Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Otley Road cycle route work confirmed to start in 12 days

North Yorkshire County Council today published details of the forthcoming roadworks on Otley Road due to the construction of a cycle route.

The scheme, which has been beset by delays, will start on September 20, with work taking place between 7am and 5.30pm every weekday.

Temporary traffic lights will also be used and there will be overnight road closures for resurfacing,

The council said it was liaising with Harrogate Grammar School to ensure pupils and vehicles travel safely to the school. Pedestrian access to homes and businesses will remain in place throughout the works.

Officials at the county council said they expected the work to be completed within 10 weeks, dependent on weather conditions.

The Stray Ferret reported this month that Hull-based PBS Constructed Ltd has been commissioned to construct the first phase of the route as part of a £827,100 contract.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said:

“These improvements are being delivered as part of the government’s £4.6 million award to the council from the National Productivity Investment Fund for sustainable transport in the west of Harrogate.

“The measures will help to improve safety and alleviate the congestion experienced along the Otley Road corridor.

“They are essential to accommodating existing traffic and supporting future growth, as set out in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan. The improvements will significantly benefit the community and help to create a better-connected and safer network for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Widening Otley Road

Cllr Mackenzie also apologised for any disruption caused as part of construction of the scheme. He said:

“The work has been timed to start after the busy summer holiday period, but we realise there will be some disruption, so we apologise for that and thank people in anticipation for their patience.

“Most of the work will be carried out during the day, to minimise noise for residents at night, though some work, such as resurfacing, can be carried out only at night under a full road closure.”

Work will include widening Otley Road on the approach to Harlow Moor Road as well as the creation of a designated left turn lane on the western approach to Harlow Moor Road and designated right turn lane on the eastern approach.

An off-road cycle route will also be created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road as part of the first phase.

‘Deep shame and regret’ at former Harrogate vicar’s child sex offences

The Diocese of Leeds has spoken of its “deep shame and regret” after a former Harrogate vicar was jailed for child sex offences.

Gordon Newton, who was a team vicar at St Wilfrid’s Church on Duchy Road until 2016 when he moved to his recent position in Batley, pleaded guilty to 12 charges at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

Six of the charges were for sexual assault of a child aged under 13, three were for engaging in sexual activity with a child aged under 13 and three were for making indecent photos of a child.

He was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison.

The Diocese of Leeds oversees five episcopal areas, one of which is Ripon, which includes churches in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret asked the diocese whether any investigation was being undertaken regarding Newton’s time in Harrogate, but it said it would not be offering any comment on St Wilfrid’s, which is an Anglican parish church.

However, the Stray Ferret understands there is no previous or ongoing North Yorkshire Police investigation into Newton.

In response to the sentencing, a spokesperson for the diocese said:

“It is a matter of deep shame and regret that Gordon Newton has been sentenced for offences of child sexual abuse.

“Child sexual abuse is a terrible crime and a grievous breach of trust, which has life-long effects.

“This is deeply shocking and of course, the victims of any such crimes must be foremost in our thoughts and prayers.

“The Anglican Diocese of Leeds safeguarding team has worked closely with all concerned since it was made aware of these allegations and has offered pastoral care and support.

“The Diocese of Leeds is committed to making the church a safer place for all and has clear safeguarding procedures in place, but we are aware we can never be complacent.”

The Stray Ferret has approached St Wilfrid’s Church for comment but has not received a response.

According to an annual report published by the church, which is on Duchy Road, Newton joined as assistant curate in May 2012 before being licensed as team vicar in April 2013.

He was also member of the management team at the Jennyfield Styan Community Centre and a chaplain with the Harrogate and District Sea Cadets.

Harrogate district records highest daily covid infections since July

The Harrogate district has reported its highest daily number of covid infections for two months.

According to today’s Pubic Health England figures, 132 cases have been confirmed in the district.

It’s the highest number of daily infections since July 16 when 138 were recorded.

The district’s weekly infection rate now stands at 386 per 100,000 people, which is above the North Yorkshire rate of 341 and the England average of 321.

According to the latest figures, Harrogate District Hospital is treating 11 patients for covid.

The hospital has not recorded any covid deaths in the last 24 hours, according to NHS England statistics.

Elsewhere, 127,193 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 116,681 have had a second dose.

Findings of UCI review to be published before end of the year

The findings of a council-run review into Harrogate’s hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships could be revealed before the end of this year.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are running the review into the cycling event, which was hailed as a success by organisers but criticised by many businesses and residents who had complaints over road closures and diversions.

The nine-day event will also be remembered for leaving West Park Stray severely damaged after it was used as a spectator area during heavy rainfall, with repairs works and upgrades later costing £130,000.

Cllr Nick Brown, who is one of several councillors leading the cross-party review, told a meeting on Monday that the commission had asked residents to give their views on the event as part of a consultation which will now be opened up to businesses.

He said:

“The public consultation has been undertaken – we have got about 700 responses which for a consultation is quite a lot.

“Those have been analysed and we are going to do some further consultation with the business community and a number of other organisations.

“This has taken rather longer than I would have liked, but obviously we have had covid so it has not been a very easy time.

“We will hopefully have a report to the commission in December.”

If the findings are published in December, it will mark more than two years since the event was held in September 2019 when hundreds of international cyclists competed in races starting in different towns and cities across Yorkshire but with each finishing in Harrogate.

The review of the event was launched last year with the aim of “building on its successes and identifying any areas for improvement to inform the organisation of future events,” the council previously said.

It is also separate to an economic impact study of the event which was carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

The study concluded the championships was watched by a global television audience of 329 million and resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million.

However, it did not take into account losses by businesses affected by road closures and a reported drop in town centre footfall – something the new review is aiming to cover.

Harrogate’s Oatlands Drive set to get double yellow lines?

A review into traffic measures on Harrogate’s Oatlands Drive is likely to include new double yellow lines, according to a senior county councillor.

North Yorkshire County Council is due to publish a new set of measures this autumn to improve walking and cycling in the Oatlands Drive area.

The Oatlands Constituency Feasibility Study is being drawn up after the council ditched proposals to introduce a one-way system on the road following complaints from residents.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that he expected double yellow lines to be included in the feasibility study.

It follows concern that drivers have been ignoring signs erected by Harrogate Borough Council warning drivers they face a £100 fine or being towed away if they park on Stray land next to the cycle lane on Oatlands Drive.

The new signs on Oatlands Drive.

One side of Oatlands Drive has double yellow lines but the other side — where cars park — does not.

The signs only appeared last week but pictures have already emerged of cars parked right next to the signs blocking the cycle route.

Double yellows expected for Oatlands

Although Cllr Mackenzie said he could not guarantee where the proposals would suggest the double yellow lines be placed, he said they were likely to be included in a “comprehensive scheme” for the area.

He said:

“I’m pretty sure it will be included.”

Cllr Mackenzie added that the county council had outlined plans for double yellow lines in its rejected proposals for Oatlands.

But he added that introducing double yellow lines might just increase parking congestion on other streets.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“We could have put in yellow lines, but we are also aware that residents on St Hilda’s Road are already suffering from long term parkings problems.

“While those people are not breaking any laws, it does make it difficult to get in and out of driveways.

“Every time we introduce them [double yellow lines], it tends to shift the problem elsewhere. If it did not have a knock on affect then we would have done it.”

Cllr Mackenzie said he expected officers to bring the review into Oatlands to him “in the next few weeks”.

A ‘more permanent solution’ needed

Following the introduction of the signs on Oatlands, a borough council spokesperson said the authority hoped people would “think twice” before parking on the street.

The spokesperson added council officials were working with the county council on a “more permanent solution” to the parking problem.

They said that parking on the Stray breached the Stray Act 1985:

“A breach of the act allows the borough council — as custodians of the Stray — to issue a £100 fine to anyone caught parking on the Stray, or to have their vehicle towed away.

“We hope that the signage will make people think twice about parking on Oatlands Drive and allow cyclists to use the cycle path as intended.”

In a letter to the Stray Ferret, Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said yellow lines was the “simplest solution” to parking problems on Oatlands Drive but the county council had been “ridiculously uncooperative”.

Harrogate district covid rate increases as pupils head back to school

The Harrogate district’s covid infection rate is rising steadily as thousands of pupils make a return to classrooms this week.

The borough’s weekly rate per 100,000 people now stands at 386 and pre-term testing is being used to limit infections at schools and colleges, while rules on social distancing and face masks have been scrapped.

Meanwhile, a further 102 infections have been reported in the district, according to today’s daily Public Health England figures.

The return of schools has stoked concerns over a sharp spike in cases, similar to what has happened in Scotland where infections among under 15-year-olds have tripled since pupils restarted in mid-August.

Speaking last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said cases in the county are currently much higher than when schools returned last September – and that people should be “very aware” another spike can happen.

He said:

“This time last year, the rates before schools went back and worse weather arrived were considerably lower than those we see now.

“Last year, we saw another big spike in cases, so we need to be very aware that that can still happen.”

Health officials at the county council last week urged all 16 and 17-year-olds to get vaccinated against covid “as soon as possible” ahead of the return to school this week.

The calls came as scientists on the UK’s vaccine advisory body refused to give the green light to vaccinating healthy children aged 12 to 15 years on health grounds.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said these children were at such a low risk from the virus that jabs would offer only a marginal benefit.

Infection rate almost up to 400

According to latest NHS figures, a total of 127,181 people in the Harrogate district have now received their first vaccine dose and 116,631 people their second.

Meanwhile, no further covid deaths have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

The hospital reported three more covid deaths on Friday to take its toll since the pandemic began up to 184.

The latest infection rate for the Harrogate district of 386 is above both the North Yorkshire and England averages of 341 and 321.

The rate has been climbing steadily in recent weeks after falling sharply in mid-July from a record level of 536.

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, Selby currently has the highest rate at 392, while Richmondshire has the lowest with 242.

Former Harrogate vicar jailed for sexual abuse of three-year-old girl

A former Harrogate vicar has been jailed for sexually abusing a three-year-old girl.

Gordon Newton, 40, of Cross Church Street, Huddersfield, was team vicar at St Wilfrid’s Church before he moved to be vicar at Staincliffe and Carlinghow, Batley, in 2016.

According to an annual report published by the church, which is on Duchy Road, Newton joined as assistant curate in May 2012 before being licensed as team vicar in April 2013.

He was also member of the management team at the Jennyfield Styan Community Centre and a chaplain with the Harrogate and District Sea Cadets.

Newton pleaded guilty to 12 charges at Leeds Crown Court on Friday (September 3).

Six of the charges were for sexual assault on a child aged under 13, three were for engaging in sexual activity with a child aged under 13 and three were for making indecent photos of a child.

He was jailed for nine years and seven months.

The Stray Ferret contacted St Wilfrid’s Church for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

500 staff at North Yorkshire care homes could leave due to compulsory vaccinations

About 500 care workers in North Yorkshire could be forced out of their jobs when compulsory vaccines come into force in November.

Many care homes are already struggling to recruit staff and this is set to exacerbate the problem, with 5.5% of the workforce set to lose their jobs.

From November 11, it will become a legal requirement for all staff working in care homes to be fully vaccinated against covid – unless they are exempt – in order to protect elderly and vulnerable residents most at risk from the virus.

Health officials in North Yorkshire say they are supportive of this but are calling for the rules to be applied also to NHS staff to prevent a wave of care workers quitting their jobs to join the health sector.

Speaking at a meeting last week, Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for adult services and health integration at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“If nothing changes, quite simply there will be around 500 people currently working in North Yorkshire’s care sector who will no longer be able to do so.

“It will be illegal to employ them and that would be a terrible shame.

“This is a consequence which needs to be avoided so we are lobbying government at the moment.

“That said, I am a full supporter of mandatory vaccinations and it does disappoint me that there are so many people working in the sector who are refusing to be vaccinated.”

There are currently 8,967 care staff working in North Yorkshire, both at the county council and at private companies.

Of those, a total of 494 have refused vaccines, representing 5.5% of the workforce.

Health officials have insisted they are making progress on bringing these numbers down, but the looming November 11 deadline comes at a time when the sector is also facing surging demand and serious recruitment issues with around 1,000 jobs currently vacant.

Cllr Harrison said:

“It is fair to say that the workforce in adult care has quite simply started to evaporate in recent weeks. Even this month we have seen a 70 per cent drop in applications for vacant positions.”

The staffing situation has also led to warnings from the Independent Care Group, which represents independent care homes, that an army of volunteers could be needed to avoid a “winter meltdown” in staff numbers.

Mike Padgham, chair of the non-profit organisation, which provides care services in North Yorkshire and York, said:

“The staffing crisis is now so bad that providers are battling day-to-day to cover shifts both in homes and in looking after people in their own home.

“Many say it is the worst they have known in more than 30 years and so we need urgent action now before the added pressures of winter turn this into a total meltdown.”

Mr Padgham has also previously spoken of his “dismay” over compulsory vaccines, saying the government is creating another barrier to recruitment and “forcing people to do something against their will”.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid last month urged care workers to book their vaccine appointments as soon as possible with the “grace period” ending on 11 November.

How many, or how few, staff choose to do so could well determine how well care homes cope in the coming months.

Strong objections to Northern Energy plan to move from Hampsthwaite

Residents and parish councils have lodged strong objections to plans for a major oil and gas company to relocate to Marton-cum-Grafton.

Northern Energy is currently based In Hampsthwaite and has had its headquarters in the village for more than half a century.

However, the company tabled proposals to Harrogate Borough Council in February to move to Limebar Lane, one kilometre from the village of Marton-cum-Grafton and next to the A168.

The firm, which has an annual turnover of £27 million, supplies more than 50 million litres of oil and liquid petroleum gas across the UK each year.

But two parish councils have written to the council to object to the plans.

They say the development is inappropriate and would have “unacceptable consequences”, such as loss of agricultural land, increase in traffic and the proximity of the site to local residents.

Arkendale, Coneythorpe and Clareton Parish Council wrote to the council to object in “the strongest terms”.

It said:

“The other consequence is of course that valuable agricultural land will be lost.

“Such land is increasingly being lost to development and for us to be as sustainable as a nation we need to preserve our agricultural capacity rather than rely on importing foodstuffs from abroad.”

Meanwhile, Marton-cum-Grafton added in its response that the development was “not of exceptional quality” and “does not enhance its immediate setting nor is it sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area”.

The application has so far attracted 33 comments to the council, with 32 of those objecting and just one in support.

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

Company has “outgrown” its site

However, Northern Energy has said it has outgrown its current site and needs to move.

The plans include 10,000 square feet of office space, a vehicle depot, LPG and oil storage tanks and a new car park.

The site would accommodate 30 office staff and 20 operations staff.

The proposed Northern Energy site off the A168 as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in planning documents.

In documents submitted to the council, the company said the current location was “beginning to hinder business”.

It said:

““Such is the success of the business, the company have now outgrown their current premises on the edge of Hampsthwaite.

“Indeed, the location of the facility, some distance from the local highway network, and the absence of oil and fuel storage capacity on site is now beginning to hinder the business.”

Northern Energy is currently consulting on its plans to relocate. Residents can have their say on the plans here.

Nidderdale Charity Walk returns for 27th year today

Walkers are set to flock to Nidderdale today for the annual charity walk and run.

The Nidderdale Charity Walk and Run, which is organised by The Rotary Club of Harrogate, is returning for its 27th year and aims to raise money for charitable causes while encouraging people to keep active.

Over the years, participants have raised money for a number of charities including Harrogate Hospital and Community, Dementia Forward and Harrogate Easier Living Project.

The rotary club also offers those causes which have received 10 or more supporters an 80% donation of the entry fees their fundraisers have paid.

Held annually, five routes will be included in this year’s event with a mixture of distances ranging in distance from four to 26 miles.

All walks start at Pateley Bridge Scout Hall and lead into Upper Nidderdale, with some going beyond into Lofthouse and Ramsgill.

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