The South African variant of coronavirus has been found in North Yorkshire, public health leaders revealed today.

Louise Wallace, director of public health in North Yorkshire, said “a small number” of cases had been identified in the Scarborough area and were linked to international travel.

Ms Wallace added there was “not considered to be any community risk” with the cases.

She told a press briefing of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which co-ordinates the county’s response to the pandemic:

“These cases are not linked to community transmission as is the position in high profile news coverage we will all be aware of nationally.”

She added those affected were isolating and the county council was “not aware” of any cases of the strain in the community in the Harrogate district or other districts in North Yorkshire.

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The South African mutation of coronavirus is feared to be more resistant to vaccinations.

The government ordered surge testing on Monday in eight areas across the country where clusters of the variant were found.

Door-to-door testing was deployed in an effort to test 80,000 people in areas ranging from Bristol to Liverpool.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons yesterday it was “critical” people in those areas stay at home while testing is carried out.

However, North Yorkshire public health bosses said today surge or extra testing in the county would not be necessary at this time.

They added that the county and City of York were “in a strong position” in terms of swab tests that could be deployed at short notice if necessary.

Ms Wallace also told the briefing the seven-day rate across North Yorkshire could “take some time” to come down.

Currently, the rate in the Harrogate district is 181 cases per 100,000 people and the county-wide rate is 164.

Ms Wallace said infections had reduced since the third lockdown began but added:

“It is going to time to get that infection rate to decline. Of course we want it to decline and we do not want it to plateau.

“But it is going to take time and the worst case would be if it started to increase.

“As always, I just really want to urge everyone to continue to play their part to reduce the spread of the virus. It is very slow in terms of the infection rate of coming down and we need to keep making that happen.”

Staff at Harrogate Borough Council could soon be able to sacrifice some of their salary for an electric car.

Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet are set to vote today on a scheme which would see employees offered the chance to lease ultra low emission vehicles.

It comes as councillors passed a motion in April 2019 to support measures to address the climate emergency as outlined by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

However, a Liberal Democrat motion calling on the authority to declare a climate emergency has twice been rejected by councillors.

Further calls for a citizens’ assembly on the climate have also been rejected.

The motion in 2019 put forward by council leader, Richard Cooper, and Cllr Graham Swift included a proposal for a salary sacrifice scheme for low emission vehicles.

Council officials said the move would help to reduce the authority’s carbon footprint and make savings on national insurance and pension contributions.

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As part of the scheme outlined by officers, staff would lease a car from the council in exchange for part of their salary.

Staff would need to pass eligibility criteria as well as a driving licence check.

The authority currently employs more than 1,000 people, however it has proposed to set the minimum threshold for the scheme at £19,000.

Meanwhile, council bosses will investigate the need further further electric vehicle charging points at sites it owns.

The authority would also need to procure a supplier for the electric vehicles.

A report due before councillors said:

“The current time is perfect for implementation of an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme due to benefit in kind conditions introduced by government. 

“Currently it is more advantageous for a member of staff to lease an electric vehicle through salary sacrifice and this helps to bridge the cost gap between electric and petrol/diesel.”

Four more people who tested positive for coronavirus have died at Harrogate District Hospital.

NHS England figures published today show three deaths were reported yesterday and another on Sunday.

It takes the covid death toll at the hospital since March to 132.

Meanwhile, a further 24 covid infections have been confirmed in the district today by Public Health England.

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The figure takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,716.

But, the district’s seven-day rate has risen again to 181 people per 100,000.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 164, while the national rate is 258.

Harrogate Borough Council is set to support the setting up of a Knaresborough Business Improvement District with a £27,000 loan.

Senior councillors will be recommended to support the BID in principle and the loan at a cabinet meeting tomorrow.

A BID is a partnership between businesses, which pay a levy on their rates to provide further projects and services to benefit businesses in a defined area.

It can include marketing, promotions and street cleaning.

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As part of the proposal, the Knaresborough BID area would cover 380 businesses.

William Taylor, one of the directors of the BID, told the Stray Ferret that the aim of the project would be to help make the town “more accessible”.

He said:

“We had a good conversation with them [the council] and they were looking for a professional approach and we have got that in place now.

“Knaresborough is very much undersold and has lived in the shadow of Harrogate and Ripon.

“We are looking to make it accessible to people and make people aware of it.”

Business ballot

Knaresborough BID was set up in 2019 and this loan will help it become operational.

Knaresborough BID brought in consultants Mosaic Partnerships, which also supported the development of the Harrogate BID, to help set up the organisation and canvass support.

The project will be funded through a mixture of public and private funding.

The council’s proposed £27,000 loan would match funding raised by the Knaresborough BID.

So far, the BID has raised £16,000 from private business sources, organisations and individuals.

The loan would be paid for from the council’s 2024 reserves and repaid if businesses agreed to support it in a ballot.

Mr Taylor said it was working towards a ballot date in June.

A report due before councillors on Wednesday said the move to set up the BID had the potential to be positive for the town.

It said:

“The development of the Knaresborough BID is an externally led example of businesses coming together to seek to improve their trading environment to the benefit of all. 

“The development of Knaresborough BID represents an opportunity for the council to provide start up support for an initiative that has the potential to make positive changes to Knaresborough town centre and surrounding area.”

A trade union has said it still has concerns about young soldiers from around the country spreading covid when they return to the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

Unison North Yorkshire last week called for a halt to any new recruits joining the college until covid safety is guaranteed.

Shadow Armed Forces minister Stephen Morgan sought similar assurances after hearing there had been more than 100 infections.

The Ministry of Defence said fewer than 40 of the 2,000 personnel working and training at the college on Penny Pot Lane had tested positive for covid and none required medical treatment.

It added trainee soldiers would remain at the college over half-term.

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Union leaders welcomed the MOD’s statement but still have fears about the ongoing impact of the movement of recruits in January.

A spokesperson for Unison North Yorkshire said:

“The MOD has still not provided answers as to why they thought it was appropriate to move hundreds of young recruits to Harrogate from across the country during a lockdown.

“Thankfully the MOD have confirmed that none of the young soldiers are seriously ill with covid, but that is a point that we have never raised.

“We know that young, healthy recruits would not be expected to get ill. We also know that a third of people with covid do not have symptoms.

“Our concern is that our members come into contact with young people from across the country who may have covid, then our members are the ones who take it home to their families and communities.”

Junior soldiers returning to training last month were tested twice with lateral flow tests, which are used to test people who may be asymptomatic.

The MOD said those who tested positive isolated at a purpose built 96-bed accommodation unit for the mandated period of time.

A MOD spokesperson said:

“Fewer than 40 personnel at the Army Foundation College are isolating after testing positive for covid. None of these individuals currently require medical treatment and it is incorrect to suggest we are not coping with the situation.

“The British army takes the health and wellbeing of our personnel very seriously and have been providing lateral flow testing, robust social distancing and hygiene measures in place to protect personnel and prevent further infections.”

A further death from a patient who tested positive for covid has been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

It takes the total deaths since March to 128. NHS England figures show the death was reported yesterday.

The Harrogate district recorded a further 40 coronavirus cases today, according to Public Health England.

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The figure brings the number of cases across the district since the start of the pandemic to 6,692.

Meanwhile, the seven-day covid rate for the district has increased slightly to 177 people per 100,000.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 164, while the national rate is 266.

Tomorrow morning’s vaccinations at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon racecourse have been postponed due to the snow forecast.

North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said today people with appointments scheduled between 8am and 12.45pm will be contacted and booked in at the next available time.

However, appointments due for tomorrow afternoon are still due to go ahead as planned.

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The Ripon site is due to open this week.

Health bosses said the decision was taken in the interests of patient safety.

A statement from the CCG said:

“GP practices in the Harrogate district are currently in the process of contacting all affected patients directly and will be booking those patients in to the next available clinics.”

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is currently in place for the district between 10pm tonight and 11.59pm tomorrow, according to the Met Office.

A further 41 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 6,558.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has also fallen to 174 per 100,000 people.

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The county-wide rate stands at 170, while the national average is 308.

Meanwhile, a further death from a patient who tested positive for covid has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

It takes the death toll at the hospital up to 124. The death was recorded on January 28, according to NHS England statistics.

Harrogate district taxpayers could face paying a council tax bill of more than £2,000 this coming year.

Officials at Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are set to decide on their proposals in February.

In total, if approved, the final bill for the 2021/22 financial year would come tot £2,007.17 – a 3% increase on last year.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said there had “never been a more difficult time” to ask the public to pay more for council services.

Each authority has tabled an increase in its share and will vote individually on its proposal.

A breakdown of the potential council tax bill for Harrogate district in 2021/22.

Local town and parish councils will also levy a parish precept on the bill..

In Ripon, local councillors decided to freeze the precept for 2021/22 meaning residents will pay £71.89 to the city council.

Meanwhile, Knaresborough Town Council has agreed a 1.99% increase in its precept to around £25 for a band D property.

Uncertainty over council funding

The hike in council tax comes as local authorities face a strain on resources amid the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty over future funding.

Gary Fielding, corporate director of resources at the county council, told councillors recently that there “had never been more uncertainty than there is at the moment” for councils.

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Meanwhile, Cllr Les told an executive meeting of the county council that there had never been a tougher time for the council to make a decision on increasing council tax.

He said:

“I don’t think there has ever been a more difficult time for us to do this exercise.

“Never have our services been more needed, but equally never has the economy and society been under such pressure.

“So we really need to get the balance right between what we need to deliver in services and what the community of North Yorkshire can afford to pay for those services.”

He added that the council will continue to lobby government for fairer funding following a decade of cuts to local authority grants.

The pandemic has forced councils to think more carefully about finances.

So far, the county council has spent £80 million responding to covid. Meanwhile the borough council faces a £5.9 million cost due to losses in car parking and leisure centre revenue.

This has left officials proposing to hike council tax and dip into reserves to balance the books.

The county council plans to use £8.2 million of its own funds to offset a shortfall next year, but officials have warned it cannot continue to use its reserves in the long run.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will make decisions on their budgets next month.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 200 people per 100,000 for the first time this year — but the hospital is now treating a record number of patients.

The infection rate now stands at 189 people per 100,000. It had not been below 200 since December 28.

But the number of patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has increased to 57.

The figure is an all-time high since the pandemic started although no further deaths have been reported today at the hospital.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the hospital’s covid wards, tweeted today it had been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas and urged people to stay at home.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the covid wards (centre of the photo), said the hospital has been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas. Picture: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Health bosses said yesterday hospitals across the county were treating more people than in the first wave.

A further 43 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England. It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,517.

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