Residents in the Pannal Ash area are calling for a 20mph zone to be introduced around four Harrogate schools.

The petition calls for the speed limit, plus safe crossing points and signage, around Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College.

Ruth Lily and Jenny Marks set up the petition amid concern that more houses in the Pannal Ash area would lead to increased traffic and safety issues for children attending the schools.

The area is earmarked for up to 4,000 new homes as part of housebuilding in the west of Harrogate.

The residents said in a statement:

“We have worked with schools and local people to develop a plan for our area designed to make our streets safe and useable for everyone. 

“Enabling more journeys without cars would also increase people’s health, improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and decrease carbon emissions.”

The petition also calls for North Yorkshire County Council to introduce speed bumps in the area, plus improved cycling provision.

The move comes as residents have called for 20mph zones elsewhere in Harrogate.

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Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council, raised the issue with Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner earlier this month.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee, Cllr Haslam asked Ms Metcalfe:

“In my area, Bilton and Woodfield, I would say the majority of residents want the whole area to be 20mph. At what stage will police enforce this?”

Campaigners across the country are calling for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres as part of the 20’s Plenty initiative.

You can read more on the petition for a 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash area here.

A plan to convert the former Ripon City Club into a house has been approved.

The club was initially built as the Jepson’s Hospital, a ‘Blue Coat’ school for poor boys in the city, before it closed in 1927.

It was then taken over by Ripon City Club, which occupied the building on Water Skellgate before it closed due to a dwindling membership in December 2019.

According to documents submitted to the council, the number of members at the club 20 years ago stood at 300. However, the figure dropped to just 11 by the start of 2019.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans to convert the building into a three-bedroom house.

The proposal was tabled in January by Joplings Property Consultants on behalf of applicant Mr Jeet Sahi.

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The developer said in its documents:

“The proposed change of use to a single residential dwelling is required by the applicant for him and his family to occupy. 

“The previous use of the building is redundant, the proposed change of use to residential is in line with planning policies to meet the demand for new residential housing.”

The club will become the latest in the Harrogate district to be earmarked for housing following the demise of its membership.

Last month, the government rejected an appeal to convert the former National Reserve Club in Harrogate into flats.

Traffic is building up in Killinghall due to temporary lights in the area which may cause delays during rush hour.

Meanwhile, roadworks are still in place elsewhere across the Harrogate district.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Temporary traffic lights on the A61 near Daleside Nurseries in Killinghall are causing queues this morning.

The lights have been put in place by Yorkshire Water and will remain until October 20.

In Harrogate town centre, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Work is scheduled to begin today to reconstruct the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, which suffered a landslip during storms in  February 2020.

The scheme requires the road to be closed from October 17 to December 9. A diversion will be 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.

Also, lights will be installed on the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley. The road suffered a landslip during storms in February 2020 and a weight limit has been in place since.

Details of the scheme are here.

Trains and buses

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

The Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting cancellations on its 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 7 and 36 services this morning. You can get updates here.

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County council officials have set aside contingency funding for a major realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill amid soaring inflation.

The project is set to cost £68.8 million and construction is due to start in December this year.

North Yorkshire County Council awarded a £50.7 million to John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd, an Irish civil engineering and construction firm, to build the scheme.

County council officials said £18.1 million would be spent on areas such as project management, design and land acquisition.

The project is set to be funded by a £56.1 million grant from the Department for Transport, with the council covering the rest from its reserves.

Gary Fielding, the council’s director for strategic resources, warned previously that the “burden of risk” for major projects, such as the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill, will fall on the authority amid soaring inflation.

The Stray Ferret asked the authority if it had set aside any funding to cover the project going over-budget.

Richard Binks, head of major projects and infrastructure at the council, said it had included within its funding allocation “a sum for contingencies to cover any additional eventualities during the project”.

He added:

“The total of £68.8m has been allocated to the project to realign the A59 at Kex Gill.

“The Department for Transport is providing grant funding of £56.1m. The remaining £12.7m has been allocated from North Yorkshire County Council’s capital reserves. 

“Costs beyond the main contract include project development, design, works supervision, land acquisition, statutory procedures and utility diversions.”

Contractors will move on site in December to clear the moorland by late February next year to avoid the bird nesting season. An estimated completion date is May 2025.

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The A59 at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. Since 2000, the route has been closed 12 times following landslips.

The project has faced numerous delays and following tender returns, the estimated cost of the scheme increased by £7.2m to £68.8m, which the council attributes to due to inflation affecting constructions costs.

It therefore approved an increase in its allocated funding from £5.5m to £12.7m, given the DfT grant is fixed.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly won the Barclays Women’s Super League player of the month award for September.

Daly, who plays for Aston Villa, scored three goals last month including a brace against Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Carla Ward, coach of Aston Villa Women, picked up manager of the month award for the WSL.

Villa went unbeaten throughout September and currently sit third in the league.

On her return the England from Houston Dash, Daly scored twice in the opening WSL fixture against City at Villa Park.

The match ended in a 4-3 win for Villa and Daly was crowned player of the match.

Her third goal of September came against Leicester City in a 2-0 victory.

The award continues a stellar year for Daly, 30, who was also a key part of the England Lionesses’ success at Euro 22 in the summer.

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

However, some roadworks are set to begin on main routes in the district next week.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

In Harrogate town centre, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Meanwhile, motorists should be aware of temporary lights on Cold Bath Road from Monday (October 18).

The lights are part of gasworks being carried out by Northern Gas Networks and are expected to cause delays.

Work is also scheduled to begin on Monday to reconstruct the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, which suffered a landslip during storms in  February 2020.

The scheme requires the road to be closed from October 17 to December 9. A diversion will be 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.

Also, lights will be installed on the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley on Monday. The road suffered a landslip during storms in February 2020 an a weight limit has been in pace since.

Details of the scheme are here.

Trains and buses

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

The Harrogate Bus Company is not currently reporting any cancellations but you can get updates here.

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Major gasworks which were due to start on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road have been rescheduled until Monday.

Northern Gas Networks is due to carry out maintenance work on the road which is set to last for five weeks.

It will see temporary traffic lights put in place in the area, which is likely to cause delays for motorists.

The work was scheduled to start on Thursday last week.

However, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council confirmed that the roadworks have been rescheduled until Monday, October 17.

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The move comes as Northern Gas Networks has been carrying out major maintenance work on main routes through Harrogate, including Ripon Road and Kings Road.

Russ Kaye, business operations lead for the company, said previously:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Harrogate.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this essential scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

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.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Drivers heading towards Wetherby should be aware of temporary traffic lights still in place on the A661 Harrogate Road near Spofforth.

The lights are in place while Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work until October 13.

Elsewhere in Harrogate, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Montpellier Road remains closed until tomorrow as Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work.

Trains and buses

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

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

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

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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. 

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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