Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

The week has started with roadworks in place in Harrogate and a number of traffic orders set to come into force ahead of the Great Yorkshire Show.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic roundup.

Roads

Drivers should be aware of the normal rush hour traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road this morning.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, a road closure will be in place on Bower Road from 7pm this evening until 6am tomorrow morning. This is to allow Yorkshire Water to install a washout hydrant to the water main.

Meanwhile, thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Harrogate for the start of the Great Yorkshire Show tomorrow.

The event will see a number of traffic orders in place which is set to cause disruption for motorists.

This includes one-way traffic on all four days from Kestrel roundabout to the showground and no right turn onto Forest Lane or Rudding Lane.

You can find out more on how to navigate the roads during the Great Yorkshire Show in our transport guide here.

Trains and buses

Train 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 no cancellations on its services.

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Great Yorkshire Show: road closure and transport guide

The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate could cause disruption on the roads in the week ahead as visitors flock to the town.

All 140,000 tickets have been sold for the annual event, which starts on Tuesday and ends on Friday.

The sheer volume of traffic can cause problems at the beginning and end of each day, though significant improvements have been made to reduce the queues seen in the past.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager for North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“We work closely with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), its traffic management company and National Highways to agree a traffic management plan.

“We always ensure that roadworks on the main routes are kept to a minimum, with only emergency work permitted. Highways officers will monitor traffic on the routes and are available should they need to support the traffic management company.

“Whilst every effort is made to ensure that traffic flows efficiently, visitors to Harrogate should expect delays at peak times and plan their journeys accordingly.”

Whether you’re planning to visit the show or hoping to avoid any hold-ups as you travel elsewhere, here is all you need to know to keep you moving this week.

 

Road closures

Wetherby Road

Wetherby Road and surrounding streets are set to be the most affected as traffic orders prioritise getting visitors to and from the showground with minimal queuing..

Signs are already in place down the A658 directing show traffic towards Harrogate.

On all four days of the show, traffic will be one-way from the Kestrel roundabout to the showground, from 6am to 2pm.

This will then reverse at 2pm to enable cars to leave the site towards the Kestrel roundabout.

 

Forest Lane and Rudding Lane

A traffic order will be in place to prevent vehicles turning right from Wetherby Road onto Rudding Lane. The restriction does not apply to buses or to residents.

Drivers will also be prevented from travelling north across the A661 from Rudding Lane to Forest Lane.

 

Hookstone Drive and surroundings

Waiting will be prohibited along Hookstone Wood Road, Hookstone Oval and Woodlands Green, from 6am to 9pm on all four days.

Wayside Walk, Wayside Close, Innisfree Close, Wayside Avenue, St Leonards Road, Windsor Road, St Helen’s Road and Apley Close will have no waiting orders for the first 50m from the junction with Hookstone Drive.

 

Deighton Road and Spofforth Lane

A one-way order will be in place from the junction of West View in North Deighton to the junction of Ribston Road, just north of Spofforth.

It will bring traffic west towards Harrogate from 6am to 2pm each day before being reversed to take vehicles away from 2pm until 8pm.

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Accessing the showground

People driving from east of Harrogate, including Knaresborough and villages towards York, are being asked to follow signs to bring them onto the A658 and the A661 one-way route.

Those travelling from Leeds and the south via the A61 will be directed onto the A658 and in towards the showground from the Kestrel roundabout.

The A661 from Wetherby through Spofforth is not designated an official route and people are asked to avoid using it. An alternative for those travelling from the south is to continue to follow the A61 into Harrogate, then turn right onto Hookstone Road and follow signs towards Hookstone Drive.

People travelling from the west, as well as Ripon, should follow signs for the B6161 from the A59 at the former Old Spring Well junction to the north-west of Harrogate.

From there, they will travel to Beckwithshaw before being directed onto the B6162 Otley Road towards Harrogate and signposted to car parks.

 

Alternative options

Bus and rail access to the showground is possible on all four days.

The Harrogate Bus Company runs a free shuttle bus from the town centre to the showground, departing every 20 minutes.

It travels between Harrogate Bus Station and the white gate at the northern end of the showground. The double-decker buses will have low floors and space for pushchairs.

Did you know that Transdev, @harrogatebus, operates a FREE shuttle bus service from Harrogate Bus Station (next to the Railway Station) to the Great Yorkshire Show. Daily from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Buses depart every 20 minutes from the town centre – https://t.co/5A7KgMCijK pic.twitter.com/cdqovCjPVZ

— Great Yorkshire Show (@greatyorkshow) July 8, 2022

The nearest railway station is Hornbeam Park, from where there will be a signposted walking route via the ‘showground greenway’ across the Crimple Valley.

Look out for up-to-date travel news during the show on the Stray Ferret.

County council awards £5m reorganisation contract to national firms

A £5 million North Yorkshire County Council contract handed to four national consultancy firms has been criticised as a “waste of money”.

The contract was awarded to KPMG, Price Waterhouse Coopers, PA Consulting Ltd and Capita Business Service Ltd to give support for the formation of the new unitary authority.

However, councillors have questioned why the contract has been awarded and whether money could be better spent elsewhere.

The council advertised the requirements of the contract as to provide “reorganisation support for North Yorkshire Council”.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council what the consultancy firms will be doing as part of the contract and how much each would be receiving from the £5 million.

Conservative Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive member for finance at the council, said the consultancy firms will be on hand to provide expertise and advice to ensure the new council is “safe and legal”.

Cllr Dadd added that the spend was “necessary” to ensure that taxpayers get value for money from the proposal.

He said:

“The county’s proposals for a single new council with the scale and strength to provide effective public services that are fit for the future and reflect North Yorkshire’s unique rural geography was developed using in-house expertise.

“We did not use consultants for this purpose, but drew on decades of providing nationally acclaimed services to every household in the county to a very high standard.

“However, the complexities and challenges associated with such a major programme of local government reorganisation have meant that we have experts available to help ensure that the new council is safe and legal for when it is launched next year.

“Given the importance of this opportunity, the potential savings to be made and the ultimate prize of the strongest devolution agreement for North Yorkshire and York, some consultancy spend may well be necessary to ensure our proposals do represent best value.

“Each of the four consultancy firms have been selected through an official framework established by the government and are now available if needed to help with the local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire.

“There is no commitment that they will actually be commissioned by the county council for specific projects, but their expertise is available if needed.”

Cllr Dadd added that the new council was estimated to save £260 million over the next five years by streamlining services to one authority.

‘Waste of money’

However, Cllr Stuart Parsons, of the independent group on the county council, said he felt hiring consultants was a “waste of money”.

He said:

“I’m afraid that I think commissioning “consultants” is a waste of time and money. I would rather see that £5 million go to children’s and adult social care – spent there it would actually make a real difference.

“I find that consultants are simply failed officers.”

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Meanwhile, David Goode, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, questioned why the contract was needed.

He said:

“It seems like a phenomenal amount of money to spend on external consultants.

“I can understand why they might need some expertise, but it begs the question of what expertise we have in the council.”

The news comes as the county council is pressing ahead with setting up the new authority

An implementation executive made up of senior councillors has been created to make decisions on what the council will look like.

The new North Yorkshire Council will come into force in April 2023 and will replace the county council and seven districts, including Harrogate Borough Council.

Police anti-social driving clampdown makes 10 arrests in Harrogate district

A police operation to clampdown on anti-social driving made 10 arrests and seized 12 vehicles in the Harrogate district in two years, new figures show.

North Yorkshire Police launched Operation Chrome back in June 2020 in an effort to tackle noisy cars and anti-social driving of “high-powered vehicles”.

Figures obtained by the Stray Ferret via a Freedom of Information request show that in the Harrogate district the force made 10 arrests and seized 12 vehicles as part of the operation up to June 7, 2022.

Officers also made eight charges as a result of the clampdown on drivers.

Superintendent Steve Thomas, the county commander at North Yorkshire Police, said Operation Chrome was an ongoing operation.

He said:

“Operation Chrome is a rolling programme of operations using a range of tactics to disrupt anti-social behaviour in and around the Harrogate area, with a particular focus during the summer months.

“This initial period of activity has been successful and we will continue to do all we can to deal with these issues.”

Tackling ‘irresponsible’ drivers

The force launched the operation in the summer of 2020 and pledged to focus on “the irresponsible behaviour of some drivers which is not only unsafe but also highly disruptive”.

Harrogate often attracts drivers, sometimes in modified vehicles, racing around the main roads, particularly during summer.

As part of the operation, police increase patrols in hotpots and roll out more speed cameras across town, vehicle stops and detailed CCTV reviews.

The clampdown has seen cars seized by officers, including a Ferrari sports car which was towed away outside Harrogate Convention Centre in August 2021.

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Locations of thousands of Harrogate district recycling bins revealed

The locations of where thousands more recycling wheelie bins will be trialled in the Harrogate district have been revealed.

Harrogate Borough Council is testing out the blue-lidded bins as a replacement for black boxes which residents complain are not big enough and result in recycling being blown across streets during bad weather.

The Appleby estate in Knaresborough was chosen as the first area for the trial and now more locations have been revealed.

Cllr Sam Gibbs, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling at the council, said around 2,000 bins have already been rolled out and that 880 more in Bilton and 1,800 in Ripon will follow this month.

He also said 2,000 will be introduced in the Harlow Hill and Arthurs Avenue areas of Harrogate in August.

When questioned how the trial is going, Cllr Gibbs told a council meeting that residents seemed “very happy” with the changes, although there had been some issues with items including a bouncy castle and petrol cans being incorrectly placed in the bins.

Cllr Gibbs said: 

“One thing we pride ourselves on as a council is the low contamination rates of our recycling which has enabled us to recoup as much money as possible.

“Whether this trial is a success or not will depend on the cleanliness and contamination rates of the recycling that we collect.

“So far, albeit from a very small sample size, things are looking good.”

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Recycling that contains contamination – including the wrong items or food waste – costs more to dispose of and the recycled material produced can be of lower quality.

The new wheelie bins can be used to recycle glass bottles, jars, tin cans, foil, food and drink cartons, and plastic bottles and tubs.

Blue bags for recycling paper, card and cardboard will continue to be used.

However, these will be replaced with heavy-duty bags for those properties that don’t have them.

Harrogate teenagers to embark on 48 mile walk in aid of Ukraine

Two Harrogate teenagers are set to embark upon a 48 mile walk in two days in an effort to raise money for Ukraine.

Grace Brierley and her friend Elena Dickson, who are both 14, will start the walk by taking on the Knaresborough round on Saturday, July 9.

From there, they will walk the Harrogate ringway on Sunday and will be camping out in between.

Money raised will go towards United 24, an initiative set up by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, amid the war with Russia.

The charity aims to be a direct source for donations for the country and helps with medical aid, rebuilding and defence.

Grace and Elena have set up a JustGiving page as part of their walk. You can find their page here.

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Ripon MP: Prime Minister causing ‘constitutional crisis’ by refusing to resign

Boris Johnson is causing a constitutional crisis and acting “Trumpian” by not resigning, says Conservative Ripon MP Julian Smith.

Mr Smith heavily criticised the Prime Minister in an interview with BBC Radios 4’s Today programme and said Mr Johnson had suffered a “catastrophic loss of confidence” among Tory MPs.

The comments come as Mr Johnson faced calls from his own MPs and some members of his cabinet to resign last night.

Yesterday, a record 40 ministers and aides quit the government. Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland secretary, becoming the latest to step down this morning.

The Prime Minister has said he has a mandate from voters to continue.

But Mr Smith said: 

“It’s a preposterous argument, the British voters voted for the Conservative party.

“At the time of that election, Boris Johnson was the leader. But that was not a personal vote, it was a vote for individual candidates across the country.

“The bulk of those MPs who supported him at that election now do not have the confidence in him to remain as Prime Minister.”

Mr Smith joined Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, yesterday in calling for the Prime Minister to step down.

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However, Nigel Adams, a Johnson ally and MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes parts of rural Harrogate, remains in the cabinet and is yet to comment.

This morning, Mr Smith said the country was in a constitutional crisis because Mr Johnson’s refused to leave Downing Street despite having no “confidence from his party”.

He said:

“I think we are [in a constitutional crisis] because he doesn’t have the confidence of his party. So on what basis is he residing in Number 10?

“Obviously many times before you have had Prime Ministers who may have outstayed their welcome.

“But the key difference is that Boris Johnson, for whatever reason, has had a catastrophic loss of confidence and is still holding out in a Trumpian style seemingly trying to write the next chapter or the first chapter of his memoirs or trying to prepare for the speaker circuit.

“But [he is] actually challenging, extremely worryingly, the system that we have run the country for years.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

Some roadworks remain in place across the Harrogate district this morning with reports of queuing at Bond End in Knaresborough.

Elsewhere, traffic is moving as normal ahead of the rush hour.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Drivers should be aware of the normal rush hour traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road this morning.

There are reports of traffic queueing at Bond End in Knaresborough as three way traffic lights are in place as North Yorkshire County Council carries out repair works.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, a closure will also be in place from today on Crag Lane in North Rigton to allow BT to replace a pole. This will be in place until Friday.

Meanwhile, Briscoe Ridge Lane will be closed from Friday until Sunday to allow for pothole maintenance.

Motorists should also be aware of road closures for the Cancer Research UK Race for Life this weekend.

Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein will be closed on Sunday. July 10, for the race.

Trains and buses

Train 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 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at 9.55am this morning and on the Harrogate to Leeds 9am service.

There is also cancellations on the 1A, 1C, 1B and the 7.

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

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Harrogate creative agency reports increase in turnover

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

Impression Studio in Harrogate has reported a 30% growth in turnover in the last financial year.

The company, which is based on Albert Street and is a creative digital agency, saw its turnover in 2021/22 increase to £750,000.

The firm works with clients including Power Sheds, Hippo Digital, Infinity Works and KAL Fitness.

Charlie Hartley, founder and managing director of Impression Studio, has also announced plans to develop the business further with an increased focus on brand strategy.

Mr Hartley said:

“The new focus and direction for the business is already helping brands to build emotional connections with customers by creating compelling digital-first brands and digital experiences that both excite and deliver results.”

Chamber meeting to focus on financial support

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is set to hold its next meeting on Monday.

The meeting will focus on what practical and financial support is available to businesses in the district.

It will be held at Harrogate College on July 11. 

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Three expert speakers including Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, Steve Bolton, a leader consultant for Harrogate Borough Council, and Amrit Choda, an Aspire2Lead job coach.

David Simister, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said:

“For Harrogate businesses seeking information about what financial grants, practical support and staff training they can access, then our July meeting is a must attend event.

“And I’m delighted to say this meeting is open to non-members too. The aim of our meetings is to educate and inform, and this is what July’s speakers will do.”

For more information on the meeting, visit the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce website.

Ripon man jailed for stealing two bikes in Harrogate

A Ripon man has been jailed for 26 weeks for stealing two bikes in Harrogate.

Dwain Carl Layton, 31, of King Edward Road, appeared before York Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with stealing the bikes from a garage on Kingsley Road on June 28.

The bikes were estimated to be worth £1,000.

Layton pleaded guilty to the charge and was jailed.

The magistrates said the sentence was handed down after Layton had failed to comply with requirements of post custodial sentence supervision.

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It added that the offence was aggravated by “the defendant’s record of previous offending”.

Layton was also ordered to pay compensation of £100 and a victim surcharge of £154.