23 ex-employees of failed Harrogate firm Amvoc join new office

A Brighton firm has hired 23 former staff members of failed Harrogate telemarketing firm Amvoc after setting up a new office.

The company, which was based at Cardale Park, entered administration on Friday after abruptly closing its offices last month citing “covid debts” as the cause.

Up to 450 people lost their jobs as a result of the move.

However, One Family, a financial firm based in Brighton, said today 23 former Amvoc staff had started work at its new call centre in Leeds on Monday.

One Family was a customer of Amvoc before it entered administration.

Matthew Ellis, sales and marketing director, said:

“We were saddened to hear of the closure of Amvoc, which is a company that we have worked with for three years.

“We were worried about the talented team who had been working so hard for us during that time. We wanted to help them and swiftly put plans in place – sending colleagues to Leeds to find new office space, meet the team, unpack kit and make the seemingly impossible possible. We set up a fully operational call centre in just eight days.

“It was a very quick turnaround, but I’m absolutely delighted to welcome our new Leeds team members to One Family.”

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The move comes as Leeds-based Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency has taken over as administrators of Amvoc.

Director of the firm, Gareth Lewis, and Matthew Russell have been appointed joint administrators.

Law firm Atticus said in the days after Amvoc’s collapse it has been contacted by 145 former employees.

The law firm says it is 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. 

Yorkshire Water discharged sewage into River Nidd 870 times in 2022

Yorkshire Water discharged sewage into the River Nidd 870 times last year.

The Environment Agency published 2022 monitoring data on Friday from all 10 water and sewerage companies in England.

It reveals the 870 sewage discharges into the Nidd lasted for a total of 6,177 hours. Dacre sewage pumping station alone saw 87 spills and 1,014 hours of sewage discharged.

By comparison, there were 318 spills into Oak Beck and Coppice Beck, which lasted for 438 hours.

Water companies are legally allowed to release sewage through overflow pipes when the sewage system becomes too full, which can happen during increased rainfall.

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said it was working to improve the number of times sewage is discharged into rivers in the county.

A spokesperson said:

“While 2022’s figures on overflows show improvement we understand they happen more than our customers would like, and we are determined to tackle this issue and do our bit for river health.”

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However, the latest figures prompted Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrats’ prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough to call for a ban on sewage discharges in protected waters.

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon

Mr Gordon also called for a ban on water company executives being paid multi-million pound bonuses.

He said:

“These figures are a damning verdict on the government’s attempt to stop Yorkshire Water from dumping sewage into our waterways.

“Local people are furious that our swimming locations and previous wildlife habitats have become poisoned with raw sewage. The Conservative government just doesn’t seem to care. I think it’s time the Environment Secretary resigned and was replaced with somebody who actually cares about our rivers and lakes.

“It is time ministers got tough with Yorkshire Water. They are raking in massive profits all whilst destroying the environment. Frankly, the whole thing stinks.”

The Stray Ferret approached Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for comment, but did not receive a response.

Water minister Rebecca Pow said:

“The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable and we are taking action to make sure polluters are held to account.  

 ”By bringing in comprehensive monitoring – up from just 7% in 2010 to the most extensive level ever now being at 91% – this government and its regulators have enabled the extent of sewage discharges to be revealed, so that we are better equipped to tackle this challenge.”

 

Police appeal after serious crash on A1(M) near Dishforth

A serious crash on the A1(M) near Dishforth left the occupants of a Fiat 500 requiring hospital treatment.

North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for further information today after the crash closed the stretch of road before junction 49 at 5.50am on Friday (March 31) for two hours.

The crash involved a white Fiat 500 and a heavy goods vehicle. The occupants of the Fiat suffered serious injuries and required hospital treatment.

A police statement said:

“Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision or anyone who recalls seeing the vehicle(s) prior to the collision, to get in touch as soon as possible to assist the investigation.

“They would be particularly keen to hear from anyone who captured dash cam footage of the collision or the vehicles.

“If you can help, please email gary.dukes@northyorkshire.police.uk, or contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Gary Dukes.”

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Business Breakfast: New specialist health store opens in Harrogate

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

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 new specialist health and nutritional supplement shop has opened in Harrogate.

Go Herbs, which is based on Station Parade, offers customers a a wide range of vitamins, natural health products and sports supplements.

The store is overseen by Emilija Krukoniene and Abbie Green, who wanted to create a welcoming, positive and educational experience for customers to learn how they can improve their health, wellbeing and sports performance.

Ms Krukoniene said:

“We are really excited to see our vision coming to fruition as we open our first store in Harrogate and welcome customers. 

“Whilst most of us can get all the vitamins and minerals we need by eating a healthy, balanced diet, sometimes we need a little extra help and so we are looking forward to getting to know the  local community. 

“Health and nutrition is my passion and it has always been a dream for me to  be able to help people look and feel their best by helping them find the best products to support them whatever their goals, with a welcoming in-store experience.”

The store is planning a series of events throughout the year such as Q&A sessions, collaborating  with local groups and organisations, providing expert advice and support alongside high-quality products.

Women’s networking event to be held in Harrogate

A networking event for women in business is set to be held in Harrogate.

The event is organised by She Business UK, which aims to support women within the workplace.

The networking lunch will be held at Co-Lab on Kings Road and will take place from midday until 2pm on Tuesday, April 18.

It will include a discussion led by Fiona Kearns, women’s ambassador at She Business UK.

For more information, visit the networking EventBrite page here.

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Boroughbridge walking festival to be held this Easter

A walking festival is set to be held in Boroughbridge over the Easter weekend.

The Boroughbridge Easter Walking Festival will see a range of walks take place from Friday, April 7, to Monday, April 10.

They will include three, four, five, 11 and 16 mile walks around the town and surrounding area.

The festival, which has been held annually for 10 years and is free of charge, has seen 200 walkers turn up for the four-day event in the past.

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The guided walks start from a range of places, including the Crown Hotel, Rabbit Hill and Langthorpe Picnic Area.

The hikes are suitable for all abilities and all are welcome. Dogs are welcome on short leads.

For more information, visit the Boroughbridge Walks website here. 

Developers resubmit plan for new homes in Crimple Valley

Developers have resubmitted plans for new homes in the Crimple Valley.

The application by Square Feet Ltd and Antela Developments Ltd would see the homes built at Almsford Bank Stables on Leeds Road.

Harrogate Borough Council rejected proposals for 35 homes in the area back in November 2022.

However, the developer has now reduced the number of homes to 17.

It includes 10 self or custom build homes and seven affordable houses.

The council had previously refused the plan on the grounds that the site was not allocated for housing under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

It added that the plan “would result in harm to the character and appearance of its surroundings”.

However, the developer said in its planning documents that it had submitted a “wide range of technical and assessment works” in support of the proposal.

It added:

“It is concluded that there are no technical reasons relating to these matters why planning permission should not be granted.”

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The development has long been opposed by local residents as part of the Save Crimple Valley group.

The group has argued that the site is “unsafe” for such a scheme and urged the council to reject the plan last year.

The previous scheme was met by more than 240 letters of objection.

A decision on the new plan will be made by the new North Yorkshire Council at a later date.

The Harrogate district councillors saying goodbye

As Harrogate Borough Council draws to a close, the move to scrap the authority also sees 24 councillors lose their roles.

The brand new North Yorkshire Council will have 16 elected representatives from the Harrogate district.

However, only 12 of those councillors will move on from seats on the borough council.

Some have successfully sought reelection to the new council.

Among those stepping down include council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, and deputy leader of the authority, Cllr Graham Swift.

Members of the cabinet Cllr Phil Ireland and Cllr Stanley Lumley have also departed.

In this article, we take a look at the 24 councillors who will no longer represent the district.

Rebecca Burnett

The former chairman of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

She represented Harrogate St Georges since 2018. 

Trevor Chapman

Mayor Trevor Chapman and wife Janet

Mayor Trevor Chapman and wife Janet

Cllr Chapman, who represented Harrogate Bilton Grange, was mayor of the Harrogate borough last year.

The Liberal Democrat was on the council since 2018.

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Richard Cooper

Richard Cooper

Leader of the council since 2014, Conservative Cllr Cooper represented Harrogate central on the authority.

He announced in October 2021 that he would not seek election to North Yorkshire Council.

Ed Darling

Conservative Cllr Darling was chair of the licensing committee on Harrogate Borough Council and represented Knaresborough Castle ward.

John Ennis

John Ennis, Conservative.

John Ennis, Conservative.

Cllr Ennis, a Conservative, represented the Harrogate Stray ward on the authority.

Sam Green

Sam Green, who was the youngest councillor on Harrogate Borough Council.

Sam Green, who was the youngest councillor on Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Green, who was only elected in May last year, was the youngest borough councillor at 26-years-old.

He was elected to the Wathvale ward on the council.

Sid Hawke

Cllr Hawke was one of two Ripon Independent councillors on the borough council.

Phil Ireland

Conservative Cllr Ireland was one the authority’s cabinet. He held the carbon reduction and sustainability portfolio.

He also represented Knaresborough Aspin and Calcutt ward.

Steven Jackson

Cllr Jackson was a Conservative councillor who represented the Harrogate Saltergate ward on the council.

Sue Lumby

Cllr Lumby was the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Coppice Valley. She also chaired the council’s human resource committee.

Stanley Lumley

Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre (October) 02 (1)

Councillor Stanley Lumley (pictured left)

Conservative Cllr Lumley was the authority’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport and oversaw the creation of Brimhams Active, which now runs council leisure centres.

He unsuccessfully stood for election to the new North Yorkshire Council. He also represented Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on the borough council.

Stuart Martin

Photo of Councillor Stuart Martin and his wife April

Conservative Cllr Martin was mayor of Harrogate borough in 2020.

He represented Ripon Moorside on the authority.

Pauline McHardy

Cllr McHardy, who represented Ripon Minster, was a Ripon Independent on the borough council.

Nigel Middlemass

Cllr Middlemass was a Conservative councillor who represented Harrogate Kingsley ward.

Ann Myatt

Conservative Cllr Myatt represented Ouseburn ward on the borough council.

Tim Myatt

Cllr Myatt was part of the council’s cabinet and held the portfolio for planning.

He also represented Harrogate High ward.

Victoria Oldham

Mayor of Harrogate Victoria Oldham with RFCA chairman and chief executive (1)

Conservative Cllr Oldham is the current mayor of the Harrogate borough. She chaired full council meetings this year.

She also represented Washburn ward.

Alex Raubitschek

Cllr Raubitschek was a Conservative councillor who represented Oatlands ward.

Matt Scott

Matt Scott, Conservative candidate for Bilton and Nidd Gorge.

Conservative Cllr Scott represented Harrogate Bilton Woodfield on the borough council and chaired the authority’s general purposes committee.

Nigel Simms

Cllr Simms, who represented Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, was vice-chair of the council’s planning committee.

Graham Swift

Conservative deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for resources, enterprise and economic development, Cllr Swift was among the senior councillors on the authority.

He unsuccessfully stood for election to North Yorkshire Council. He also represented the Duchy ward on the borough council.

Tom Watson

Liberal Democrat Cllr Tom Watson represented Nidd Valley on the borough council.

Matthew Webber

Cllr Webber, who was a Liberal Democrat, represented New Park on the authority.

Christine Willoughby

Christine Willoughby, mayor of Knaresborough.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Willoughby sat on the council for Knaresborough Eastfield.

Harrogate hospital £9m spend on agency staff ‘necessary’, says trust

Hospital bosses in Harrogate have said a £9 million spend on agency staff this year was “necessary”.

Earlier this week, the Stray Ferret reported that the hospital had spent £4.1 million more than its target spend for agencies this year.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust set a target to spend no more than £473,000 each month on agencies — the equivalent of a maximum of £5.7 million over the year.

The figure covers staffing in areas such as nursing, dental and clinical support staff.

In response to the spend, a spokesperson for the trust said:

“When we experience workforce challenges in our clinical and non-clinical services we will use our bank of nursing staff or the services of relevant recruitment agencies to support staff gaps where necessary. This is an issue faced by all NHS foundation trusts across the country.

“The workforce challenges can be for a variety of reasons, such as when we have vacancies due to colleagues leaving the Trust or being promoted, or staff illness.

“It is important that we maintain a safe level of staff to care for our patients, and this can fluctuate due to circumstance – for instance, over the winter months we generally see a rise in patients with respiratory infections, such as the flu or covid-19, and an increase in the number of patients who cannot be discharged. This will lead to the trust opening more beds to meet demand, which in turn requires additional medical and nursing staff to care for those patients. In such instances, we may need to call on agencies, which can be expensive, but enables our services to continue.

“Whilst the current spend on agency staff across our services is higher than we expected, this has been necessary to ensure we can continue to provide the safest and best possible levels of health care service for our community.”

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It comes as Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds North West and the party’s shadow environment minister, described Harrogate hospital’s reliance on agencies as “a disgrace”.

He told the House of Commons in February that a constituent called Marjorie Dunn spent just over seven weeks at the hospital last year.

Mr Sobel said:

“In that time she saw NHS nurses leave the service and she was treated predominantly by agency staff — mistreated, I have to say, by agency staff. It is a disgrace.

“When she was eventually moved to a recovery hub run by Leeds City Council she got excellent treatment there.

“She had broken her pelvis and been told she would never walk again, but it was the council physiotherapist who got her up and walking again. Is it not right that we should be supporting local authorities such as Labour-run Leeds to get such facilities as well as the NHS?”

Police criticise ‘disgraceful actions’ of Harrogate officer convicted of sex assault

A senior North Yorkshire Police officer has criticised the “disgraceful actions” of a Harrogate officer who was convicted of sexual assault.

Joseph McCabe, 27, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault following a trial in February and appeared for sentence at York Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

McCabe was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for seven years.

District judge Tan Ikram told McCabe that he had given “no credible explanation as to why (the victim) would make up such a serious allegation”. 

Following the outcome of the case, Deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain commended the victim for coming forward.

He added that McCabe’s actions were “disgraceful”.

Mr Hussain said:

“Our communities need to know that they can have complete trust in their police, and that we demand the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.

“McCabe’s disgraceful actions fell far below that standard. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward so we could take action. I also hope the case sends a clear message that there is no place for this behaviour in policing – and that we will secure justice against perpetrators, no matter who they are.”

McCabe is currently suspended from North Yorkshire Police. He will appear before a misconduct hearing at a later.

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Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to host three-day coronation celebration

Valley Gardens in Harrogate is set to host a three-day celebration event for the coronation of King Charles III.

The free event will take place from Saturday, May 6, until Monday, May 8.

It will include live stream of the coronation ceremony on a big screen from Westminster Abbey.

Besides the big screen, a stage will feature a line-up of family-friendly entertainment.

There will also be fairground rides, food and drink stalls, pop-up character appearances, circus workshops and an artisan market in the gardens Sun Colonnade.

Cllr Sam Gibbs, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Valley Gardens provides the perfect backdrop for our three-day event to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

“There will be rides, family entertainment throughout the weekend, pop-up character appearances and circus workshops. There truly is something for everyone and even better, it’s all free.

“So pack a picnic and come on down to Valley Gardens to mark the coronation.”

For more information on the event, visit the Visit Harrogate website.

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