Tories maintain slim majority on North Yorkshire Council after by-election

The Conservatives have maintained their slender majority of two on North Yorkshire Council after a by-election yesterday.

Tony Randerson was elected to the Eastfield division in Scarborough with 499 votes — 46 per cent of the vote.

Liberal Democrat Erica Willett was second with 281 votes and Labour’s David Thompson polled 169 votes to finish third.

It means the Conservatives still hold 46 of the 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council.

The Liberal Democrats are the next largest party with 13 councillors, followed by Labour with 11 and the Independent group with nine.

The Greens have five councillors and there are four unaffiliated independents. There is also one Liberal Party councillor. Conservative candidate Eric Batts received 69 votes in fourth.

The Scarborough by-election was caused when Cllr Randerson resigned from the Labour Party after criticising the party’s direction and leadership under Sir Keir Starmer.

According to his Facebook page, he now represents the Social Justice Party but his affiliation on the ballot paper was left blank.

Richard Flinton, the returning officer for North Yorkshire Council, declared the result at the count in Scarborough.

£6m spent on transition to North Yorkshire Council so far

North Yorkshire Council has revealed £6 million has been spent so far on the transition from eight councils into one.

Local government reorganisation has seen the biggest change in local government in the county since 1974.

District councils in Harrogate, Craven, Hambleton, Scarborough, Rydedale, Richmondshire and Selby, as well as North Yorkshire County Council, were abolished on March 31.

The next day, a new unitary council called North Yorkshire Council based in Northallerton was created to provide all of the services previously delivered by the former councils.

To pay for the transition, £38m was allocated into a one-off fund, with the money coming from reserves held by the former North Yorkshire County Council.

The council allocated £16.9m to be spent between 2021/22 until 2024/25 and North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for resources, Gary Fielding, said £6m of this has been spent so far.

Mr Fielding added a “significant proportion” has been spent on technology and digital systems, with nearly £2.3m allocated during the last financial year and a further £1.5m earmarked in the current financial year.

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Other areas of spending include £4.9m on delivering local government reorganisation over the previous and current financial years.

A further £3.4m has been allocated for finance and £1.8m for human resources with most of these costs due to upgrading IT systems.

The council is facing a £30m shortfall in its first year and is targeting savings of up to £252m in its first five years.

Earlier this month, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that the council will save £3.8m a year by cutting the roles of 24 senior managers.

Another one of the new unitary council’s early cost-cutting programmes will be to sell off some of the former district, borough and county council properties, which comes to more than 3,500 properties excluding schools.

Mr Fielding said:

“We remain committed to ensuring that the move to North Yorkshire Council presents the best value for money for taxpayers.

“The new authority is set to bring about annual savings of between £30m and £70m through the streamlining of services and bringing together eight councils into one organisation.”

North Yorkshire Greens accuse Tories of putting politics before climate

Green Party councillors have accused the Conservatives of putting party politics before the climate crisis following the appointment of a climate champion for North Yorkshire last week.

At a full meeting of the council in Northallerton, Conservative councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam and Green Party councillor for Ouseburn, Arnold Warneken made pitches about why they were best suited for the role, which involves encouraging positive action on the climate.

This led independent councillor for Filey, Sam Cross, to put forward a motion that would see the job shared, adding “the more brains fighting climate change the better”.

Councillors voted on the job share but it was narrowly defeated by 43 votes to 42 after the Conservatives, which is the largest party on the council, rejected the proposal.

Cllr Paul Haslam

Cllr Haslam then defeated Cllr Warneken by 46 to 38 in a second vote to become climate champion.

Speaking this week, Cllr Warneken said he was disappointed the Conservatives denied the job share. He said:

“Like many Greens, I am used to working alongside others and establishing good working relationships even when we disagree occasionally.

“This was a real opportunity for the ruling group to show that they want to work with others in order to help make the new council stronger. They comprehensively failed that task.”

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Before the job share vote, Cllr Gareth Dadd, the Conservative member for Thirsk, sought clarification from the senior legal officer Barry Khan on whether the arrangement would go against the council’s constitution.

Mr Khan confirmed there was nothing in the constitution to prevent the two councillors from sharing the role and the allowance that comes with it.

Cllr Kevin Foster, leader of the Green group on North Yorkshire Council, added:

“We heard from the Conservatives on numerous occasions about working in collaboration, we in the green group have always been open to working with any parties and we still stand by that.

“The green group want a new politics and want to work in a way that will take all views in to consideration. Unfortunately the Conservatives just want more of the same. The public made it clear in the last election they think politics is broken and we want to fix it. It really is sad that the Conservative thirst for power is more important than a balanced view.”

Despite Mr Khan’s comments last week, Conservative council leader, Carl Les, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he believed the constitution does not allow for two climate champions or for a job share agreement.

He added:

“It could be looked at in the future, but the opposition members were determined to push for a vote. Both candidates made speeches in favour of their suitability for the role, and I and my colleagues supported Cllr Haslam. That’s democracy in action.”

‘Summary’ of never-published £85,000 Ripon regeneration plan to be released

North Yorkshire Council is set to produce a “summary document” for a long-delayed project which aimed to present a new vision for Ripon.

The Ripon Renewal scheme was set up to produce a masterplan for the regeneration of the city.

The former Harrogate Borough Council commissioned Bauman Lyons Architects to draw up the vision at a cost of £85,000 in 2021.

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

However, the project failed to produce a blueprint for the city some two-and-a-half years after it started.

Officials at North Yorkshire Council, which has since taken over the scheme, said an agreement could not be reached with the contractor after talks to extend the contract.

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When the Stray Ferret asked for an update on the status of the Ripon Renewal scheme, Nic Harne, corporate director for community development at the council, said it remained committed to regenerating Ripon, adding:

“The Ripon Renewal project took much longer than had been envisaged when it was set up.

“This meant it was necessary to enter into discussions with Bauman Lyons Architects about a variation of the contract to complete the work. An agreement on the terms could not be reached and the contract has now ended. The project cost remained within the contracted budget.

“Our officers have now carried out a review of the work undertaken and have brought together a summary document, which will be circulated to stakeholders within the project group soon.  

“The document will include information about the projects and opportunities for taking the ethos of the Ripon Renewal project forward.”

Councillors in Ripon previously described the delay in the scheme as “absolute nonsense”.

At a council meeting in March, Cllr Andrew Williams, who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, said:

“It’s astonishing that we’ve spent £85,000 of public money to get nothing, not even a draft executive summary from a consultant — that’s how bad this is.

“A lot of time has spent on this by organisations in the city but it’s fallen off a cliff-edge. It’s an absolute nonsense.”

North Yorkshire £176,000 robotics contract will not lead to job losses, says council

North Yorkshire Council managers have said a £176,000 robotics contract will not lead to job losses.

The authority has commissioned Reading-based company T-Impact Limited to come up with automative robotic processes to free up work for staff. 

The company has been contracted to carry out the work at a cost of £176,116.

This would include tasks such as changing an address, which would be done through automation rather than manually.

Council officials say the contract, which will run to May 2026, would be “better value for money”.

Madeline Hoskin, assistant director technology at North Yorkshire Council, said the move would also help the new council with its financial challenges.

She said:

“It is anticipated the use of this technology will bring about efficiencies to help counter the financial challenges we are facing, and it will be used for some of repetitive work to free up staff to do other more rewarding aspects of their job.

“The system also enables us to deliver services more efficiently, achieving better value for money.

“There are no projected job losses as a result of this project.”

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The MP aiming to win his fifth election in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Today marks 4,762 days since Andrew Jones was elected Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Mr Jones wrestled the seat off the Liberal Democrats with a slim 1,039 majority in May 2010.

Since then has successfully defended it three times, achieving more than 50% of the vote on each occasion and securing a 9,675 majority in 2019.

But this month’s local elections, in which the Conservatives lost more than 1,000 councillors, and Labour’s lead in the opinion polls suggest the next election could be closer.

In his first interview with the Stray Ferret, Mr Jones gives his thoughts on the looming general election, which is likely to happen next year, as well as key local issues including the Harrogate Station Gateway and devolution.

Mr Jones, who has been a transport and Treasury minister, says he had “no hesitation whatsoever” in putting forward his name for re-selection in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency. He says:

“The opportunity to speak up for my home area at the highest possible level is absolutely fantastic.”

The constituency, and the previous Harrogate constituency that included Knaresborough, has been held by Conservatives continuously since 1950 except when the Liberal Democrat Phil Willis was MP from 1997 to 2010.

But Mr Jones insists he’s never regarded it as “anything other than a marginal”, adding no seat has been safe for a decade. He says:

“The election is about who offers the best future  – will it be Rishi or Keir Starmer. The answer is Rishi. Who will be the best local champion? Me.”

Asked how many marks out of 10 he’d give so far for Rishi Sunak’s performance as Prime Minister, he says ’11’.

His Lib Dem opponent

Mr Jones, who turns 60 in November, will be up against Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon, who at 29 is half his age.

Both men were born in West Yorkshire but while Mr Jones has lived in Harrogate for almost 25 years, Mr Gordon has just moved in.

Mr Gordon portrays himself as a fresh and energetic alternative but Mr Jones says he has “plenty of fuel in the tank” and points out he had a career in business before becoming a Harrogate borough councillor in 2003, representing High Harrogate for two terms before becoming an MP.

By contrast, Mr Gordon, who has twice stood as a prospective parliamentary candidate as well as a councillor in Wakefield and Newcastle has “done an enormous amount of politics” for a 29-year-old, says Mr Jones, who adds:

“I had 25 years in business. I had done two terms as a local councillor in this area before being elected. I haven’t stood anywhere else.

“I have not sought to represent anything other than the seat I live in. I don’t think this is just a notch on someone’s political bedpost and I hope this constituency isn’t being used in this way.”

Supporting the Station Gateway

Few issues have divided Harrogate more in Mr Jones’ time as an MP than the £11.2 million Station Gateway, which looks set to go ahead after all five Conservative councillors and five of eight Liberal Democrat councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s area constituency committee supported it.

Mr Jones supports the scheme but has reservations, which include the positioning of taxi ranks, unloading outside shops and disabled parking spaces.

He says town centres are changing, with less retail and more hospitality and homes.

“They’ve got to be more attractive places to go to where the quality of life is very high. That’s the big picture in which the gateway ought to be considered.”

He insists the town centre is “vibrant” despite pro-gateway supporters presenting the scheme as a way to regenerate a run-down area blighted by shop closures.

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He also accused Conswrvative-run North Yorkshire Council of not defending the scheme rigorously enough. He says:

“There have been all kinds of concerns and indeed some misinformation about it and, quite frankly, the council hasn’t done a great job at countering some of the misinformation.”

 

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Andrew Jones in Harrogate

What misinformation? He mentions claims traffic will back-up to Ripley and that the scheme is a form of back-door Big Brother by increasing CCTV. He says:

“If I look at the scheme, as a whole, I think improvements to the street scene in the area are welcome. The focus on integrated public transport is also welcome. And the cycle paths are properly segregated, providing more safety for cyclists, which is probably a good thing too.”

Does he cycle?

“No. I live right in the town centre, I walk everywhere.”

He adds he “much prefers the train” to driving but this has been compromised by recent train strikes.

Many businesses oppose the gateway and a recent Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce survey generated three times more responses opposed to the scheme than in favour. Are they wrong?

“I’ve had comments from businesses that have been both for and against.”

Sewage and the River Nidd

andrew jones-mp-and-frank maguire

With the owner of Knaresborough Lido

Mr Jones is leading a high profile campaign alongside the Nidd Action. Group to achieve designated bathing water status on the River Nidd at Knaresborough Lido, which would oblige agencies to clean-up the river.

The Lib Dems have criticised the government’s record on tackling the state of rivers. Mr Jones says:

“This is the first government in British history which has sought to improve and tackle the sewage overflows so I don’t think the political blame game improves water quality. Positive action does.”

Two hundred people have volunteered to help monitor Nidd usage at the Lido. Mr Jones says:

“This weekend sees the start of the bathing water season and also sees start of surveying at the Lido.”

How confident is he the campaign will achieve bathing water status and will it happen this year?

“I am always confident and always travel hopefully. It’s too early to say about timings. All I can say is this will have full energy from me.”

Harrogate town council concerns

North Yorkshire is undergoing its biggest political upheaval for half a century.

Harrogate Borough Council was abolished at the end of March and a mayor for York and North Yorkshire is likely to be elected next year.

Mr Jones supported devolution but preferred the east-west model that lost out. Was he sorry to see Conservative-controlled Harrogate Borough Council, whose council leader Richard Cooper is his office manager, disappear?

“I did have a bit of a pang when the council finished. I spent two terms as a councillor in Harrogate and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought we got a lot done.”

He says the big issue now is ensuring local voices are heard at Northallerton, where North Yorkshire Council is based.

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He sounds far from convinced about a Harrogate town council, which looks set to be created next year, adding another layer of council tax.

Mr Jones again seems unimpressed by North Yorkshire Council’s approach, which has involved consulting on whether people support a town council without specifying what its powers will be. He says:

“Creating a public body and then worrying about what it will have responsibility for is the wrong way to approach the question.

“Those supporting it need to articulate a vision of what it will do, how much it will cost and why it should be supported and why it’s different to the area constituency committee.”

Won’t stand for mayor

Mr Jones flatly ruled himself out of the race to become mayor. “I am not putting my name forward,” he says.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner has put her name forward — will he support her?

“It’s early days so we’ll see. I don’t doubt there will be a lot of interest in the position.”

What about Richard Cooper, who he was worked alongside effectively since the 1990s? Mr Jones says Mr Cooper understands how the political systems and structures work and how to get things done, adding:

“If he wants to put his name forward he was a very effective leader at the council but I think he has already said he has retired from seeking elected office. I think he’s ruled himself out.”

1,000 items of correspondence a week

Andrew Jones MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Mr Jones receives 1,000 items of correspondence each week.

Mr Jones, who employs six staff at his constituency office on East Parade in Harrogate, receives about 1,000 pieces of correspondence a week.

He travels to London late on Sunday or early Monday and returns for constituency work on Thursday evening.

Mr Jones, who opposed Brexit, is regarded as being more on the centre ground of the Conservatives than some. Does he agree with the strong language used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman on immigration? He says:

“Immigration is something that brings out very strong feelings but not in a good way. Some of the language used on all sides of this debate is regrettable.”

One of Mr Jones’ pre-local election newsletters didn’t mention he was a Conservative. Why?

“There was no plan behind that. I think everybody knows I am the Conservative MP.”

Cricket and classical music

Born in Ilkley, Mr Jones father worked in the textile industry in Bradford, and he attended the town’s grammar school.

A party loyalist, he is sometimes described as amiable but bland. Is this fair?

“People should just look at what we’ve actually got done. I think there is merit in civilised discussion and debate. Those who shout loudest aren’t always shouting wisely.

“I don’t think it’s bland in the slightest. I’ve been hugely enthusiastic about what I’ve been doing and managed to get enormous amounts done locally and also on a national basis.”

He cites improved rail services first when asked to name what he’s most proud of.

“If we just look at the rail services we had in our area when I became a MP. Now we have more services, later services, faster services, newer services, new rolling stock, London trains – direct services I’m talking about there – these refurbished stations. These are significant changes.

“We have electric buses in the area and more on the way.”

And his biggest regret or disappointment?

“Interesting question. If I look at our area I look around and I see high performing public services both in education and in health. What would be a disappointment? I’m not sure really.”

Away from politics, he has been a member of Yorkshire County Cricket Club since his Leeds University student days 40 years ago.

He hopes to attend a couple of days of the Ashes Headingley Test and “get to a couple of county matches as well”. He enjoys classical music and says Beethoven and Mahler are “high on the list” but describes himself as a musical “omnivore”.

He also likes reading and walking in the Yorkshire Dales. But with the election approaching, his spare time is likely to be in short supply.

 

Alastair Campbell pays visit to Harrogate sixth form

Former journalist Alastair Campbell paid a visit to sixth form students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate yesterday.

Mr Campbell, who became well known for being press secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair, was in town to record the latest edition of The Rest is Politics podcast.

He visited the school give an interview to pupils from the PPE Society and answer questions from students studying history and politics A Level from the associated sixth form, Harrogate Grammar and Ashville

Among the topics covered were his views on the House of Lords, Brexit, the role of the media in politics and the prospects for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

A spokesperson for St Aidan’s said:

“Throughout he was patient and charming, answering each question with insight, honesty and humour.

“It was fantastic to have someone of his stature and experience in school, and there is no doubt he inspired the audience of young people to get involved in politics.”

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Crime commissioner declines to respond to resignation call

North Yorkshire’s Police Fire and Crime Commissioner has declined to respond to a call for her to resign after a government watchdog found some vulnerable children “remain at risk unnecessarily” due to delays in police investigations.

Zoe Metcalfe, who is aiming to be the Tory candidate to be the first North Yorkshire and York elected mayor, said she would not be commenting on a notice of motion lodged by North Yorkshire Council’s opposition leader, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, which is tabled to be considered at a full meeting on Wednesday.

However, rather than debate the issue at the meeting, one option for the council’s chairman would be to refer the notice of motion to one of the authority’s scrutiny committees for consideration.

The critical Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary report followed its assessment last year which found the force was “not effectively safeguarding children”.

Last week, at a public accountability meeting Ms Metcalfe said the information she had been provided about the force’s progress over its failings was bogus.

She said: 

“We were led to believe that North Yorkshire Police were in a better position than they ultimately were and we accept this.

“And as a result, we have entirely overhauled our scrutiny and assurance process, I have clearly set out how I will hold North Yorkshire Police to account for delivery.”

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Cllr Griffiths called for Ms Metcalfe’s resignation to be debated at the meeting.

He said the second report, published earlier this month, had examined 33 child protection cases, of which 11 were found to be good, eight required improvement and 14 were inadequate.

He said: 

“For so many cases to be found inadequate is a damning entitlement not only on the police, but also on the overall management of the force by the police and fire commissioner.

“The police, fire and crime commissioner is elected to be responsible for generally overseeing both police forces and fire services. Clearly has failed and is continuing to fail to hold the North Yorkshire Police force to account and keep the public and in particular children safe.

“Urgent action is therefore needed to remove the existing commissioner immediately and replace with a far more effective manager.”

In response, a spokeswoman for Ms Metcalfe said the motion was being put to the council “for discussion only, and so we will not be commenting at this time”.

Some of Ms Metcalfe’s Conservative former colleagues on the authority said they believed the notice of motion was “political” and that they would not be supporting the call for her to resign.

The Tories said those behind calls for her resignation had misunderstood the situation as the reports referred to a time before she was the commissioner.

 

North Yorkshire councillors voice frustration at 20 year delay to food waste collection service

North Yorkshire Councillors have voiced frustration at proposals to delay the introduction of a separate food waste collection service for another 20 years.

The delay has happened due to the government’s failure to state how much funding it would give the service.

Several members of the council’s executive underlined that the recommendation to delay the service until up to 2043 did not reflect their determination to rapidly reduce carbon emissions.

The urgent calls for government action appear to mark a significant shift in policy for the authority. Four years ago its leadership stated it was opposed to the introduction of a separate food waste collection service.

In 2019 the council stated it did not support the separate collections as it already recovered organic matter from residual waste at the county’s Allerton Park energy-from-waste plant in a “very cost-effective way”.

When a year later, the government committed to rolling out separate household food waste collection across the country by 2023, 51% of local authorities already collected food waste separately.

A meeting of the council’s current executive heard how separate collections could realise up to a 3,300-tonne reduction in carbon emissions a year compared to the current arrangements.

By collecting food waste separately, the council could increase the amount that can be converted into green electricity using an anaerobic digester. The delay would mean the carbon equivalent of an extra 18 million kilometres of diesel car emissions every year.

Although the council has effectively been given consent by Whitehall mandarins to delay implementing one of its flagship carbon cutting schemes due to its waste disposal contract running until 2043, the authority’s executive members said they wanted the service launched long before that “backstop position”.

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However, officers told the meeting the council had received “no further clarity” over government funding for introducing the new food waste collection service, saying the authority faced a bill of anything up to £6.4m annually.

Climate change boss Cllr Greg White said while council wanted to launch the separate collections with a county-wide overhaul of bin collections in 2027, it faced “very significant additional costs” over the separate food waste service.

He said: 

“Three thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide saved is huge, significant and something we want to do, but we can’t do that – with the best will in the world – if we don’t know what it’s going to cost us and at the moment we haven’t got sufficient clarity from the government.”

Other executive members said the authority, which is already facing having to cut a 30m annual deficit, needed “crystal clear” figures from the government before it could launch separate food collections and emphasised they had been left facing a choice of cutting carbon or funding other council services.

Cllr Simon Myers said: 

“As a responsible executive what we can’t do is take a decision when we don’t know the financial consequences for our residents at a time when there are financial pressures anyway.”

Harrogate Station Gateway: What happens now?

Harrogate’s £11.2 million Station Gateway project has moved forward after councillors gave their backing to the scheme.

As the meeting on Friday went on, there was a feeling that Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors would not countenance handing back more than £10 million to the government at a time when public money is hard to come by.

When they voted, the lively public gallery had dissipated as residents already sensed the mood of councillors.

It wasn’t a ringing endorsement, however, but they voted by 10 to 3 to back the scheme with some caveats.

After the meeting there were relieved smiles in the chamber from Conservative council leader Carl Les and highways boss Keane Duncan who understood the value of councillor support after three public consultations were pretty much split down the middle.

Executive decision

The next meeting concerning the Station Gateway will take place on May 30 at County Hall in Northallerton.

The council’s Conservative executive is expected to approve sending a full business case to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which originally won the funding from government.

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Ahead of the meeting later this month, councillors will receive a detailed report from officers about the scheme, what it seeks to achieve and how it would be delivered.

Cllr Duncan told councillors on Friday that the concerns raised by residents, councillors and businesses will inform the report. However, it will be published online a week before the meeting takes place so it doesn’t leave much time to make changes.

Autumn

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to make a decision on the council’s full business case in the autumn.

The council will then award a contract to a building firm to carry out the works.

Galliford Try has already been working with the council to draw up designs and has helped plan the construction phase.

Harrogate meeting

Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors made it clear they want to have more of a say in how the project develops — both before and during construction.

The committee has no formal powers but a meeting of the area committee is scheduled for September 14 when councillors have asked to receive a report on the project’s progress up to that point.

December

If the business case is approved in the summer, the council is keen to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible.

Cllr Duncan has said construction work could start by the end of this year.

But there’s a tight timescale to complete the project as the Department for Transport expects money earmarked for the Station Gateway to be spent before the end of the current financial year, although some can also be spent in 2024/25.

On Friday, Councillors also asked for a ‘rigorous monitoring system’ to be put in place before construction work starts that examines its impact on traffic, the environment and businesses.

But as the Station Gateway project moves forward, it’s unlikely to be any less controversial despite winning the approval of local councillors.