Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub hosted an event for businesses involved in its peer to peer support group this week.
Held at Ripon Cathedral, business owners heard from speakers Jack Sutcliffe, chief executive of Power Sheds, and military veteran, Goose Cryer MC.
The event was held as part of the culmination of a six-week programme which aimed to increase business growth, productivity and sustainability and safeguard jobs
Richard Hughes, owner of Manchega Tapas restaurant in Ripon, said:
“All participants were ultimately given the gift of belief in their ability and potential.
“This course can truly revolutionise collaborative working and drive business and economic development locally.”
Further peer to peer support groups are set to be held by the growth hub in January and February. Businesses can sign up here.
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Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall included in restaurant guide
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall has been included in the Harden’s Top 100 UK Restaurants for 2024.
The fine dining restaurant near Ripon has been ranked at 75th in the guide.
Harden’s is a renowned guide in the culinary industry and compiled the list annually.
Chef Patron, Shaun Rankin, said:
“It’s truly an honour for Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall to be acknowledged in the Harden’s Top 100.
“This is the restaurant’s first feature in the list and is a source of great pride for both the team and I, particularly as the list is based on user-sourced ratings and reviews. It only further encourages us to continue to develop our offering of exceptional culinary experiences for our guests.”
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Council hires marketing firm to promote numeracy project
- Business Breakfast: Care equipment firm to move away from Harrogate
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate firm wins dealer excellence award
Woman in 30s dies after A1(M) collision
A woman has died following a collision on the A1(M) near Leeming.
The incident was reported at around 11.15pm last night and happened on the southbound carriageway.
It resulted in the A1(M) being closed in both directions between junction 50 at Ripon and junction 52 at Catterick.
The woman, aged in her 30s and from the Leyburn area, was a passenger in a car that had parked on the hard shoulder of the on-slip.
She was hit by another vehicle after walking into the carriageway.
An air ambulance was called and police investigators examined the scene and recovered the vehicles involved. The road reopened around 8am.
A North Yorkshire Police statement said:
“Despite the efforts of members of the public who stopped to provide first aid, and the emergency services, she sadly died at the scene.
“Police are appealing to any motorists who witnessed the collision but have not yet contacted or spoken to the police to get in touch.
“Officers are also appealing to anyone who saw a parked vehicle on the southbound on-slip from Leeming Bar to the A1M, or a person in the carriageway prior to the collision, to get in touch, including anyone with dashcam footage.
“Anyone with information who can assist the investigation and has not already spoken to the police is asked to email marie.williams@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and pass information for incident 12230236443.”
Read more:
- Man hospitalised after assault outside Ripon bar
- Pentagon officer cleared of seriously injuring Harrogate schoolboys
Labour Party selects candidate to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
The Labour Party has selected York businessman David Skaith as its candidate for the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
Mr Skaith owns Winstons of York clothing shop and spent three years as chair of York High Street Forum. He was also secretary of IndieYork, an organisation that promotes independent businesses.
He lives in the village of Wheldrake near York with his wife and two children.
The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.
The role will also take on the powers of police and crime commissioner. An election is expected to be held for the position in May 2024.
Following his selection, Mr Skaith said:
“It is an honour to be selected as Labour’s candidate for North Yorkshire Mayor. We need the first ever Mayor of North Yorkshire to be a strong voice on the side of local residents. I am passionate about growing our local economy through strong industry and business, restoring the reliable transport connections we desperately need and delivering on the priorities of our communities here in North Yorkshire.
“We have been taken for granted by the Conservatives for too long, and our region is being left behind as a result. We have so much to offer, and as North Yorkshire’s Mayor I will always fight for what we deserve.”
The Conservatives Party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Keane Duncan as its candidate for the position. Cllr Duncan is also the executive councillor for highways on the authority.
Meanwhile, Pateley Bridge businessman Keith Tordoff has announced he will stand as an independent candidate for mayor.
North Yorkshire councillor, Kevin Foster, will contest the election for the Green Party.
Read more:
- Conservatives select highways councillor Keane Duncan to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
- Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected
- Green Party selects candidate to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
Ripon solicitors appeals replacement roof refusal
A Ripon solicitors has appealed a refusal for a replacement roof and solar panels.
Newtons Solicitors relocated from Duck Hill to new, larger premises at 36 Market Place South last year.
It lodged plans for a replacement roof and solar panels to North Yorkshire Council. However, the proposals were refused in October.
The council said the move would cause “unjustified harm” to the Ripon Conservation Area due to the use of modern slate tiles over traditional stone slate.
The firm has since taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.
In a statement of case, CLB Heritage, which is handling the appeal, said:
“The change from stone to Welsh (or similar) slate roof tiles on the rear elevation will have a very minor visual impact.
“The impact is reduced because the Welsh slate is a key feature in Ripon Market Place as set out in the Conservation Area Appraisal and also because the solar panels are fit within the roof plane so do not protrude above the slope and will not be visible from public vantage points.
“The dark colour of the panels and dark slates will help assimilate them visually within the roof slope.”
Read more
- Ripon solicitors’ plans for new roof slated by Historic England
- Ripon Cathedral ‘surprised’ by city council opposition to £6 million development
The law firm has also submitted revised plans for a replacement roof to North Yorkshire Council.
Under the proposal, the roof would be constructed from modern Brazilian slate to the front and rear elevations, with solar panels on the roof at the back of the property.
Historic England, which is the government’s statutory advisor on the historic environment, concurred with the council’s previous refusal and said the fresh plan would cause “unjustified harm” to the area.
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.
Business Breakfast: Council hires marketing firm to promote numeracy projectExcellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
North Yorkshire Council has hired a marketing firm to help promote an adult numeracy project across the county.
Leeds-based The Marketing Optimist has been appointed to help promote the MultiplyNYorks scheme, which is aimed at people aged over 19 who do not have a GCSE in maths at grade C.
The digital marketing agency is supporting the council with marketing strategy, social media marketing, SEO, website design and copy on the programme.
Richard Michie, CEO of The Marketing Optimist, said:
“This project is one of our biggest to date, and we are thrilled to be chosen as the marketing partner for such an important initiative.
“This project requires a thorough, collaborative approach to deliver an extensive multi-channel marketing strategy, as there are over 20 delivery partners across York and North Yorkshire.”
Homebuilder donates wildlife-friendly gifts to Boroughbridge
Homebuilder Barratt Developments Yorkshire West has donated a selection of RSPB wildlife-friendly items to Boroughbridge Allotment Society.
Situated opposite the new Harclay Park and Manor Chase development in Boroughbridge, the society received a selection of bird houses, bee biomes, insect and hedgehog houses to boost their ongoing ecological efforts to protect wildlife.
Boroughbridge Allotment Society was founded in December 2009 to create a space for local people to watch nature thrive.
Geoff Hustwit, secretary at the society, said:
“This donation will help us create valuable habitats for beneficial wildlife which will assist us in developing a sustainable culture on our allotments.”
Sam Wood, sales director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, said:
“We are dedicated to creating green and pleasant places to live, and to giving those living on and around our developments the tools to help nature thrive.”
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- Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesses collect chocolate for people in need
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Knaresborough Conservative Club submits plan to subdivide building
Knaresborough Conservative Club has submitted plans to subdivide its building to create a “viable and sustainable” club.
The move would see the front of the grade-II listed building on York Place separated from the rear, which includes snooker rooms and toilets.
The proposals would reduce the area for accommodation and create a further unit for community use.
Documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council said the plan is intended to “create a more viable and sustainable conservative club” and secure its long-term future.
The developer said in documents:
“This application is the first phase of a significant project, which in turn can secure the long-term viable use of a much-underutilised heritage asset in a prominent location for Knaresborough’s Conservative Club.”
Both parts of the site will remain in use for the conservative club.
Plans for the future use of the separated parts of the building will be subject to further planning applications.
The developer added:
“The adjacent properties 5 & 7 Newton House and 9 York Place have recently been purchased by a local company Lamb and Flag Enterprises who have agreed to a sale and lease back of 3 York Place to the conservative club, subject to listed building consent to divide the property.
“This will provide the conservative club with significant funds to undertake the separation works and refurbish their retained and reduced premises.”
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Read more:
- Farmsion relaunches Ripon butchers shop
- Taxpayers bear multi-million pound losses on Harrogate’s vacant Royal Baths
Bishop Monkton 23 homes refusal ‘illogical’, says developer
A developer has described a decision to refuse plans to build 23 homes in Bishop Monkton as “illogical”.
Kebbell Development Ltd tabled a plan to build the houses on Knaresborough Road in the village.
At a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Skipon and Ripon area constituency planning committee in August, councillors rejected the plan amid concern it would increase the amount of raw sewage released on streets.
The decision went against North Yorkshire Council officers’ recommendations to approve the scheme.
As a result, the developer has appealed the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.
In a statement of case, the developer described the council’s position on refusing the plans as “illogical”.
It added that Yorkshire Water had not objected to the scheme despite concern over sewage.
It said:
“The council have provided absolutely no evidence to justify taking a position contrary to Yorkshire Water who maintain and operate the sewages system in Bishop Monkton.
“The council’s position is illogical. There has not been any material change in circumstances, Yorkshire Water did not object to the allocation of the site in the Local Plan and have not objected to the planning application on four occasions.
“It could not be clearer that Yorkshire Water have no issues with the development proposals.”
However, Bishop Monkton Action Group has urged the government to reject the appeal.
In a 26-page letter of objection submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, the campaign group said the scheme would “threaten the sustainability of our village”.
The group said it had concerns over the impact on drainage and sewage, as well as a “historic lack of investment” in the area’s sewer system.
It said:
“We have highlighted the key issues within the scheme as submitted by the applicant that threaten the sustainability of our village.
“However, the historic lack of investment in our sewer infrastructure is already threatening the sustainability of our village.
“This is evidenced in raw sewage discharge on our streets, in people’s drives and gardens plus sewage discharges onto our Beck and the Ure in a drinking water safeguard zone. Please do not make this any worse for us.”
Read more:
- Residents urge government to reject Bishop Monkton 23-home appeal
- Council cancels another Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee
The move comes as councillors rejected the proposals at a council meeting three months ago.
One councillor said having more properties in the village could exacerbate the “abomination” of raw sewage being released into the streets during heavy rainfall.
The committee had also called for Yorkshire Water to provide more detail on how the scheme would impact on foul water drainage in the village.
No representative from the company appeared at the meeting.
But the company said “most, if not all” of the “sewage escapes” in the village were caused by residents putting excessive toilet paper, fat, oil and grease down toilets and sinks which caused pipes to block.
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.
Council rejects 20mph limit on main roads near Harrogate schoolsNorth Yorkshire Council has rejected requests to reduce the speed limit on some main roads outside schools in Harrogate to 20mph.
A report due before Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, will recommend creating a 20mph zone outside schools in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.
The council announced plans for the “landmark” zone in September following a safety campaign by residents, councillors and schools.
The proposed area for the new zones included seven Harrogate schools. These are Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Ashville College, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Oatlands Junior School and Oatlands Infants School.
It included roads such as Arthurs Avenue, Oatlands Drive, Yew Tree Lane and Cromwell Road.
But it now appears main routes Leeds Road, Wetherby Road, Otley Road, Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, York Place and Leadhall Lane will not be included in the plan.
A map of the 20mph areas in Pannal and Oatlands. Picture: NYC.
Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, told the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September he hoped Otley Road — where students enter the school — could be reduced to 20mph.
Read more:
- Harrogate Grammar School head says 20mph zone should include Otley Road
- Headteachers unite to support 20mph speed limit near Harrogate schools
But the report due before Cllr Duncan on December 18 says the main roads were identified as either “strategic distributor” or “main distributor” roads.
It added:
“Practically given the recognised role in the strategic network and their function to carry high volumes of traffic between primary destinations it is not considered appropriate to implement physical traffic calming features and an associated speed reduction to 20mph.”
Meanwhile, the council said Leadhall Lane “does not have identified destination points such as schools, shops or sports centre” and a 20mph limit would be “difficult to achieve”.
‘Incredibly disappointed’
Christopher Harrison, headteacher at Oatlands Infant School, said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the plans.
The school caters for pupils between the ages of four and seven.
Mr Harrison said he hoped the council would reconsider its proposals and reduce the speed limit on Hookstone Road from 30mph to 20mph.
He said:
“As headteacher of Oatlands Infant School, I am incredibly disappointed by the decision to keep Hookstone Road at 30mph.
“We have a healthy, active school community who love to walk, cycle and scooter to school alongside Hookstone Road on a daily basis.
“We worry that the current speed limit of 30mph is not safe enough for our children, and that a reduction to 20mph would enable more families to travel to school in safety. We hope that North Yorkshire Council reconsider this decision with our youngest, most vulnerable members of our community in mind.”
Otley Road
Hazel Peacock, of the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign, said the plans did not go far enough and urged the council to include the roads in the proposals.
She said:
“For the safety and well-being of the 9,000 school children and the wider community in Oatlands and Pannal Ash we urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Leadhall Lane, part of Leeds Rd (A61), Otley Rd (B6162), Wetherby Road (A661) and York Place (A6040) as 20mph in the Harrogate (south and west) 20mph Speed Limit review to be considered by Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation and mayoral candidate, on Monday 18th December.
“Without the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Otley Road and part of Wetherby Road specifically only five of the nine schools in the zone will be fully covered with 20mph roads immediately surrounding them; leaving St John Fishers Catholic High School and Willow Tree Primary School on 30mph roads and a combination of 30mph and 20mph in the case of Harrogate Grammar School and Oatlands Infant School.
“Considering people hit by a vehicle at 20mph are around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph (Transport for London data) and that 16 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week on their way to or from school (Public Health England), it is clear why the inclusion of these roads as 20mph matters.
“We hope Cllr Duncan will include them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the school children and members of the community as has been done on ‘main roads’ by other local authorities, in many including nearby Otley, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London, rural villages in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.”
The scheme is estimated to cost the council £200,000.
The authority has recommended proceeding to consultation on traffic regulation orders for the areas proposed to be reduced to 20mph.
A decision will be made on the recommendation at next week’s meeting.
Labour designates Harrogate and Knaresborough ‘non-battleground’ seatThe Labour Party has designated Harrogate and Knaresborough as a “non-battleground” seat at the next election.
The party published a list online of 211 seats which it considers to be non-target constituencies.
Among them is Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well Skipton and Ripon, both of which are currently held by Conservative MPs.
Local Liberal Democrats have claimed the move means the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will be a “two horse race” at the next election.
Tom Gordon, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:
“This constituency will be a two horse race between the Liberal Democrats and a desperately out of touch Conservative party.
“Even Labour have now admitted they cannot win here. The Liberal Democrats are on a winning streak locally, as people send this government a message.”
The Stray Ferret has approached the Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, which has yet to name a parliamentary candidate, for comment.
It comes as speculation over the date of the next general election has increased amid continued infighting in government.
Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has been selected to fight the seat for the Tories again.
He is aiming for a fifth straight election win in the constituency at the next election.
Read more:
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Council scraps ‘waste of money’ £100,000 Harrogate cycle plan
A £100,000 project to make a minor Harrogate road better for cycling has been scrapped after being criticised as a “waste of money”.
North Yorkshire Council revealed in September it planned to upgrade Nursery Lane, which is a minor road off Otley Road, into an off-road leisure route.
The scheme came as part of 10 proposals put forward to reduce congestion in west Harrogate.
However, a council report due before Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, next week shows the plan has now been dropped.
The project was criticised by cyclists at a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September.
David Mitchell, of Harrogate District Cycle Action, told councillors that spending £100,000 on Nursery Lane was “not sensible because it would not make a meaningful difference to the cycle network”.
Meanwhile, Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, told the meeting the cycling community had told him the proposal was “a complete waste of money because that lane is already safe”.
Read more:
- 10 schemes proposed to reduce congestion in Harrogate
- Latest £100,000 Harrogate cycle plan branded ‘a waste of money’ — by cyclists
- Council has failed cyclists in Harrogate, says campaigner
The report, which will go before Cllr Duncan on December 18, says the scheme has been scrapped as feedback showed it “was not supported and the funding could be better utilised on other projects”.
It has been replaced with a £60,000 plan to resurface the footpath and cycleway between Green Lane and Blenheim Way, which is known as Rossett Cycle Path.
The report said the move would “enhance the off-road route and encourage its use as an alternative route to the Otley Road corridor for walkers and cyclists”.
The Stray Ferret reported the proposed congestion-reducing initiatives when they were published in September. You can read them here.
Funding for the overall project has increased to £854,000 after the authority received further section 106 contributions.
The cost for the improvements is now estimated at £715,000 – an increase from £585,000.
The council said any remaining money would be kept as a contingency to cover design work, which is expected to start in January 2024.
A further report on the proposals will be brought before Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in the spring.