Agenda and minutes

Welcome by the Chairman, introductions and apologies for absence:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.  Apologies were noted.

Minutes of the meeting held on 8 June 2023

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 June 2023, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

Declarations of interest

Councillor Peter Lacey declared an interest regarding minutes 17 and 18 on the basis that he was a director of Knaresborough District Chamber of Trade and also of Knaresborough Connectors and had driven an electric vehicle of the previous eight years.

Councillor Hannah Gostlow declared an interest regarding minutes 17 and 18 on the basis that she was a Member of Knaresborough Town Council.

Councillor Matt Walker declared an interest regarding minutes 17 and 18 on the basis that he was a Member of Knaresborough Town Council.

All of the above were not considered pecuniary interests and therefore the Members remained in the room and voted on the items.

Anyone who would like to ask a question or make a statement at the meeting should email notice of their wish to do so, including the full text of what they intend to say, to Mark.Codman@northyorks.gov.uk as soon as possible, and by midday on Monday 11 September 2023 at the latest. Speakers are each asked not to exceed 3 minutes’ speaking time and to read out only the statement/question of which they have submitted notice, without adding to or altering it. No person may submit more than one question or statement. No more than one question may be asked, or statement made, on behalf of one organisation. The overall time available for public questions or statements is 30 minutes.

If you are asking a question or making a statement at this meeting but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chairman who will instruct those taking a recording to cease whilst you speak.

Public Questions and Statements

There were a number of statements that had been submitted to the Committee that related to items on the agenda, these would be read out when the agenda items were considered.

The following statement concerned an item not on the agenda and was read out by Malcolm Margolis on behalf of Harrogate District Cycle Action:

Councillors, we are asking you for the good of our town to save Harrogate Station Gateway. Along with many others we think the plan is very beneficial. Some of you think the same, some don’t, or rather you agree with some of it, but not with key elements, notably making Station Parade one lane and pedestrianising part of James Street.

Whichever view you take, and whatever reasons some of you have for opposing it, we are asking you to consider what happens if the £11m is returned unused, apart from the £2m apparently already spent on consultants. It would, we suggest, be pretty certain that North Yorkshire Council’s already low level 1 rating with Active Travel England would drop further to level zero, making future funding for active travel projects unlikely for years to come. Nor do we believe the Council would or should keep either the money or its rating if it scraps those key elements which reallocate road space in favour of active travel.

Andrew Jones MP, who himself has mixed views about Gateway, wrote to me in June ‘I am pleased it has not stalled nor fallen foul of the often inaccurate and vociferous criticism it has received. It is important local authorities can show they can deliver projects, and this is a big test for North Yorkshire Council. Station Gateway will boost NYC’s rating to two or perhaps even three. This in turn helps their chances of accessing more Government funding. I hope construction will begin at the earliest opportunity. As the councillors noted we have done enough talking. It is time for some doing.’ End of quote.

This £11m was awarded to improve the public realm and sustainable travel to the town and its rail and bus stations. There are many other changes on which most of us would agree. Making West Park and Parliament Street two way might be one, creating a first class cycling and walking network, better buses and bus lanes, enabling us all to use our cars less where possible. To have a realistic chance of getting funding for such things you must show you can deliver. The Council has already failed to deliver funded schemes on Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue, the A59 at Knaresborough, Otley Road and has abandoned the Beech Grove filter. This record was certainly a factor in the Government’s rejection of its recent active travel bids. It would be a massive disservice to Harrogate to now dump the £11m Gateway scheme as well. As Andrew Jones appreciates, this is a massive test and crucial moment for your council.

The judicial review claims there should have been a public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive - Legal and Democratic Services.

Petition referred to the committee for consideration – EV Charging Points Installation in Knaresborough:

Mark Codman (Democratic Services) introduced the item and outlined the Committee’s possible courses of actions following consideration of the petition. The report provided a summary of the petition and some background information to enable the Committee to debate the issue and make a recommendation.

The following was read out by Mark Codman (Democratic Services) on behalf of the petitioner (Kelly Teggin) to introduce the petition:

Knaresborough has been part of a pilot scheme to introduce the necessary EV charging point infrastructure to achieve targets expected to be required by 2038. Like any market town there is a recognition of the need for this transition and that the provision of such charging points can be an attraction to visitors and residents a like if introduced at the right time and in the right place.  However, in this case the implementation of charging points in the Chapel Street car park and at Conyngham Hall have both, in the view of those signing the petition, been badly handled in terms of consultation and the choices made.  They are causing significant negative impact on traders in the town centre, on our attractiveness to visitors and potentially to the environment through increased congestion associated with the choice of Chapel Street as a location for 10 charging points.

We recognise that contracts have been signed between the Council and the third-party provider which, if not renegotiated will continue to cause harm to local trading conditions for months if not years to come.  However, this contract has not been in line with initial consultation on the appropriate location of charging points and, as outlined in our detailed submission, is causing significant harm to the Town.  We also understand that lessons learnt from the poor implementation of this scheme will be applied to other locations, but Knaresborough is left with the impact.

We therefore call on the Council to:

1)    Seek to renegotiate the contract for the Chapel Street chargers and consider a phased approach to the 10 active EV Chapel Street town centre spaces, e.g., monitor usage and have some as mixed use during the day (8am-6pm) until the demand for EV charging points increases.  Current figures show the EV only spaces are underused by 80%.  The spaces could still be used for resident charging overnight between 6pm and 8am.  A 14-hour available charging period is much more realistic than the 4hr daytime limit, which only allows for an added range of 28 miles.

2)    Actively engage with the third party with whom NYC has the EV contract for Knaresborough to see if a compromise can be reached, as outlined above, especially given that the town was a pilot location.

3)    Provide clarity on whether electric vehicles are permitted to park in EV only spaces, even if they are not charging.

4)    Improve the signage around EV parking and the Car Club scheme in Knaresborough and raise awareness about the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Presentation from Knaresborough Town Councillor David Goode covering community development activities in Knaresborough. Preparedness for Double Devolution. Issues Knaresborough faces and Asks of ACC/NYC.

Presentation from Knaresborough Town Council: Thriving Knaresborough – 2030:

Knaresborough Town Councillor David Goode introduced this item and thanked the Committee for the invite to the meeting. He explained the history of Knaresborough and its Community highlighting the many challenges facing the town. These included maintaining a competitive local economy in a very competitive market, maintaining standards and growing services to cope with the influx of new residents due to 2000 plus new homes being built. The town suffered from congestion, anti-social behaviour, high house prices, low paid jobs, with a significant number of residents commuting to work on a daily basis. As a tourist destination the town suffered from lack of transport connectivity, a lack of hotel and other accommodation, poor tourism promotion and a slow growth in new business in the town.

Knaresborough Town Council was a well-established Council with a budget that delivered a number of services to and on behalf of residents in the town. It had a Mayor, whose duties ranged from supporting local business and causes and representing the Town in the wider region. The Town Council worked with North Yorkshire Council in a variety of areas including emergency response and was also part of North Yorkshire Council’s implementation of the new community development strategy with community networks/anchor organisations. The Town Council was looking at the potential opportunities that double devolution offered the Town and had submitted proposals as part of the process with North Yorkshire Council. The town council recognised that devolution opportunities related to the transfer of assets, and/or the delivery of services.

Cllr Goode went on to brief the Committee on the workshops that the Town Council had held to look at issues facing the town and also how the Community could work together to tackle environmental and climate change issues. He explained how the town had successfully run events all of which contributed to a ‘thriving town. He gave an overview of the competing priorities facing the town and how the town would have to rely and build on relationships to deliver solutions and any double devolution success. He concluded with an overview of the issues the town was facing and what the town Council was asking from the Area Committee and North Yorkshire Council.

The Chair thanked Cllr Goode for his presentation.

In response to questions further information was requested about anchor organisations and Cllr Goode provided information about the Parish Precept.

Members discussed the benefits of sorting lease arrangements for the Castle Grounds and Councillor Walker offered his services as a Champion of economic development in Knaresborough and to be a conduit between the Town Council and the Duchy.

Councillor Walker proposed the following motion, the motion was seconded by Councillor Gostlow:

The Council should learn from the past and strengthen communication and engagement between the Town Council and North Yorkshire Council:

-        Councillor Walker to be the link on behalf of the Committee between Knaresborough Town Council and North Yorkshire Council for supporting Economic Development and working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment.