Knaresborough GPs operating at ‘clinical capacity’

GP practices in Knaresborough are operating at “clinical capacity”, according to clinical commissioning group managers.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions GP services in the area, recently reviewed the average number of patients to full time GPs in the town.

Details of the review emerged when the CCG recently objected to a new housing development on the site of the former Trelleborg factory on Halfpenny Lane in Knaresborough.

Nick Brown, senior planning and capital officer at the CCG, said in a letter to Harrogate Borough Council that the impact of any further housing developments would be “very significant”.

He said:

“NHS North Yorkshire CCG has recently undergone a review of the GP primary care estates in Knaresborough, consulting with all the GP practices and the Knaresborough and Rural Primary Care Network (PCN) with responsibility for providing services in this locality.

“The confirmed consensus is that the practices are currently operating at clinical capacity in relation to the average number of patients to full-time GP ratio, compounded by existing limitations with internal clinical space.”

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Mr Brown added:

“The existing GP surgery premises in Knaresborough are currently operating at capacity and the impact of any further local housing development on health services and health infrastructure is very significant.

“The existing health infrastructure cannot absorb the further pressure on delivery of services arising from the housing development.”

On Tuesday, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to developers Countryside Properties to build 64 homes at the former Trelleborg site on Halfpenny Lane, which closed in 2016.

The CCG asked for £75,937 from the developers to fund improvements to services in the area. How much will be given is to be negotiated.

The CCG made a similar objection in March to plans for new retirement apartments on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough.

It said it was “extremely concerned” that another care facility could increase the elderly population and “overload” local services.

Fresh appeal to locate wanted Harrogate man

North Yorkshire Police has issued a fresh appeal for information on a wanted Harrogate man.

Robbie Nelson, 23, failed to appear before York Magistrates Court where he faces an animal cruelty charge.

A warrant was issued for Nelson’s arrest on December 17 last year.

Police issued a similar appeal for information on the whereabouts of Nelson in April.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Enquiries are ongoing to find Nelson including multiple address checks and contact with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Job Centre.

“If anyone knows of his whereabouts or has information that could help us to find him, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

“If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

“Please quote reference number 12210262539 when providing details.”

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Wall repair costs to Harrogate council double to nearly £500,000

Harrogate Borough Council is set to spend almost double what it planned to repair a collapsed wall in Kirkby Malzeard.

The council is due to appoint construction firm Keir to repair and rebuild the wall at St Andrew’s Church, which collapsed due to heavy rain in February 2020.

Officials at the authority had initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February this year.

However, a report due before the council’s urgency committee next week says the project will now cost £491,670.

Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.

Jonathan Dunk, executive officer for strategic property and major projects, said in his report:

“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.

“Any further delay now would create the additional risk of further wall collapse and would mean that the work could not take place over the coming summer months.”

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The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves. If approved, work on the wall is scheduled to start this month and end in September.

The move to repair the wall comes after residents and parish councillors urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall earlier this year.

Cllr Peter Saxon, of Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, told the borough council’s planning committee in February:

“Kirkby Malzeard as a community is no stranger to controversial planning decisions. This is not one of them.

“Speaking as the parish council, we presented a unanimous view, as with every resident I have spoken to, to ask you to please, please end this farce.”

Plans approved for 64 homes on former Trelleborg factory

Plans for 64 homes at the site of a former rubber factory in Knaresborough have been given the go-ahead.

Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to developers Countryside Properties to build the homes at the former Trelleborg site on Halfpenny Lane, which closed in 2016.

The site, which is not allocated for housing in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, had drawn concerns over the impact on traffic and health services.

Knaresborough Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Gostlow told Tuesday’s planning meeting that increased traffic levels in the area had become “really dangerous” and led to rat-running.

She said: 

“There is another big development across the road and already the impact on the Boroughbridge Road junction at Hyde Park Road is causing residents a lot of concern and in my mind is really dangerous.

“We are seeing Halfpenny Lane at the back of Hyde Park Road being used as a rat-run.

“This is also a loss of industrial land which is not good for a town’s sustainability.”

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In response, Robert Harding, town planner at Countryside Properties, said the site had been advertised for employment use for “a number of years” but failed to attract a buyer.

He also said the developers were in negotiations with highways officials at North Yorkshire County Council over contributing cash towards junction upgrades.

He added: 

“The proposals are in-keeping with the predominantly residential character of the area and will bring a derelict and underutilised site back into use.

“The site is located within the development limits of Knaresborough and will provide new homes at a location close to the town centre and railway station.”

Town council says homes ‘not needed’

Objections against the plans were made by Knaresborough Town Council, which said the homes were “not needed”.

The NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group also submitted a late objection which said a wave of new housing across Knaresborough threatened to overload the town’s “already massively stretched” health services.

The CCG has asked for £75,937 from the developers to fund improvements to services in the area.

The plans include a mix of one to four-bedroom homes, as well 20 properties classed as affordable.

Originally, the developers had requested permission for 77 homes, however, this was reduced to 64 after a protection order was placed on a group of trees which have been saved from felling.

The plans were approved with seven votes for and one against at Tuesday’s meeting.

Harrogate Bus Company announces free electric bus rides for Platinum Jubilee

Harrogate Bus Company has announced that it will be offering free rides on its electric services during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The free service will run as part of the long weekend from Thursday, June 2, until Sunday, June 5.

The move has been made in partnership with Harrogate BID ahead of the jubilee celebrations.

It will apply to all electric routes in the Harrogate town network, including:

In a tweet, Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev, said:

“The jubilee freeway is the best way to all celebrations in Harrogate”.

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Preparations for the platinum jubilee are well underway with events planned across the Harrogate district.

The Stray Ferret has compiled a What’s On diary of all the events across the district. You can read up on the celebrations here.

Labour admits ‘challenging’ elections in Harrogate district

Harrogate’s Labour Party has admitted last week’s local elections were “challenging” after failing to elect any councillors in the district.

Labour failed to finish better than third in any divisions in the Harrogate district.

Chris Watt, acting chair of the local party and candidate for Fairfax and Starbeck, said the party was still proud of its “positive campaign” despite the results for the new North Yorkshire Council.

He said: 

“Our message of positive change has resonated, with many saying they were voting Labour for the first time and others strengthening their support for their local Labour candidate.

“Whilst we were disappointed not to make any gains, people clearly decided to kick the Tories by voting Liberal Democrat.”

There was success for Labour elsewhere in North Yorkshire as the party trebled the number of councillors it has serving the county.

Overall, the Conservatives narrowly maintained their control of North Yorkshire by electing just one more than the minimum number of councillors required for a majority.

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The Tories won 47 seats, while Labour and the Liberal Democrats took 12 each as five Green councillors were also elected.

Thirteen independents were also voted in, as well as one Liberal Party councillor.

Mr Watt added: 

“We are delighted that Labour made gains across the new North Yorkshire Council.

“We meet regularly with North Yorkshire’s Labour councillors and will ensure that the important voice of Harrogate and Knaresborough is not ignored.”

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Party had five candidates – including two in Harrogate – but did not see success in the May 5 vote.

The party’s leader Bob Buxton said: 

“John Hall’s result in Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale and Tockwith was encouraging, so that’s clearly an area in which to build the party.

“It seems likely that there will be a North Yorkshire mayor next year. While the Yorkshire Party views mayors as largely powerless and budget-less, it is slightly better than no devolution at all.

“We finished third in both the South Yorkshire mayor election this year and West Yorkshire mayor election last year – people like our ideas on devolution and our demand for real powers and fair funding.

“In the meantime, there’s a parliamentary by-election in Wakefield, an area where we’re strong, giving us another opportunity to grow the Yorkshire Party.”

Plan to convert former Harrogate taxi office into flat

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Airline Taxis office in Harrogate into a one bedroom flat.

The ground floor offices on East Parade are currently vacant after a liquidator was appointed to wind up the company in June last year.

A directors report to creditors, signed by Airline’s sole director Mohammad Suleman, said the company experienced a “significant decline” in turnover due to lack of travel during the first covid lockdown.

Now, plans have been submitted by developer Mr T Halliday to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the offices into a one-bedroom flat.

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Documents lodged to the authority say that the building would retain its existing features and the same floor area as the taxi company office.

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

North Yorkshire devolution deal could be done by summer

A devolution deal for North Yorkshire that includes a directly elected mayor could be reached by summer, according to the leader of the county council.

County council officials have met with senior civil servants after the government included a deal for the county as part of its levelling up white paper in February.

Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat leader of City of York Council, have also met with ministers to discuss devolution in North Yorkshire and York.

Council officials submitted a list of requests for devolved powers to government in December 2020 but negotiations were delayed by covid and the publication of the levelling up white paper.

In a statement to a full council meeting next week, Cllr Les will say that it is possible a deal could be reached by the parliamentary summer recess in July.

He says:

“What is clear is that all asks will need to be negotiated with vigour – the principle of devolution has been agreed, there is no automatic right of passage.

“Myself and the leader of City of York Council have had a first meeting with the responsible minister where he observed that we were first in the queue and he hoped we would maintain that position.

“There is a possibility that a deal can be done before the parliamentary summer recess.”

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Ministers made it a requirement that a unitary council for North Yorkshire be established before any negotiations about a devolution deal could proceed. Last week’s elections for the new North Yorkshire Council brought that to fruition.

In December 2020, council bosses submitted to government a 140-page document which outlined £2.4 billion worth of spending and proposals to take back further powers from Westminster.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy were included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of the county council, said previously that the timetable for devolution negotiations could see an elected mayor in place by May 2024.

The mayor could have powers over areas such as transport and economic development. They could also take on the role as police and crime commissioner.

The negotiations come as the Conservatives retained control on the county council following the local elections last week, but with a smaller majority.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Cllr Les said he was willing to work with any party over the issue of devolution and local government reorganisation.

He said:

“It has always been my policy in the county council to reach out to other groups and to talk with them.

“I will continue to do that.”

Traffic and Travel alert: Temporary York Place lights causing delays

Drivers are warned to expect long queues on York Place in Harrogate due to three-way temporary traffic lights.

The lights are in place at the junction with Queen Parade and are causing tailbacks at busy times.

CityFibre has put the temporary lights in place as part of maintenance work. The lights are expected to be in place until Thursday, May 12.

Three-way traffic lights on York Place are causing long queues at busy times.

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Jonathan Dyson set to be North Yorkshire’s new chief fire officer

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has selected her preferred candidate to be the county’s chief fire officer.

Zoe Metcalfe has chosen Jonathan Dyson for the role. Mr Dyson is currently the interim deputy chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Jon Foster, who is the current interim chief fire officer, will retire from the service after 38 years.

Mr Dyson started his career in South Yorkshire, where he held roles as head of training and head of service delivery.

He joined the North Yorkshire service in 2020 as director of assurance, leading and delivering organisational change, and was appointed interim deputy chief fire officer last year.

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Mr Dyson will be recommended to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel for appointment.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“I’m delighted to choose Jonathan Dyson as my preferred candidate for the role of chief fire officer, who I believe will be excellent at leading the service into the future and continue to keep people safe and feeling safe in North Yorkshire and York.

“Having worked within our service for the past two years, and most recently as interim deputy chief fire officer, Jonathan is someone who knows our community, has the respect of his colleagues, and is committed to creating an even stronger and more sustainable service.

“I look forward to Jonathan’s suitability being approved at the upcoming Police, Fire and Crime Panel’s confirmation hearing later this month, and from there working with him to deliver a modern, inclusive, responsive, and respected organisation that protects people and property, and saves lives.”

Mr Dyson said:

“I feel truly honoured to be the preferred candidate for the role of chief fire officer and privileged to continue serving the public of North Yorkshire and York. I will build on the outstanding contribution Jon Foster has made on behalf of the Service, and I wish him the very best on his next venture.

“I want to ensure North Yorkshire remains one of the safest places in the country to live, work, or visit. My desire is to continue building an inclusive, sustainable organisation by transforming our service delivery. A key priority is to develop our partnerships, ensuring our staff, volunteers and partners feel valued and able to be their very best for our communities.”