Harrogate hospital A&E performance remains ‘well below’ national standard

A&E waiting times performance at Harrogate District Hospital remains “well below” the national standard as health bosses urge people to only attend the department if necessary.

Latest figures show that the hospital had 4,554 attendances to its emergency department in August 2022.

The national standard for emergency department waiting times is to admit, transfer or discharge 95% of patients within four hours.

According to NHS England figures, 62% of patients were seen within that timeframe at Harrogate hospital.

Meanwhile, a total of 82 patients waited longer than 12 hours to be seen.

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In a report to its board, Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said the performance remained “well below” the standard set nationally.

He said:

“The board should be aware that our A&E performance in August remained well below the national standard and we had a higher number of 12 hour waits in the department than in previous months.

“The situation has improved in September, but the changes that we have initiated and highlighted earlier need to be delivered in order for us to provide the improved urgent care service that we all want to have in place.”

Visiting the Emergency Department at Harrogate District Hospital pic.twitter.com/8cITeTrHkj

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) October 3, 2022

The move comes as the trust has urged people to only attend its emergency department if they have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury.

In a statement, the trust said it expected to see a high number of patients at A&E this week.

It said:

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

“This isn’t ideal and we will endeavour to keep waiting times as short as possible.”

Have you experienced a long wait in Harrogate’s A&E department? We’d like to hear from you. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or call us on 01423 276197. 

Ambulance workers in Harrogate district could be set to strike

Staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service are set to vote on strike action over a government pay offer.

The service employs 7,200 staff and covers all of North Yorkshire, including the Harrogate district.

The GMB Union, which represents 1,500 ambulance workers, said it held a consultative ballot over strike action which saw 90% vote in favour of a walk-out.

Turnout for the vote was 80%.

It comes after the government offered staff a 4% pay increase.

Following the outcome on the consultative ballot, Unions are now set to move towards holding a formal vote on industrial action.

Deanne Ferguson, GMB organiser, said:

“Ambulance staff should not be worrying about how they’ll heat their homes this winter or feed their families, whilst carrying out a crucial service across our communities.

“The service is crumbling, and it is having an impact on everyone – it is only surviving because of the amazing workers holding it together, through goodwill.

“GMB members have had enough, they are angry – and that’s why they want to move to a formal ballot for strike action.

“They’ve made history with their turnout and vote.

“GMB Union will stand shoulder to shoulder with our members as we fight for an above inflation pay rise for our NHS heroes.”

Dates for the formal ballot will be announced in the “coming days”, the union said.

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Flaxby Park appeals decision to refuse 350 ‘eco lodges’ near A1

The owners of the former Flaxby Park Golf Club have appealed a decision by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse its plans for 350 ‘eco lodges’ and a hotel on the site.

The borough council turned down the proposal in March on the grounds that it would cause an “unacceptable” impact on the environment. The site is close to junction 47 on the A1(M).

Now, Flaxby Park Ltd has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate – the body which deals with planning disputes.

In documents submitted to the inspectorate, planning consultants Lichfields, which has lodged the appeal on behalf of the developer, said the reasons for refusal were “unfounded”.

It said:

“The appellant will show that the council’s reasons for refusal are unfounded and that there are no technical issues arising from the proposed development, which cannot be addressed by appropriately worded conditions or Section 106 planning obligations.

“The appellant will therefore submit that planning permission should be granted for the development proposed by the appeal without delay.”

The proposal includes plans for 350 holiday lodges along with a hotel, outdoor swimming pool, spa and sports area as well as a pub/cafe, farm shop, gift shop and activity hub.

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The scheme would be built on the former Flaxby golf course, which has been closed since 2014, off the A59 York Road.

In March, council planning officer Kate Broadbank said the development would have a negative impact on the district’s natural environment as well as harming views from the nearby Temple of Victory, which is Grade II* listed.

Ms Broadbank wrote:

“The scale and layout are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact upon the district’s natural and historic environment.

“In addition, the application site is not considered to be accessible to local services nor is it demonstrated that an acceptable connection to public utilities can be achieved.”

An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1 (M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.

An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1 (M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

History of the site

In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.

But the plans never materialised and in 2016 the company went out of business.

Flaxby Park Ltd, a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner, bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.

Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Cattal and Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district instead.

In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.

Plan to convert Glasshouses pub into holiday cottage

Plans have been submitted to convert a former pub in Glasshouses into a holiday cottage.

The Birch Tree, at Lupton Bank, closed its doors back in March 2020 due to the covid pandemic.

In plans lodged to Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate Architectural Ltd said the site had been marketed extensively without success.

The site has already seen three cottages built under a previous planning permission, with the pub reduced in size.

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The fresh proposal would see the empty public house converted into a two-bedroom holiday cottage.

In planning documents, the developer said:

“These premises have now remained empty since March 2020 when the previous tenant walked away due to the pandemic. 

“Since that time two agents have marketed the property including a specialist in selling public houses, for a period of seven months. 

“Since that time the applicant has continued his own marketing, all without success.”

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

10K run set to be held in aid of Harrogate Homeless Project

A charity 10k run is set to take place in Harrogate in aid of the Harrogate Homeless Project.

Called “Run, Walk, Move”, the initiative is being held to raise money for the charity on its 30th anniversary.

The charity has urged people to run or walk either as individuals or as a group throughout October, with each runner contributing £10 to the cause.

This Sunday (October 9), Harrogate Triathlon Club has organised a 5k and 10k starting from the Harrogate Homeless Hostel on Bower Street at 10.30am.

Jon Chamberlain, who is part of the Harrogate Triathlon Committee, said the runs would include areas of interest around the town.

He said:

“We are doing a bit of a circle around Harrogate where we can find some interesting places.”

He added that he hoped that the run would help to raise around £400 for the Harrogate Homeless Project.

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After the end of the run, those participating will meet up at North Bar social room for coffee and cake along with the chief executive and chair of the charity.

All money raised as part of the anniversary fundraiser will go towards providing hot meals, laundry facilities, showers and clothing for those who experience homelessness.

Prizes are being provided by Up and Running, which has donated a £75 voucher for fastest 5k, 10k and half marathon times and a £100 voucher for the top fundraising team.

Francis McAllister, CEO of Harrogate Homeless Project, said: 

“The Virtual Run has been set up to be as inclusive as possible, enabling people of all abilities to take part and set their own personal challenge.

“We hope to get as much of the Harrogate district as possible walking, jogging or running for homelessness this October in support of our 30th anniversary fundraising and publicity campaign.”

For more information on how to get involved visit the Harrogate Homeless Project website here and the Harrogate Triathlon site here.

Harrogate district schools set to take part in Walk to School Day 2022

Local environmental group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, is set to hold its annual Walk to School Day for 2022.

The event will be held on Friday (October 7) with a focus on “building good transport habits”.

A further five walk to school days will be held in November, February, March, May and June.

This year, Zero Carbon Harrogate has changed the format of the walk to focus on taking part and building good transport habits, rather than calculating winners.

A spokesperson for the group said:

“This year, our strategy is slightly different. Instead of calculating winners and announcing our leaderboard, the event simply focuses on taking part, building good transport habits – ideally on a daily basis – and spreading the word.

“At the end of the 2022-2023 school year, we will present gold, silver and bronze certificate awards to all participating schools in the area, depending on the number of events they took part in over the academic year.”

The 28 schools taking part in the event on Friday are:

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Traffic is moving as normal in the Harrogate district this morning.

However, commuters are braced for another day of strike action this coming weekend.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

While traffic is moving as normal, drivers should expect the usual queues on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road during rush hour this morning.

Meanwhile, overnight work on the A59 York Road, between Station Road and the A658 at Goldsborough, is expected to end today.

Montpellier Road in Harrogate remains closed until October 12 as Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work.

This week, temporary traffic lights are due in place on Cold Bath Road for five weeks as the company carries out maintenance work.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, the measure will be in place from October 7.

At Blossomgate in Ripon, work is due to take place to replace and reset the kerb and improve the road.

Trains and buses

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

However, commuters will face further industrial action on Saturday (October 8) which may affect services from Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Northern, which operates the services, has urged passengers not to travel on strike days.

The strike action comes as rail passengers have also been warned to expect disruption on Harrogate’s LNER services from October 1 until October 9.

Major engineering works in the Newcastle area by Network Rail will affect many services on the LNER route during this period.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on its 1A and 1B services this morning.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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‘Honest and ethical’ Harrogate law firm celebrates 10 year anniversary

This story is sponsored by Truth Legal.

A Harrogate law firm is celebrating supporting those most in need of legal advice for 10 years.

Truth Legal, which is based on Victoria Avenue, was founded by Andrew Gray back in 2012.

It was set up to help provide access to justice for those who may find the law difficult to navigate and has prided itself on having a “honest and ethical” ethos.

Since then, Truth Legal has gone onto support people for personal injury, clinical negligence, employment, small businesses and immigration cases and even expanded its client base into Leeds with a new office.

Georgina Parkin, the Managing Director at the firm, said the purpose of the company continues to be helping those people who find the law hard to access. She said:

She said:

“Truth Legal was set up in 2012 with the ethos of providing ethical and affordable access to justice. Access to justice has been reduced over the last 12 years with reductions in legal aid and increased court fees.”

“There has been a lot of changes to various areas of the law over the years, such as legal aid and employment tribunals.”

Georgina, who started out as a trainee back in 2013 before rapidly rising to director, is set to oversee the next milestone in the company’s history.

Truth Legal at their 10 year anniversary celebration.

Truth Legal at their 10 year anniversary celebration.

Along with Louis MacWilliam and Navya Shekhar, Georgina will take on majority control of the firm. Catherine Reynolds will continue in her role as a Director of the firm. Andrew will continue to provide support as a consultant.

Going forward, Truth Legal wants to undertake another ambitious recruitment drive and look at setting up another office.

It also intends to take on more social justice cases and expanding its immigration, employment and clinical negligence teams.

For Georgina, the mission of the firm will remain the same – providing access to justice for those who need it most.

For more information on Truth Legal and how to get in touch for legal advice, visit their website here or call 01423 788358.

Plan to build 48 homes in Masham submitted

Plans have been submitted to build 48 homes in Masham.

Loxley Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the application which would see the houses built on land south of Swinton Lane.

A mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes are included in the plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

As part of the proposal, 19 of the houses would be allocated as affordable housing.

In documents submitted to the council, Loxley Homes said the development would help the authority to meet its housing need while also providing affordable housing.

It said:

“The development will provide additional ‘affordable’ homes for local people in housing need who would not otherwise be able to afford a home in this relatively expensive area.

“The development will provide a ‘mix’ of high quality and energy-efficient homes in a sustainable location.”

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

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Temporary lights are due to be put in place on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road this week.

Meanwhile, commuters on Harrogate district trains face further disruption due to strike action.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Traffic is moving as normal during rush hour on Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road this morning.

This week, temporary traffic lights are due in place on Cold Bath Road for five weeks as Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, the measure will be in place from October 7.

Meanwhile, the A59 York Road, between Station Road and the A658 at Goldsborough, remains closed overnight until October 6.

The closure will be in place between 8pm and 5am while North Yorkshire County Council carries out resurfacing work.

A diversion will be in place via Knaresborough, Ferrensby, Minskip to Boroughbridge.

As previously reported, a main road out of Pateley Bridge will be closed for six weeks as repairs are carried out at Fellbeck bridge on the B6265.

Signs for a diversion and a temporary crossing over the river for pedestrians and cyclists are in place.

Trains and buses

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

However, commuters will face further industrial action on Wednesday (October 5) and next Saturday (October 8) which may affect services from Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Northern, which operates the services, has urged passengers not to travel on strike days.

The strike action comes as rail passengers have also been warned to expect disruption on Harrogate’s LNER services from October 1 until October 9.

Major engineering works in the Newcastle area by Network Rail will affect many services on the LNER route during this period.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on its 1A, 1B, 1C, 7 and 36 services this morning.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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