Harrogate Borough Council has revealed a “huge” increase in demand for its homeless services due to the cost of living crisis which is only set to get worse as inflation rises.

A 60% jump in people seeking help has been reported by the council which also said it is struggling to recruit staff in line with national shortages.

It added cases which its staff deal with are “more complex than normal” and that finding suitable accommodation for those facing homelessness “isn’t always easy due to complicating factors like mental health or debts”.

A council report said:

“Following a huge increase in the number of families approaching the service, the homelessness indicators performance have worsened.

“Our homelessness performance indicators, though off target, unfortunately reflect broader national trends around homelessness.

“Housing teams across the country have been dealing with higher case loads.

“In Harrogate, cases are about 60% higher than previous years.”

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The increase comes amid big rises in the cost of living with soaring prices, especially energy, putting a squeeze on people’s finances.

Energy bills are expected to rise even further later this year when a typical household will be spending almost £300 a month. That is according to the Bank of England which also predicts the UK economy will fall into a recession, with inflation climbing as high as 13%.

Harrogate Borough Council itself has not been immune to the price rises and is forecasting a £701,000 overspend on this year’s budget.

This time last year, the forecast was an underspend of £32,000 for 2022/23.

The latest outlook is largely due to soaring energy bills, with the council expecting to spend around an extra £1 million on gas and £750,000 on electricity this year.

A report said: 

“The council’s latest financial position shows that we are forecasting an overspend of £701,000.

“It is, however, early in the year and there will inevitably be other variations during the course of the year.

“We have yet to receive any actual bills for this year and the national position with regard to future price increases remains highly volatile.”

A former Harrogate headteacher has been found guilty of making indecent images of children.

Matthew Shillito, 42, pleaded not guilty to making 20 Category B images and 3,829 Category C images between December 3, 2012 and December 31, 2015.

Shillito was appointed headteacher of Western Primary School in 2019.

He was previously headteacher across the Goldsborough Sicklinghall Federation of schools.

None of the offences related to his employment.

Shillito appeared before York Magistrates Court this morning, where District Judge Adrian Lower found him guilty on both charges.

He said the evidence showed Shillito had a “corrosive, addictive interest in child pornography”.

Read more:

• Former Harrogate headteacher ‘repeatedly accessed’ website with indecent images, court hears
• Ex-Harrogate headteacher denies making indecent images of children

During the case, “making” was defined as knowingly accessing a site that contained an indecent image.

The court was told that there was no evidence that Mr Shillito downloaded the material onto his laptop.

The prosecution opened proceedings at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month and said the indecent images were found on the cache in Shillito’s computer, which could have only have got there had he accessed sites with those images.

Philip Morris, prosecuting, said there were “indicative” terms found on Shillito’s laptop which showed intent to access the images.

Police arrested Shillito and seized two computers at his address on January 4, 2020.

Officers recovered a Dell laptop and a MacBook Pro, which contained a back up from an iPad mini which was not found.

Giving evidence to the court last month, Zoe Warboys, a digital forensic investigation officer at North Yorkshire Police, said that while the defendant may not have been aware of the cache, he could have only got them by accessing the material.

A Russian website named in court was frequently accessed on the Dell laptop, which Ms Warboys told the court was a site which contained indecent images of children.

The site is public and allows users to upload albums of images which others can view.

The court heard how the site was frequently visited on February 26, 2011.

Mr Morris told the court that Shillito visited some of the pages which were “indicative” of possibly including indecent images 30 times.

Shillito repeatedly denied both charges throughout the case.

This morning, District Judge Lower adjourned sentencing Shillito until September 7. He bailed Shillito but warned him all sentencing options would be considered including jail. 

More to follow.

There are just a few days left for people to comment on controversial plans to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.

This Sunday is the final day of a three-month consultation on the proposals from the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is running an online survey on the plans which she said would “continue to provide an immediate emergency response” during the night when emergencies are less likely to occur.

She has also insisted the proposals are not cost-cutting measures as the fire service already has a balanced budget.

Yet union officials and councillors have raised concerns over the plans which have been described as “seriously concerning” and “putting money before lives”.

Read more:

• Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
• Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’
• Harrogate fire station changes won’t increase risk to life, says commissioner

Steve Howley, secretary at the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, said the proposed move would leave the area with a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk” as he also urged commissioner Metcalfe to fight for more funding from the government.

The proposals are included in the fire service’s new risk and resource model which sets out how it will deploy staff and equipment over the next three years.

There are similar proposals for fire stations in Scarborough and Huntington which commissioner Metcalfe said along with the Harrogate plans would save over £1.5 million a year to allow for investment in fire prevention.

She added the proposals are based on an “extensive risk assessment” which has identified the likelihood of fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies.

Commissioner Metcalfe said: 

“The assessment shows that in our area, the risk of having a fire in your home is generally low, with pockets of higher risk in some of our urban areas and also in the south-east of the service area.

“In fact, other emergencies, such as collisions on our roads or rescues from water during storms and floods, make up a larger proportion of what our service responds to.

“Based on this evidence, your fire and rescue service has put forward proposals that it feels will ensure it has the right people with the right equipment in the right place at the right time to reduce the risk of harm in our communities.

“Before I make my decision on whether to implement them, I want to know what you, the people of North Yorkshire and York, think of them.”

To have your say go to www.TellCommissionerZoe.co.uk.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly has signed for Aston Villa on a three year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 30-year-old England international has joined the club from Houston Dash, where she spent six years and made 101 appearances in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Daly joins Villa off the back of a historic Euro 2022, where the Lionesses won the tournament after defeating Germany 2-1 at Wembley.

On joining the club, she said:

“It was a big decision, I’ve been away from home now for 10 years and for me family is the most important thing.

“I had a tough year with family and being away from them, so it was a big decision to come home.

“I spoke to a few clubs along the journey and it felt right to sign for Villa. The journey that the club is on is one I want to be a part of.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly given hero’s welcome at Elland Road

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Villa will embark on their third season in the Women’s Super League after finishing 10th and ninth in their last two campaigns since promotion.

Manager Carla Ward said:

“This is a big signing for us and one we’ve worked hard on completing. Rachel is a top forward and a proven goalscorer.

“Having performed admirably at full-back this summer, she showed us that she is a player you simply need in your team.

“But for us, she is a forward and we can’t wait to see her scoring goals.”

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/WQwRrYJ7Yw

— Rachel Daly (@RachelDaly3) August 9, 2022

Drivers should be aware of temporary lights and a road closure in the Harrogate district this morning.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Motorists should be aware of a graduation ceremony taking place at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate tomorrow.

The event may cause delays around the Penny Pot Lane area.

Temporary lights remain in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays during rush hour.

The lights are due to remain in place until September 2.

Meanwhile, a road closure is in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.

Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

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 the 7 and 36 this morning.

The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.

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

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate man has launched a new app in Leeds which aims to reduce health inequalities.

The Caterpillar app aims to encourage people to take small steps to improve their’ lifestyles, such as increasing daily steps or making healthy changes to dietary habits.

The app was founded by Paul Baverstock, who lives in Harrogate, and has been hailed by Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan as a “gamechanger”.

It is also backed by two-time Olympic gold medallist and public health advocate, Alistair Brownlee.

Mr Baverstock said:

“We’re using Nobel Prize-winning behavioural science techniques to help people create healthy habits that stick. 

“This isn’t for those who set extreme fitness challenges or track every calorie, it’s for those who might struggle to engage with and make small and important changes in their lives.”

Caterpillar connects to health apps, such as Google Fit and Apple Health, and sets personalised physical activity goals. 

It uses the latest expert information to help people make choices about their dietary habits.

Caterpillar is based at Leeds University and was incubated by the Leeds City Council’s BUILD programme in 2021.

Business groups hold first social

Business members at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate BID social.

Harrogate businesses leaders met up for the first Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate BID summer drinks event on Monday night.

Representatives from firms from across the district attended 63rd+1st cocktail bar on Albert Street for the get-together.

It gave business leaders the chance to network with other members.

Police have identified a man they issued an appeal to find following alleged voyeurism in Harrogate town centre.

The alleged incident happened inside a shop on Cambridge Street on July 15.

North Yorkshire Police issued a CCTV image on August 9 of a man officers wanted to speak to in connection with the investigation.

But on August 18 the force said:

“Following our CCTV appeal in relation to an alleged incident of voyeurism in Harrogate on the 15 July 2022, the man we wanted to speak to has now been identified and is helping officers with their enquiries.”

We have consequently amended this article and removed the CCTV image.

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A developer has submitted plans to convert the upper floors of a Harrogate town centre building into an aparthotel.

Leeds-based Countrylarge has tabled the plans to create the 17-bedroom scheme on the floors above a new Oliver Bonas store on James Street.

The site was previously occupied by Harrogate Discount Store, which closed in January.

London-based operator, Beyond, has been brought in to run to the aparthotel, if plans are approved.

Antony Rosindale from Countrylarge, which owns the unit, said:

“This planning application will complete the transformation of the building and bring economic benefits to the town centre.

“It is a great way to fully utilise the whole building and we are very excited to have Beyond operating it for us.

“Our aim is to get started as soon as we can, and we already have a contractor lined up to complete the conversion.”

James Fry, founder of Beyond added: 

“Harrogate is a fantastic place and we are thrilled at bringing our sustainable, carbon neutral operating model to the town.

“This building is ideally placed so people can enjoy everything that Harrogate has to offer.”

The conversion the upper floors into the aparthotel will start as soon as possible, if planning permission is granted.

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

Read more:

• Oliver Bonas to open in Harrogate in September
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Plans have been approved to convert part of the former 53 Bo Grove antiques boutique and cafe into two flats.

The bohemian business on Grove Road in Harrogate closed in December 2021 after more than two years of business.

It became a hub for residents during the early coronavirus lockdowns by remaining open to sell food at a time when many supermarkets were struggling for stock.

Now, a plan to convert part of the building into two flats has been given the go-ahead.

The proposal has been lodged by Architecture One Eight Ltd on behalf of David Birtles.

A planning statement tabled to Harrogate Borough Council from the developers said the proposal would help to bring the building back into use.

It said:

“The existing buildings have fallen into disrepair and are having a negative impact on the adjacent conservation area.”

A separate proposal to convert another part of the building into three flats was refused over concerns that the scheme “would not provide adequate natural light” into rooms in the flats.

Read more:

• Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes
• Under-fire infrastructure plans for west Harrogate will cost taxpayers £25,000

Traffic is moving normally in the Harrogate district this morning.

Drivers should expect the usual delays on Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road during rush hour.

Roads

Temporary lights remain in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays during rush hour.

The lights are due to remain in place until September 2.

A road closure is in place from today on Knapping Hill as the county council resurfaces the footpath. This work is scheduled to last until August 16.

Meanwhile, a road closure is also in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.

Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

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 the 1, 1A, 1B, and the 36 this morning.

The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.

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

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