Editor's Pick of the Week: Diversions, disasters and a spot of fishing

Kex Gill. The mere mention of the name is enough to trigger palpitations in motorists travelling along the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton.

Nearly three months after the much-delayed, over-budget Kex Gill bypass finally opened, traffic lights and diversions continue to bedevil drivers and infuriate residents in Blubberhouses.

A further three weeks of disruption were announced this week. But surely, surely, this really is the final chapter?

Talking of schemes that cost more and take longer than expected, spades are due to hit the ground for the Harrogate Station Gateway in January.

North Yorkshire Council's Cllr Malcolm Taylor says the scheme will be the catalyst for economic regeneration in the town centre.

However, the council remains rather less forthcoming when it comes to providing a full breakdown of the costs. Regeneration, it seems, comes with a price tag that is best left to the imagination.

It's been a difficult week for two Harrogate institutions. Law firm Berwins, founded in 1986, has gone into administration, while Harrogate and District Community Action, whose roots date back to 1988, has agreed to merge with Saint Michael's Hospice after its income plummeted. HADCA’s finance chief Victoria Oldham managed to retain her sense of humour at this week’s AGM, joking that “even the good biscuits have disappeared from the trustee meetings”.

Tough times for another familiar name in the district. TGJones in Ripon is to close in January. WHSmith occupied the site for 90 years; its successor, which arrived last year, will have managed barely 18 months. Some high street relationships are clearly more enduring than others.

We were all set to attend this week's Harrogate Town fans' forum – an event we've regularly covered in recent years – until the club informed us it was "not open to members of the media". A National League club imposing a media blackout? That seems a touch excessive. What exactly is there to hide?

Away fans contemplating turning a trip to Harrogate into an overnight stay could soon face another unwelcome addition to the bill: a proposed tourist tax. Labour mayor David Skaith, who seems unable to discuss the proposed charge without describing it as a "game-changer", is certainly keen on the idea. Publishing his own expenses, however, appears to be a less pressing priority.

Ripon and Skipton Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith — not a man known for blunt speaking — described the tourist tax as "mad".

If all this week's news has left you feeling a little depressed, there's always the riverbank. Harrogate, it turns out, is home to one of the country's leading pike anglers, who has just published his third book. A peaceful day beside the River Ure sounds rather appealing — and certainly less stressful than navigating Kex Gill.

If you enjoyed this article, and want to read more, please subscribe here. It costs just 14p a day and you will be supporting local journalism.