Harrogate businesses go electric as number of cars licensed doubles

Latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of electric vehicles licensed in Harrogate has nearly doubled since 2019.

According to the data, the number registered in the district increased from 446 at the start of 2019 to 863 by the third quarter of 2020.

By comparison, the UK saw the number of vehicles licensed increase from 199,886 to 355,872.

It comes as the government is set to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

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Companies such as the Harrogate Bus Company and Verity Frearson have already invested in electric vehicles over the past year.

Last year, the bus company trialled an electric bus in Knaresborough in an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the town.

An electric bus run by Harrogate Bus Company.

An electric bus run by Harrogate Bus Company.

Meanwhile, Verity Frearson unveiled five new electric vehicles for its fleet along with a charging point at its Albert Street office.

Matthew Stamford, director of the estate agents, said:

“The investment in these five vehicles contributes to our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and incorporating environmentally friendly practices into our business model.

“I’m delighted to unveil our electric fleet and proud to be championing the move which will hopefully encourage other businesses to follow suit, especially in light of the government’s decision to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030.

“Any vehicle we add to our fleet moving forward will be electric as it not only makes environmental sense, it makes financial sense too.”

However, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said private buyers would need stronger incentives to buy electric.

The society said last year saw the market share for battery and plug-in hybrid cars increase to 10.7%.

It said while the number of registrations for plug-ins had increased by 91%, the majority of them were for businesses.

A spokesperson for The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said:

“Encouragingly, there is room for further growth as most of these registrations (68%) were for company cars, indicating that private buyers need stronger incentives to make the switch, as well as more investment in charging infrastructure, especially public on-street charging.”

Earlier this month, Harrogate Borough Council revealed 34 locations where it will install electric vehicle charging points.

The locations include up to four charge points at the council’s Claro Road office, as well as up to five at its civic centre headquarters at Knapping Mount.

There will also be up to four at Harrogate’s multi-storey Victoria Shopping Centre car park and the same amount at Ripon Cathedral car park, plus a hub of charge points at Knaresborough Chapel Street car park.

Just 363 first vaccines in Harrogate district this week as supply drops

Just 363 first doses of a covid vaccine were given in the Harrogate district in the last week, as supply continues to decline.

A total of 95,500 people have had a first vaccine in the district so far, according to latest NHS England figures.

However, the number administered each week has declined throughout April due to a national shortage of supply.

NHS officials wrote to GPs across the country and warned there would be a “significant reduction in weekly supply” from March 29. Our graph illustrates how steeply the decline has been.

Earlier this week, the Stray Ferret revealed that no further first dose supply is expected in the district for a month.

A leaked letter signed by Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, and Beverley Geary, chief nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust revealed the supply problem.

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It comes as those aged over-42 have been invited to come forward for a covid vaccine.

A total of 38,115 second doses have been given in the district so far according to the latest figures.

Elsewhere today, a further three covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district.

According to Public Health England, it takes the total number of infections since last March to 7,668.

The district’s seven-day covid rate currently stands at 14 per 100,000 people. The North Yorkshire average is 34 and the England rate currently stands at 23.

No further covid deaths have been confirmed at Harrogate District Hospital.

NHS England statistics show the last death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus reported at the hospital was on April 11.

The death toll at the hospital remains at 179 since the start of the pandemic.

Car crash causing delays on Harrogate’s Leeds Road

A car accident is causing heavy disruption on Leeds Road in Harrogate this afternoon.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police are currently diverting traffic as only one lane remains open.

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Drivers are urged to avoid the area.

An eye witness told the Stray Ferret at 4pm this afternoon:

“Traffic is backed up all the way to and beyond the Prince of Wales roundabout and as far as the eye can see down Leeds Road.”

Just two covid patients at Harrogate hospital

The number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has fallen to two — the lowest since the second wave started last year.

The number is way down on the 68 at the peak of the second wave in mid February. Last week it was four.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed the figure at a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing today.

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No further covid deaths have been reported at the hospital, according to NHS England figures.

It means the death toll remains at 179 since the start of the pandemic.

The last covid death reported at the hospital was on April 11.

Meanwhile, a further five covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district according to today’s Public Health England statistics.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 7,655.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 12 infections per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 32 and the England rate currently stands at 24.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had issued four fines for covid breaches in the Harrogate district in the last week.

Officers handed out 34 fixed penalty notices across the county – the majority of which were for indoor gatherings.

Council needs to urgently address £632,000 staff payments, say Lib Dems

The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council has said the authority needs to look urgently at its payout packages to staff after auditors recommended a rethink on how they are agreed.

It was revealed in the council’s statement of accounts that it had paid out £632,000 in exit packages in the past two years.

A report from independent auditors Mazars recommended a review on how payments, including redundancy cash and compensation for loss of office, are agreed for departing members of staff.

The borough council said it would carry out a review but added that the current process already ensured there is a “clear rationale” for the payments which are “properly authorised”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on the borough council, said the authority needed to look “urgently” at its process.

She said:

“The council needs to address this urgently.

“It is public money and I think members should understand and leaders of groups should understand about the payments and how they are made.

“It is a lot of money for us to pay out.”

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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party said:

“Compensation for loss of office or employment payments are complex.

“I am sure the proposed review by the council will look into any of  these type of payments made recently. I would suggest that In future for such cases, at least two signatories are required within the structure and that one is the chief executive, if the suggested payment is a five figure sum or above.”

It comes after figures published in the council’s annual statement of accounts showed £354,000 was paid out to 19 former employees in 2019/2020 – an increase from the previous financial year when £278,000 was agreed for 15 staff.

Among the payments was £55,065 to Paul Campbell, the council’s former director of community who left suddenly last March.

Mazars has warned the current process, which sees payments signed off by a monitoring officer, risks a lack of balance between “inappropriate expenditure” and “allowing ineffective employment relationships to continue”.

In its report, auditors recommended that any payment should be signed off by elected councillors.

In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokesperson for the authority said:

“The council’s constitution currently provides for delegated approval by the monitoring officer for settlement agreements.

“Although the number of cases are relatively small, we will review the process in line with the audit recommendation.”

Harrogate guest house to be converted into a house

Alexa Guest House in Harrogate has received planning permission to be converted into a house.

Sandra Doherty, who sold the hotel for an undisclosed sum in March, had applied to Harrogate Borough Council for permission to convert it in February.

The council has now given consent, saying in a planning document:

“Due to the presence of a large number of residential properties located within the surrounding area, the proposal would not introduce an out of character use.”

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Ms Doherty, who owned the site for 15 years, had a previous proposal to convert the hotel into seven apartments refused.

It was sold last month after being on the market for just five days. Ms Doherty said she planned to move to Northumberland to retire.

Alexa House was built in 1896 by the renowned art collector Baron Conrad Adolphus du Bois de Ferrieres.

It was built as a hunting lodge for its London-based owners to spend time enjoying Harrogate’s spa and riding in the nearby countryside.

No covid deaths at Harrogate hospital for two weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has now gone more than two weeks without a covid death.

The last death at the hospital from a patient who tested positive for the virus was recorded on April 11, according to NHS England figures.

It means the death toll at the hospital since last March remains at 179.

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Meanwhile, a further six covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district.

The latest figures from Public Health England show the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic has increased to 7,660.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection had not been updated today at the time of publication.

Yesterday’s rate was 14 cases per 100,000 people. Selby had the highest rate in England, at 112.

‘New normal’ will be good for Harrogate, says new BID manager

The new manager of Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) says he is confident the town centre will survive the covid crisis and that the ‘new normal’ will be favourable to the high street.

Matthew Chapman, who joined the organisation from Huddersfield BID, is set to take up the role officially from May.

He said the biggest concern was the “different levels of appetite” for people to get back out onto the high street and how to manage that demand.

As the economy continues to reopen under the government’s “roadmap”, Mr Chapman said it would be a challenge for businesses to adapt to the lockdown easing.

He said:

“On the small conversations that I have had with people, I think the biggest concern is different peoples’ level of appetite to get back out and about.

“A lot of people will still want to keep two metres apart, a lot of people will still want to wear masks, whereas other people are just ready to get back to normal.

“I think managing that as a business is probably going to be one of the challenging subjects over the next couple of months as we get to the magical date in June.”

Ahead of the anticipated demand, Mr Chapman will launch a new app to help businesses advertise their deals.

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The app will be a place for local traders in the town centre to advertise their own deals, competitions and different “interactive trails”, such as a craft beer trail.

Mr Chapman said the app could help people to discover different parts of the town centre.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate town centre.

When asked how it would help businesses after the pandemic and what the thinking behind it was, Mr Chapman said:

“I think the thinking behind it is to showcase the best of the town so that it is all in one place, the deals, the competitions and the interactive trails.

“It’s one place that people can find and showcase the best of the town. As well as that, it’s another vehicle for businesses to promote themselves in an interactive and digital way.”

‘The new normal is really favourable to the high street’

The pandemic has taken its toll on retail and hospitality alike, with one Harrogate hotel boss admitting that hospitality had “lost its sexiness” due to covid.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, has warned that footfall will continue to decline in the town centre without change after covid.

However, it was revealed on Friday that the percentage of vacant shops in the district had fallen to 6.8% in March compared with 8.6% on the same time last year.

But, Mr Chapman said he was confident that the town centre will survive the past 12 months of the pandemic.

He said:

“We’ve talked about the changes that are needed, but I think there is a huge appetite for people to come out and support the town centre.

“I know before there was concerns about whether people would want to come back to the high street and would people want to come back out. 

“But, in all honesty, I think the concerns are more around how we manage the demand. I think there is going to be lots of people coming back out.

“I think the ‘new normal’ is really favourable towards the high street.”

Three covid cases recorded in Harrogate district

Three covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since last March to 7,647.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 14 per 100,000 people.

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The North Yorkshire average is 28 and the England rate stands at 25.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

Latest NHS England figures show the last covid death at the hospital was recorded on April 11.

The death toll at the hospital remains at 179 since the start of the pandemic.

The Yorke Arms to host Northern School of Gardening

An award winning horticulturist and The Yorke Arms have launched the Northern School of Gardening.

The country house, based in Ramsgill, and Dean Bolton Grant have set up the school in an effort to teach new gardening skills and offer new approaches to garden design.

It’s the latest venture for The Yorke Arms since its owners decided to reinvent it from a Michelin star restaurant to a private hire venue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The school will be based at the country house and offer one-day courses, ranging from year-round vegetable growing to the art and craft of gardening.

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Courses are now available to book and are set to start from June 2021.

Dean Bolton Grant, Director and Founder of the Northern School of Gardening, said:

“Our aim is to create a destination for people who are keen to learn new gardening skills and be inspired by a curated mix of traditional and modern approaches to garden design. 

“We’ve developed a range of courses suited to all abilities. We also offer intimate talks and presentations which will inspire and inform those who want to know what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to creating beautiful gardens. 

“We’re excited to be working with the team at the Yorke Arms to deliver extraordinary events.”

The Yorke Arms was previously a Michelin star restaurant, but managers said in July last year that they had no plans to reopen it as it was not financially viable.

Instead, they pitched the site as “the ultimate staycation” to reconnect and immerse. It is now an informal space for private events and overnight stays.

In September, the owners of The Yorke Arms secured a wedding licence to hold civil ceremonies on site.

It allowed the bridal party and guests will have sole use of the 17 bedrooms and suites as well as the communal areas.