the council to back requests for Knaresborough House, Ripon Town Hall and Hugh Ripley Hall being transferred back to local communities.
Harrogate Borough Council took control of the assets when it was created following local government reorganisation in 1974.
But the decision to scrap the borough council next year and replace it with a single authority called North Yorkshire Council covering the whole of the county has led for calls for local assets to be returned to town council control.
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A motion due before the council meeting next week, which was first proposed by Ripon Independent councillors Pauline McHardy and Sid Hawke and later amended by Harrogate Fairfax Cllr Chris Aldred and Knaresborough Scriven Park Cllr Hannah Gostlow, who are both Liberal Democrats, will say:
“That this council supports the principle of specific locality community assets, such as Knaresborough House, Ripon Town Hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and other such community facilities across the district being transferred to the ownership of the appropriate city, town or parish council, should these bodies express a wish to take on ownership of their local assets, in preference to ownership transferring to the new unitary authority.
“To start the process that this council writes to local parish, town and city councils to ask which assets they would potentially take ownership of.”
Cllr McHardy told the Stray Ferret previously:
“There’s absolutely no reason for Harrogate to hang on to assets that rightfully belong to us.
“Not a penny was paid for them when they were handed to Harrogate in 1974 and we want them to be transferred back.”
The full council meeting which will debate the motion will be held on Wednesday, February 9.
New housing developments in Ripon have enabled the parish precept charged to council tax payers in the city to be frozen for the second successive year.
The parish precept is charged on top of the tax paid to North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
It means residents living in a Band D property will pay a parish precept of £71.89 for the year. People in Bands A to C properties will pay less and those in Bands E to H will pay more.
At last night’s meeting of Ripon City Council, the draft budget for 2022-2023 was unanimously approved after independent council leader Andrew Williams told members:
“Because of the increased number of new houses built in Ripon, we are able to raise a levy of £410,902, at no extra cost to the charge payer.”
Hugh Ripley Hall
The figure represents a 3% increase for the parish council budget, which stood at £400,000 last year and Cllr Williams explained:
“As we are collecting from a larger base, we are able to freeze the precept for the second year running.
“We believe that this is the right and proper thing to do, at a time when families are under greater financial pressure through increased fuel and other costs.”
The bulk of the money will be spent on the queen’s platinum jubilee celebration in June, other public and civic events during the year and items including town hall rent and the management and upkeep of Hugh Ripley Hall and Ripon’s team of hornblowers.
Conservative councillor Mike Chambers, who represents Ripon at city, district and county council level, said:
“I am delighted that there will be no increase in the parish precept and I lend it my support.”
Read More:
Harrogate Borough Council is being urged to return assets such as the town hall and spa gardens to local ownership in Ripon before devolution comes into effect next year.
Harrogate Borough Council took control of the assets when it was created following local government reorganisation in 1974.
At the same time the Municipal Borough of Ripon was abolished and the city reduced to parish council status under the authority of Harrogate Borough Council.
Now, with another major shake-up of local government looming, Ripon City Council is calling for the city’s town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall, Market Square (pictured below), Spa Gardens and Spa Park to be transferred back to local ownership.
It says provisions in the Localism Act, designed to protect assets of community value (ACV), should be used to achieve this prior to the formation of the new North Yorkshire unitary authority next year.
Moves are already underway to retain community use at Spa Baths, after the city council successfully applied in September to have the historic building listed as an ACV.
Market Square
With Harrogate Borough Council due to be scrapped in April next year, independent Ripon city and district councillor Pauline McHardy told the Stray Ferret:
“There’s absolutely no reason for Harrogate to hang on to assets that rightfully belong to us.
“Not a penny was paid for them when they were handed to Harrogate in 1974 and we want them to be transferred back.”
Cllr McHardy put forward a notice of motion, seconded by fellow Ripon independent councillor Sid Hawke, which was due to be discussed at Harrogate Borough Council’s full council meeting in December, but the meeting was cancelled.
The motion calling for the return of the assets, is due to come before next month’s full meeting of HBC.
Cllr McHardy, pointed out:
“We will continue to press for the freehold of key assets in the city to be handed back to Ripon.”
Read More:
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