Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

‘Irrecoverable’ housing debts written off by Harrogate council doubles

The amount of “irrecoverable” housing debts written off by Harrogate Borough Council has almost doubled this year.

A total of £61,853 in debts owed to the council have been crossed off for 2021/22 – almost twice as much as the £32,277 in 2020/21 and the largest amount in at least the last six years.

A council spokesperson said the increase was mostly down to debts owed by temporary accommodation users who have stayed at council hostels, houses and flats across the district, but were no longer traceable.

The spokesperson also said a large amount of the debts were owed by council tenants who died and had no assets to pay what they owed.

The spokesperson said:

“There are a number of reasons we have decided to write off the debt from former council tenants. The majority of these come from either tenants that have sadly passed away or tenants who left their property and remain untraceable.

“In both instances, there is almost no way that this can be recovered and, if it could, may ultimately cost more than the outstanding debt to try and do so.

“The vast majority of the increase – compared to last year – is due to the level of rent debt being written off for former temporary accommodation tenants.

“If the former tenant applies for council housing at a future date the arrears can still be recovered.”

Before any debts over £500 are recommended for write off, the council said at least two searches are carried out using tools such as the National Anti Fraud Network before further checks are made for housing benefit or waiting list applications.

Meanwhile, the majority of debts under £500 are considered to be “too small to make the cost of recovery action worthwhile,” the council said.

Largest debt £2,903

There were almost 100 incidents where council tenants had died in 2021/22, with the debts totalling almost £19,000.

The single largest debt was £2,903 owed by a temporary accommodation user who was considered to be untraceable after ending their stay.

A decision to write off all of the debts – some of which predate this year – was taken by the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, Cllr Graham Swift, at a meeting on Monday.

Cllr Graham Swift

A report to Cllr Swift said the council had made “sufficient bad debt provision” in its finances to accommodate the write offs and that this would not impact on its spending plans.

It also said the amount of the provision made will be reviewed and increased if necessary for any future write offs.

The council spokesperson added:

“The total arrears represent less than 0.5% of the annual housing debit.

“The money is a loss to the housing revenue account, which is funded almost entirely from rent income from tenants, rather than through council tax.”

Developer appeals decision to reject Harrogate district eco-homes

A developer has appealed a decision to refuse plans for nine new eco-homes near Flaxby.

Holmes Planning Ltd submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for the development in October 2021.

It would have seen houses built to environmental standards and include solar panels, air-source heat pumps and super-tight insulation.

It also included self-build and custom homes on the site at York Road in Flaxby.

The council rejected the plan on the grounds that it was outside the development boundary, the affect on the character of the area and because the number of homes was below the council’s requirement per hectare.

However, the developer has appealed the decision to the government.

In documents submitted for the challenge, the developer argued that there was not enough custom build developments in the district.

It said:

“The appellant submits that the custom self-build deficit is so severe, and likely to get worse, that this material consideration outweighs any departure from the Harrogate District Local Plan and that the appeal site is suitable for custom self-build and the appeal, if allowed, would be secured for custom self-build through the Unilateral Undertaking.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Police appeal after ducks stolen in Hampsthwaite

Police have appealed for information after five call ducks were stolen in Hampsthwaite.

Officers said the theft happened on Swincliffe Lane in the village when a secure pen which was keeping the ducks was accessed.

North Yorkshire Police said the ducks were stolen during the evening between March 2 and 3, 2022.

A police statement added:

“Police are appealing for anyone who may have any information or had noticed any suspicious activity in that area at the alleged times of the thefts to make contact with ourselves.

“If you have any information we ask that you contact PC 46 Brendon Frith on 101 and select option 2 or alternatively by email: Brendon.Frith@northyorkshire.police.uk Please quote reference number 12220037836.”

Care home managers warn staffing crisis is ‘only getting worse’

Harrogate care home managers have warned the staffing crisis is only getting worse and that it will inevitably cause more bed blocking problems for the NHS.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, described the current situation as “dire” and said she has “never known it as bad as this”.

She said:

“The sector is desperately short of care staff.

“At Harrogate Neighbours we can’t increase our packages for home care and we are struggling to keep our care home above water, with staff having to work extra time to cover spare shifts.”

Susie Harrison, manager at Highgate Park care home and chair of Harrogate and District Registered Managers Network, also said the staff shortages were the “underlying cause” of delays in discharging hospital patients into care homes.

She said:

“Care homes can’t take any more residents because they don’t have the staff and this means people end up stuck in hospital – that is the reality of the situation.”

Hospital can’t discharge patients

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed it currently has around 40 patients who no longer require hospital care but can’t be discharged because they do not have a suitable location to continue their recovery.

This latest figure comes after the hospital recently warned it was “very full” and that this was having an impact on waiting times.

As well as the social care staffing shortages, Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said covid is also playing a “big part” in the bed blocking problems.

He said:

“When care homes have had to close due to covid outbreaks, or the service they provide has been affected due to their staff being unable to work after catching the virus or having to self-isolate, we have been unable to discharge patients into their care.

“We know how being in a more familiar location can aid recovery and we are working closely with our partners in social care to ensure patients who no longer require hospital care are able to be discharged as soon as possible.”

There are currently around 1,000 vacant care jobs across North Yorkshire and a recruitment campaign has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council to try address the shortfall.

Make Care Matter campaign

Make Care Matter aims to change perceptions about working in the sector which has endured a major challenge to attract and retain staff long before the current crisis.

Since the campaign launched in January, 268 job applications have been progressed, with 197 interviews resulting in 91 job placements.

Senior officials at the county council have said this shows some progress has been made, although they added it will take more than a recruitment campaign to solve the staffing problems.

Richard Webb, corporate director for health and adult services at the county council, said government promises to reform how social care is funded and how much staff are paid will be the key.

He said:

“We have seen a step-change in the care market since summer 2021, with very tough competition in the labour market, which is having a significant impact on care providers being able to recruit.

“The county council and the NHS have put additional funding into the sector to help sustain services, manage covid-19 and, recently, to support the workforce, including a one-off pay bonus for 16,000 care workers.

“Whilst the council welcomes the government’s proposals for changing how much people pay for care, we also want to see national action to help stabilise care providers and to improve the pay and status of care workers.

“In the meantime, we work closely with our care providers and NHS colleagues to ensure that as many people can go home from hospital as soon as is safe and feasible to do so.”

Harrogate’s Cloud Nine appoints new marketing manager

Harrogate-based hair and beauty brand Cloud Nine has appointed a new brand and marketing manager.

Laura Proctor has taken up the role, which comes as part of an expansion of the workforce at the company.

Cloud Nine recently appointed a new HR business partner, Beth Daley.

Speaking on her new role, Ms Proctor said:

“Cloud Nine is a brand I am extremely passionate about and I’m thrilled to be joining the team – this is an exciting opportunity, and I can’t wait to support the brand on its growth journey.”

Harrogate agencies post record quarter

Paul Snape (centre) with (L to R) Caroline Joynson, Susan Reid, Sarah Hone, Richard Lee and Helen Brady.

Media and profile agencies Appeal and GBM posted a record quarter with £175,000 in sales – an increase of 54%.

The Harrogate-based companies, which are sister organisations, have also appointed two new senior consultants to deliver a raft of new projects for a range of firms, from regional software and technology businesses to professional services organisation.

Paul Snape, founder, said:“In 2020, we launched new services, leveraging our media coverage to generate inbound sales leads online for growing SMEs, and that has helped us expand the US work as more and more firms strive to get a foothold in the North American market.”

Ripon’s newest business is another First for Rebecca

Rebecca Crallan will open the doors to The GreenHouse – Ripon’s newest business – at 10am tomorrow..

Ms Crallan, who earned a Double First in biology at Cambridge University, before obtaining her PhD at York, is leaving the world of academia and research work behind her for a brand-new career in retail.

Rebecca Crallan with her environmentally-friendly Miniml refillables range of cleaning products

Latterly based in London, where she worked for four years at Cancer Research UK, she has returned to her native Ripon, to put her scientific know-how into creating the eco and environmentally-friendly indie business.

The Stray Ferret visited 11, North Street yesterday for a sneak peek of the products on offer, and to hear why Ms Crallan decided to launch her venture in the city where she was born and bred.

She said:

“I came up with the idea while working at home during the covid lockdown.

“We’re all aware of reports on how we are damaging our planet, polluting the earth, oceans and air with plastics and gases and causing climate change.

“But those reports all call for action: If we act now we can change the outcome.”

Photo of blankets made from redundant yarns

Blankets made from redundant yarns, reduce the amount of material going as waste to landfill

She added:

“My mission is to make it easier for people to choose the greener option. From household chores to home styling and everyday needs to luxury treats.”

The products on sale have been carefully selected and locally sourced to minimise the impact on the environment.

Items on sale have been chosen with eco and environmental considerations top of mind

In addition to a refillables range of eco-friendly cleaning products, Yorkshire-made blankets created from recycled or redundant yarns are on offer.

There are also home and garden goods, locally-produced artisan-made wrapping papers and cards. .

In setting up the business, Ms Crallan was able to call on the retail expertise of her partner Patricio Maglio.

His day job is at ASDA head office in Leeds and on some nights he is on ceremonial duty, setting the watch on Ripon Market Square, as one of the city’s four hornblowers.

Opening hours for the GreenHouse are between 10am and 4pm from Wednesday to Saturday. .

The shop also sells takeaway coffee, served in biodegradable cups.

Plan submitted to demolish Bilton garages for social housing

Harrogate Borough Council has lodged plans to demolish 10 garages in Bilton to build two new houses.

The garages are on Woodfield Close, near the iron bridge in the Harrogate suburb.

As part of the proposal, two one-bedroom homes would be built on the site.

A council report in August said there were 24 garages on the site but only 12 were occupied. Of these, four were used by local residents.

The report proposed demolishing seven garages to allow for the new development but the number has now increased to 10.

The council owns and rents out garages across the district and has increasingly looked at the pockets of land as a way to build social housing.

In planning documents, the council said the development would help to provide “much needed affordable homes”.

The move comes as the council approved plans to earmark the site for housing back in August 2021.

The authority also plans to build a two-bed property for social rented housing on grassland it maintains on the corner of Poplar Crescent and Poplar Grove

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

Yorkshire Agricultural Society appoints new chief executive

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has appointed Allister Nixon as its new chief executive.

Mr Nixon, who has been chief operating officer at Castle Howard Estate Limited for the past six years, will replace Nigel Pulling in the role.

He has also held positions at multinational companies, such as Global and Kanter Media Audiences.

Mr Pulling is retiring at the end of the month after 20 years in charge of the society, which organises the annual Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

Its other businesses include Fodder, Yorkshire Event Centre, Pavilions of Harrogate and the Harrogate Caravan Park and Springtime Live.

Mr Nixon, who is a chartered accountant, said:

“I am delighted to be joining this outstanding organisation which does so much invaluable work for the agricultural industry. There is a lot of good work to continue and there are many opportunities for the society to develop still further.

“I am really looking forward to working with the trustees, staff and other stakeholders in the industry to ensure that, by supporting, promoting and celebrating the industry as effectively as possible, the exceptional reputation of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society continues to grow.”

Nigel Pulling

Rob Copley, chairman of trustees, said:

“On behalf of all the Trustees, council members and all staff we would like to thank Nigel for his hard work, determination and expertise and we are looking forward to welcoming Allister and beginning the next phase of development under his leadership and direction.”

Government rejects plan for new townhouses in Ripon

The government has rejected plans to build new townhouses and apartments in Ripon city centre.

Spinksburn Ltd had tabled a plan in November 2019 to build four apartments and four townhouses on land off North Street in the city.

The site, which used to be retail units, was demolished to make way for Marshall Way and has remained undeveloped since.

The work include the partial removal of buttress on a Grade-II listed building to join the two buildings.

However, the developer lodged an appeal in August 2021 to the government’s Planning Inspectorate after Harrogate Borough Council had failed to make a decision on the proposal two years later.

In a letter written by the developer’s lawyer said:

“Our client has therefore instructed us to submit the appeals for non-determination because the council does not appear to have the resources to be able to determine the applications and there appears to be no end in sight.

“My client is extremely concerned that determination of the applications is being allowed to drift and there are no means by which to secure the determination of the applications besides the appeal process if the council does not have the necessary resources.”

However, Fiona Cullen, the planning inspector who oversaw the appeal, has decided to reject the proposal.

In a decision notice, Ms Cullen said she was “unable not conclude” that the proposal “would preserve the special interest of the listed building”.

She said:

“I am mindful of the key role played by the delivery of housing in achieving sustainable development and recognise the Government’s objectives to boost the housing supply and grow the economy. I also note the framework’s support for housing and the efficient use of land.

“However, the framework is clear in stating that heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource, and should be conserved in a manner appropriate to their significance, so that they can be enjoyed for their contribution to the quality of life of existing and future generations.”

Ms Cullen added:

“Whilst there are considerations that weigh in favour of the proposal, in my judgement, they are not sufficient to outweigh the harm I have found.”

Otley Road cycle route progress ‘appalling’, says cycle group

Progress on a cycle route on Harrogate’s Otley Road is “appalling”, says a local cycle group.

The comments come as the next stages of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path are to be reviewed in line with new government guidance after complaints that parts of the completed route are “unsafe”.

It is likely to mean further delays for the troubled project, which first secured funding in 2017 and is seen as key to cutting congestion in the town.

Officials at North Yorkshire County Council this week held a walkthrough with cycling campaigners who have been left frustrated over the delays and have also raised concerns over the completed works.

John Rowe, vice chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, described the progress made so far as “appalling” – but said he was glad the feedback and new guidelines are now being taken into account.

He said:

“Talks have been constructive, but the challenge we have got is that the designs were done before the new national standards were introduced.

“There also wasn’t an awful lot of willingness on behalf of the council to look at best practice without those standards. They wanted to do what they felt was adequate with the experience they had.

“The results are a little disappointing, but that is not hugely unexpected.

“We are hoping the next stages can be built better and with these new quality design standards in mind.”

The guidance published in 2020 says “cycles must be treated as vehicles and not as pedestrians” – and also gave new priorities including wider cycle lanes which are segregated from traffic.

Mr Rowe said while recognised there are space constraints on Otley Road, parts of the completed route were “badly designed”.

A particular concern is a narrowed section of cycle path at Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road which has been described as “unsafe”.

The council is currently in talks with Yorkshire Water to buy a small plot of land in order to remove a wall and widen a corner on this part of the route.

Mr Rowe said:

“That whole corner needs taking out because there is just no space – the gap is barely wide enough for a bike to get around.

“You can just imagine kids cycling around there – plus pedestrians – at school run time. There is just no space for that to happen safely.”

Council ‘will listen to concerns’

Melisa Burnham, area highways manager at North Yorkshire County Council, has insisted the completed route is safe and that the council will listen to all current concerns and further feedback under the next stages.

She also said the new guidelines would be used as a “starting point to create a safe route” under the next stages, although she added they “cannot be fully applied” to all parts of the route.

Ms Burnham said:

“We recognise the new cycling guidance and the benefits this brings to users.

“We are always ready to take on board the experience of users which is why we walked through the route with the cycle group and designers to understand if any further improvements to phase one can be made.

“The route is safe and we will be carrying out a third safety audit in the next few weeks.

Ms Burnham also said the council is committed to widening the corner at Harlow Moor Road and that the land purchase should be concluded “within the next three to six months.”

She added:

“We will be holding further workshops with key stakeholder groups to review designs for the second and third phases of the cycleway scheme in light of this new guidance.

“Once all phases of the scheme are finished it will help to improve safety along the entire length of the Otley Road corridor.

“The aim is to accommodate all users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorists – to aid sustainable travel, ease congestion and support the future growth of Harrogate.”

The Otley Road cycle path is part of a wider package of sustainable transport measures for the west of Harrogate which once completed will cost around £4.6 million.

The council previously said it hoped to start work on the next stage in April.

‘Limited funding’ for traffic calming on Cold Bath Road, says council

North Yorkshire County Council officials have said there is “limited funding available” to implement traffic calming measures on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.

A call was made to introduce speed cameras or CCTV to the road following a three-car collision in the early hours of Sunday morning.

One resident said that the road becomes a racetrack after 10.30pm and called on the authorities to do more to tackle the issue.

However, an email to the resident from the county council, seen by the Stray Ferret, says that measures for the road would be costly and there is limited funding.

Paul Ryan, project engineer at the county council, said:

“Our collision data shows that in the last three years there have been four collisions resulting in personal injury along Cold Bath Road — two slight and two serious. One slight involved a low speed shunt when in queuing traffic, the other slight involved a pedestrian stepping off a controlled crossing when green light was for vehicular traffic.

“The first serious involved a motorist pulling over towards the kerb edge to avoid oncoming traffic and has collided with a pedestrian, the second serious involved a motorists driving away from a parking space and colliding with a passing cyclist.

“It is therefore unlikely that further traffic calming measures would have reduced the likelihood of these types of collisions and personal injury.”

Mr Ryan added:

“The situation on Cold Bath Road will continue to be monitored, alongside all other roads across the county to highlight where the limited funding available for improvement schemes is targeted towards.”

North Yorkshire Police continues to investigate the Cold Bath Road crash and has appealed for witnesses and CCTV footage.

It involved a Volkswagen Golf heading towards Otley Road which crashed into two parked cars at the junction with West Cliffe Road at 3.10am on Sunday morning, leaving one passenger unconscious. No other injuries were reported.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

A police statement added:

“It is only by sheer luck that the collision didn’t result in a fatality.

“As part of the investigation we would like to appeal to local residents and businesses to check their CCTV systems and ring doorbells around the time of the collision as it may have captured the vehicle, the collision, and anyone making off from the scene shortly afterwards.

“Additionally, if anyone has any other information about the incident which may assist our enquiries please contact us quoting reference 12220038835.”

Read more:

Largest debt £2,903

Read more:

Read more:

Hospital can’t discharge patients

Make Care Matter campaign

Read More:

Harrogate agencies post record quarter

Ripon’s newest business is another First for Rebecca

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Council ‘will listen to concerns’

Read more: