Taxi fares set to increase in December

Taxi fares for hackney carriages in the Harrogate district are set to increase for the first time in two years.

Under Harrogate Borough Council proposals, the flag fall, or starting charge, will increase from £3.30 to £3.40 during the day and from £4.95 to £5.10 at night.

Also, 3% will be added to the fare for running miles and waiting time.

Rates will also increase for Christmas and New Year from £6.60 to £6.80.

The proposed increase will come into force on December 1.

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The last fare increase was in December 2018.

A council decision notice said:

“The setting of fares is a statutory duty placed upon the council and it is the council’s responsibility to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver.”

Taxi drivers called for the increase and said many drivers had lost work due to coronavirus.

In a letter to Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for safer communities, one firm, whose name was not disclosed, said:

“The taxi trade has suffered immensely during the coronavirus lockdown, with many experiencing little or no work whatsoever and certainly at present things are still far from being normal for the trade as far as income is concerned.”

Objections must be made by letter or e-mail to the council by November 19.

North Yorkshire ‘will be prepared’ for covid vaccine

Health bosses in North Yorkshire have said they will be prepared to rollout a coronavirus vaccine in December, if it is available.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which buys medicines for the county, said it was working with national officials to make sure plans are in place to offer the vaccine.

It comes as preliminary results of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine showed that it was 90% effective after being tested on 43,500 people.

Ms Bloor told a press briefing yesterday of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of agencies that tackle emergencies, there was “significant work” to do on the safety of the vaccine but the CCG would be ready for a rollout next month.

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She said:

“Although there is some uncertainty on timescales, we will be ready in December to deploy a vaccine if it is available.

“But it is likely that wider vaccination will take place after Christmas and into the New Year. Any vaccination that happens before Christmas would be for very vulnerable groups.

“We are planning to be ready for this with our partners.”

“Even when we do have a vaccine, we still need to observe any social distancing measures, lockdown measures and the guidance around hand washing and hygiene.”

‘Don’t contact your GP’

Ms Bloor urged patients not to contact GP practices about the vaccine as it is not available. She said once it is, the CCG will be “very clear about the process”.

The government has said that any vaccine will be offered to the public in phases.

The first phase will include people living and working in care homes, those over the age of 80, then over 75, over 70, over 65 and then over 60.

It will then be offered to adults with health conditions that put them at risk, before it is given to those over the age of 55 and then 50.

The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart.

‘Cautiously optimistic’

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, welcomed the preliminary results of the Pfizer vaccine.

Dr Sargeant said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the results but added there needed to be “long-term behavioural change” to overcome the virus.

He said:

“Any new drug or any new vaccine, the preliminary results are always going to be rosey for a variety of reasons.

“It is likely that when this vaccine is deployed fully that the effectiveness will be somewhat less than 90%.

“But it is still positive news, because it says that we have a vaccine that not only does the biology in terms of triggering the anti-bodies but in practice it can actually prevent infection.”

Meanwhile, a further 75 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the Harrogate district according to Public Health England figures today.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 3,178.

The seven-day rolling average rate of covid infections for the district has risen above 300 people per 100,000 for the first time.

The rate, which was 160 just over a fortnight ago, is now 307, which is above the England average of 254.

‘No intention’ of becoming mayor, says county council leader

One of North Yorkshire’s most senior councillors has ruled himself out of standing for mayor in the county after devolution.

Cllr Carl Les, 71, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret the position required a younger, energetic politician to bat for the county and lobby Westminster.

A key player in driving the county towards devolution and shaking up the structure of local government, Cllr Les said he hoped government would return with its preferred council model early in the new year.

In a wide-ranging interview, he stressed the need for investment in the county and his frustration at the delay in kickstarting negotiations with government over more powers.

“Every week that we delay putting to government is a weeks delay in getting the investment of the asks.

“We are falling behind in capital investment in this region.”

Shake-up of North Yorkshire’s councils

The biggest restructure of local government in the county since 1974 should take a further step in the New Year, Cllr Les hopes.

North Yorkshire County Council submitted its plan for a single council last Friday, while district leaders have tabled an alternative.

It means the ball is rolling and spells the end for the county’s seven district authorities and county council.

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Cllr Les said the government hopes to come back to the county with its preferred option early in the New Year, before it embarks on a 10-week consultation.

Creating a new authority is a prerequisite to devolving power from Westminster, ministers told council bosses earlier this year.

Cllr Les said both devolution and scrapping of the two-tier system go hand-in-hand. It remains the case that the government wants a single tier council before it offers a directly elected mayor and more cash. He said:

“I have not been told that that has changed.”

Frustrations over devolution

Before the county can receive any powers over such things as transport and housing, it has to submit a list of requests.

Known as the devolution “asks”, it kickstarts the negotiations between council leaders and ministers over a devolution deal.

The 140-page document, agreed by seven out of the nine councils so far, outlines £2 billion worth of spending power for the county.

But both Ryedale and Hambleton have yet to agree to table the plan to ministers.

While it does not technically require every council to agree, council leaders wanted each authority to support the bid. Cllr Les said the lack of consensus was frustrating.

“Every week that we delay putting to government is a week’s delay in getting the investment of the asks.

“We are falling behind in capital investment in this region and there will have to be a frank discussion on how long we can wait.

“The really frustrating thing is that we can understand someone’s reticence to sign onto something as a last chance, but this is only the start. There will be opportunities later in the process.

“Let’s just get on with it, we cannot just carry on dropping behind just because some people have reticence about it.”

No appetite to be mayor

While Cllr Les has pressed leaders on the need for devolved powers, he has no intention of stepping into the role of elected mayor that comes with it.

Despite being leader of the county council for five years, he said the role needs someone “energetic”.

He pointed to Ben Houchen, the 33-year-old Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, as an example.

At 71, Cllr Les said he felt he was capable of carrying out his current duties but not a new role as mayor.

He said:

“I have no intention of putting my name forward.

“You need a lot of energy to be leader of the council, but I know that I can carry off my responsibilities.

“You would need to be very energetic to take on that role.”

While he may not be interested in becoming mayor, he said he will consider standing as councillor on the potential new authority in the county.

Cllr Les said it is possible that he will be the last leader of the county council, but added it was too early to tell if he would be part of a new authority.

“I will reflect on it nearer to the time. Let’s take things one step at a time.”

Third covid death at Harrogate hospital since second lockdown

Harrogate District Hospital has reported a third coronavirus deaths since the start of the second lockdown.

According to NHS England statistics today, the latest death was reported on November 9 and follows two deaths recorded on November 5.

They bring the total number of deaths at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 91.

The number of covid patients in the hospital has nearly doubled since last week.

Today, county council bosses warned that North Yorkshire faces further restrictions after lockdown if infections are not brought under control.

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Currently the county is above the national average for weekly case rates, with 280 cases per 100,000 people.

The England average is 245.

Scarborough’s rate is the highest of the seven North Yorkshire districts at 463, with Harrogate second on 294.

According to Public Health England figures, the Harrogate district recorded a further 64 positive cases in the last 24 hours.

It takes the total number since the start of the pandemic to 3,103.

Meanwhile, it was revealed at a press briefing today that the permanent testing site on Dragon Parade, in Harrogate is testing on average 200 people per day. The number is up on 150 last week.

Harrogate council gives £31,000 to Welcome to Yorkshire

Harrogate Borough Council has today agreed to pay £31,472 to troubled Welcome to Yorkshire to help keep the tourism body afloat.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of the council, approved the sum at a meeting with council officers.

It comes as Welcome to Yorkshire faces a funding gap of £1.4 million amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The tourism body revealed the shortfall in July and wrote to council leaders in the county asking for support – of which around £450,000 was needed from authorities in North Yorkshire.

The organisation was deprived of £1 million in business rates after councils in North and West Yorkshire saw the pandemic reduce their income.

A further £400,000 shortfall was created when Welcome to Yorkshire suspended its membership fees.

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Now Harrogate Borough Council has followed North Yorkshire County Council, which has paid £290,000 in additional funding, to help bailout the organisation.

In a report before Cllr Cooper today, the council said it would fund the contribution from both its revenue budget and business rates retention reserve.

‘Positive projection’

Welcome to Yorkshire said failure to support it would reduce the “positive projection” of the county provided by the tourism body.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“This financial support will enable Welcome to Yorkshire to continue to support tourism in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district at a time when it is needed the most.”

Welcome to Yorkshire was hit by controversy when former boss, Sir Gary Verity, resigned in March 2019 on health grounds. He later faced allegations of bullying and inappropriately claiming expenses, which he denied.

Two inquiries carried out after Sir Gary’s resignation cost the tourism body £482,500.

Paul Scriven, a former leader of Sheffield City Council and a Liberal Democrat peer, told the House of Lords Welcome to Yorkshire had a “culture of toxicity” and misused public funds.

Covid patients in Harrogate hospital nearly double in a week

The number of patients being treated for coronavirus in Harrogate District Hospital has nearly doubled in a week.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed at a media briefing today 28 people were currently being treated in the hospital – an increase of 13 on last week.

Hospital admissions in North Yorkshire as a whole are increasing sharply and are now approaching the peak of the first wave of the epidemic.

Currently 252 patients are in hospitals run by the three main NHS trusts in North Yorkshire, compared with 302 at the height of the pandemic.

Areas of the county have seen a dramatic increase in cases, with Scarborough reporting a weekly rate of 464 per 100,000 people – more than double last week.

Harrogate district is the next highest on 294 and North Yorkshire as a whole is now above the national average of 245.

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Richard Webb, director of adult social care at North Yorkshire County Council, warned there was a risk the county could face tougher restrictions than pre-lockdown when the tier system resumes.

Mr Webb told the press briefing of the North Yorkshire Resilience Forum, a partnership of agencies which responds to emergencies, it was important for people to do “all they can” to tackle the virus in the next three weeks.

He said:

“In two weeks time, the government will receive the data on the impact of the lockdown and we will also be assessing our data.

“As North Yorkshire, we went into the lockdown as tier one and that was the lowest level of alert. 

“However, as we see the cases at the moment, we have a real concern that we will face tougher restrictions coming out of the lockdown than we faced going into the lockdown.

“That’s why it is really important that we do all we can together to tackle this virus.”

The England lockdown is due to finish on December 2. The government has said the country will then return to a tier system.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at the county council, welcomed the preliminary results of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer that has shown to be 90% effective in preliminary results.

Dr Sargeant said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the results but added there needed to be “long-term behavioural change” to overcome the virus.

Harrogate district misses out on mass coronavirus tests

North Yorkshire was not included in a government list today of local authority areas that will receive mass coronavirus tests, which deliver results in less than an hour.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced a batch of more than 600,000 quick turnaround test kits will be sent to 67 local authorities — about half of the total in England.

The first 10,000 will be sent this week and will be followed by further weekly allocations. Each area will decide which priority groups to test.

Some parts of Yorkshire, including Calderdale, Kingston upon Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire were included.

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But North Yorkshire was not on the list.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret council bosses will discuss tomorrow whether or not to bid to be included in the next phase of the mass testing programme.

He added the county would be a “good experiment” for the government because it is so big.

Cllr Les said:

“It would be a good area to prove a point, whether or not it would be a great benefit for North Yorkshire residents is another thing.”

The government said the areas chosen for the first phase of the rollout were based on locations with a “local prevalence of covid” and those that expressed an interest.

Liverpool pilot

Ministers rolled out the first rapid tests in Liverpool last week.

More than 23,000 people were tested in the city across 18 test centres, including Liverpool’s Anfield stadium. Of the number, 154 people tested positive.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said the rollout was designed to expand testing for those who are asymptomatic. He said:

“Last week we rolled out mass testing in Liverpool using new, rapid technology so we can detect this virus quicker than ever before, even in people who don’t have symptoms. Mass testing is a vital tool to help us control this virus and get life more normal.”

New bid to get rough sleepers off Harrogate district’s streets

Harrogate Borough Council plans to buy three houses in town to reduce the number of rough sleepers.

The government’s £105 million Everyone In scheme funded organisations that help rough sleepers during the first lockdown.

Now ministers have set up a new programme called Next Steps, which provides further funding.

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Harrogate Borough Council bid for £1,084,570 from the programme to help with short and long term interventions on rough sleeping in the district.

However, the government looks set to offer the authority £449,326 – nearly half the amount requested.

Once finalised, the council intends to use the funding to buy three former council dwellings to house those people at risk.

The authority has estimated the cost of purchasing the three homes will be £696,000, which officials say would be funded from both the grant and the authority’s housing revenue account.

Town centre locations

A report due before senior councillors on the the council’s cabinet today said the homes would be prioritised within the town area.

It says:

“The property purchases will be prioritised within the Harrogate town area In order to provide proximity to services for rough sleepers and that each potential purchase will be approved by the head of housing and property before an offer on each of the properties is made.”

Senior councillors have been recommended to delegate power to the head of housing to accept the the grants from government, subject to confirmation.

Local authorities were encouraged to house rough sleepers temporarily under the Everyone In initiative during the first lockdown.

The borough council housed people in hostels in the town, as well as in Leeds.

According to council figures, 29 rough sleepers in the district were taken off the streets, of which 10 are still being supported by the authority.

The Stray Ferret asked the council what has happened to the remaining 19 which were housed, but has yet to receive a response.

Reprieve for shoppers fined at Knaresborough retail park

Shoppers at a retail park in Knaresborough who were fined for parking in unmarked trolley bays are to have their penalty notices written off.

People using St James Retail Park received fines from management company, HX Car Park Management Ltd, after parking in bays that did not have the usual barriers, markings or shelter.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, wrote to the company following complaints from angry constituents.

Now the company has said all appeals will be accepted and markings will be put in place to distinguish the bays from parking spaces.

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In a letter to Mr Jones, the company said:

“As we only recently began issuing tickets through a self-ticketer, our client received a high volume of complaints due to drivers parking here previously and not being issued a penalty charge notice.  

“Consequently, our client requested that all appeals be accepted and no further tickets issued until markings have been put in place to state ‘no parking’.”

The Stray Ferret contacted HX Car Park Management Ltd for further comment, but did not receive a response.

In a post on his website, Mr Jones said he welcomed the move from the company to waive the fines.

He said:

“I was pleased to help several constituents with their appeals. Thanks to the parking management company for being sympathetic to the appeals that were made.  

“They could simply have ignored them and implemented the fines but they properly considered the evidence we put before them and chose a fair way or resolving the problem. Credit where credit is due.

“The letter does end with the warning though that when the bays are marked up then fines will start again so I would urge everyone to make sure they are parking legally to avoid a nasty shock when they get back to their car.”

Citroen car stolen in spate of Harrogate burglaries

Thieves stole a Citroen car from a driveway and took cash during a spate of burglaries in Harrogate last weekend.

Homes on King Edward’s Drive, Verity Walk and Fulwith Drive were targeted.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information on the three incidents, which happened between Friday and Sunday.

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Officers said it was unclear if the three burglaries were connected but have urged residents to be vigilant of any suspicious activity.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“The first occurred on King Edward’s Drive at some point between 6-8 November and involved car keys being taken from the house and a Citroen car taken from the drive, which was later recovered from Minskip. Ref: 12200196833

“A second burglary occurred at Verity Walk either in the evening of Saturday or early hours of Sunday when offenders attempted to gain access to a property but were unsuccessful. Ref: 12200196761

“A property on Fulwith Drive was targeted between 5–8pm on Sunday when suspects entered the home through a broken window and stole a safe containing a number of items and cash.  Ref: 12200196948

“At this stage it is unclear if these burglaries are connected but North Yorkshire Police advises Harrogate residents to be vigilant for any suspicious activity, strange vehicles in the area and individuals who seem out of place. If you have any information, CCTV or witnessed any of these incidents please call 101  and quote the relevant reference number above or email: Elizabeth.Estensen@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk“