A Knaresborough man has fined after admitting charges of hare coursing in East Yorkshire.
Shane Hooton, 31, appeared at Beverley Magistrates Court on Monday (October 9) for sentencing.
He was charged with trespass and going equipped to trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs.
Hooton, of Thistle Hill in Knaresborough, was caught along with three other men, John Langan, 37, Joseph Foster, 35, and Dean Adams, 27, by Humberside Police coming off private farmland at Leven in East Yorkshire on December 23, 2022.
They were in possession of running dogs without any permissions to be on the land.
In court, Hooton was fined £500, issued with £85 cost and a £200 victim surcharge.
He was also given a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order which included conditions around the control of dogs, not being on private farmland without permission and a complete ban on entering Humberside.
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Langan, of The Hawthorns, Great Ayton, was sentenced to a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He was also given a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order with the same conditions at Hooton.
Foster, of Manton Crescent in Worksop, was sentenced to a £500 fine, £85 costs and £200 victim surcharge.
Adams, of Hebron Drive in Stokesley, failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Speaking after sentencing, sergeant Kevin Jones of the rural task force at Humberside Police, said:
Harrogate hospital postpones 41 operations due to strikes“This Humberside Police’s first suspended prison sentence for hare coursing offences, our longest Criminal Behaviour Order of 10 years and fines and costs totalling over £1800.
“It certainly sends out a message that such offences are taken seriously by the criminal justice system and will not be tolerated by Humberside Police.”
Harrogate District Hospital postponed 41 operations as a result of last week’s consultants and junior doctors strikes.
Members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association and British Medical Association walked out from 7am on Monday, October 2, until 7am on Thursday, October 5.
Both junior doctors and consultants held the industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed 41 outpatient appointments were cancelled across a range of hospital services due to the walkout last week.
A spokesperson for the trust added:
“These have been re-arranged as a matter of priority. We are in discussions with six patients to confirm new dates for their operations.”
The trust confirmed that internal and bank staff were used to cover the strikes.
Bank staff are temporary workers who agree to work flexible shifts with a hospital trust. Some trusts keep a record of their own bank staff to call upon for shifts.
However, a trust spokesperson added that a total figure for the cost of staffing will not be available until the end of the month.
It comes as Harrogate hospital has been hit by numerous strike action this past year.
Between April 1 and August 31, junior doctors and consultants have staged multiple walkouts with some lasting as long as 48 hours.
The Stray Ferret reported last month that the trust spent £923,000 on staff cover for industrial action in the same time period.
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Business Breakfast: Harrogate estate agent expands sales department
The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8am to 10 am.
The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
A Harrogate estate agent has expanded its sales department with two new appointments.
Verity Frearson, which is based on Albert Street, has hired Katie Dolamore and Fiona Moore as its new sales negotiators.
Katie joins the team after spending 16 years as a primary school teacher, while Fiona has worked in both lettings and sales at a local estate agents.
Matthew Stamford, director at Verity Frearson, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Katie & Fiona to the team.
“Although this year hasn’t been without it’s challenges, we’re optimistic that the Harrogate market will continue to be resilient.”
Harrogate law firm to host mock menopause employment tribunal
A Harrogate law firm is to hold a mock employment tribunal to help employers understand legal claims which could be made by employees going through the menopause.
LCF Law, which has an office on Station Parade, will host the free event at Hays Recruitment’s Leeds city centre office on Thursday (October 12).
The demonstration aims to show employers how a tribunal works and to teach them the types of claims that someone going through the menopause may be able to bring and how they might be defended.
James Austin, partner and employment lawyer at LCF Law.
The session will also cover how to treat an employee if they are going through the menopause, and how to make sure supportive steps are taken, which will help to minimise the number of claims bought against a business.
James Austin, partner at LCF Law, said:
“The mock tribunal will see an employee, who feels she has been discriminated against because she is going through the menopause, bring a claim against her employer.
“We will go through each step of the legal employment tribunal process and attendees will be able to ask questions of the ‘witnesses’ and help decide the outcome of the case.”
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Brimhams Active forecasts £330,000 loss after leisure centre delays
Brimhams Active is forecasting a £330,000 loss at the end of the year due to delays in opening new leisure centre projects in the Harrogate district.
The company, which is wholly owned by North Yorkshire Council, operates leisure facilities in the district.
Its sites include Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre, the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon and Nidderdale Leisure and Wellness Centre in Pateley Bridge.
According to a council report, the company is forecast to record a £330,000 loss by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
The shortfall is attributed to the delayed openings of both the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre and Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre which has “negatively affected trading projections”.
Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre
The £13.5 million Harrogate scheme on Jenny Field Drive was due to open in January, but did not do so until September.
The Knaresborough facility, which is set to cost £17 million, was scheduled to open at the end of summer but is now not due to welcome customers until November.
A council report said:
“The delayed opening of two facilities, Harrogate Leisure and Wellness and Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness, has been brought about by construction delays and has negatively affected trading projections for the remainder of the year.”
However, the report added that income from the reopening may reduce losses before the end of the year.
In an interview with the Stray Ferret last month, Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, admitted the delays at the sites had been frustrating.
However, he said the benefits of the investment would soon be felt across the district.
He said:
“We will have an estate that will be the envy of North Yorkshire. The investment that’s gone in is unprecedented and significant.”
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Audi stolen from driveway in Ripon
A car has been stolen from the driveway of a property in Ripon.
North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened on Clotherholme Park, which is off Lark Lane, between midnight and 3.30 am this morning (October 10).
The rear door of the house was damaged and the suspect removed a set of keys.
A white Audi A5 five-door hatchback with the registration FX69 UCG was then stolen from the driveway of the property.
Officers have asked the public to keep an eye out for the stolen vehicle and appealed for any CCTV or doorbell footage that may help the investigation.
A police statement added:
“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email Sam.Clarke2@northyorkshire.police.uk .You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Sam Clarke.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230192125 when passing information.”
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Long-term roadworks as Harrogate office block refurbished
Work on Station Bridge in Harrogate looks set to continue indefinitely as a major office block is refurbished.
Construction work is being carried out by HACS to refurbish and redevelop Copthall Bridge House.
Businesses operating in the premises were told to vacate the building in November 2018.
A proposal to re-clad the ground floor and repaint the upper floors was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in November last year.
The application, which was submitted by a company called Rural Offices LLP, said the plans would help to “assist in attracting occupiers which will further enhance the area”.
It added:
“The building has been vacant for some time and the applicant in keen to see in brought back into active use as quickly as possible.”
As a result, one lane on Station Bridge has been closed and the footpath next to Copthall Bridge House has been closed.
According to North Yorkshire Council’s roadworks map, a notice of the works runs until April 2, 2024.
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Knaresborough and Ripon picked to advance double devolution bids
Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon City Council have been picked to advance double devolution bids, which will see them take control of some local assets.
North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.
It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.
In total, 12 expressions of interest were submitted to the council. Of these, three were from the Harrogate district.
The authority has now confirmed it will move forward bids from Knaresborough and Ripon, but Little Ouseburn’s proposal was rejected.
David Chance, executive councillor for corporate services at the council, said:
“Town and parish councils are integral to our county’s vibrant communities, alongside community groups, and we recognise their understanding of the needs, opportunities and strengths within their communities.
“That’s why we are looking at this pilot scheme, working initially with selected town and parish councils, enabling us to progress cautiously, learning from the experience and developing best practice.
“These proposed pilots are just the start of the process, and the hope is that more will be introduced throughout North Yorkshire in the future.”
Ripon City Council bid to control assets including the market place.
Knaresborough Town Council’s application to manage the town’s markets, storage facility and associated assets such as road closure signs will be progressed to a full business case.
Meanwhile, the council will consider a project team to work with Ripon City Council on its bid as it was deemed “particularly ambitious”.
It included management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.
However, the council rejected to take a bid from Little Ouseburn Parish Council further. It included management of the grass cutting of the green area outside Broomfield Cottages.
Senior councillors will consider recommendations at an executive meeting on October 17.
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Ripon timber yard to be demolished for 13 homes
Plans to build 13 homes on a former Ripon timber yard have been approved.
Red Tree Developments tabled proposals to demolish the buildings on the former NY Timber site off Trinity Lane and replace them with houses.
The site was home to a timber yard from 1860 to 2018.
The plans would see 13 two-storey, two- and three-bedroom homes built.
North Yorkshire Council has approved the proposal.
It comes as a government planning inspector rejected a similar plan by Red Tree last month over concerns that the scheme did not have sufficient ground investigations and about the impact on nearby heritage assets.
However, in documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council in May, the developer says the new application addresses the reasons given for refusing the previous plan.
The developer said:
“The 13 proposed dwellings are all designed as two-storey dwellings, mostly with rooms in the roof and will have no adverse visual impact upon views from any angle in the area. The scale of the proposed dwellings is entirely appropriate within the context.”
Red Tree bought the 0.64-acre plot, which is adjacent to the listed buildings, Holy Trinity Church of England Junior School and St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church, from Cairngorm Capital for an undisclosed sum in 2020.
In a previous planning application, the developer said the timber yard, which is not listed, must be replaced due to its “poor state of repair”.
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Business Breakfast: Harrogate law firm recognised in 2024 Legal 500 Guide
The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8am to 10 am.
The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
A Harrogate legal firm has been included in the 2024 Legal 500 UK Guide.
Raworths, which is based on Station Parade, has been recognised in the publication in eight legal specialisms.
Among the areas included are the firm’s trusts, wills and estates team being ranked high in the Yorkshire region.
Carmelita Ardren, head of family, and Rachel Tunnicliffe, head of trusts, wills and estates, are both listed in the elite “Leading Lawyers” group.
Simon Morris, managing partner at Raworths, said:
“We’re delighted to once again be recognised in the Legal 500 Guide. It’s particularly pleasing to see our inclusion across so many specialisms, recognising the quality of the services we provide for our clients, both businesses and individuals.”
Harrogate bloggers win industry awards
Three Harrogate-based bloggers were recognised at the Yorkshire Blogger Awards.
Held at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds, the event sought to recognise digital talent across the region in 16 categories.
Winners at the Yorkshire Bloggers Awards.
Harrogate bloggers Luke Christian, Ella Davis and Lydia Chandler all picked awards in the disability, interiors and wedding categories.
Kim Smith, spokesperson for the Yorkshire Blogger Awards, said:
“The Yorkshire Blogger Awards recognise the powerful digital talent that the county has to offer.
“We’re proud to award some of the most inspiring and forward-thinking content creators, each based here in Yorkshire.”
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Harrogate Cat Rescue launches urgent funding appeal
Harrogate Cat Rescue has launched an urgent appeal for funding as it can no longer take in rescues until further notice.
In a post on its Facebook page, the centre said it was “bursting at the seams” with cats and kittens in rescue and no longer had space or funds to take more.
It added that it had 84 kittens which it had taken in 44 of which required neutering and vaccinating.
The rescue centre relies on adoption fees and financial donations to cover costs such as vet bills.
However, adoptions from the centre have been “extremely slow”.
It said in its post:
“The majority of our adoption requests are for young kittens, however, due to a lack of enquiries, a lot of the kittens (especially the black and white ones ) are growing up in care and becoming of an age that is not popular, taking up essential foster space needed to help those cats and kittens that desperately need it and using funds allocated for vets bills for their care.
“Your support over the last four years, has meant we have been able to give homes to over 800 cats and kittens.”
The centre, which was set up in 2020 by Celia Dakin, has appealed for donations as little as £1 a month.
It added:
“Small donations all add up and more of those will hopefully ensure we are never in this situation again.”
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