North Yorkshire councillors back £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway project

Senior North Yorkshire councillors have backed plans to submit a full business case for the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive met this morning and voted unanimously to approve the plan, which moves the project a step closer.

Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors voted to support it at a meeting on May 5.

Today’s decision means a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade will be reduced to single lane traffic and James Street partly pedestrianised to encourage cycling and walking.

Station Square will undergo a major overhaul, with the ‘little temple’ outside Victoria Shopping Centre destroyed.

Cllr Keane Duncan, Conservative executive councillor for highways, said today that work on the project is expected to start in winter this year.

However, Cllr Pat Marsh, Liberal Democrat chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee, urged the councillors not to go-ahead with the project.

She said:

“Do not go forward with this scheme. This scheme starts nowhere and goes nowhere.”

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Meanwhile, Cllr Duncan confirmed that the council had received a 2,000-signature petition objecting to the plan.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Chris Aldred, who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley, said there had been “a lot of hyperbole” about the scheme. He called for councillors to “focus on the actuality”.

He said:

“The scheme as described does have some benefits.

“I think I am right in saying that there is a small carbon gain.”

Cllr Aldred called for the council to “talk with residents and businesses” when implementing the project.

Meanwhile, Conservative Cllr Sam Gibbs, who represents Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate, said while the scheme did divide opinion, he felt it should be progressed.

He said:

“I am here to get on with this scheme. We cannot kick this down the road any longer.”

The move comes as Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said in a report that the project would arrest town centre decline by increasing footfall, even though many businesses remain opposed.

There are also concerns about other aspects of the scheme, including congestion and parking, and the impact on the town centre during construction.

But Mr Battersby suggested the gateway could be the start of a wider town centre redevelopment. His report said the project will “provide a central active travel ‘hub’ from which ‘spokes’ of further improvements can radiate”.

However, Mr Battersby also warned that if the final cost exceeds budget, savings would be made by either reviewing the materials or “descoping” the project.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate brewery to host international beer festival

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate brewery is set to host 20 breweries as part of an international beer festival.

Roosters, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has announced the line up for the event which will be held on July 1.

The event will feature a combined line-up of over 100 beers from breweries including Burning Sky, Elusive, Brew York, North and Siren.

It will also see live music, with Sheffield’s Hot Soles are confirmed as the festival headliners, having previously supported The Zutons on tour. Ralph Pelleymounter will also take to the stage ahead of touring with Bastille later in July. 

Called Suds With Buds, the festival will be held at Rooster’s tap room, beer garden and private function space upstairs at the brewery.

Tom Fozard, commercial director at Roosters, said:

“We’ve wanted to host Suds With Buds ever since we up scaled the brewery and opened the Taproom in 2019, so I’m excited that we’re finally in a position to make it happen.

“The list of breweries joining us and the beers they’ll be pouring is, quite frankly, ridiculous, but the quality of the street food traders and calibre of the live music on the day is equally impressive.

“Hopefully the weather will play its part and the sun will be shining for everyone who joins to enjoy a few suds with their buds on July 1.”

For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, visit the Roosters website here.

Business event to focus on staff retention

Three business groups are set to collaborate to host a series of events aimed at addressing critical challenges facing Harrogate firms.

2Inspire, Business Doctors and Light On Research will host the first event at West Park Hotel on June 6 from 9.30am, which will focus on attracting and retaining talent.

The series is designed to appeal to small, medium and larger sized businesses based in Harrogate and North Yorkshire the event will provide opportunities to network, collaborate, share ideas and hear from industry experts.

Ian Howard, of Business Doctors, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting these free events and look forward to meeting local businesses, understanding the challenges that they face and sharing ways for them to deliver a winning approach to attract and retain the talent they need to succeed in tough times.”

Sigita Russell, of Light On Research, added:

“Staff retention is not just a challenge, it’s an opportunity to create a workplace where employees thrive, achieve their potential, and feel proud to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

For more information on the event, visit the Eventbrite page here.

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Nominations for Harrogate hospital trust governor elections open

Nominations have opened to elect governors to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust are seeking nominations from members of the public who are interested in representing three constituencies in Harrogate and surrounding villages;  Wetherby & Harewood, Alwoodley, Adel & Wharfedale, and Otley and Yeadon; and Ripon & West District.

Currently, the Council of Governors comprises 26 governors, consisting of 14 public members, six staff classes, and six partner/stakeholder organisations, such as North Yorkshire Council.

Governors provide a vital link between the public, staff and partner organisations, representing the views and interests of local people and making sure they are considered by the trust’s board of directors.

Sarah Armstrong, chair of the trust, said: 

“Our governors play an essential role, providing a bridge between our members, our community and our Board. They help shape our Trust’s future direction and the services we provide.

“Governors serve a term of three years and have key responsibilities including liaising with the Board of Directors and collectively holding them to account for the performance of the Trust.

“They are involved in the appointment of the Non-Executive Directors on the Board of Directors, and helping us to develop our membership.

“They are also responsible for regularly feeding back information about our Trust, its vision and its performance to the constituencies and stakeholder organisations that elected and/or nominated them.

“HDFT is committed to providing the best possible healthcare service for our community and we have a number of exciting projects over the next few years which will help us to further improve on the service we offer. It is an exciting time for our Trust and we would love to hear from anyone interested in becoming a governor.”

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Nominations close on Monday, June 5, and elections will open on Friday, June 23, when voting packs will be dispatched to members.

The final day of voting will be Thursday, July 13, with declaration of results taking place on Friday, July 14.

Anyone interested in standing can obtain more information and a nomination form by visiting www.cesvotes.com/hdft2023, calling 0208 889 9203 or emailing ftnominationenquiries@cesvotes.com.

To be eligible to stand in the elections, nominees need to be over 16, reside in the constituency they wish to represent and be a member of the Trust. It is free to join and an application form is available on the trust’s website.

Harrogate’s Archie Gray set for Euro quarter final with England

Harrogate’s Archie Gray will be part of an England squad aiming to make the UEFA European Championship semi-finals tonight.

Gray featured in England’s last group match against Switzerland, which confirmed their place in the knockout stages.

The Three Lions will take on France under-17s in the quarter finals tonight, kick off is 7pm.

The match can be watched on the BBC website here.

Gray has featured in all three England group games so far against Croatia, Netherlands and Switzerland.

England won the group with two wins and a draw.

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Gray will be hoping to help his side into the semi finals and onto the final in Budapest on June 2.

Gray completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate last year.

He is also great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.

Harrogate cricket club captain aiming for success after relegation survival

From surviving relegation to building a young squad, Will Bates has seen a lot in his short time as Harrogate Cricket Club captain.

The 32-year-old captained two sides prior to joining the St George’s Road club.

However, his time at Harrogate has proved pivotal in the two years since taking up the position.

As he sits in the beaming sunshine next to the home pitch, Will reflects on a whirlwind period as Harrogate’s first XI captain.

Formative years in Letchworth

Growing up in Hertfordshire, Will played an array of sports including football, cricket and tennis.

But it was the bat and ball which stuck in the end.

He started playing for Harpenden Cricket Club, before going onto the adults game.

“I played all sports really. Football, cricket and tennis were my main sports.

“But cricket was the one I stuck with the most and enjoyed the most.”

Will started out as both a batsmen and off-spin bowler. However, nowadays, he says he’s more of an occasional bowler and only bowls “if required”.

He describes himself as a “classical batsman”, a contrast to some of his younger teammates who prefer the aggressive technique exemplified by Brendan McCullum’s England side.

Much of his adult career was spent at Letchworth Garden City Cricket Club.

Will describes the seven years at Letchworth as some of his formative years as a cricketer.

“As a club, it was quite formative in terms of my ethos on cricket.

“A few weeks ago they put out a first team and they had an overseas player and they had 10 other players between the ages of 18 and 40. Every single one of them had only ever played for one cricket club and come through the youth system. None of them were getting paid.

“I loved my time playing cricket at Letchworth and that’s the kind of cricket club I want to be a part of up here.”

Captaining Harrogate

Much of the ethos that Will saw at Letchworth has carried over into his time in North Yorkshire.

He moved to Harrogate five years ago to take up a job as a solicitor in the disputes department at LCF Law.

He took on the captaincy two years ago and grasped the opportunity.

“I thought there was a lot that we could do to improve things and we had a lot of young players. I was quite excited.”

Harrogate Cricket Club wins Addison Cup 2021

Harrogate Cricket Club, pictured after their Addison Cup win in 2021.

Despite his excitement, Will was thrust straight into a season where Harrogate found themselves in a relegation battle.

The club stayed up on the last day after beating York. Will scored 90 in a captain’s innings to help see Harrogate over the line.

While the stress of avoiding relegation would be enough for some players to put behind them, Will sees it as one of his best games.

“We needed to win to stay up and York are traditionally our big rivals.

“I got 90 not out in that game when we were chasing about 230. In terms of satisfaction and pressure situation, that would be the one that I pick out.”

Will Bates, Harrogate Cricket Club

Will Bates with his man of the match award after the Addison Cup in 2021.

Among the club’s other achievements in his time include winning the Addison Cup in 2021.

Harrogate eased to victory over Wetherby Carr Manor after scoring 131 for 7 and bowling the opposition out for 99.

Will won man of the match after scoring 59 in his innings.

Building a culture

Since surviving relegation, Will has sought to help the club in its ambition to improve.

One of the aspects of that is bringing young players through and giving them opportunities in the first team.

Will points to wicketkeeper Isaac Light as an example of one of the young players that he and the club are trying to bring through.

He also wants to build a culture at Harrogate which is “close nit” and where players feel invested in the side.

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For Will, this is an example of the setup he says he wants to be a part of – as he had at Letchworth.

The decision the club made over paying players exemplifies that, he says.

“Some teams we play against probably pay most players.

“But we made a conscious decision where we only pay an overseas player. Nearly every team in the division has an overseas player. Then we have one club professional who is Matt Pillans, who used to play at Yorkshire.

“The justification for both those expenses is the benefit the whole club gets from training with them and playing with them.

“They’re not just paid to play cricket and for us to win. We made a conscious decision that we didn’t want a first team where everyone is a paid cricketer.

“We are now seeing the benefit of that policy.”

While Will wants to grow Harrogate beyond what it is, does he have any ambitions?

“To get Harrogate’s first team to reach its potential.

“Although we made progress last year, we did slightly underachieve. It’s hard to say what that is because at the end of the season you know if you have won the right number of games or not.

“But I’d certainly see at as being a top four finish in the league, it could even be better than that with the team that we have got at the moment.”

For Will, he feels he has found his place in Harrogate.

As the club sits third in the league and prepares for another showdown with York this weekend, the team appears to be on an upward trajectory.

Does Will think he’ll still be in Harrogate at the end of his career?

“I can’t see myself playing for anyone else. I probably do feel quite at home here.”

This is the third article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Ex-staff at failed Harrogate firm Amvoc set for liquidation payouts

Staff at failed Harrogate company Amvoc are likely to receive some payment following its collapse, administrators have said.

However, HMRC and unsecured creditors are unlikely to receive any money due to a lack of property.

The telemarketing company, which was based at Cardale Park, collapsed and was placed into administration in March this year.

Staff were left shocked on March 17 when they received a late night email from chief executive Damian Brockway saying “all our offices are closed with effect from tonight”. It went on to blame “covid debts”.

In a report published today, Gareth Lewis, Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency, said the company would work to make a payment to staff as part of the administration process.

As part of the process, former employees are classed as “ordinary preferential creditors”.

However, HMRC, which is classed as a “secondary preferential creditor”, and unsecured credits are expected to receive no money.

Mr Lewis said:

“A dividend to ordinary preferential creditors appears achievable.

“However, it appears that there will be no property available to enable a distribution to secondary preferential or unsecured creditors.”

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The company owed £1.2 million to HMRC, which included unpaid VAT, unpaid employees PAYE and national insurance, student loan deductions and industry scheme deductions.

In an administrators’ statement of affairs last week, it was also revealed Amvoc owed £546,534.71 to former employees against assets of £302,802.63.

It also has £868,267 worth of unsecured creditors. Among them is Hemel Hempstead-based data marketing firm, Aura Media Group, which is owed £154,467.38.

Mr Lewis said administrators would now work to make a payment to preferential creditors.

High staff turnover and winding up petition

Mr Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge.

It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022.  It also had plans to expand to London.

At the time of its collapse, Amvoc employed 230 staff.

Mr Lewis said in his report that in September 2017, the company entered into a company voluntary arrangement as a result of “cash flow difficulties” because of the loss of a major customer and “significant bad debt”.

He helped the company pay its creditors claims in full with interest, which was completed on March 31, 2020. However, this coincided with the start of the covid pandemic.

Gareth Lewis and Amvoc

Gareth Lewis of Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency.

Mr Lewis said the nature of Amvoc’s trade was such that it had “high fixed overheads”, a high staff turnover and that it was not equipped for the pandemic.

He said:

“It had a constant high turnover of employees, regularly having 20-30 employees leave and start each month.

“It was not equipped at the outset of the pandemic to facilitate working from home and also could not operate safely in the ‘call centre’ environment.”

In August 2020, despite the easing of restrictions, Amvoc’s offices were closed by Public Health England after 50 staff contracted coronavirus.

Meanwhile, many of the company’s customers held back on projects due to uncertainty of the pandemic. This led to the firm being unable to generate sales from telemarketing.

Between, April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021, Amvoc reported a pre-tax operating loss of £1.7 million.

The following year, the company reported a pre-tax profit of £350,000. However, this was not enough to pay off debts.

Mr Lewis said:

“This was insufficient for the company to meet its debts as and when they fell due, most notably HM Revenue and Customs, who by this stage had increased pressure on the company.”

On March 13 this year, Mr Lewis attended Amvoc’s offices to discuss the company’s financial position.

He then contacted HMRC, who had indicated they would be passing a file to its solicitors to issue a winding up petition. This was formally issued on March 16.

The following day, a company director took the decision to inform staff that the company would no longer be trading.

Staff were told by Mr Brockway on March 17 that all Amvoc offices would be closed.

Amvoc’s clients included BP, Barclays, Virgin Media, Leeds Beckett University, and both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.

Twenty-three former employees found work with Brighton-based One-Family, which was a former customer of Amvoc.

Meanwhile, Law firm Aticus said in the days after Amvoc’s collapse it had been contacted by 145 former employees.

The law firm said it was investigating the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed, as well as whether ex-staff are eligible to claim for compensation. 

Plan for 15 flats on former Pateley Bridge garage site rejected

A plan to build 15 flats on a former Pateley Bridge garage site has been refused.

Chartwell Barns Ltd has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to build a three-storey block on the site of Daleside Garage on Bridgehouse Gate in April 2022.

The proposal included an electric vehicle charging point along with 27 car parking spaces.

A total of three one-bedroom, eight two-bedroom and four three-bedroom flats were included in the scheme.

However, North Yorkshire Council, which replaced the borough council on April 1 this year, has refused the plan.

In a decision notice, it said the scheme would result in the loss of employment space and that the developer had failed to prove that the site had been marketed for employment use.

It said:

“No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been actively marketed for employment use or that continued use of the site for employment is no longer viable, or that smaller scale or alternative employment requirements cannot be accommodated on the site.

“Therefore, on the basis of the information submitted, it is considered that the proposed development would have an adverse impact on the quality and quantity of employment land supply.”

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The council added that the development would be “unduly dominant and incongruous” within its surroundings and failed to provide an “acceptable level of privacy” to future occupants.

The decision comes as the former business on the site, Daleside Garage, has since moved in the town.

The firm has moved to brand new premises at Corn Close Farm on Low Wath Road.

Karley Haley, who owns Daleside Garage with her husband Glenn, told the Stray Ferret that the move helped to retain the MOT testing station, as well as servicing and repairs, in the town.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate beauty brand records improved profits

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate-based hair and beauty brand has recorded strong profit results for the last financial year.

CloudNine, which is based at Hornbeam Park, reported a turnover of £35 million and pre-tax profits of £8.6m – a 20% rise on 2021 – for the year ending December 2022.

The firm, which employs more than 60 staff at its headquarters in Harrogate, has credited its results to a combination of continued growth in the UK, significant growth in Australia and New Zealand and the strengthening of its online and in-store presence.

Martin Rae, chief executive of CloudNine, said: 

“This is a very pleasing set of results which cements our position as one of the world’s leading hair and beauty brands.

“We are very proud of everything we have achieved, with the ultimate aim of providing the tools to help people feel like the best version of themselves, which is what we are most passionate about.

“We are also very passionate about the environment. We launched the industry’s first hair iron recycling scheme, which has saved over 2,800kg of hair styling tools from landfill so far.”

Business networking event to be held in Boroughbridge

A networking event is set to be held for businesses in Boroughbridge.

Held at the Crown Hotel on Thursday, June 15, the session will focus on supporting local firms.

It will also include guest speakers Alison Laws, business relationships manager at York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, and Alice Ingram, business engagement manager at West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

The event will start at 5.30pm with refreshments and networking and will include a question and answer session.

For more information on the event, contact the Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade here.

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A third of callers give up on police 101 calls in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire’s police commissioner has criticised the force after new figures today revealed more than a third of 101 calls were abandoned.

Statistics for April showed 16,939 non-emergency calls were made to North Yorkshire Police.

Of that number, the average answer time was five minutes and 27 seconds.

The force has a target to answer 90% of calls within 120 seconds. Last month, 60% were picked up in time and 34% were abandoned.

At a North Yorkshire Police online public meeting today, Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative police, fire and crime commissioner, said:

“It’s just not good enough for the public at all that we are having a 34% drop-off rate here in 101.

“I really would like to know when are we going to see an improvement.”

The meeting can be viewed here.

The criticism comes after the commissioner awarded the force control room £1.8 million a year to improve response times.

Figures for 101 calls in April. Data: NYP.

The money was earmarked to fund the appointment of 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.

Elliot Foskett, assistant chief constable at the force, said he was optimistic the performance would start to improve.

“We would agree, we think 34% is high. You will start to see an improvement, commissioner, with those resources landing in the control room.

“I can’t stress highly enough that we monitor this every single day. Not only within the chief officer team, but at the force daily management meeting and in the local meetings in the force control room.

“I am optimistic that by the summer time as we start to get more people in and towards the end of the summer, we will should see that come down. I absolutely understand the frustration when people are hanging on the phone and trying to get through to us as well.”

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Meanwhile, Mr Foskett pointed to “massive improvements” in the force’s 999 response times.

The force control room answered 76% of calls over the last three months on time.

The figure is in stark contrast to November 2022, when just 44% of 999 calls were answered within that time frame.

However, it is still short of the police national target to answer 90% of calls in under 10 seconds.

Harrogate army college instructor sets up scheme in memory of Captain Tom Moore

A Harrogate Army Foundation College instructor has set up a charity scheme in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Corporal Robert Chamberlain set up the Project Give Moore scheme this year.

The aim of the initiative is for junior soldiers to set up their own fundraising events for any given charity with the chance of winning the Project Give Moore award.

Each junior soldier company will be tasked to compete to fundraise the most each year.

Mr Chamberlain, who first joined the British Army in 2012, set up the scheme after winning the college’s Captain Sir Tom Moore Award for Charitable Endeavour in 2021.

He said the idea behind Project Give Moore was to create an initiative that raises more money for more good causes.

Mr Chamberlain said:

“I wanted to create an annual event that would bring the whole college together in support of different charities.

“But it wasn’t just about raising funds or donating money, I wanted to show the junior soldiers, those who were just starting their military careers, the incredible impact of charity work and selfless commitment.”

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The scheme is in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised funds for NHS charities by walking lengths of his garden in Bedfordshire during the covid pandemic.

He died aged 100 in February 2021.

Captain Sir Tom was made honorary colonel at the Army Foundation College in 2020 and a memorial walkway opened at the college in July 2021.

Corporal Robert Chamberlain receives the Sir Tom Moore Award in 2021.

Corporal Robert Chamberlain receives the Sir Tom Moore Award in 2021.

So far, Project Give Moore has Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and The Armed Forces Charity as its chosen causes.

All the charitable events will take place at the Army Foundation College on Harrogate’s Penny Pot Lane.

However, Mr Chamberlain said he would be open to hosting events elsewhere should there be enough public interest.

For more information on how to donate or get involved with the scheme, visit the Project Give Moore website here.