Covid: How many people have been vaccinated in your area?

Figures for the number of people who have had the first dose of a covid vaccine across the Harrogate district have been revealed for the first time.

NHS England has started to publish the data, which shows a breakdown of the number vaccinated by age and area.

The latest figures, which cover inoculations to February 21, reveal 48,753 people have received their first dose in the district – 30% of the population.

Harrogate West and Pannal has recorded the highest take-up, with 3,721 receiving a vaccine.

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The lowest number so far is 1,701 in Masham, Kirby Malzeard and North Stainley.

Find out how many people have had a vaccine in your area below.

Masham, Kirby Malzeard and North Stainley

Total: 1,701
Population: 5,494

Ripon North and West

Total: 1,770
Population: 6,151

Disforth, Baldersby and Markington

Total: 1,850
Population: 6,419

Ripon South and East

Total: 3,189
Population: 10,253

Staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground site helping with the vaccination effort.

Staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground site helping with the vaccination effort.

Boroughbridge and Marton-Cum-Grafton

Total: 2,255
Population: 6,610

Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley

Total: 1,883
Population: 6,057

Knaresborough North

Total: 2,442
Population: 7,078

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite

Total: 1,781
Population: 6,960

Knaresborough Central

Total: 2,354
Population: 6,937

Bilton

Total: 2,843
Population: 9,029

Saltergate

Total: 1,852
Population: 7,489

Nurse holds up covid vaccine at Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Nurse holds up covid vaccine at Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Knaresborough South and Follifoot

Total: 2,330
Population: 5,839

Harrogate East

Total: 2,433
Population: 8,980

Starbeck

Total: 2,936
Population: 9,292

Central Harrogate

Total: 2,426
Population: 9,775

Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith

Total: 2,605
Population: 9,724

Hookstone

Total: 2,656
Population: 8,421

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Menwith, Beckwithshaw and Denton Moor

Total: 1,910
Population: 5,959

Stray

Total: 2,283
Population: 7,727

Harrogate West and Pannal

Total: 3,271
Population: 10,740

Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby

Total: 1,963
Population: 5,897

Nine out of 10 get first choice secondary schools in North Yorkshire

Nine out of 10 parents have secured their first choice secondary school for their children, North Yorkshire County Council said today.

Parents were due to learn from the local authority today which secondary school their children will be attending in September.

Of all children who requested a school place, 94 per cent received an offer from one of their top three school preferences – and 90 per cent secured their first choice.

A total of 6,205 school pupils will be moving up to secondary school in the county in autumn.

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, executive county councillor for education and skills, said:

“Once again so many of our families have gained the first preference from their choice of schools, which is great news.

“We work with schools across the county to ensure they deliver the highest standards of education so families will increasingly be able to send their children to good schools.”

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Parents can select up to five schools on their application forms in North Yorkshire.

Cllr Mulligan added:

“This year, the authority has seen a rise in the number of parents who have not made full use of this opportunity or did not complete a common application form before the published deadline as required. 

“As the authority must ensure that each child is allocated a school place on the national offer day, there has unfortunately been a need to place children in schools which in some cases could be some distance from their home.

“Every effort will be made to accommodate parental wishes following allocation day where there is capacity in their chosen schools.”

Over 60s to be offered covid vaccine in Harrogate district

Coronavirus vaccines are set to be offered to the over 60s and those with underlying health conditions in the Harrogate district.

Health bosses at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said today the programme was ready to be rolled out further.

The national booking service website is now open to those people over 60 and with underlying health conditions to book their jabs.

Appointments booked in this way are usually offered at a larger regional vaccination centre or a pharmacy.

People will also be contacted by their local GP-led vaccination site inviting them to have the vaccine.

It comes as 48,753 people have been vaccinated in the district so far, according to latest NHS England figures, while 247,629 have received a first dose across North Yorkshire and York.

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Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: 

“We continue to encourage everyone who is invited for a vaccination to take up the offer to protect not only themselves but their families and loved ones.

“It’s also important that people attend for their second dose when the time comes to get the maximum protection offered by the vaccines currently being administered.

“We’re seeing high take-up of the vaccine in North Yorkshire and York, but if you were one of those in the first four priority groups who did not initially come forward it’s not too late if you’ve changed your mind – you can get in touch with the national booking service online or by calling 119 to get an appointment at one of the larger vaccination centres.

“In North Yorkshire and York we are on target to offer vaccinations to everyone in the nine priority groups by the middle of April.”

Health bosses have urged those who do not want an appointment at a larger vaccination centre or pharmacy not to contact their GP surgery, as a local NHS team will contact them directly.

Vaccinations for the Harrogate district are currently being offered at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Ripon racecourse and the former Lidl supermarket in Knaresborough.

People may also be invited to the mass vaccination centre at Askham Bar near York and the Elland Road stadium site in Leeds.

Devolution campaigns ramp up amid consultation

Two campaigns over the future of local government in Harrogate and North Yorkshire have ramped up this week.

Ministers launched a consultation on two models which have been proposed to replace the county’s two-tier council system.

It would see Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining six districts scrapped.

Now, both the county council and districts are trying to get support for their models.

County model “key to devolution”

Earlier this week, the county council called journalists to a press conference on its model for local government reorganisation.

Both Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, defended the choice of a single council in the county while keeping York in tact.

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Cllr Les said it was “key to unlocking devolution in the county” and that the authority was best placed to run services.

He said:

“The reason for doing this is to remove an inefficient and costly way of working. It will make things better and less confusing for the people we serve.

“If that was not enough reason, there is also a devolution deal that is worth millions of pounds every year to the City of York and to North Yorkshire.”

County council officials brought in accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to help draw up the model. It would cover 618,000 residents.

Officials said the move could save up to £68.5 million per year after the unitary council is created.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of the county council, said it would also offer the chance for places like Harrogate to have its own town council.

He added that the new authority would offer “double devolution” to those town and parishes, which would mean they could run local assets, libraries and services such as licensing.

‘Businesses support east\west split’

Ahead of the launch of the consultation, district council leaders said that hundreds of businesses backed their model.

The six councils have proposed an east/west split with two councils covering the county. It would see the City of York absorbed into an eastern authority.

The district councils' proposal for an east/west model as outlined in its report.

The district councils’ proposal for an east/west model as outlined in its report.

Officials brought in consultants KPMG to carry out research and draw up an options appraisal before settling on an east/west split.

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. 

More than 100 businesses have written letters of support for their model, including company owners from Harrogate and Skipton.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, speaking on behalf of the council leaders, said at the time: 

“Our east and west model will help drive recovery from the covid-19 pandemic and build a better economic future for the whole area. It is the only proposal that delivers two equal partners to sit within a mayoral combined authority – which is important for the success of devolution.”

Council leaders behind the models have maintained that the county’s proposal is too big and would amount to a “mega council”.

In a report on their model, district officials said they would create eight “locality committees” which would “keep decision making and delivery local and responsive to our diverse areas”.

Consultation over councils future

Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, launched a consultation on the future of local councils in the county on Monday.

The consultation seeks the views of businesses and the public on both models proposed for North Yorkshire.

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

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

48,000 people have covid vaccine in Harrogate district

More than 48,000 people have had the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the Harrogate district.

NHS England has started to publish local data on the amount of people who have been vaccinated across the country.

According to the figures, 48,753 first doses have been given in the district so far.

The number includes:

It comes as a vaccination site is due to open in Knaresborough today at the town’s former Lidl supermarket.

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The Knaresborough site is run by Homecare Pharmacy Services, which is based in the town.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said this week that it was likely other community pharmacies could start offering the vaccine in North Yorkshire as the rollout filters down to everyone over the age of 18 by the end of July.

Ms Bloor added that the county is on track to achieve the government target of offering all over 50s the jab by April 15.

The new centre will mean the district will have vaccination sites in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough.

In an interview with the Stray Ferret, Dr Chris Preece, a GP partner in Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, said that the Great Yorkshire Showground site was able to carry out up to 1,800 vaccinations a day.

A further 12 covid cases confirmed in Harrogate district

A further 12 covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district.

According to today’s Public Health England figures, it takes the total number of cases to 7,262.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 85 per 100,000 people.

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The North Yorkshire rate stands at 77, while the national average is 107.

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

Political parties confirm candidates for police commissioner elections

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.

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The main political parties have confirmed candidates as follows:

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 further covid deaths at Harrogate hospital

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.

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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.

Is dog theft increasing in Harrogate district?

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”.

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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.

Harrogate district records 30 new covid cases

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.

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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.