Political parties have revealed their candidates for this year’s North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections.

Voters will go to the polls on May 6 to elect a new commissioner.

Some of those standing had already announced their candidacies ahead of the polls, but today the Liberal Democrats confirmed their candidate.

Elections for the PCC were delayed last year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Julia Mulligan, who currently holds the role, will not be standing for re-election.

Read more:

• North Yorkshire police prepare for ‘influx of visitors’ as lockdown eases
• County council elections postponed until May 2022

The main political parties have confirmed candidates as follows:

• Philip Allott, Conservative Party
• Alison Hume, Labour Party
• James Barker, Liberal Democrats
• Keith Tordoff, Independent

The full list of those nominated for commissioner will be published on April 9.

First introduced in 2012, police and crime commissioners are elected to represent the views of people on policing and crime in their area.

They appoint the chief constable, set the budget for the police force and commission local victim support services.

It comes as polls for the police and crime commissioner will be the only local elections held in North Yorkshire in May.

The government announced that elections for the county council will be postponed until 2022 amid a consultation over scrapping the two-tier local authority system.

The deadline to register to vote in the May elections is April 19. You can register to vote here.

Two more patients who tested positive for covid have died at Harrogate District Hospital.

According to NHS England figures, the deaths were reported yesterday and Tuesday.

It takes the covid death toll at the hospital to 158.

A total of 45 patients are currently being treated for covid at Harrogate hospital, according to trust statistics.

Meanwhile, a further 12 cases of covid have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

Read more:

• Call for inquiry into Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital
• Harrogate Nightingale closure expected to be announced next month

It takes the total number of infections to 7,250 since March.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection stands at 94 people per 100,000.

Elsewhere, the county average stands at 85 and the national rate is 112.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area in the district with the highest number of infections, with 20 in the past seven days.

North Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner has asked pet owners in the county to give their views on dog thefts in a national survey.

It follows a spate of high-profile incidents nationally, which has led to Home Secretary Priti Patel to consider harsher penalties for offenders.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the issue was becoming “more of a concern”.

Read more:

• Police issue fine for 200-mile Scotland to Harrogate trip
• North Yorkshire police prepare for ‘influx of visitors’ as lockdown eases

The survey, which is being run by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, aims to find out how widespread the fear of dog theft is and if there is support for tougher enforcement.

Mrs Mulligan said:

“I know that dog theft is becoming more of a concern for many people after a series of high-profile incidents across the country so it’s important owners across North Yorkshire and York have their say in this survey.

“It is still not common, but its impacts can be devastating both for individuals and families whose dogs are part of the family and for farmers and rural businesses where dogs have play a crucial role in everything they do.”

The survey will be open until March 12 and people can give their views here.

The Harrogate district has recorded a further 30 covid cases today.

According to Public Health England figures, the number takes the total amount of cases since March to 7,238.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen to 88 people per 100,000.

The rate for North Yorkshire stands at 83, while the England average is 116.

Read more:

• Call for inquiry into Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital
• Harrogate hospital coronavirus patients down by 19 in a week
• Harrogate district vaccine boost as over 50s prepare for jab

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area with the most covid cases in the last seven days, with 23 infections.

Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton is the second highest in the district with 15.

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

A move to make Oatlands Drive one-way would have a “devastating effect” on students and make surrounding roads congested.

Residents and a student at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s Associated Sixth Form got in touch with the Stray Ferret to express their concerns about the scheme ahead of a consultation closing today.

It comes as a leaflet campaign was launched in the area which encouraged residents to send e-mails to local councillors, media and council officers objecting to the plan.

North Yorkshire County Council received £1,011,750 for cycling improvements and outlined three cycle route projects in Harrogate.

Highways bosses have launched a consultation into the plan which would make the street one-way southbound, limit the speed limit to 20mph and create a new segregated cycleway.

Read more:

• Cars could make way for cyclists on another Harrogate road
• ‘Time to share the roads,’ says Harrogate cycling group

In an e-mail to the Stray Ferret and his headteacher, Thomas Adamson, a year 12 student at St Aidan’s and St John FIsher’s Associated Sixth Form, said the move would have a “negative effect” on his learning and his journey to school.

Thomas, who travels to school from Wetherby, said it would add a further 20 minutes onto his bus journey as Wetherby Road was already “notoriously busy”.

He said:

“While I understand the motivation behind the one-way system, there are already usable bike lanes on Oatlands Drive and two wide pavements for pedestrians and I must think about my own future and the futures of those who must use public transport

“In conclusion, If you allow the building of this new one-way system, it will not only be a waste of public funds that could be used elsewhere to improve Wetherby Road or to provide technology for online learning to those less fortunate than I am, it also have an actively negative affect on my learning in a year that has already had so much disruption and yet is still pivotal for my future.”

Oatlands Drive, Harrogate.

Meanwhile, Philip and Julia Clarke, who live on Park Edge, told the Stray Ferret that they strongly object to the proposal as it would affect their journey to the town centre.

They said:

“In order to drive northwards from our home into Harrogate and beyond, we would have to turn right (southwards) at the end of our street and then find a route to travel north.

“To access businesses and facilities in the town centre or in the northerly part of the town and beyond, which we regularly do, would involve a more circuitous and longer journey.

“That would mean using Wetherby Road or Leeds Road, which would add to the congestion on those roads.”

However, cyclist groups have welcomed the scheme and said it was time that roads were shared with drivers.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate and District Cycle Action, told the Stray Ferret previously that the measures fit into a wider vision for the town.

He said:

“The main aim is to get people cycling for short journeys into the town centre. We hope to have segregate cycle lanes on all the arterial routes.

“Some think that we want the roads to be car free but we just want to be able to share the roads safely.

“Even the most experienced cyclists feel unsafe with big lorries passing them close by and would feel much safer with a segregated lane.”

Other schemes under consideration include:

• A59, Maple Close, Harrogate to Knaresborough: segregated cycle lanes along an existing cycle route and improved crossing facilities at either end;
• Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, Princes Square to Station Parade: pedestrian crossing improvements, segregated cycling infrastructure and bike storage facilities.

People can give their views on the projects here.

Police are preparing for an influx of visitors to North Yorkshire when lockdown restrictions are relaxed, says the county’s police commissioner.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the force was already having discussions about policing when the rules change from March 8.

Ms Mulligan told North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel yesterday:

“We have had quite a lot of discussions around all of this, in particular lockdown fatigue.

“The combination of lockdown fatigue, the relaxation of the rules and the warming of the weather means that we could face a considerable influx of visitors over the coming weeks.

“That is going to be something that police are going to be thinking very carefully about because they think it will test the will of the public to maintain the current restrictions.”

Read more:

• Police issue fine for 200-mile Scotland to Harrogate trip
• ‘Long slog to May’: Harrogate businesses react to covid roadmap

Ms Mulligan added that visitors to the county already made up a large proportion of fines handed out by officers.

Of 830 fixed penalty notices issued by North Yorkshire Police to February 14 for being outside without good reason, 83% were to visitors.

Ms Mulligan told the panel the vast majority of visitors to the county were from West Yorkshire and Cleveland.

Last week, police fined an unnamed person for driving 200 miles from Glasgow to Harrogate to meet a friend in a motorhome.

Restrictions ease on March 29 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday set out dates for easing restrictions, which include allowing two households to mix outside and in gardens from March 29.

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham, of North Yorkshire Police, said today that last week’s school half-term holidays had been one of the busiest weeks for visitors to the county during lockdown.

She told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum media briefing:

“It is really important that we do not get too far ahead of ourselves. Half-term was one of our busiest weeks we have had with visitors.

“Since February 15 we have issued 192 fixed penalty notices. Thirty-four of those were handed out in Harrogate.

“We do have a small minority that do not want to stick to the rules.”

Local elections for North Yorkshire County Council have been postponed until May 2022.

It comes as the government has launched a consultation on plans to scrap the two-tier council system in the county.

The move would see both the county council and the seven districts, including Harrogate Borough Council, abolished and replaced with either one or two new unitary councils.

Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, will consult on two proposals for the county. This year’s election is being delayed to avoid voters being asked to choose representatives for an authority that may be abolished within a year.

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• Devolution: What would you do if you were mayor?
• 5 lessons to learn from devolution in Tees Valley
• £2 billion devolution negotiations kickstart as councils submit proposals

Mr Jenrick said he would make a decision on which, if any, proposal to approve following the consultation.

He said:

“I have always been clear that any restructuring of local government must be locally-led and will not involve top-down solutions from government.

“Now that councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset have submitted their proposals, I am pleased residents, businesses and service providers will have the opportunity to have their say on what will work best for their area.

“Where there is local support, changing the structure of local government can offer better value for money and improved services for residents.”

Mr Jenrick added that should any of the models proposed be approved, councillors could be elected to the new unitary council or councils next year. If no decision is made, then the county council elections will take place as normal in May 2022.

He said:

“If a unitary proposal is implemented the rescheduled elections will be replaced by elections in May 2022 to the new unitary authority or authorities which could be in shadow form or a continuing council taking on the functions of the other councils in the area.”

The government said the decision to postpone the elections will avoid asking people to vote for local councillors while also asking them to give their views on possibly abolishing the council. It would also prevent councillors being elected on short terms.

While the county council elections will be postponed, elections for the local Police and Crime Commissioner will go ahead as normal on May 6.

Ministers are consulting on two opposing models for the future of local government in North Yorkshire. Six of the district councils in the county have proposed an east/west split made up of two councils.

It would see Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton join together to form a unitary council in the West, with a population of 363,000, and Selby, City of York, Ryedale and Scarborough join together to form a unitary council in the East, with a population of 465,000. 

A rival model, submitted by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York, would see one unitary council for North Yorkshire with the York authority remaining in place.

The consultation will last until April 19. Residents and businesses can give their views on the proposals here.

Businesses in the Harrogate district have given a mixed reaction to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s route out of lockdown restrictions today.

Mr Johnson outlined a four-phase “roadmap” that he said would be “cautious but irreversible”.

Step one will see schools re-open and care homes allow visits on March 8 and outdoor sports resume on March 29; step two will see non-essential retail and pubs and restaurants reopen non April 12; step three will see two households permitted to meet indoors and hotels and cinemas reopen on May 17; stage four will see all remaining restrictions lifted on June 21.

Read more:

• Third lockdown threatens Knaresborough retail revival
• Harrogate theatre boss hopes for covid clarity on Monday
• ‘Road map’ to reopening raises hopes of district revival

Kimberly Wilson, chair of guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, welcomed bars and restaurants being in the same bracket as hotels.

She said:

“I’m glad to see that they are in the same strand so everything can reopen at the same time

“But we would want as much notice for reopening for hospitality. It takes time to get your ducks in a row.”

She hoped government offers support to hospitality businesses over the next few months before reopening.

Kim Wilson, of the Camberley Hotel on Kings Road, Harrogate.

Ms Wilson said measures such as an extension to the cut in VAT and the furlough scheme would help hospitality businesses survive.

But Paul Rawlinson, owner of Baltzersens cafe in Harrogate, said:

“We’re still in February and mid-May feels like a long way away. It’s a long, old slog. 

“We’ll pick ourselves back up and push on. In two or three months we might be in a more normal position.”

David Steca, owner of barbershop Steca No 6, said he was “fed up” with the restrictions.

He added:

“Hopefully we will receive more financial support if we are closed another seven weeks.”

“It’s nice to be able to start to plan towards a date.”

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the district “can go into the spring sharing a strong sense of optimism but should continue our cautious approach”.

He added:

“Our emergence from the shadow of covid will throw up new challenges about preparation for the possibility of future pandemics, about the future of high street retail, about how we work, about how changes to human activity, demonstrated during the pandemic, affect the environment and many more challenges too.”

Highways bosses are to apply to erect a bollard on the Stray to stop cars driving over it to avoid the Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate.

Last week, the Stray Ferret reported cars were driving over the Stray to get around the new closure, which was put in place to block through traffic and create a Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, described it as “extremely poor behaviour” and added that drivers were committing an offence.

Some people have taken to social media to report alleged incidents of drivers going over the Stray to get around the planters.

Andy, I have clear pics, including reg, of a Range Rover that's driven on the Stray to go round the Beech Grove planters. Who can I send them to for follow-up? pic.twitter.com/demf0Iwa8O

— David Peckett (@dsp99t) February 22, 2021

In a tweet, Cllr Mackenzie said the county council, which is the highways authority, would apply to Harrogate Borough Council to place a bollard on the Stray to block such manoeuvres.

He added the authority had already erected a bollard on the footpath side to prevent cars from mounting the pavement.

The borough council said it had yet to receive a request for the bollard, but confirmed that such a plan would require approval under the Stray Act.

Read more:

• Senior councillors defend closure of Harrogate’s Beech Grove
• Cars drive over Stray to avoid Harrogate road closure

Beech Grove is closed to through traffic for six months before the county council, which is consulting on the scheme, decides whether to make it permanent.

In a letter to the Stray Ferret, Chris Granville, a resident on Beech Grove, said it had been “the most thoughtless implementation imaginable”.

He said:

“The signs are completely inadequate to inform the motorists of the change so it is almost inevitable that drivers will come up against the barriers.

“It would have been so easy to display reasonable size signs in good time, but no, it has been implemented as a motorist trap. It would also have helped if there was a partial barrier at the town end of Beech Grove, outside Wentworth Court, being a clear indicator that entry was for residents and parking only.

“Whoever has done this should show a little respect for road users.”