Independent traders in Harrogate have warned council chiefs to “stop playing poker” with the town centre and put the local economy first as it faces a crisis.

In a mission statement posted to local politicians and business chiefs, Independent Harrogate set out its stall and called for cheaper car parking, cleaner streets and better public transport.

It also called for a park and ride system, better rail links and for the town to be marketed to prestigious retailers in order to thrive again.

Among the issues the trade group said the town faced was a drop in footfall, a loss of independent shops, high cost of trading and lack of people coming into the town centre.

Independent Harrogate said the High Street had already seen national retailers such as H&M leave and now independents were following due to high rates and rents above the national average.

It warned that the town is in a “very delicate” state and any ill-conceived plans would “risk terminal damage” to the economy.

In order to address these problems, it said the town needed better access, an increase in appeal and regeneration in order to bring back the footfall.

The statement said: 

“HBC and NYCC officially adopted the Harrogate District Local Plan in March 2020.This plan was first drafted in 2014, in a time before Harrogate felt the full effects of the national damage to the High Street, and before COVID-19.The plan proposes far-reaching changes to Harrogate including increased pedestrianisation, the reduction of car traffic and an increase in cycle access

“Independent Harrogate is broadly in favour of many of these initiatives in the longer term. Who could not fail to be enthused by the images of al fresco dining, tree-lined streets and grand gateways? Our 200 members also worry about climate change and increasing pollution and would in due course like to see substantial changes, but they do so against the hard reality of running profitable businesses which are the lifeblood of the community where we all live and work. Everyone needs to understand that Harrogate has no guaranteed right to survive, let alone reclaim its place as a jewel in Yorkshire’s crown; any reduction of access to the town centre in the short term is suicidal.

“As Independent Harrogate has long warned, there is a crisis in Harrogate town centre. We urge both HBC and NYCC to stop playing poker with their precious asset, to listen to their business rate payers and to address the damaged fundamentals of Harrogate before proceeding with their long-term vision; and then do so in consultation with Independent Harrogate’s members and all businesses who trade there.”

North Yorkshire’s highways chief has defended a council decision to widen pavements in Harrogate district town centres and said the measures are only temporary after criticism from some traders and on social media.

Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, said the measures are designed to help social distancing and not to discourage shoppers.

The authority placed cones out to widen pavements and restrict parking in Harrogate on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street and elsewhere in the district.

After questions over why only some streets had cones, Councillor Mackenzie said the measures were implemented to target “pinch points” where footpaths were too narrow and needed to be widened to comply with two metre social distancing guidelines.

He added that, while the order that covers the restrictions is in place until September, it could be lifted before then if national guidance allows.

Councillor Mackenzie said: “The restrictions are only temporary and once we are past this pandemic the bollards will be taken down.

“They are not to stop people from coming into the town. We have had support for these measures.”

He added that he has asked council officers to look into a web facility where people can suggest other streets which the authority should look at.

It comes as the restrictions were met with fierce criticism on social media and had mixed reactions from trade bodies which represent businesses in Harrogate.

Harrogate BID welcomed the news but called for clear parking signage for drivers, but Independent Harrogate said it was disappointed with the measures and urged the county council to rethink its decision.

On Facebook, the move was criticised by residents and described as a “waste of money” and “totally unnecessary”. Others said the widening of pavements was reasonable and had been implemented elsewhere in the UK.

Meanwhile, the restrictions have been removed from Pateley Bridge after the measures caused problems with traffic.

The new measures caused problems with traffic in Pateley Bridge this past weekend.

Cones were put in place up the town’s High Street but caused issues on the already narrow street, including forcing an ambulance to reverse in order for traffic to pass.

Keith Tordoff, chairman of the Nidderdale Chamber of Trade and local business owner in the town, said the restrictions were “ill thought through” and “caused havoc”.

“Everybody knew it was going to cause problems,” he said.

“It made Pateley Bridge look busier than it was. It clearly was never going to work.”

Residents in the Harrogate district have had a debate online over parking restrictions put in place in town centres to enable social distancing.

People took to social media to comment on the issue, with some saying it was “totally unnecessary” while others said it was reasonable.

North Yorkshire County Council has put the restrictions in place on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate and elsewhere in the district.

Council officials said the measures are designed to enable social distancing and will be in place for four months. The authority also confirmed on Twitter that the parking bays will be closed on the weekend.

But some people in the district said they were concerned that the restrictions would impact local business in town centres.

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On Facebook, Sara Spencer said: “It seems to me that it is now acknowledged that the chances of catching it outside are negligible. This is therefore totally unnecessary. It is just an excuse to effectively pedestrianise the road and damage businesses even more.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Bellamy said: “Totally stupid action and a waste of money and time by the council.”

Robin Irwin said: “Absolute lunacy. Public know the risks, we should trust them more instead of totally killing our economy. Last one out turn off the lights.”

Others said the restrictions were reasonable and would be eased in time. Dave Hay said on Facebook that the measures have been put in place elsewhere in the UK.

He said: “A host of towns and cities around the UK have done the same. Seems quite reasonable. Others have included pop up cycle lanes too. The added width and bike lanes are allowing people to get a bit of exercise where most shops are still closed. I’m sure they’ll ease off when shops reopen.”

The restrictions have also been put in place in Knaresborough High Street, Pateley Bridge High Street and Ripon High Street and Skellgate have been reduced in width to a single lane.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of NYCC, said in a message to residents:

“We are doing our best to limit crowds in those places where lack of space is particularly concerning such as Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and Harrogate.

“We are closing a number of streets, shutting certain car parks and suspending parking in a number of areas. We will also have highways crews looking out for any issues of concern over the weekend and ready to take the action open to us, to respond.”

Trade associations in Harrogate have given mixed reactions to parking restrictions put in place in the town to enable social distancing.

Harrogate Business Improvement District welcomed the measures but said it was important that clear signage was put in place to indicate where people can park, while Independent Harrogate called on the county council to rethink the measures.

North Yorkshire County Council has put the restrictions in place on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate and elsewhere in the district.

Sara Ferguson, acting chairman of the Harrogate BID, said the town still needed to welcome people coming in cars despite the restrictions.

She said: “Whilst we welcome the measures put in place to assist social distancing in Harrogate town centre, it’s imperative that there is clear signage indicating where there is parking.

“As shops start to reopen from June 1, the last thing we want is returning customers being put off coming to Harrogate due to inadequate parking spaces in and around the town centre.

“Because people will understandably be cautious about travelling by public transport, we need to take this into account and not punish car users, but welcome them.

“There needs to clear signage on the main approaches into the town as well as within it, plus information on both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Councils as to which streets and carparks are open. We will gladly carry this information on our website too, and promote it regularly via our social media channels.”

Meanwhile, Independent Harrogate said that it was disappointed that the restrictions had been put in place and called for a rethink on the measures.

A spokesperson said: “Independent Harrogate feels we should be encouraging visitors to the town, not discouraging them if businesses are to survive. We are all working hard behind closed doors implementing procedures that will keep our customers safe, ready for when the government allow restrictions to be relaxed.

“Harrogate needs to send out a message that we are open for business and will be pleased to welcome you.

“We feel the new restrictions could be dangerous for pedestrians too! For example, the parking bays on James Street and Albert Street are ipso facto – a pavement. These areas are full of pot holes and Appy Parking road-pods, which may be extremely hazardous for disabled and partially sighted visitors and customers.

“We would urge NYCC to think again about their recent parking restrictions and work with us, together we can work out how to encourage visitor and customers back into the town centre and not discourage them.”

After the first four weeks of lockdown, The Stray Ferret reported on the activity of our two MPs and what role they were playing in tackling coronavirus. We had struggled to establish exactly what they’d been doing.

It’s now eight weeks since lockdown, the country has faced its biggest ever public health emergency, and we have asked them to tell us more about their activity during this time. Again, we did not receive an answer, so here is what we know based on information publicly available.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate- here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• He posted one news story on his website in the last four weeks. It urged businesses to plan for when lockdown eases.
• Mr Jones tweeted three times in the last four weeks. None informed his followers of what work he was doing in Harrogate.
• He has no Facebook page to update his constituents on his community work.
• He chaired the first virtual meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee on April 21 and chaired another meeting on May 5.
• Last week, he said publicly that people should not get complacent because lockdown is being eased.
• Mr Jones offered to deliver leaflets and food on behalf of the Harrogate Easier Living Project. The charity confirmed that he did that last week.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon- here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith has posted no news stories on his personal website about his work during lockdown. His last post was in January.
• He does include links to government guidance as part of an advice section on his site.
• On Twitter, two of his 62 tweets since April 20 have been about his constituency – one about Ripon barracks and another on a hardship fund for farmers from the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
• Mr Smith posted five times on his Facebook page in the past four weeks to promote the government’s coronavirus bounce back loans. The others were the same Ripon and DEFRA related posts that he made on Twitter.
• He asked a question at Prime Ministers Questions on May 13 where he called on the government to bring an end to rough sleeping in the UK.
• Mr Smith has held telephone surgeries for his constituents throughout lockdown.

What would you like your MP to being focusing on as we ease out of lockdown? Here’s what a number of people from both constituencies asked.  Have you been in touch with your MP? Have they been helpful? Get in touch with us and tell us how.

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

National Trust venues in the Harrogate district will remain closed to the public this weekend.

It means that Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, Ripon, will not be open for people to travel to as the trust plans a gradual reopening of its attractions in the coming weeks.

People are able to travel anywhere in the country to find a park or beach as the lockdown has been eased, but the trust said its decisions to open its venues will be guided by local judgement.

As part of the easing of lockdown restrictions, the trust plans to reopen some of its larger car parks for its attractions from May 21 to those who have pre-booked places.

People will be able to book parking spaces for venues on the National Trust website from Monday (May 18). Members will be able to book for free, but non-members will have to pay.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire Water confirmed that car parks at reservoirs across the district will still be closed this weekend.

Earler this week, the company warned that people should not travel to its reservoirs, such as Fewston and Scar House, until it has a plan to adapt to government guidance.

It comes as the head of Yorkshire Dales National Park hit out at the government after it gave the green light for people to travel to beauty spots.

Union bosses fear jobs could be under threat at leisure centres across the Harrogate district as the council plans to create a new company to run the services.

Harrogate Borough Council has proposed to create a new company, which it would own, to run leisure and community centres in the district.

The authority said the plan would help to save around £400,000 a year by bringing in more income and making savings.

It comes as the council has estimated a £15 million shortfall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

The Turkish Baths, Harrogate.

Known as a Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC), staff who currently work in leisure and sport would be transferred over from the council to the new company.

Some 200 workers would fall under the LACC, but Unison said it feared those staff would not necessarily be on the originally agreed terms and conditions as with the council.

It added that a number of staff have already been redeployed to support other services during the coronavirus pandemic, such as waste and recycling, and now have concern over their original roles because of the council’s plan.

A spokesperson for Unison Harrogate Local Government Branch said:

“Unison are aware that Harrogate Council is currently consulting with residents about its proposal to convert its sport and leisure service into a Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC), which it will own.

“Whilst the council says that by doing so it could do more with sport and leisure and innovate the way it works, there should be no doubt that the aim will be to reduce costs and save money.

“Staff who move over to the new company would not necessarily be on the nationally agreed terms and conditions as those in the council they leave behind and our experience of other LACC’s tells us that cuts to terms and conditions but also to real term pay, often occurs soon after.

“Currently, there are a number of sport and leisure staff who, due to the coronavirus lockdown, have been redeployed in to other services, such as refuse and recycling, who are continuing to give their all for the community.  

“They now see their real jobs under threat and this is a big concern for them.

Harrogate Borough Council declined to comment.

The authority is currently consulting with residents on the new leisure company. You can fill out the survey here.

Flaxby Park Ltd has launched a judicial review into the controversial decision to build a major extension to Green Hammerton.

After a bitter debate over where to build thousands of new homes in the east of the district, Harrogate Borough Council formally adopted its local plan in March and took the decision to build at Green Hammerton.

The local plan was backed by the government’s Planning Inspector, Richard Schofield, despite a long fought battle from residents in Green Hammerton who argued strongly that it was not required.

It will see up to 3,000 new homes built and extended into nearby Kirk Hammerton and Cattal.

But residents of Green Hammerton said the better option was to build the homes in Flaxby, while land owners in Flaxby agreed that the village’s disused golf course would be a good site for new houses.

But the council went ahead and adopted its plan and now faces a review over whether its decision was lawful or not.

Flaxby Park Ltd, the developer behind the Flaxby site, confirmed it has launched a judicial review into the decision but could not comment further at this time.

Chris Eaton, co-chair of the Keep The Hammertons Green Action Group (KTHG), said residents will get behind the review. He said:

“KTHG produced evidence-based and persuasive arguments that demonstrate that a new settlement is not required and, if even if it were, there are better locations, such as at Flaxby Park.

“We were most disappointed with the inspector’s report on the examination of the Harrogate District Plan that was published in January 2020.

“KTHG said at the time that we do not agree with or accept those parts of the Inspector’s report which relate to the requirement for a new settlement and the selection of its location in the broad location of Green Hammerton and Cattal.

“We are not surprised to hear that the potential developers of the Flaxby site are mounting a legal challenge and we shall follow the matter with great interest.”

What is a judicial review?

A judicial review is when a claimant asks for a review of a decision made by a government body or local authority.

The review looks at whether or not the decision made was lawful and followed the right procedure.

If it is found to be unlawful, it could mean the decision has to be made again.