Police appeal after naked man ‘performs lewd act’ in Knaresborough

North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal after receiving reports of a naked man performing a “lewd act” in Knaresborough.

Officers said the man was seen by a family walking who were through the grounds of Mother Shipton’s Cave at 4pm on Wednesday (August 12).

He was spotted by a member of the family standing on a hill and, seconds later, they realised he was performing a lewd act.

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A police statement said:

“On realising he had been seen, the naked man walked off into some bushes.

“The man is described as white, aged in his 60s, around six foot tall, of slim build, and possibly had grey hair.

“Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or has any other information that could assist the investigation, to contact them.”

Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for PC Stephen Bromley, or email Stephen.bromley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Yorkshire councils battle for support over devolution visions

Battle lines have been drawn between political leaders in North Yorkshire over which route to take on local council reorganisation with both sides lobbying in opposite directions for support.

County council bosses want a single council to serve the county and its 610,000 residents and sit alongside City of York Council as part of a devolution bid.

But, in the other camp, the districts, led by Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper, are seeking support for an alternative proposal to put to government.

Simon Clarke, local government minister, made local government reorganisation a requirement ahead of a York and North Yorkshire devolution bid.

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In a reflection of the political divide over the future of the county, both sides have started to pump out public statements in an effort to drum up support for their visions.

County council sets out its stall

Recently, the county council has put out statements showing support for its plan from other local authorities and one from the local government minister which said a unitary authority would be “within scope”.

On Tuesday, county council bosses released their latest effort to drum up support for their proposal with an endorsement from Durham County Council chief executive, Terry Collins.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Durham became a single council after scrapping its districts 12 years ago. Mr Collins said such a move for North Yorkshire would work as there is “no other way of operating”.

He added that the council has been able to have “strong and effective localism” through its parish and town councils, who have their own plans and deal with their own priorities.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the endorsement shows that the county council plan would be local and not a remote authority from parts of the county.

He said:

“It will be a far cry from the remote ‘mega council’ portrayed by detractors.

“We welcome Durham’s endorsement of our plan at this time. We know our people and our places, we deliver some of the best services in the country right into people’s homes and on the roads outside their front door and you don’t get more local than that.”

The district’s alternative proposal

But, on the other side of the fence sits the districts who have described the proposal for one council as “unworkable”.

The seven district council leaders launched their own campaign on Yorkshire Day for an alternative plan to the county council and are currently seeking comments from the public.

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In a letter to businesses in the Harrogate district seen by the Stray Ferret, Cllr Cooper said the proposal for one council would be “bad for business and bad for the economy”.

He added that the move to scrap the borough council would lose the connections with the authority and local business.

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council Richard Cooper.

Cllr Cooper said to business leaders:

“The council has been at the heart of the coronavirus response, working to support business recovery and releasing c£50 million in business grant aid. 

“We were only able to do this quickly and at scale because of our knowledge of our local economy, our close links with local businesses, and our long experience of delivering grass-roots services.

“It is essential that we do not lose these valuable qualities in the coming local government reorganisation, as I hope you agree.”

The battle being fought in public by the two camps will heat up as authority leaders edge closer to the deadline for proposals to be submitted to government in September.

As the devolution “asks, which propose a £2 billion deal for York and North Yorkshire, are also submitted, attention will turn to government which is expected to outline its devolution white paper next month.

Harrogate hospital receives £527,000 to upgrade A&E department

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has received £527,000 in funding to help increase capacity at Harrogate hospital’s accident and emergency department.

The money comes as part of a £300 million funding pot announced by the government for hospital trusts across the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 117 trusts will be granted the extra money to prepare for winter and further outbreaks of coronavirus.

A total of £53 million has been handed to 21 trusts across the North East and Yorkshire, with Harrogate receiving £527,000.

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As part of the funding, hospital bosses in Harrogate said the money will go towards modernising the A&E department and improve other facilities such as x-rays.

Jonathan Coulter, director of finance and deputy chief executive at the hospital trust, said:

“We’re really pleased to have received this investment. It will go towards modernising our emergency department at Harrogate District Hospital, giving us enhanced capacity ahead of winter.

“It means we will be able to adapt our space to better facilitate social distancing. The money will also go towards improving our diagnostic facilities, including x-ray provision.

“Hospital staff are currently working very hard to provide safe care for patients in environments which we’ve carefully had to adapt and reorganise as a result of the pandemic. They’re doing a brilliant job. 

“This money allows us to properly invest and will put us in a better place before winter.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, said the money will help to put the hospital in a good position ahead of winter.

He said:

“Winter may seem a long way off but planning ahead is essential if we want our NHS to cope with the additional pressures that cold weather brings. In addition to those seasonal pressures we can expect the covid-19 pandemic to still be with us although hopefully in a much reduced and more contained way.

“Our local NHS services are highly-rated by users; our staff are talented and dedicated professionals praised by the Care Quality Commission as outstanding for their caring approach. We need to ensure that facilities like A&E match the public expectation and the professionalism of our staff.  This investment will enable that expectation to be met during a time of peak pressure.

“So while we hope for the best this winter, it’s right that we plan for the worst. This funding to upgrade A&E across the trust will ensure that we are in the best possible position for the challenges that the winter months may bring.”

County ‘way off’ lockdown but ‘stay vigilant’, says public health director

North Yorkshire’s director of public health has called for people to remain vigilant despite the county being “way off” a local lockdown.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant said the average number of cases of coronavirus in the county remains low, with areas like Harrogate averaging around 10 cases per week.

Currently, 736 cases have tested positive in the district, with 2,601 in the wider county according to Public Health England figures.

But recent local lockdowns in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale have raised concern that similar measures could be taken in the county

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A local lockdown was imposed in parts of West Yorkshire following fears of a second spike in coronavirus infections. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the prevalence of the virus was “likely to be rising” in England.

But Dr Sargeant said the county is “way off” the rate of cases compared with areas on the government’s watchlist, such as Barnsley. The rate of cases in North Yorkshire is currently at around 420 per 100,000 people, but the South Yorkshire town is nearly double that at 821.

However, Dr Sargeant told the Stray Ferret that people should remain vigilant despite the low number of cases. He said:

“We have to be vigilant because things can change rapidly and it does not take much to import cases from areas like West Yorkshire.

“A lot of this is in people’s control and the virus itself has not really changed. The same things we need to battle it has not changed.”

It comes after, last week, figures from Public Health England showed an increase of six cases in the Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby area.

But Dr Sargeant said an increase in testing and the council’s track and trace system has led to the authority tackling cases early.

For him, the method of tackling the virus locally was to test aggressively and investigate further.

Dr Sargeant added that knowing who you are spending time with was a good way of avoiding the virus. He said:

“If you can confidently recount who your contacts are then that is a good start. I would not be confident if you did not know who they were.”

Person dies on train line between Harrogate and Leeds

A person has died after emergency services were called to an incident on the train line at Weeton this afternoon.

British Transport Police (BTP) said they were called following reports of a casualty on the tracks, but the person was pronounced dead at the scene.

A statement from BTP said:

“British Transport Police were called at 3.02pm on August 10 to an area of railway in Weeton following a report of a casualty on the tracks. Officers attended, but sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”

Northern Rail has said that services may be cancelled or delayed due to the incident at Weeton.

Northern said on its website that the disruption could continue until 5pm. Replacement coach services are being organised.

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It said:

“All services between York and Leeds (via Harrogate), in both directions, are currently being disrupted due to emergency services dealing with an incident on this line.

“An estimate can not yet be given as to when normal services will resume.”

North Yorkshire retains seat at West Yorkshire health scrutiny board

North Yorkshire councillors will still be able to scrutinise hospital services used by residents who travel to West Yorkshire for care.

Cllr Jim Clark, chair of North Yorkshire County Council, has agreed two seats at the West Yorkshire Joint Health Scrutiny panel which scrutinises health services in the region.

Health scrutiny panels look at the hospital services in a region and hold hospital bosses accountable for their performance.

Patients in North Yorkshire often require hospital care in Leeds, such as treatment for strokes.

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Cllr Clark said the move would allow patients from the Harrogate district to still be represented on the panel and to properly scrutinise the services offered.

He said:

“This is very good news because we want to make sure that we have the authority to scrutinise services that are not provided in North Yorkshire.”

It comes as health services in North Yorkshire have seen a shake up this year. In April, the county’s three clinical commissioning groups in the county merged to create the North Yorkshire CCG.

CCGs are responsible for planning and commissioning care in a local area.

The move comes as part of measures by NHS England bosses to reduce the number of CCGs across the country from 191 to 134.

Six cases of coronavirus confirmed in Harrogate district

Six cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate District this past week, according to Public Health England figures.

The data has been released by government on a localised map which shows the number of cases at a neighbourhood level across the country.

Between July 27 and August 4, six cases tested positive in the Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby area.

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However, data for areas where fewer than two positive cases have been reported is not included.

So far, 733 cases have tested positive in the Harrogate district from the start of the pandemic with 2,591 in the wider county.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the prevalence of the virus is “likely to be rising” in England and delayed some lockdown easing measures.

Meanwhile, fears of a second spike in areas such as Greater Manchester, Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford led to Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, imposing a local lockdowns.

Council leader threatens to expel person who leaked report to The Stray Ferret

Harrogate Borough Council’s leader has threatened to expel the leaker of confidential cabinet report which detailed the financial state of the town’s convention centre.

Cllr Richard Cooper told a meeting of the full council last night that if the leaker was found to be from the ruling Conservative group, he would expel them and call on them to stand down from the council.

It comes after a report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned HCC, which is subsidised by taxpayers, “will not survive” unless councillors approved an investment project and detailed the dire financial state of the venue. The leak is now being investigated by the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson.

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Cllr Cooper called for a commitment from Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Pat Marsh, to also expel any member of her group if they were found to have leaked the document.

He said:

“I think it is important that as leaders of groups we demonstrate that we do not support leaking of confidential information, particularly when the information damages the economy of the district.

“I have already told members of my own group that if the chief executive’s investigation reveals that one of them leaked these reports I will be expelling them from the Conservative group and calling upon them to resign from the council completely.”

Cllr Marsh agreed to the council leader’s commitment to expel the leaker if it is found to be a Liberal Democrat.

Tamsin O’Brien, the editor of the Stray Ferret, said:

“The report leaked to us contained information about the financial situation of Harrogate Convention Centre – it was not a matter of national security, but of taxpayers’ money.

“With a decision of this magnitude, which could lead to almost £50m of public money being spent, it is important that the public are given full access to the information behind the decision. The fact that the report was leaked demonstrates the level of concern around such a decision and how important it is for the public to be kept fully informed.

“It is vital that media organisations can scrutinise the actions of authorities and hold them to account, on behalf of taxpayers. The leaked report enabled us to give the public the full picture of the situation facing Harrogate Convention Centre, shining a light on the parts the council did not want people to know.”

Last night, councillors voted to spend £1 million on feasibility studies and design fees ahead of a potential £47 million investment in the HCC. The money will be spent ahead of a two phased redevelopment of the venue and a report on the business case for potential investment will return to the council at a later date.

Most of the £1 million cost would be borrowed, though council officers said that no sources of funding have yet been identified.

The Stray Ferret has a portal for contacting us anonymously and sending us confidential documents. We are grateful to anyone who gives us information of public importance. To find out more, click here.

 

5 lessons to learn from devolution in Tees Valley

Amid the debate around devolution for North Yorkshire and whether the county should have an elected mayor, one area that is frequently brought up is the Tees Valley.

The region is the closest example of a devolved authority to North Yorkshire and serves a population of 701,818.

Since 2017, the area has operated with elected Conservative Mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, and combined authority to make big decisions on areas such as transport, employment and housing.

So what lessons can North Yorkshire political leaders learn from neighbouring Tees Valley over devolution?

Turnout for Mayoral election was poor

Just 21.3% of voters turned out for the election – a mere 1% more than had turned up to vote for the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner the year prior.

The result suggests a lack of engagement and understanding of the newly created mayor position, despite the governments insistence that devolved powers require one.

Mayor Houchen was elected to serve a three year term, but coronavirus has pushed back elections until 2021.

From there, mayoral elections will take place every four years.

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Houchen declines mayoral tax

The introduction of directly elected mayors to local government comes with a need to fund them.

As a result, mayors can introduce a precept to council taxpayers known as a “mayoral tax” which funds the office and what it does.

However, the move has proved to be controversial and a number of new mayors, including Andy Street in Birmingham and Dan Jarvis in Sheffield, have ruled out introducing the precept in their areas.

Ben Houchen has done the same in the Tees Valley and pledged not to charge ratepayers any extra for his work.

Mayoral development corporations

Most of the powers given to devolved authorities are around areas which create jobs and boost the economy.

Among the biggest powers that a mayor has is to create a mayoral development corporation which can buy, sell and hold land in a defined area.

Mayor Houchen made creating the South Tees Development Corporation one of his decisions while in office.

It became the first of its kind outside of London and has already purchased land at the former Redcar steelworks, which was closed by former owner Thai-based SSI in 2015.

While there are only four corporations currently operating in England, more can be expected and may prove to be vital for areas in need of economic growth and regeneration.

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Buying back an airport

Devolved authorities have a single pot used to invest in skills, transport and other investments.

Whatever a Mayor wants to invest in has to have the agreement of his cabinet and this was best demonstrated when Mayor Houchen made bringing back Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership his key manifesto pledge.

The airport was losing £2 million a year and Mayor Houchen bid £40 million for the airport in what proved to be a tricky decision for his cabinet.

The cabinet, five of which were Labour council leaders, found the investment difficult to back in what they described as a “vanity project”.

However, the deal was eventually agreed last year and the Tees Valley Combined Authority purchased a 75% stake in the airport and rebranded it Teesside International Airport.

More powers

Securing a devolution deal for the Tees Valley was the first step in reclaiming budgets and key decisions from Westminster.

Now that it has powers over transport and regeneration, Mayor Houchen wants more and has set his sights on health and social care budgets as his next target.

Mayor Houchen told Teesside Live in January that he wanted powers similar to Greater Manchester where the combined authority has control over its £6 billion health and social care budget.

Council approves Harrogate Convention Centre £1m spend

Harrogate borough councillors have voted to spend £1 million on design costs ahead of a potential £47 million investment in the town’s convention centre.

A meeting of the full council approved the spend as part of a planned phased renovation of the nearly 40-year-old centre.

The money will be spent on feasibility studies and professional fees for design ahead of a two phased redevelopment of the venue. A report on the business case for potential investment will return to the council at a later date.

Most of the £1 million cost would be borrowed, though council officers said that no sources of funding have yet to be identified.

Meanwhile, a confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret last week warned the centre “will not survive” unless councillors approved the project.

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But some councillors from the surrounding district said the investment would not benefit their towns.

Paula Lorimer, director of the convention centre, said that it was important that the council “looked forward” and invested in the HCC.

She said:

“The district has had a taste of what it would be like without a convention centre

“Many businesses rely on us and many jobs will be created as part of the convention centre.”

Graham Swift, cabinet member for resources, said he understood that some people were concerned about coronavirus but added that the plan would consider the future.

He said:

“I know that some councillors have expressed some concern around that.

“But this business plan has made it clear that the future plans will be in consideration of that fact that the world will be in a different spot.”

But Cllr Pauline McHardy, independent Ripon councillor, told the full council meeting that areas outside of Harrogate will be “short changed” by the move.

She said:

“I think you can flower this up as much as you want, this is the first step to spending £47 million.

“There is going to be a large amount of money that the council tax payers are going to have to find.”