Body found in search for missing Ripon man

A body has been found in the search for missing Ripon man Gavin Dhont.

Mr Dhont, 45, was reported missing on December 13, after last being seen in the city on December 6.

North Yorkshire Police said this afternoon a body recovered from the River Ure on January 29 had been identified as Mr Dhont.

A brief police statement said:

“A body recovered from the River Ure on 29 January 2023 has been identified as Gavin Dhont, a Ripon man who was reported missing on 13 December 2022.

“Mr Dhont’s family have been informed and we would ask that their privacy is respected.”

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M&Co store in Ripon set to close

Clothing retailer M&Co is set to shut its Ripon branch.

The Scottish company, which sells clothes and homeware, went into administration for a second time in December last year.

The Ripon store had previously been saved from closure in 2020 when the firm went through a financial restructure.

However, M&Co is set to close all of its outlets after the sale of the retailer to AK Retail Holdings did not include physical stores.

The closures were announced in social media posts by individual branches across the UK.

It said:

“Unfortunately we haven’t received the news we would have hoped for during our administration period, and would like to share this news with you.

“As we haven’t received any funded, deliverable offers that would result in the transfer of the company’s stores or staff to a potential buyer, this means that all of our stores will close.”

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The company has 170 stores nationwide and employs some 1,900 staff.

Joint administrators Gavin Park, Adele MacLeod and Rob Harding of Teneo Financial Advisory Limited were appointed to oversee the retailer in December 2022.

Speaking at the time, Mr Park said M&Co had seen increasing costs at a time of decline in “customer confidence”.

He said:

“Like many retailers, the Company has experienced a sharp rise in its input costs, which has coincided with a decline in consumer confidence leading to trading challenges. 

“Despite a very loyal customer base, particularly in local markets, and a well-recognised brand, the current economic outlook has placed increasing pressure on the Company’s cash position.”

Council appoints contractor to design £49m Harrogate Convention Centre revamp

Harrogate Borough Council has appointed a contractor to draw up designs and “cost certainty” for its £49 million Harrogate Convention Centre revamp.

The authority has commissioned Hertfordshire company BAM Construction Limited to provide it with technical designs for the project at a cost of £3.3 million.

The convention centre is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which will hand over ownership of the venue on April 1 to North Yorkshire Council.

Senior borough council officials have previously warned the venue could lose up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

However, there is no guarantee the upgrade will go ahead.

Following the appointment of a contractor, a spokesperson for the council said:

“Under the YORbuild3 Major Works framework, we have appointed BAM – a leading construction, facilities management and property developer with offices in Leeds – to provide the design and delivery for the refurbishment and redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre (Phase 1) to RIBA Stage 4.

“The value of this early contractor involvement contract is £3.3million and will provide us with the technical design information and cost certainty required to take us to the next stage of the proposed multi-million investment project.”

Amid the transition to the new council on April 1, the borough council required consent from North Yorkshire County Council to appoint BAM Construction.

The county council told the Stray Ferret it had consented to the award of the contract for technical designs, but any approval for construction would be made at a later date.

Gary Fielding, director for strategic resources at the council, said:

“We have given consent for the first stage of the contract to carry out extensive improvements to the Harrogate Convention Centre.

“This initial stage of the contract is intended to lead to detailed designs for the project.

“However, a further decision will need to be taken as to whether the scheme progresses to the other stages of the contract.”

Funding struggles

The move comes shortly after the borough council was dealt a blow in its efforts to fund the project.

Last month, the government rejected the authority’s bid of £20 million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ flagship levelling up fund.

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Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of the council, said he was “disappointed” and “slightly surprised” at the decision.

Meanwhile, Richard Flinton, who will be chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, has refused to commit to the £49 million redevelopment. 

Speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting in January, he said the conference and events venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate firm raises £12,000 for social mobility charities

The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. Early bird tickets are available until February 9. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. 

A Harrogate business has raised more than £12,000 for charity as part of a youth initiative.

Mare Nostrum Group, which is based on East Parade, raised the money for two charities, Speakers Trust and Career Ready.

The fundraising came as part of its Youth Upskill Initiative, which helps disadvantaged young people in the UK gain the confidence and skills to assist their progress in education, work, and life.

The initiative, launched in 2022, saw the company walking over 20 million steps to raise funds for the charities – taking part in the Leeds 10k and Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.

In total, Mare Nostrum raised £12,230 for the causes.

The company said on its website:

“Both charities do invaluable work to empower young people and give them the foundations they need to pursue fruitful careers—something which is very important to Mare Nostrum Group.”

Harrogate chamber meeting to focus on health and wellbeing

A Harrogate business group is set to focus on health and wellbeing at its next meeting.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event at The Old Swan Hotel on Monday, February 13, from 5.30pm.

Speakers will include representatives from Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, White Rose Beauty College, the Vicar of St Peter’s Church, and the founder of financial wellbeing company, AurumGold.

During the informal networking session, which takes place between 5.30pm and 6.15pm, members and visitors will be able to experience a relaxing massage at the hands of students from White Rose Beauty College.

David Simister, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, said: 

“Mental Health and Wellbeing is such an important focus for businesses in terms of productivity and staff morale, that we are dedicating our February meeting to educating, support and guidance on this crucial subject.

“Our impressive mix of speakers come from a range of different organisations, and each will explain what they are doing to help support staff, clients and customers; from  addressing money anxiety among employees, providing mental health first aid training, to giving vital services to those with mental health problems brought about by drug and alcohol abuse.

“Representatives from mental health charity, MIND, will also give a short talk on their work in the Harrogate District.”

Members and visitors are asked to register their attendance in advance via the Chamber’s new website here.

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Two major Harrogate housing schemes set for go-ahead

Two major housing schemes in Harrogate look set to be approved.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee have been recommended to back 162 new homes on Kingsley Drive and 53 houses on Knox Lane at a meeting next Tuesday (February 14).

Both applications have proved controversial with local residents.

Persimmon Homes lodged the proposal for Kingsley Drive in December after its original plan for 181 homes was met with 222 letters of objection. A prior application for 222 homes was refused.

In documents submitted to the council, Persimmon said it had reduced the size in response to comments from the authority and “other third parties”.

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Residents in the area have held long concerns about the amount of housebuilding in the area and its affect on traffic, noise, health and loss of green space.

In a report prepared in advance of next week’s meeting, council officers said the scheme would “make a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need”.

Officers have recommended the scheme be deferred to the executive officer for development management and building control for approval.

The site is included in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Case officer Kate Broadbank concludes:

“The detailed layout, access, landscaping, appearance and design of the proposal are acceptable and are considered compliant with the overarching policies of the development plan and national requirements.

“The proposed development will make a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need. The proposal will have an acceptable impact upon the character and appearance of the area. The development constitutes sustainable development.”

Knox Lane

Councillors will also be recommended to approve plans for 53 homes on Knox Lane in Harrogate which have been submitted by developer Jomast.

The scheme has been met by opposition from residents, including campaigners Keep Knox Natural who took to Nidderdale Greenway, off Bilton Lane, dressed as woodland creatures to collect signatures for a petition last November.

Knox Lane

Site layout for the Knox Lane scheme.

Councillors deferred the application in October last year amid concern over contamination in the area.

At the time, Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge, said much more work was needed on the proposals which he described as “wrong, wrong, wrong”. He said:

“I’ve heard nothing from the developers or our officers that would make me wish to support this application.

“Unless I feel the applicant has done a proper contamination assessment and got a full report when it comes back to this committee, I’m afraid I won’t be supportive.”

However, council officials have now said in a report prepared in advance of next week’s meeting the “applicant has provided additional information in respect of potential ground contamination”.

Councillors have been recommended to approve the proposal subject to conditions being agreed.

The report, compiled by case officer Andy Hough, says:

“The development of the site, which has been extensively amended and reduced since submission, will contribute towards the district’s housing need across the plan period.

“The site is located within a sustainable location for housing and has been designed in such a way that the layout takes into account the constraints of the site, whilst ensuring that it retains and builds upon the natural features of the site.

“The scheme provides a new pedestrian route through the site utilising the new green infrastructure to link directly into Knox Country Park, reducing the length of the Nidderdale Way, passing through the housing areas in Bilton.”

The Conservative-controlled planning committee will vote next week whether to accept the officers’ recommendations for the two housing schemes.

The meeting can be watched live at the council’s Civic Centre or on its YouTube channel.

Fundraising appeals set up for Rossett students injured in Harrogate crash

Two online fundraising appeals have so far raised more than £2,000 for two teenagers who were injured in a crash in Harrogate.

The 15-year-old boys, Reuben and Fraser, were taken to hospital when a van collided with a wall on Yew Tree Lane last Thursday.

Lorraine Mitchell, a friend of both teenagers’ parents, set up a GoFundMe page following the crash.

The boys, both pupils at Rossett School, were walking along Yew Tree Lane and were left with serious injuries.

So far, the page has raised £1,090.

Ms Mitchell, who spoke to the Stray Ferret about the campaign, said the money would help the teenagers’ parents be with them during their recovery. She said:

“We were all shocked and incredibly saddened by the crash and know this support will be gratefully received by both families.”

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Meanwhile, Julie Mills, of Ainsty Road in Harrogate, also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the families of the two teenagers.

Posting on the fundraiser, Ms Mills said:

“The families of these young boys are going to need all the help and support at this terrible time.”

At the time of writing, the campaign has generated £1,319.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed this morning that no arrests or charges had been made in relation to the incident.

Nurses and ambulance workers in Harrogate district to strike today

Nurses and ambulance workers in the Harrogate district will walk out today as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

Picket lines could be organised within yards of each other on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, where the hospital and the ambulance station are both located.

The Royal College of Nursing also plans to stage another walkout tomorrow (February 7).

The move comes as the union has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to increase nurses’ pay and NHS funding.

Patricia Marquis, director for England at the RCN, said:

“People are having to wait longer to access services when demand has never been greater.

“Patients are not dying because nurses are striking. Nurses are striking because patients are dying.

“Our members have a mandate to take strike action for another 100 days – and the Prime Minister would do well to see these strikes for what they are: a warning of the need for swift action.

“The Prime Minister is letting down the nation’s health, millions of patients, and ultimately the economy. An ill and untreated population cannot work and contribute to the economic recovery that everybody wants to see.”

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Meanwhile, GMB union members from Yorkshire Ambulance Service will stage another walkout in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Ambulance staff are also set to stage further walkouts on February 10.

In response to the strike action, a spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“Comprehensive plans are in place to maintain the safety of patients requiring our services during the Royal College of Nursing’s industrial action.

“We are committed to providing the best possible levels of healthcare in any eventuality, and as ever, during the industrial action our focus has been on maintaining the safety of our patients.

“Whilst it is regrettable that some of our services have been affected by industrial action, we have ensured that essential services have remained available. Whilst we have been operating at reduced staffing levels in a number of areas such as inpatient wards, we worked with the RCN to ensure that we had sufficient nursing staff working to maintain patient safety.

“During the industrial action we have rescheduled appointments where it has been necessary. We have worked with the RCN to ensure that our services have remained safe.

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and respect those who have chosen to take part in industrial action. We want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.”

‘Radical reform’ needed for North Yorkshire NHS dentists, says councillor

A senior councillor has called for radical reform of NHS dentistry in North Yorkshire amid concern over access to appointments.

Cllr Andrew Lee, chair of North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny panel, has written to the government’s health and social committee with evidence over “extremely problematic” access to dentists.

The Stray Ferret has highlighted long waiting lists for NHS dentistry in the Harrogate district in recent years.

Cllr Lee has written to Steve Brine MP, chair of the national health committee, who has called for evidence to support a public inquiry into the matter.

Cllr Lee said:

“For some years, the issues with being able to access an NHS dentist has been a high priority on the agenda for the scrutiny of health committee.

“Feedback consistently indicates it being extremely problematic to find, access and retain an NHS dentist.”

The move comes as North Yorkshire’s health scrutiny committee heard of inequalities in accessing dentists across the county.

For example, in North Yorkshire, Scarborough residents have a greater challenge in accessing dentistry than those in Harrogate, due, in part, to the difference in demographics.

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However, a review of NHS dentistry published in August 2021 found that there was just one NHS dentist practice per 10,000 people in the Harrogate district.

Cllr Lee added:

“Radical reform is absolutely needed. The solution lies in the management of dental services. Recruitment and retention remain difficult, and dentists themselves are frustrated with the service they can provide.

“The problem does not lie with recruiting dentists, the problem lies with a broken and dysfunctional dental contract with severe underfunding. Dentists themselves cannot rectify this and it is creating by default a two-tier system whereby those that can afford to go private do so and others struggle to access any kind of care.”

Developer withdraws former Harrogate Orvis store flats plan

A developer has withdrawn plans to create six new flats above the former Orvis store in Harrogate.

The proposal lodged by York-based Balance Planning Solution Ltd on behalf of Andrew Farr would have seen the upper floors of the unit on West Park converted for housing.

Orvis closed its doors back in April 2022 after 25 years of trading in the town.

The plan would see part of the ground floor unit converted for access to the apartments, along with an entrance to the back of the building next to the Coach House flats on Robert Street.

However, the developer has since withdrawn the application.

It comes despite supportive comments from Harrogate Borough Council’s economic officers and Harrogate Civic Society.

Rebecca Micallef, economy and transport officer at the authority, said in a letter:

“Upper floor residential at this location will add to the vibrancy of the town, supporting both the daytime and evening economy.”

Meanwhile, Henry Pankhurst, of the civic society, said:

“The civic society has for many years – decades actually – supported the use or better use of unused or underused upper floors of town centre premises, especially residential use.”

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New canopy and benches installed in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A new canopy and picnic benches have been installed in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.

Harrogate Borough Council put in the facilities, which cost £25,000, as part of its annual maintenance programme.

The council said the existing benches were in need of repair.

It added the new seats and canopy would “ensure visitors have adequate seating and shelter from not only the rain and snow but also the hot weather”.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“Valley Gardens receives more than four million visits per year, and the new picnic benches have been installed to replace the existing ones that were in disrepair, as part of our annual maintenance programme.

“To celebrate these new additions to Valley Gardens we are hosting a treasure hunt on Tuesday 14 February between noon and 4pm. The first 240 children to complete the treasure hunt will receive a free ice-lolly.”

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