Harrogate hospital bosses said today that 196 staff currently have covid or are isolating as cases of Omicron continue to surge in the district.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said rising infection rates were putting pressure on staff, but added that the trust had contingency plans in place to deal with the increase in absences.

Several hospital trusts across the country have been forced to declare a “critical incident” due to the number of staff who are ill or self-isolating with covid.

But Mr Russell told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate hospital has not declared such an incident.

He added that the hospital was still in a position to provide priority services, despite rising infection rates.

Mr Russell said:

“Rising covid infection rates amongst the public and NHS staff are certainly putting pressure on trusts around the country, including our own. However, we are continuing to provide priority services for our community and have not needed to declare a critical incident.

“There are just over 5,000 people employed at HDFT, and of these 126 colleagues are currently absent from work as they have caught covid and 70 are in self-isolation.

“Currently at Harrogate District Hospital there are 23 patients who have tested positive for covid and nine of these are primarily in hospital for treatment for the virus.”

Rising cases of the Omicron variant has forced staff at a number of NHS trusts in England into isolation, which has led to severe and unsafe shortages of workers.

Read more:

• Harrogate council billed NHS £3 million for Nightingale costs
• Harrogate and Ripon hospitals restrict visitors due to Omicron
• Harrogate not chosen as Nightingale site this time

On Sunday, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, which runs four hospitals in the county, declared a critical incident as it was unable to maintain safe staffing levels.

Since then, seven other hospital trusts have made a similar declaration including University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

In the Harrogate district, the surge in cases of Omicron has seen the seven-day covid rate increase to 1,357 per 100,000 people – the highest it has ever been since the start of the pandemic.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Russell said that Harrogate hospital had contingency plans in place should staffing levels deteriorate further.

They include redeploying staff to services which require support and having dedicated staff who are prepared to take on additional shifts.

He said:

“The staff absences at the trust is creating pressure for our teams, for instance fewer nursing and medical staff means that whilst we are still able to treat our patients’ for their illness or condition and ensure their safety, we are sometimes not able to provide the level of holistic support that we would like.

“It is important that we do all we can to maintain our services so that our patients’ care is not disrupted and we have contingency plans in place should the level of absences continue to rise, for instance redeploying staff where needed or having dedicated staff who are prepared to take on additional shifts. 

“Of course, depending upon staff absences, the situation may arise in the future where we need to prioritise acute care, which could impact upon admissions for operations, tests and outpatients appointments.”

Cash support is to be made available for Harrogate district residents at risk of losing their homes and being forced into homelessness.

Almost £85,000 has been awarded to the area from the government’s Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme which aims to protect people at risk of being on the streets due to rent arrears accumulated during the pandemic.

It marks the first time Harrogate has received cash from the £316 million scheme which is based on local need.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said: 

“The Homelessness Prevention Grant can be a lifeline for some people as it helps reduce the risk of both single and family households from becoming homeless due to eviction.

“This extra funding to tackle homelessness is very welcome and will help residents get back on their feet.”

The funding announcement comes after 29 people in Harrogate were put up in emergency accommodation during 2020 as part of the ‘Everyone In’ initiative which the government had hoped would make big strides in its plan to end homelessness.

But there are now fresh fears that many households could face eviction due to the end of the furlough scheme, Universal Credit cuts and rising living costs during the coronavirus pandemic which has pushed workers across a variety of sectors into precarious circumstances.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Royal Baths: the council’s under-performing ‘trophy investment’
• Council warns of ‘ financial pressures’ despite government funding

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter recently released figures that show more than 100,000 families across England have received eviction notices or fallen behind on their rent payments in recent months.

It has also estimated that just over 70% of families would struggle to find another home if they lost theirs this winter.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: 

“Eviction notices have started dropping on doormats and our services are working round the clock to help families who have nowhere else to go.

“Like it has before – the government needs to intervene to keep people safe in their homes. We urgently need more support for renters to protect them from eviction this winter.

“Thousands of families are teetering on a cliff edge. It’s only with the public’s support that we’ll be able to keep answering calls and help as many of them as possible keep the bailiffs at bay.”

What the funding is for

The latest allocations in the Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme were announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in December.

Councils will use the funding to help people find a new home, access support for unexpected evictions and secure temporary accommodation.

Announcing the latest funding, MP Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said:

“I have seen first-hand the devastation of those who come face to face with homelessness, and my heart goes out to anyone in this situation.

“The support we are announcing today is going directly to communities that need it most.

“It will help thousands of people across England, with councils able to prevent homelessness before it occurs and put a roof over the heads of those who have lost their homes.”

A proposal to build 256 homes in Boroughbridge looks set to be given the go-ahead.

The proposal by Barratt and David Wilson Homes is due to go before a Harrogate Borough Council planning committee on January 6.

Council officers have recommended that the proposal, which was previously refused and criticised for being “crammed”, is approved.

Officials said in a report that the fresh application has been submitted after negotiations with the council over the scale of the scheme.

The houses are part of the first phase of a wider 450-home development at Stump Cross.

Read more:

• ‘Crammed’ housing plans for Boroughbridge rejected
• ‘Lancashire sink estate’ plans resubmitted in Boroughbridge

The developers’ previous application for 260 homes was thrown out by councillors in June – which it has since taken to the government’s Planning Inspectorate to appeal.

One councillor, Cllr Nigel Simms, a Conservative who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, described it as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

Cllr Simms later apologised for any offence caused by his comment.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already have outline approval to build on the site and are seeking final permission. 

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developers said:

“The development will respect Boroughbridge’s local character but also move the area towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice and mixed-use approach.”

In this article, we look at some of the biggest news events set to occur in 2022 including the refurbishment of Harrogate Convention Centre, devolution and the Harrogate Spring Water expansion plan.

From controversial expansions of bottling plants at Harrogate’s Pinewoods to multi-million pound refurbishment plans for the town’s convention centre, 2022 has a number of major storylines in store.

Political events are also on the horizon, as voters head to the polls in May to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire super council.

Here the Stray Ferret looks at some of the storylines set to dominate the news over the course of the next 12 months and what they could mean for the Harrogate district.

Major Harrogate Convention Centre refurbishment

It could be the biggest single investment made by Harrogate Borough Council in recent times.

A £47 million spend, which would see the HCC refurbished and modernised, could be signed off this year by senior councillors.

Harrogate Convention Centre, which is earmarked for a £47 million renovation.

The project was outlined last year, but council officials have commissioned a series of reports, including an economic impact assessment, before any project is given the go-ahead.

The council told the Stray Ferret in July last year that a final decision will be made in 2022.

It could be the authority’s lasting legacy before it is scrapped and the convention centre is handed over to the succeeding North Yorkshire super council.

A changing political landscape

People across the Harrogate district will head to the polls in May for what will be a landmark occasion.

It will be the first time that the electorate has its say on who will sit on the new North Yorkshire council.

While the authority will not officially come into being until 2023, councillors will stand for seats on the authority regardless as part of the transitional period.

Polling day will give the opportunity for voters to show which party they have confidence in leading the county’s single council.

It will also give an indication of what the political make-up of the council will be and potentially what direction it will be taken in. The Conservatives currently have overwhelming control of both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Some senior Harrogate councillors, such as borough council leader Richard Cooper, have already revealed that they will not be part of the new council.

Come May 5, we will be much clearer on how the political landscape is shaping up.

Harrogate Spring Water, Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Harrogate Spring Water expansion

Details of Harrogate Spring Water’s plan to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods are expected to be revealed this year.

Following a high-profile refusal of its previous plan in January 2020, the company announced its intention to resubmit a fresh proposal.

It would be a new application, said company bosses, and its old plan would be disregarded.

Read more:

• Why 2022 will be a big year of change for Harrogate’s local government future
• Harrogate Spring Water to submit fresh plan for Pinewoods bottling plant
• Harrogate business groups call for Station Gateway to be revised

However, since its announcement in July 2020, no proposal from Harrogate Spring Water has been made public.

The Stray Ferret has also been told that no meaningful talks with community groups have taken place since January’s refusal – something which the company promised to do.

In its most recent comments, Harrogate Spring Water said it was “still in the process of talking to all relevant parties”.

Station Gateway saga

One story which will continue into 2022 is the ongoing saga over the controversial Station Gateway project.

The £10.9 million scheme, which plans to reduce Harrogate’s Station Parade to single lane traffic and part pedestrianise James Street, will come before North Yorkshire County Council this month.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

If they decide to go ahead, work on the project will begin this year.

However, the scheme faces criticism from residents groups and businesses. A second petition has been handed into the county council, marking another sign of growing opposition to the proposal.

It could scrap the scheme altogether — but the indications are it will press ahead and continue to face objections as the deadline looms for the project to start.

Council bosses have until March 2023 to spend the money granted to them by government for the gateway scheme.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the seismic decision to scrap Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council as part of plans to create a new super-council for North Yorkshire.

The landscape of local government and politics in the Harrogate district is set for its biggest shake-up in 50 years.

The two-tier system, which has seen North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council provide different services, is to be replaced by a single-tier system, with one super-council in charge of England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire had avoided Westminster’s devolution agenda over the last 10 years.

Neighbouring Teeside and West Yorkshire have completed the transition, and now have their own mayors.

Now the process is well and truly underway in North Yorkshire.

Seismic decision

When senior county councillors confirmed they were in discussions with ministers over a devolution deal, the news probably perked the ears of only those political enthusiasts interested in the minutia of local politics.

But the consequences will be considerable, even if the process has been slow and cumbersome so far.

The intricacies of a council officer submitting a list of “asks” and a government minister sending a letter back bullet pointing requirements to proceed in negotiations is not a gripping political tale.

Read more:

• What will one super council for North Yorkshire look like?
• Government chooses single super authority to replace Harrogate council

Councils were responding to what then local government minister, Simon Clark, asked them to do in July 2020. He said that in order for North Yorkshire to get any power and control back from Whitehall, it would have to scrap its two-tier council system.

In other words, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining district authorities would no longer exist.

It was a seismic decision and one which will change the scope of politics in the county.

A super council

For some, the creation of one council for North Yorkshire will be little more than another logo on their council tax bill and a different council collecting bins on a morning.

Others will see a change in the political make-up of the county and an end to the more parochial way that local government is performed at the moment.

We don’t know the full list of political figures will be standing for the unitary council in May but there will be far fewer councillors and jostling for positions has begun.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has said he won’t be standing.

Whoever is elected, it will be a  new political beginning for the Harrogate district, albeit one that could well be run more remotely from Northallerton rather than from the Civic Centre at Knapping Mount, which Harrogate Borough Council moved into four years ago.

Huge decisions, such as the future of Harrogate Convention Centre, and responsibility for the Stray, will be taken by a different senior councillors from 2023.

When that first council tax bill lands on doormats across the Harrogate district in March 2024, it will be headed by a different name — but those making the decisions may no longer live in the district.

Daily figures from the UK Health Security Agency show that a further 369 infections have been recorded in the Harrogate district.

The number represents another record high for covid cases. It’s the third day in a row that record cases have been reported in the district.

Meanwhile, home PCR and lateral flow test kits have been unavailable on the government website all day.

The lack of availability has posed a problem for those wishing to test of New Year’s Eve celebrations at a time of surging Omicron cases.

Read More:

• Commissioner called upon to keep promise about Ripon CCTV cameras
• Ripon pilgrims brave the weather

However, slots are still available at local test sites.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to following an assault in Harrogate.

Officers said the incident happened at Manahatta bar, which is situated on the Ginnel, off Parliament Street, between 11.30pm on December 3 and 12.59am on December 4.

It involved the suspect punching the victim a number of times to the face while in the bar.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Police are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the male in the image as they believe he will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Dryden or email leon.dryden@northyorkshire.police.uk

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210254998.”

Read more:

• Man seriously injured after being hit by car in Harrogate
• Police respond to gun reports near Dishforth to find long-lens camera

A man in his seventies was seriously injured yesterday after being hit by a car on Station Parade in Harrogate.

Police closed the road for several hours to investigate after the man was hit by a beige coloured Renault Scenic outside Waitrose.

He was taken to hospital, and police said today his injuries were serious but not life threatening.

North Yorkshire Police is now appealing for anyone who saw the incident to come forward with information.

A police statement said:

“At just before 9am yesterday, a beige coloured Renault Scenic collided with a pedestrian outside Waitrose on Station Parade in Harrogate. 

“Police and ambulance crews attended the scene and initially treated the pedestrian, a man in his seventies, before he was taken to hospital.

“Officers need to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or who stopped to assist to contact them. Information can be provided by calling 101, selecting option 2 and asking for TC 428 Bainbridge or by emailing emma.bainbridge@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Quote NYP reference 12210268520.

Read More:

• Ripon councillors call on crime commissioner to keep CCTV promise
• Man denies firearm charge at Harrogate gastro pub

A refurbishment of traffic lights on Harrogate’s Skipton Road is to cost taxpayers £143,000.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is the the highways authority, awarded a contract to Hampshire-based Dynniq UK Ltd to upgrade two junctions on the road.

According to the published contract, the works were valued at £143,288.55.

The county council had earmarked Kings Road and Bilton Lane junctions on Skipton Road for upgrades.

Highways bosses had planned to carry out work at the junctions back in 2020, but it was delayed due to the Nightingale Hospital set up at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Read more:

• Coronavirus backlog sees roadworks double in Harrogate district
• Five weeks of gas works to start on Harrogate’s Skipton Road in New Year

At the time, Melissa Burnham, highways area manager at the county council, said the work had to be put back as the “key route around the hospital” had to be protected.

Ms Burnham said the work included introducing a larger island at the Kings Road junction and installing new traffic lights at both junctions.

Meanwhile, Skipton Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Harrogate, is set to see further roadworks in the New Year.

Northern Gas Networks is set to set up temporary traffic lights at Knox Avenue, Bilton Grange Close and Skipton Crescent while it replaces metal pipes with plastic ones.

The Harrogate district has had another record day for covid cases with 323 reported, according to the latest daily government figures.

The number is the highest recorded in the district since the UK Health Security Agency started reporting figures in March 2020.

Nationally, the UK has also reported a record number of infections. Figures show 129,471 cases have been recorded as the Omicron variant continues to surge.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has also reached a record high and stands at 997 per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the rate stands at 879 and the England average is 1,217.

Read more:

• Covid postpones Harrogate Town’s second festive fixture
• Pilgrims brave the elements for Ripon’s Boxing Day walk

Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency figures show that a total of 100,290 booster and third vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district so far.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from eight last week.