North Yorkshire’s chief constable apologises for child protection failings

North Yorkshire Police has apologised after government inspectors found the force’s standards of investigation for child protection cases were “poor”.

A highly critical report published yesterday by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Following the publication of the report, Lisa Winward, chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, apologised and said the force “fully accepted” the inspector’s findings.

She said:

“It is extremely disappointing that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice during their inspection in November 2021, they also found a lack of consistency in our treatment of children across the cases that they examined. 

“We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively. We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire. 

“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report. Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate. We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress. 

“We welcome the recognition by the Inspectorate that our officers and staff, who manage child abuse investigations, are committed and dedicated despite working in difficult circumstances. 

“I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do. We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”

Critical report

The report was particularly critical of the force’s approach to children considered to be at risk.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

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Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations, which included:

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s Conservative Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the findings of the report were “unacceptable”.

Work on Harrogate Hydro and Knaresborough leisure centre to start next month

Two major projects to renovate Harrogate Hydro and build a new leisure centre in Knaresborough will get underway next month.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the plans which will cost around £28 million and see the construction works carried out by Bristol-based firm Alliance Leisure.

The Hydro will get an £11.8 million investment, including a two-storey extension of the building, as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.

There will also be a new diving board structure, fitness suite and refurbished changing areas.

The venue will close on April 8 and the project will be phased to allow for the pool hall area to be brought back into use “as soon as possible in early 2023,” the council said.

It also said it anticipated all of the works will be completed by April 2023.

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Meanwhile, some grounds works are already underway at Fysche Field in Knaresborough where a new £17 million leisure centre complete with a six-lane pool, health spa and fitness studios will be built as a replacement for the existing Knaresborough Pool.

It will be built behind the existing pool which will remain open during the works before being demolished.

The council said the new leisure centre will take 65 weeks to build with completion in July 2023.

After this, the demolition works will take a further 15 weeks with completion in October 2023.

Knaresborough leisure centre

Proposals for the Knaresborough Leisure Centre.

These proposals were approved last month despite concerns over the environmental impact of demolishing a large building to replace it with another.

However, Jonathan Dunk, chief development officer at the council, described the 30-year-old Knaresborough Pool as “at the end of its working life” and said more swimming space was needed for the town’s growing population.

He previously said: 

“We need to renew rather than refurbish the existing facility because it is old and there is inadequate water space.

“We also want to upgrade to make the most of the energy performance of the new building.”

In Ripon, the opening of the city’s new multi-million pound swimming pool was finally celebrated on 2 March after months of costly delays.

The project was nine months overdue and £4 million over budget, and refurbishment works on the adjoining Ripon Leisure Centre are still underway after the discovery of an underground void prompted the need for an investigation.

The investigation by engineering firm Stantec was due to finish earlier this month and a report setting out what reinforcement works will be required will now follow.

Stantec previously suggested there had been a “significant deterioration” of the ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre and that strengthening works could include steelworks, thickened floors and grouting – the same method “successfully” used to stabilise the new pool.

Bid to save ‘at risk’ Harrogate district bowls clubs

Bowls clubs in the Harrogate district have joined forces in an attempt to recover from the covid pandemic.

All 16 clubs that play in the Harrogate league have come together after it became clear that some were at risk of folding.

Dave Rowson, secretary of Harrogate Amateur Bowling Association, which governs the game in the district and coordinates its development, said the organisation had launched a drive to increase participation and retain players.

Mr Rowson said membership in local crown green bowls was declining and some clubs were at risk of going under.

He said:

“Membership of many clubs is declining and of the 16 clubs in the district there are a number forecasting that without an increase in participation they could be at risk of being unable to remain in existence.”

Mr Rowson, who is also secretary of Black Swan Bowling Club on Devonshire Place in Harrogate, pointed to Bilton Working Men’s Club as an example of a club which needed support.

The club currently has 26 bowlers and needs more players to remain viable.

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Paul Gill, who is a member of Bilton Working Men’s Club, said part of the problem was that the sport was regarded as an “old man’s game”.

He added that people also did not know where the bowling greens are situated because they are often behind buildings or hidden.

Mr Gill said:

“They do not know they are there.

“There are a lot of locations and a lot of clubs.”

Grants and strategy

After two years of the covid pandemic, the 16 clubs decided to come up with a strategy to ensure their survival.

As part of that, Mr Rowson secured a £1,500 grant to set up a website for Harrogate Amateur Bowling Association.

The site will enable each club to advertise open days for potential new members. The season runs from April to October so the number of open days is expected to ramp up shortly.

Mr Rowson added:

“The programme will be open to all. Bowls is a sport for everyone irrespective of age or gender. Everyone can compete equally.”

Younger players, parents and people retiring from other sports such as cricket and football will be encouraged to come along.

The association aims to get 600 new participants trying bowls. Mr Rowson added that there was capacity for 13 more eight-person teams in the Harrogate league.

He estimates that the league would need 80 new bowlers for those teams and to cover any player holiday or illness.

The association has also bid to North Yorkshire Sport for up to £5,000 in funding for equipment costs and coaches to help new players.

For more information on how to get involved with your local bowls club, visit the Harrogate Amateur Bowling Association website.

TikTok video on mental health in Harrogate goes viral

A TikTok video of a man raising awareness of mental health in Harrogate town centre has gone viral.

The clip, by Ben Ogden on Cambridge Street, shows him standing with a sign saying: “If you’ve struggled with mental health, let’s talk”.

Mr Ogden is well known on TikTok for his videos talking to people on the street about mental health and has posted clips in Leeds and Skipton.

In Harrogate, he speaks with a woman, who is off camera, about her struggles with mental health.

Mr Ogden says in the video:

“We’re just trying to raise awareness for mental health and to let people know it’s alright to talk about it and it should be a normal conversation.”

@itsbenogden

It’s okay to talk 💬 #mentalhealthmatters #friends

♬ last chance – 🤍

The video has racked up 429,000 views on TikTok and has more than 21,000 likes and 200 comments.

Mr Ogden, who has nearly 50,000 followers on the social media platform, also published a video outside Sainsbury’s on Cambridge Street with a sign that reads: “If you’re missing your mum this Mother’s Day, let’s talk”.

The clip clocked up 465,000 views.

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The video becomes the latest TikTok in the Harrogate district to go viral this year.

In January, a Russian TikToker racked up a million views with a video of Knaresborough that she described as “a place in England so beautiful I can’t believe it’s real”.

In the same month, a bizarre video by DJ Zach Sabri, better known online as SUAT, showed the TikToker being told by National Trust staff that he cannot film at Brimham Rocks.

Plan to convert former Harrogate district school into house approved

Plans to convert a former Harrogate district primary school into a house have been approved.

Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance applied to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Bishop Thornton Church of England Primary School site off Colber Lane.

The school closed in 2019 after it outgrew the site and moved to the former Burnt Yates Church of England Primary School building. The school has since been renamed as Admiral Long CE Primary School.

The council has now given the go-ahead to the proposal.

According to plans submitted to the council, the Bishop Thornton building will be converted into a three-bedroom house with two parking spaces.

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The developer said in documents that the proposal will represent a “satisfactory replacement” for the former school building.

It said:

“Making use of empty buildings and placing great weight on using suitable sites within existing settlements is supported by national planning policy.”

Labour announce Harrogate and Knaresborough election candidates

The Labour Party has announced its candidates in Harrogate and Knaresborough for the upcoming local elections.

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

A full list of candidates for each ward including Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and independent candidates is expected to be published on April 6.

The Labour Party has announced a candidate for every ward in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Among them include acting constituency party chair Chris Watt, retired teachers and a mental health nurse in the NHS.

The full list of candidates are:

The move comes after opposition parties indicated they are not expected to agree to a pact ahead of polling day.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party said it had reached out to both the Lib Dems and Labour, however the Stray Ferret understands no agreement has been made.Labour’s list of candidates indicates it intends to fight every ward.

Register to vote

A total of 13 councillors will be elected in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge to the new authority, with an average of 6,194 people to each representative. A further eight will be elected across Ripon, Pateley Bridge and Masham.

Those wishing to vote in the upcoming election have until April 14 to register to vote. You can register here.

Meanwhile, events will be held online for residents across Harrogate and Knaresborough to learn more about the upcoming unitary council.

People will be given the opportunity to ask a panel of senior council officials about the changes and what it means for them.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, and Neil Irving, from North Yorkshire County Council, will appear on the panel at the event on April 12. You can find more information on how to attend here.

Harrogate district among worst prepared areas for electric cars, says study

The Harrogate district has been revealed as one of the worst prepared areas in the UK for the electric car revolution.

New research shows the district places fourth among the least ready regions, with just one charging point for every 134 electric or hybrid cars.

This comes as more and more motorists across the nation are making the switch to electric as the government’s ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 is now less than a decade away.

Harrogate has seen rapid growth in the number of electric vehicles on its roads, with more than York or any other district in North Yorkshire.

However, the district’s charging infrastructure is lagging behind and there is now pressure on local authorities to speed up their offering in order to support efforts to tackle climate change.

Harrogate Borough Council – which has admitted the district’s charging point numbers are “some way behind” neighbouring areas such as York and Leeds – has set an aim to get 10,000 electric vehicles on the roads by 2023.

It said in a statement that it has installed charging points at several council-owned locations and that it plans to roll out 60 more within the next five years.

The borough council said: 

“It is encouraging to see that the Harrogate district has seen an increase in electric vehicle ownership.

“Our Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle strategy aims to respond to this local need and fulfil our vision to have the most ambitious and forward-thinking programme for electric vehicles of any borough council.

“Charging points have been installed at council sites across the district, including Phoenix Business Park in Ripon and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.

“Charging points will also be installed at Hornbeam Park train station car park in Harrogate, Victoria multi-storey car park in Harrogate, Chapel Street car park in Knaresborough, Southlands car park in Pateley Bridge and cathedral car park in Ripon in the coming months.”

Harrogate Borough Council is responsible for areas including off-street parking and planning, and said all new housing developments are equipped with charging points along with a dedicated electric circuit.

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On-street parking is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council which said it recognised the urgency of improving electric car infrastructure, but added it wanted “take the time needed to ensure we find the correct solutions to ensure everyone has convenient access”.

It said a charging point study is currently underway and will involve a public consultation to ask residents for their views.

Karl Battersby, corporate director for business and environmental services at the county council, said: 

“North Yorkshire is currently exploring many options and engaging with specialist companies to seek solutions to the challenges surrounding electric vehicle charging.

“Options being considered include rapid charging hubs and innovative measures to provide on-street charging.”

Mr Battersby added: 

“Harrogate has more registered electric vehicles than any other district in the county and also the most publicly available charge points, though some of those have restricted availability.

“Department for Transport data shows Harrogate and Ryedale are in the top 40% of UK council areas for total numbers of charging points.”

The research which shows Harrogate places fourth among the least ready regions is from insurance group esure. It found the district comes behind only Slough, Swindon and Stockport which is the worst prepared place with 448 electric and hybrid vehicles having to share each charger.

The figures also show it’s 3.5 times harder to find a charger in Harrogate than in York which has made better progress with one charging point for every 38 vehicles.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, London comes out on top as the best prepared area with only four cars per each charger.

Roadworks reduce Harrogate’s Cheltenham Parade to single lane until Thursday

Drivers are set to face delays in Harrogate town centre as roadworks take place on Cheltenham Parade.

North Yorkshire County Council is carrying out work to install a fibre optic cable up the street and has reduced traffic to one lane.

Cheltenham Parade becomes single lane next to the junction with Commercial Street and Station Parade.

The move has led to queues on the road this lunchtime, with traffic backing up onto Ripon Road.

According to the county council’s roadworks map, the work is set to remain in place until Thursday this week.

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North Yorkshire Police ‘not effectively safeguarding children’, say inspectors

Inspectors have found North Yorkshire Police’s investigations of child protection cases are poor and need to improve.

A highly critical report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

‘No specialist training’ for most staff

The report added that staff training and awareness measures had relied on the use of email and online training packages. The report said:

“A large proportion of the officers dealing with child abuse investigations have had no specialist child abuse investigation training. The force has recognised this, and it has booked specialist courses for officers in early 2022.”

Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations to the force, which included:

Andy Cooke, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said:

“North Yorkshire Police’s senior leaders want to protect children and give them better outcomes, and we found some good examples of the force protecting children in need of help.

“But in too many cases, practice is inconsistent. Officers don’t always share information quickly enough with safeguarding partners. We also found that supervisors don’t oversee investigations well enough, mainly because they lack the training, skills and experience.

“The force knows it needs to do more to help its officers better understand how to safeguard children. We have made a series of recommendations which, if acted on, will help improve outcomes for children in North Yorkshire.”

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Police commissioner calls report findings ‘unacceptable’

North Yorkshire Police has 1,562 police officers, 1,214 police staff, 212 police and community support officers and 113 special constables.

Its work is scrutinised by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Conservative Zoe Metcalfe was elected to the role in November after fellow Tory Philip Allott resigned.

The Police and Crime Plan 2017–2021, set by previous commissioners and the current chief constable has four priorities, the first of which relates to safeguarding vulnerable people, including children.

This document is now due to be revised.

Ms Metcalfe said in a statement today that all children deserved to grow up in a safe environment

She added:

“We need to be candid in acknowledging that what this report has found is unacceptable.

“It is clear that sometimes not enough has been done to ensure that North Yorkshire Police can show that vulnerable children are as protected as they should be in North Yorkshire and York, and all too often the failings come despite the best efforts of those who have a policing role to safeguard them.

“As a new commissioner, now responsible for scrutinising the work of the North Yorkshire Police, that is a serious concern. I know that is a view shared by the force’s leadership, and I am sure it will be a concern across the organisation and beyond.

“It is important to note that the report does say there is evidence that improvements were underway in November 2021 when the inspection took place, and I have been assured those have continued at pace, so many of the issues identified are now in the process of being addressed. Measures are in place to ensure there is a robust framework in place to track and review this progress. I and my team will closely monitor and review what happens next.

“I have also met with local authority partners who have offered their full support to North Yorkshire Police in addressing the report’s findings and ensuring that children are kept safe in the city and the county. North Yorkshire Police have also set out their commitment to me to ensure officers and staff are provided with the skills, capability and capacity to do their job well.”

Plan to create microbrewery at Wild Swan in Minskip

Plans have been lodged to convert a neglected outbuilding at a Minskip pub into a microbrewery.

The owners of The Wild Swan on Main Street in the village, near Boroughbridge, have lodged the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council.

It would see a building on the site converted into a microbrewery and function room, which would include a food preparation area and toilet.

Documents submitted to the council say the conversion of the outbuilding would help to provide “much needed flexibility” for the pub.

It added that the proposal would lead to “significant investment” in the building. which is deteriorating and has been “seriously neglected”.

The document said:

“The outbuilding has been seriously neglected and is in need of significant investment to rescue it from further, irreversible, deterioration.

“The building will convert efficiently to provide the proposed accommodation requiring only limited alterations, thus removing any risk of changing the character and appearance of the area.”

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The move to refurbish the building comes after three friends from Harrogate and York clubbed together to buy The Wild Swan in Minskip last summer.

After running the pub for a few months they closed it in January for a refurbishment and reopened to customers the following month.

The neglected outbuilding at The Wild Swan at Minskip.

The outbuilding at The Wild Swan at Minskip.

Owners Stephen Lennox, Alex Bond and Alastair Benham unveiled a new and improved pub and told the Stray Ferret earlier this year that a microbrewery was on the cards as part of the refurbishment.

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