A Busy Few Weeks For The Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce
It has been a full few weeks for the Chamber, with plenty of conversations, events and behind the scenes work to update you on.
On the civic and regional front, Phill and I met with David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, to continue building the relationships that help us champion Harrogate's interests at a regional level. We also attended the Chief Executive breakfast at the Great Yorkshire Show, which included a useful Q&A session with Richard Flinton, Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, and represented the Chamber at the Visit North Yorkshire Advisory Group meeting.
Phill and I also sat down directly with Richard Flinton and Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire Council, to raise members' concerns around running businesses in Harrogate as well as their experiences living here. We also used the opportunity to discuss BIDs footfall and spend data which makes sober reading: footfall is down 9% against a 4% national decline, dwell time has fallen from over six hours in January to around three and a half hours by June, and retail sales have gone from 1.5% growth in January to a 9.9% year on year decline by June, against a national benchmark of minus 4.5%. There is a genuine sense of fatigue among businesses about the town's trajectory since the pandemic, and we were clear that this needs addressing.
We also pressed the case on infrastructure and parking, from long-standing roadworks and inconsistent signage around the Station Gateway project, to the impact of "pay on arrival" parking charges on dwell time and spend, compared with the more flexible "pay on departure" systems used in Leeds and York. A further theme was the communication between Harrogate Convention Centre and the hospitality sector which many would like to see improve. We also pushed for a clearer, joined-up investment plan for the town, similar to the one Richmond has adopted, along with more direct engagement between decision makers and business owners, and as a result we will be looking to host a round table discussion with a number of business owners in the district and the senior leaders within North Yorkshire.
Locally, I met with North Yorkshire Council regarding highways matters affecting the district, and joined the Town Council's Signage Working Group and Key Stakeholder Meeting, both important forums for making sure Harrogate's businesses are heard on issues that affect the town.
Behind the scenes, we have been working through the restructure of the Chamber, meeting with stakeholders to shape how the organisation will run going forward, and Phill and I co-hosted our July members' meeting, "People Before Perceptions: Unlocking the Talent You Never Knew You Needed," at the Cedar Court Hotel. It was a genuinely inspiring evening, with speakers from Disability Action Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Council and the British Army all challenging local employers to look beyond traditional recruitment routes. Robert Kernaghan of Disability Action Yorkshire put it best:
"Disabled people want what most people want: the chance to work, to contribute, to be valued, and to be judged on what they can do, not on their disability."
We also heard how North Yorkshire Council's Connect to Work scheme offers completely free recruitment support, and how 95% of the 800 service leavers who exit the armed forces in Yorkshire each year choose to settle back in the region, a huge, often overlooked talent pool for local businesses. You can read the full meeting report on our website.
It was also a pleasure to get out socially: attending Harrogate Theatre's Autumn Season Launch and their Cocktails for a Cause event at the Crown Hotel, joining the judges lunch for Harrogate in Bloom, and raising a glass at Jo Swaine's retirement drinks after her years of service at Time Together.
As a sponsor, I also attended the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, where Elly Griffiths won Crime Novel of the Year for The Frozen People. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and a reminder of the calibre of event our town continues to attract.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to meet, host or simply chat with me. These conversations, whether with regional leaders or local business owners, are what keep the Chamber connected and able to represent Harrogate effectively. More updates to follow soon.
Martin Mann Chief Executive, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce
