Town and parish councils in the Harrogate district are to be invited to propose taking on more powers when local government undergoes its biggest shake-up for almost 50 years.

North Yorkshire Council will take charge of all local government in the county on April 1. The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished.

Under a pilot scheme, lower-tier authorities will be offered the chance to manage more local services as part of a “double devolution” approach designed to prevent too much power being centralised at Northallerton.

It could see Ripon City Council, Knaresborough Town Council, Pateley Bridge Town Council and others in North Yorkshire take on more powers over assets and services.

Harrogate currently does not have a town council.

As part of the plan, county council officials will write to parish authorities by the end of this month inviting them to submit expressions of interest.

From there, six councils will be picked to develop a business case.

In a report due before the county council’s executive on November 8, Neil Irving, assistant director of partnerships, said:

“Double devolution is entirely separate from the proposed devolution deal between the government and the local authorities in York and North Yorkshire.

“Double devolution has operated for over 10 years in some other parts of the country, including Cornwall and Wiltshire. 

“There is also significant experience of existing councils in North Yorkshire successfully transferring services and assets to community groups and to town and parish councils.”

Councils will be able to propose taking on a wide range of assets and services, rather than picking from a list.

However, the county council intends to make it clear that proposals to take on decision making powers, such as planning or traffic regulation, will not be considered.

Read more:

• ‘Double devolution’ for parish councils, under county council plan
• New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities

It would also not consider “expressions of interest with regard to services and assets that generate a significant net income for the new council”.

Once invited, local councils will have until March 2023 to express an interest in taking on more services.

‘More things done at a local level’

The move comes as county council officials proposed offering parish authorities more powers in August 2020.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, pledged to offer more powers for people to “get more things done at a local level”.

He said at the time:

“We believe this double devolution which passports powers from Whitehall to the town hall and the town hall to the village hall is an exciting prospect.

“We are seeking more powers from the government, but we want more powers to be devolved to the very local area as well. We want to bring people together to get more things done at a local level.”

Campaigners have launched a petition to save land on Knox Lane from housing.

Keep Knox Natural has called on Harrogate Borough Council to remove a parcel of land in the area from its Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

The move comes after councillors on the authority’s planning committee voted to delay a decision on a proposal to build 53 homes on the land amid concerns over contamination.

Last Sunday, campaigners took to Nidderdale Greenway, off Bilton Lane, dressed as woodland creatures to collect signatures for the petition.

The group argues that the council should reject the current application and remove the land from the local plan.

A spokesperson from the group said:

“We believe that this land should never have been included in the Harrogate local plan; it is entirely unsuitable for development.

“It lies within a designated special landscape area and building on this land will severely damage bio-diversity and destroy a range of landscape and historical features.

“Additionally, we believe that the development would cause serious risk of floodwater damage to Spruisty Bridge and houses near the site on Knox Lane.”

Spruisty Bridge

Read more:

• Controversial Knox Lane housing plans recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

The council’s planning committee has yet to make a decision on the Knox Lane housing plan.

The plans first submitted in April 2020 initially included 73 homes, but this was reduced to 53 after local complaints.

Despite further changes, residents have continued to strongly oppose the development with a total of 313 objections and no letters of support being submitted to the council.

The proposals – which include 30 homes classed as affordable – will be brought back to another meeting of the council’s planning committee in the coming months.

You can view the Keep Knox Natural petition here.

Just 43% of urgent cancer referrals to Harrogate District Hospital are being seen on time, according to new figures.

Under national targets, 93% of cancer patients are required to see a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral.

But Harrogate hospital’s performance is now significantly below this.

A report to the trust’s board, which includes figures up to August this year, shows how the figure for two-week waits has been in gradual decline since April.

Managers at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have attributed to the decline to increased demand.

The matter has seen officials at the trust designate the performance under “matters of concern and risks to escalate”.

The trust said in board papers that additional breast clinic work to improve its performance included “outsourcing work to a private provider with additional clinics in place”.

Harrogate District Hospital’s two-week cancer waiting time performance. Data: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The Stray Ferret asked the trust what was being done to improve waiting times for patients.

A spokesperson said:

“The two-week target performance for cancer has been affected by some large spikes in demand, in particular, specialty areas such as skin and breast cancer.

“Our clinical teams are providing additional clinics to address this and bring our waits back under the two-week target.

“For those patients who are unable to be seen within two weeks, the vast majority are seen just outside this target, and treatments, where cancer is confirmed, continue to be delivered in a timely manner.”

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital urges people to stay away from A&E amid ‘very busy’ week
• ‘Get jabbed’ plea as ‘wave of covid’ predicted in North Yorkshire

Harrogate hospital bosses are urging people to stay away from its emergency department this week unless it is a life-threatening injury or illness.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said they are expecting a busy week, which may cause long waiting times.

It comes as health leaders in the district warned that covid and flu cases may increase at Harrogate hospital this winter.

In a statement, the trust urged people with non-threatening injuries to stay away from the emergency department.

A spokesperson said:

“This week we are expecting our hospital in Harrogate to be very busy. As a result, visitors to our emergency department with less urgent issues may experience longer waiting times than usual.

“We know that visitors to our emergency department can be in pain, stressed or scared, and our dedicated time will do everything they can to help.

“Your health is our utmost priority and all we ask in return is our staff are treated respectfully as they try to do their job.”

Read more:

• Harrogate care costs climb to £54,000 a year as ‘colossal’ price rises bite
• ‘Get jabbed’ plea as ‘wave of covid’ predicted in North Yorkshire

Health managers in Harrogate have said they expect to see more covid patients in hospitals in the coming weeks.

Dr Bruce Willoughby, Harrogate GP and part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, said:

“Health and care services in North Yorkshire and York, like everywhere, are already extremely busy. We do expect to see more cases of covid in the coming weeks as people mix freely again and spend more time indoors as the weather gets colder. The risk of catching covid is highest indoors and in crowded places.

“More people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the pandemic. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before it starts spreading.”

Officials have urged people who are eligible to get a covid booster vaccine this autumn.

In Harrogate, vaccinations are available at the Great Yorkshire Showground until November 23.

People aged 50 and over, pregnant women, carers, frontline health and care workers, care home residents and people of all ages who are vulnerable are eligible for a covid jab now.

Those who are able to book their vaccinations can do so via the NHS website.

Fire fighters were called to a major blaze at a caravan storage site in Scotton last night.

Crews from Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Harrogate and Ripon responded to the fire on Market Flat Lane.

An incident response unit from Malton was also called to the blaze.

Local resident Ed Marshall captured the below video from the fire, which happened at around 7.30pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said in an incident log that multiple vehicles were affected by the blaze.

The service added:

“Crews used hose reel jets and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire which had affected multiple vehicles.

“The cause of this fire is to be confirmed.”

Read more:

• Confirmed: Harrogate to have just one night time fire engine
• Majority support Harrogate fire station changes, consultation reveals
• ‘Harrogate firefighters being used as guinea pigs’, says union

A Harrogate church which is more than 150 years old could be turned into a home, under new plans.

All Saints Church on Otley Road was formerly opened in 1871 as a cemetery chapel.

It was designated as a grade-II listed building in 1975, but was forced to shut in November 2006 due to wet and dry rot.

Three-years later the church closed for good as it was considered unsafe.

Now, under plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the building could be converted into a three bedroom house.

Read more:

• Plan to convert disused Harrogate church into seven homes
• First Harrogate church with solar panels on roof wins eco award

The application, submitted by ELG Planning on behalf of Mr and Mrs Hunter, said the church could be salvaged and brought back into use.

In a planning statement, the developers said:

“The former Church of All Saints is a building in much need of attention. 

“The applicant has belief that the existing building can be resurrected with restoration and modification to form a long term home for themselves and enjoyed by family members. 

“Without foresight the building can, with the right approach be salvaged, and put to continued use as a sanctuary and place of continued life.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

A Ripon taxi driver has said plans for a single licensing policy for North Yorkshire will lead to “chaos”.

Under proposals just put forward, the new North Yorkshire Council would create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It would mean drivers in Harrogate could operate anywhere in North Yorkshire whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for 28 years, said the planned changes would see drivers “swamp” areas during the busiest times of day.

Mr Fieldman said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

He said:

“It will mean that any taxi can work in any area.

“You are going to have swamps of taxis in busy areas at busy times. That in itself brings chaos.”

Mr Fieldman added that he feared the council could introduce a single fare rate for the county, which he said would make business “unviable” for drivers.

Read more:

• No increase in wheelchair accessible taxis in Harrogate district
• Harrogate and Knaresborough trains to Leeds to be reinstated in December
• New council plans single taxi licensing for North Yorkshire

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire County Council for comment.

County council officials said the planned policy would offer drivers “flexibility to operate across the county”.

The authority has launched a public consultation on the changes, which is set to last for 12 weeks.

A review of fare rates across the county will be carried out at a later date.

The council said in a statement:

“In accordance with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance, it is proposed that the new council will operate one hackney carriage ‘zone’ for North Yorkshire.

“Thereby providing drivers with the flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“There are no plans to impose hackney carriage quantity restrictions on the creation of a new single zone. Hackney carriage fares and fees will also be reviewed at a later date.”

A consultation into the policy changes is open until January 19, 2023. You can have your say here.

Drivers using the A658 Harrogate Road should be aware of a roadworks near Huby and North Rigton which is diverting traffic.

Meanwhile, commuters are reminded of upcoming rail strikes in the district this week.

Roads

As previously reported, five days of roadworks on the A658 Harrogate Road started yesterday which may cause delays for drivers.

It will see motorists diverted along Crag Lane, The Sleights and Gravelly Hill Lane through North Rigton and Huby while work takes place.

The work is being carried out by North Yorkshire County Council to resurface the road, with a closure in place between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

Meanwhile, Traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 in Knaresborough are due to remain in place until November 11.

Yorkshire Water has installed four-way traffic lights as it lays a new water main for a housing development.

Drivers are urged to allow extra time if using the route this morning.

Work to reconstruct the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, is ongoing.

The road is closed and a diversion is in place via Pateley Bridge, the B6451 Dacre, Menwith Hill Road, Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.

Fell Beck Bridge remains closed for works until November 6, with a diversion in place via Burnt Yates and Summerbridge.

Planned gas replacement works in Harrogate will be paused. It means five weeks of traffic lights on Cold Bath Road, which were initially due to take place in September, won’t happen until at least January.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

However, commuters are being warned of upcoming strike action on Saturday (November 5).

Northern is urging passengers not to travel on the day and to check service times on Sunday (November 6).

Further strike action is scheduled to take place on Monday (November 7) and Wednesday (November 9).

The Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting cancellations on its 1, 1A, 1B and 1C services this morning. You can get updates here.

Read more:

• Harrogate roadworks ‘paused’ until New Year
• Harrogate road closure means 1.4-mile detour for walkers and cyclists

A Harrogate-based developer has completed a £5.5 million new business park in Thrisk.

Marrtree Investments, which has offices at Cardale Park, unveiled the new park at Sowerby Gateway close to the A1(M) and A19.

The first phase was completed in February, and includes tenants such as Screwfix and Toolstation.

Now the second phase has finished with help from Harrogate construction group HACS with 10,000 sq ft of the new development already pre-let to wholesaler PJH Bathroom.

William Marshall, Marrtree Investments director, said:

“Following the success of the first phase of the development, we’re thrilled the entire scheme is now complete.

“The fact that we’ve already pre-let a third of this final phase is proof of the continued high demand for the kind of modern, high-quality employment space with which Marrtree has become synonymous over the years. 

“We have had a huge amount of interest in the remaining units and we’re confident further tenants will come forward over the next few months to fill them.”

Harrogate BID hopeful of success at national awards

Harrogate Business Improvement District is hoping for success at the National BID Awards in London next week.

The business organisation has entered two categories – place-management and special recognition. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 3.

Harrogate BID Manager Matthew Chapman and Harrogate BID’s Marketing and Business Executive, Bethany Allen.

Officials hope the BID’s Harrogate floral summer of celebration campaign will come up roses in the special recognition category, whilst its street ranger Chris Ashby – who helped save the life of a young man in Library Gardens — will secure the place-management title.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said: 

“Since joining us back in January, our street ranger Chris has been a real asset. His work in helping to keep the town looking pristine is appreciated by businesses across the town centre. And this summer, whilst on his rounds, his swift actions and level headiness helped save the life of a young man.

“We are also hopeful the success already achieved by our Harrogate floral summer of celebration campaign, which was delivered by BID project manager Jo Caswell, will be replicated in the special recognition category.”

Read More:

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An artist is set to hold an inaugural exhibition this month inspired by Ripon’s Himalayan Gardens and Sculpture Park.

Sophie Roberts, 38, will display 40 pieces of her floral artwork for her debut exhibition, called Painting a Garden.

Sophie grew up in London and spent her life in the city, working in property.

Her career as an artist flourished after she married William Roberts, whose parents, Peter and Caroline, set up the Himalayan Gardens, which William now manages.

She said: 

“I met William in London on a blind date, and we’ve been together ever since. We married a couple of years after and he was always clear that Yorkshire was home. 

“I call him a homing pigeon, there was no doubt he would come back to Yorkshire.”

She moved to Yorkshire in 2018 while pregnant with twin girls and continued her calligraphy and illustration commissions.

However, when the covid lockdowns hit, the commercial commissions stopped and she turned to painting to fulfil her own creativity.

Sophie pictured painting in the gardens.

Sophie said: 

“I was excited to move to Yorkshire, as my grandparents had lived in Burn Bridge near Harrogate, so it was a big part of my childhood. As a child, when I wound the window down when we arrived in Yorkshire, I could just smell it, the fresh air – it felt like you’d arrived. So, to now live in this stunning area is amazing. Just going for a walk is an inspiration.

“I was completely drawn into trying to capture nature and my surroundings.”

Read more:

• Harrogate and Ripon gardens win gold at Yorkshire in Bloom awards
• Display of 1,300 clay poppies takes over Himalayan Gardens

An open-air gallery with over 80 contemporary sculptures in a tranquil valley, the Himalayan Gardens cover 45 acres of woodlands, gardens and an arboretum, with three lakes.

Sophie kept her hand in botanical drawings, setting up workshops in the gardens for the public with artist Bridget Gillespie, a botanical illustrator for over 20 years. Before the era of photography, artists were depended on to share botanical drawings to scientists.

Sophie added:

“My paintings became much free-er.

“I started posting my paintings on Instagram and got traction with people asking to buy them, so it grew from there.”

Many of the paintings in the exhibit at at Tennants in Leyburn from November 16 to December 18, feature flowers, such as magnolias and foxgloves from the Himalayan gardens.

Visitors will have a chance to meet the artist on November 17, when Sophie will be painting live in the gallery.