Ripon City Council to acquire landmarks
The deal will see the council take control of Ripon Town Hall, Hugh Ripley Hall, and Wakeman’s House from North Yorkshire Council, in the first major transfer of assets since the unitary authority launched in 2023.
The agreement between North Yorkshire Council and Ripon City Council will see responsibility for the buildings handed to the local government.
The grade two-listed Ripon Town Hall was built in 1799 and was designed by architect James Wyatt.
Hugh Ripley Hall is located on Skellbank and is hired out by the council for community uses, while Wakeman’s House is used as a café in the city’s Market Place.
The deal has been criticised for the length of time it has taken to reach, and management of Ripon’s outdoor market has not yet been resolved.
Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said: “We always knew it was going to be difficult and we always knew it would take some time.
“There are people criticising us but they’re missing the point that in the first year or so of the new council, we were just making sure that we got everything safe and legal that we had to.”
Andrew Williams, Ripon Minster and Moorside representative on North Yorkshire Council, said: “This deal means the people of the city will own their community assets instead of leasing them.
“The intent is to enhance the buildings and give them a greater community purpose.
“If you look to what the people of Skipton did with their town hall – took an effectively dysfunctional, poorly repaired building and secure substantial investment within it so that it’s now an integral part of the Skipton community life – we ought to do the same.”
