Harrogate Town faces ‘cliff edge’, warns chairman

Harrogate Town and other football clubs face a “cliff edge scenario” if fans are not allowed back into stadiums for six months, Town’s chairman has warned.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put plans for fans to return at the start of October on hold today when he announced further restrictions to tackle rising coronavirus infections.

Supporters were due to return to grounds in small numbers, with some Football League clubs trialling 1,000 fans at games last weekend.

Irving Weaver, Town chairman, has said his club and others could experience “severe pain” if their loss of income is not subsidised.

He said:

“Today’s statement by the Prime Minister was not unexpected but if there is a further six months delay before we can allow fans into our stadiums then we are running into a cliff edge scenario.

“From mid-March through a normal close season we were helped by furloughing our employees. Now back into full swing anticipating fans returning, the black hole is upon us. Around thirty percent of a club’s total income is derived through the turnstiles. Without a subsidy the pain will be severe.

“I know that the government are well aware of the situation. Let us hope that there is help on the way, not just for football but for spectator sport in general.”

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Mr Johnson told MPs it would not be possible for fans to return to stadiums from 1 October. He added:

“I recognise the implications for our sports clubs, which are the life and soul of our communities.

“The Chancellor and the Culture Secretary are working urgently on what we can do now to support them.”

The Prime Minister added the restrictions could remain in place for six months.

Shrewsbury Town were among those to take part in a pilot last weekend with 1,000 supporters present for the first time since March.

North Yorkshire devolution could be ‘at risk’, says county council leader

A devolution deal for North Yorkshire could be at risk and clarity is needed on the future of local government, says North Yorkshire County Council’s leader.

Cllr Carl Les told the Stray Ferret that he was “hopeful” that a deal could still be put on the table.

But he added there were concerns the government is considering delaying publishing a white paper on devolution amid the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit negotiations.

A meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Mr Jenrick was due to take place today over devolution.

Ministers approached the council leaders in the county in July over devolved powers. Former local government minister Simon Clarke – who resigned earlier this month – made it a requirement to shake up the current council structure ahead of any devolution bid.

Councils were supposed to be invited to submit plans for a restructure of local government on September 7.

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But Cllr Les said the authority is still waiting for a letter of invitation from ministers to lodge the new authority plans.

Following a meeting with the County Council Network, which represents county councils across the country, council leaders agreed that the current situation “was not helpful”.

As a result, Cllr Les wrote to Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Local Government, last Friday urging him for clarity and to express his “deepest concerns” over a potential deal.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

He said that county council leaders were “despondent” at the current position, with some, including Surrey County Council’s leader, fearing plans for reform were “dead”.

In his letter to Mr Jenrick, Cllr Les said:

“To be clear this is the future and opportunity for more than 800,000 people at a critical moment, as we all strive to drive renewed economies and create jobs for people following the body blow delivered by the coronavirus pandemic.

“As you are aware, and amongst other pressures that we have been dealing with extremely effectively, we have been working hard with your ministers and officials to secure a devolution deal for the benefit of everyone here.

“One that will level up life chances and outcomes for people across the county and seek to end the North-South divide, powering up the North so it can play its full part in the national economy and agenda.

“I am alarmed to hear that this deal could be at risk and want to say to you in the strongest possible terms that it is needed now, more than ever.”

He added that should devolution not be introduced across England, the county would be willing to pilot mayoral authorities for rural areas.

He said:

“I call upon you and the Prime Minister to use all of the innovative thinking at your disposal to consider how our position could fit into a northern concept.

“Should you decide not to introduce devolution deals across the whole of England – I am confident that I, and colleagues across the north would be willing to pilot the idea of mayoral authorities for rural areas here.

“The north has always been willing to be the first to implement new thinking and new ideas. I ask you to keep to your commitment for devolution for the north, follow up on your promises and ask of us, and deliver for all of Yorkshire. Do not leave North Yorkshire and York behind – we need to move on now.”

Cllr Les said he had also sent a private note to both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor over the issue.

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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government maintained that it will set out “detailed plans” in the white paper this Autumn.

A spokesperson said: 

“We want to decentralise giving more power to local communities, providing opportunities for them to enjoy devolution. There will be no blanket abolishment of district councils and no top-down restructuring of local government.

“The devolution white paper, which will be published this Autumn, will set out our detailed plans and we continue to work closely with local areas to establish solutions to local government reform.”

What was the timetable for devolution?

The two camps – district councils and county council – have to wait for an invitation from government to submit their proposals. 

Once that is done, the government will choose its preferred option and consult with the public, councils and other public bodies on that model. 

Once the minister has received all the responses, he will decide on whether to set up a new authority. 

To do this, the government will have to pass a piece of legislation through Parliament to create the new authority. No new council will be created until it is approved.

Councils do not get another vote on the new authority – the process is handled by Parliament.

While no specific timetable has been set for the reorganisation, government had told council officials that they would like to see a new authority by 2022. 

County council bosses are confident that their model could meet this timescale, but the districts believe it is more likely that a new authority would be in place by 2023. 

Second lockdown would see Harrogate businesses face battle to survive, says chamber

Businesses in Harrogate would face another tough battle to survive if a second national lockdown was imposed, Harrogate chamber has said.

The government is currently considering further restrictions, which could include another lockdown, in order to halt the surge in coronavirus cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to give a statement to the House of Commons at 12.30pm today where new restrictions may be announced to tackle the increase in new infections.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said people need to be made to feel safe but added further measures would have an impact on businesses which are only just recovering.

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She said:

“Everybody’s safety comes first. But a lot of the businesses are only just creeping out of the financial criss that the last lockdown caused, especially the hospitality industry.

“I have got friends in retail and a lot of them rely on the run-up to Christmas to keep them going.

“It’s not just in Harrogate, it’s across the whole country and everywhere that is tourism based that would be affected.”

She added that the government’s job retention bonus scheme, which offers £1,000 for every furloughed employee who is kept on until January, may not be taken up by businesses.

She said:

“It’s not really the carrot and stick that you think it’s going to be.”

Earlier today, Professor Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser, warned that without further action cases could reach 50,000 per day by October.

So far, cases since the start of the pandemic have reached a total of 926 in the Harrogate district, with 26 new infections since Friday.

Last week, North Yorkshire declared a “major incident” amid an increase in coronavirus cases in the county.

Seven further coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

Seven further cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to the latest daily Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases in the district since the start of the pandemic to 926.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson may announce further restrictions tomorrow in an effort to halt the spread of the virus nationally.

It comes as Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, warned today that the UK could face up to 50,000 cases a day by October if action was not taken.

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Last week, North Yorkshire declared a major incident amid an increase in cases in the county.

Selby and Scarborough districts have also been listed as “areas of concern” by the government.

Police arrest man after incident in Harrogate Town centre

Police have arrested a man after an incident in Harrogate Town centre which left roads closed.

North Yorkshire Police were called to the incident on Strawberry Dale around 2.43pm after reports of a man making threats to other residents and that he was in possession of a knife.

Mayfield Grove was closed at the junction with Bower Road in order for police to deal with the incident.

Surrounding routes are reported to be busy as drivers try to find alternative routes.

A second man was also arrested on suspicion of obstructing police, though it was not part of the original incident.

A police statement this afternoon said:

“Police received a call at around 2.43pm that a man was making threats to other residents and that he had a knife in possession.

“A cordon was put in place around the property, including local road closures, to protect members of the public while officers dealt with the incident.

“It was brought to a conclusion at around 4.15pm when the man was arrested and taken into police custody. The road has now been reopened.

“A second man was also arrested on suspicion obstructing the police. Although not part of the original incident, he caused disruption inside the cordon while officers dealt with the incident. He is also in police custody at this time.”

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Six further coronavirus cases confirmed in Harrogate district

Six further coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

The daily increase takes the total number of cases in the district up to 900, according to Public Health England data.

It comes as North Yorkshire declared a major incident earlier this week due to surge in cases across the county.

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County council bosses have also asked care homes to restrict visits due to an increase in covid infections.

Meanwhile, it has been two months since a coronavirus death was last reported at Harrogate District Hospital. The last time a death was reported was on July 19.

Large cannabis farm found in former Ripon nightclub

Police have launched an investigation after a large scale cannabis farm was discovered inside a former nightclub in Ripon.

Officers were called to the former Matrix nightclub on Kirkgage at 6.16pm last night (September 17) after two people were reportedly seen running away away after being disturbed during a routine building check.

Despite an extensive search, including the use of a police drone, the two people were not found, but a search of the building found a “large scale, sophisticated cannabis grow”.

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Now, North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for further information on suspicious activity in the area.

A police statement said:

“Police and partner agencies returned to the cordoned-off scene on Friday to carry out a full safety assessment before all the evidence could be gathered as part of the investigation.

“While this work is ongoing, officers are appealing for any information about recent suspicious activity or individuals in the Kirkgate area of Ripon.

“If you can help, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

“If you would prefer to make an anonymous report, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

“Please quote reference number 12200163654 when providing details about this appeal.”

Harrogate strip club granted licence renewal

Harrogate Borough Council has renewed the sexual entertainment licence of the town’s Kings Club.

Kings Club, on Oxford Street, which is the town’s only strip club, has been given permission to continue topless pole dancing, topless stage strip tease and full nudity lap dancing.

The borough council’s licensing committee met on Wednesday to make the decision.

Councillors dealt with the application in private session. But the authority confirmed that the licence was renewed with conditions.

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The government closed all clubs in March and has not yet given them the green light to reopen. This licence renewal is a sign that Kings Club is confident in its return after a few difficult months.

When the Kings Club closed it said that it will reopen as soon as possible to “restart the party”. The club added in its announcement:

“We are grateful to the government for the financial support they have so far offered which will soften the financial blow for our staff and management. We look forward to the party of the decade when we return.”

Care home visits to be restricted across Harrogate

Visits to care homes across the Harrogate District will be restricted after a rise in coronavirus cases.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said homes in Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby will be asked to restrict visits for the next seven days.

It follows a rise in cases in North Yorkshire which led to the county declaring a “major incident” earlier this week.

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Mr Webb apologised for the measure, but added it was “necessary” in light of increased cases.

He said in a series of tweets last night:

“Tonight am writing letters to care homes, asking some of them to restrict visiting in some areas because of rising tide of covid cases.

“Please do all you can to prevent the spread of this virus so that care homes don’t have to go into lockdown.

“We are asking care homes in three areas (Harrogate, Selby and Scarborough districts) to restrict care home visiting for the next seven days and will then be reviewed. I am sorry to do this but it is a necessary precaution because of rising covid-19 infections”

Just to clarify: we are asking care homes in 3 areas (Harrogate, Selby and Scarborough districts) to restrict care home visiting for the next 7 days and will then be reviewed. I am sorry to do this but it is a necessary precaution because of rising #COVID19 infections 1/2

— Richard Webb (@RichardWebbNY) September 17, 2020

Mr Webb said the measure would be reviewed after the seven day period.

He added that the county council will set up a task group with care providers, care home residents and the county council to develop a more secure way to enable visits.

Council to issue more wheelchair taxi licences to tackle shortfall

The number of hackney carriage licences in Harrogate looks set to increase for the first time in 30 years to improve taxi options for people with disabilities and those who require wheelchairs.

Harrogate Borough Council has licensed 148 hackney carriage cabs since around 1988 but only 11 have wheelchair access.

A council study in March found wheelchair users faced “increasing difficulty obtaining the services” of suitable taxis.

At a licensing committee meeting last night, the local authority pledged to take action.

Cllr John Mann, a member of the committee, said he felt the number of dedicated wheelchair vehicle licences needed to be increased.

He said:

“I think this is a very difficult issue and it is replicated across the district and in other big towns.

“I do think we need to increase the supply of wheelchair vehicles for wheelchair users. At the same time, we need to protect the sustainability of the local taxi trade.”

Because the council caps the number of hackney carriage licenses, the only way to obtain one is to buy an existing vehicle – which the council said can inflate the price by £10,000 or more.

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In a letter to the council’s licensing committee, Garry Sadler-Simpson, chairman of Mainline Taxi Association, said it could be difficult to recruit drivers for wheelchair accessible vehicles because the vehicles were less profitable.

The vehicles cost more to buy, he said, and generated at least a quarter less per mile than saloon cabs. He added:

“Add to this the length of time spent on each job making sure your passenger is comfortable and safe at both sides of each job and it can be another reason for drivers of these vehicles taking far less money than their standard car workmates. 

“It does not take too long for some to want to move on to other vehicles.”

However, Mr Sadler-Simpson added the issue needed to be resolved.

The council agreed to issue 12 more licences for wheelchair accessible hackney carriages to increase supply. It said it would review the impact of the new licences in 12 months time.

Although the council cannot force taxi firms to provide more journeys to wheelchair users, it said its measures would help to increase supply.

The committee also agreed that the maximum length of a hackney carriage with wheelchair access should be increased to 5.2 metres and that the council continue to publish contact details of firms which offer wheelchair accessible taxis.

A further report will come back to the committee with more detail on the proposal at a later date before a final decision is made at a full council meeting.