A man has been fined for breaching coronavirus regulations in Harrogate during the third national lockdown two years ago.

Thomas Boston, 33, initially denied a charge of having two or more people in a property on Coppice Drive, Harrogate, on the evening of February 27, 2021.

England was placed into a third lockdown on January 5, 2021.

Police charged Boston with having six people in his flat after responding to reports of breaches of the coronavirus regulations.

At a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday, the court heard Boston, who gave his address as Ripley Road, Knaresborough, had changed his plea to guilty.

Magistrates fined him £872.

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Mojo in Harrogate has had its bid to stay open until 6.30am approved by councillors.

Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, has submitted the licensing request to Harrogate Borough Council for the Parliament Street bar In January.

It includes amending the permitted sale of alcohol from 11am until 4am to 11am to 6am each day of the week.

The proposal would also see the permitted hours for regulated live music, which is currently 11am until 4.30am, changed to 11am to 6am the following morning Monday to Sunday.

The opening hours would be 11am until 6.30am.

A council licensing committee approved the proposal this morning.

Martin Greenhow, managing director of Mojo, told councillors that part of the reason for extending the hours was so the business can recover from the covid pandemic.

He said:

“One of the reasons that we’re here asking for these extra hours is that the business has found challenges since we have returned.

“We have accrued an awful lot of debt in just getting through lockdowns.”

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The chain already has three bars in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool which are open until 6am.

The committee also heard that Mojo has never had enforcement action taken against it or had a licence revoked.

However, David Birtles, a resident who lives at Harrogate House on Parliament Street, objected to the extension.

He said:

“I do not want to be picking my way with my four-year-old grandson through urine, vomit and broken glass as left on our entrance doorway to the street on a regular basis.”

Officials from Mojo said the concerns over anti-social behaviour and late night disturbance were addressed as part of the licence conditions.

The licence will be reviewed in 12 months time.

The move to extend the hours at Mojo comes three months after nearby Viper Rooms, which had opening hours until 4.30am, closed last month.

Best Bar, which is also on Parliament Street, applied to extend its opening hours to 6.30am on Fridays and Saturdays last month.

A plan to convert the Athelstan Court office block in Ripon into 16 flats has been approved.

Site owners Athelstan Court Ltd proposed the scheme to convert the building, which has stood empty for 10 years.

The building on Kearsley Road lies within the College Business Park. It was previously used as offices by the Inland Revenue.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved the scheme.

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The developer said the proposal to convert the site into housing would regenerate the current building.

It said:

“It is considered that the proposal would complement the area, and significantly enhance the character and visual amenities of the surrounding area, by regenerating a vacant building.”

A Follifoot disabled riding club is celebrating six of its volunteers reaching 30 years of service.

Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group, which was established in 1986, has helped more than 100 riders from children to adults enjoy the benefits of horse riding.

The charity now has 120 volunteers who help those who are disabled to ride.

This past week, six of the group’s volunteers were awarded certificates for reaching three decades of service.

Beryl Fleming, one of those who reached the milestone, said:

“It is a real pleasure volunteering here and so rewarding to see the progress that our riders make and the fun that horse riding gives them.”

Morag Bennett, chair of the riding group, said:

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity and we are lucky to have so many people willing to give up their time to help our riders.

“To have served for 30 years is a remarkable achievement and shows amazing dedication for which we’re very grateful. 

“We are also fortunate to be based at Follifoot Park Riding Centre, with its excellent facilities and continued support.”

For more information on the group and how to get involved, visit the charity’s website here.

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A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in four weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

While the move throws up questions over council tax and economic development, perhaps the first thought on residents’ minds is who is going to collect the bins?

In this article, we will explain what this means for waste collection and disposal in the district.

Who currently collects my bins?

At the moment, Harrogate Borough Council collects household bins across the district.

Waste collection staff employed by the borough council collect bins on a weekly basis.

This includes garden, general and recycling bins.

What about waste disposal?

Disposal of waste is currently a responsibility for North Yorkshire County Council.

It is responsible for household waste recycling centres, including those on Wetherby Road and Pennypot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Lane in Ripon.

The county council also oversees the Allerton Waste Recovery Park near Knaresborough, which recycles and converts biodegradable waste to biogas.  

What will happen on April 1?

On April 1, the borough council will no longer be responsible for waste collections as it will not exist.

Instead, North Yorkshire Council will take over the responsibility and bins will be collected as normal.

Staff who currently work for the borough council on waste collection will move over to the new authority.

The new council will also be responsible for the running of household waste recycling centres in the district, as well as Allerton Waste Recovery Park.

Residents may not notice much change in their collections. However, for council bosses, the idea is that the transition to the new authority is smooth.

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Harrogate Borough Council has defended installing new bins in Burton Leonard after concerns it is “oversized”.

The council installed the bin on the village green last month as part of changes to waste collection.

More than 250 of the facilities have been put in place across the district, with a further 450 to come.

Council officials said the new bins are able to be collected by waste vehicles, which means more time can be spent on litter picking.

However, residents have said the bins are not wheelchair accessible, are “eight to 10 times” bigger than normal bins and appear unsightly.

Burton Leonard Parish Council objected to the plan to install the bin.

It said:

“The parish council objected on the grounds that the proposed bins would appear incongruous in a conversation area. Other parishes objected on similar-grounds.”

A borough council spokesperson said:

“We want to ensure litter is kept to a minimum across the Harrogate district.

“The new litter bin infrastructure allows street bins to be emptied by our waste vehicles so reducing resource requirements, miles travelled and the associated carbon emissions.

“Meaning we can spend more time litter picking and keeping the district clean and looking its best.

“There are ongoing discussions with the parish council on the final location of one of the bins installed and we will work with them to find a satisfactory solution.”

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The incoming North Yorkshire Council is to bid to government for accreditation to create a new countywide tourism body.

The authority intends to apply to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership — which will replace Destination Management Organisations following a review by ministers.

The new body would be responsible for promoting tourism in North Yorkshire and attracting events.

David Caulfield, assistant director for tourism and economic development at North Yorkshire Council, said the new organisation would also help to form a “Yorkshire-wide” tourism strategy.

He said:

“There may be four, or five, of these which eventually form a Yorkshire-wide approach. These LVEPs must be strong private/public sector partnerships and will need to follow the new national process to be eligible for any government funding.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us in North Yorkshire to play to our strengths, while maintaining a strong regional identity at the same time. It will also be one of the key aspects of the new council’s economic strategy.

“All of the current destination management organisations across North Yorkshire are already working closely on this project, pooling their knowledge and expertise to ensure we have the strongest possible proposal.”

The council intends to hire consultants at a cost of £20,000 to help support the bid.

Mr Caulfield said this would form a “small part” of the bid, with the majority of the work being carried out in-house.

Questions over Destination Harrogate

The move towards creating a county-wide tourism organisation raises further questions about the future of Destination Harrogate, the current Destination Management Organisation tourism organisation for the district run by Harrogate Borough Council, which is being abolished in four weeks.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a council meeting last month the government review would likely mean only destination management organisations from cities or large regions will be able to receive funding from central government.

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She suggested Harrogate would have to amalgamate into a wider, yet-to-be created North Yorkshire destination management organisation to qualify for the funding.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last month that Harrogate Borough Council spent £2,224,000 on Destination Harrogate in its first year operating — almost a million pounds more than budgeted.

Borough council chief executive Wallace Sampson told councillors the new authority could look to “identify savings” with Destination Harrogate after it is handed control of the organisation.

He added:

“[Destination Harrogate] is a discretionary service and against the background of a challenging financial environment for the new council, every discretionary service will be subject to financial scrutiny.”

Mr Sampson warned of the possible pitfalls of Destination Harrogate being merged into a county-wide tourism body, which he suggested could dilute the focus on individual places.

He said:

“From a Harrogate point of view we have Destination Harrogate that has a really strong focus on place branding and marketing and that helps to attract visitors. 

“The key question will be — can you retain the focus on individual places in North Yorkshire?  It’s something the new council will have to grapple with.”

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

The future of farming is set to be debated at an event in Harrogate.

Future Farmers of Yorkshire are set to hold a debate at the Pavilions of Harrogate on Monday, March 8.

The event will focus on whether the industry can carry on farming as it has done for decades.

Among the panelist for the event will be Nikki Yoxall, a grazier from Aberdeenshire, who has an interest in collaborating with other landowners to help regenerate land.

She said:

“All farmers work to annual cycles, and being so connected with the seasons is one of the perks of the job. However, if we continue to do the same things at the same time as we have always done, in a climate that’s changing and in the face of market volatility, it stands to reason that we will come unstuck. 

“As our climate, society and ecosystems become more dysfunctional and unpredictable, we will have to look to shifting our collective mindset to one where we embrace regeneration, restoration and our capacity to adapt.”

Ms Yoxall will be joined on the Spring Debate panel by Alastair Trickett, who runs a mixed arable and sheep farm near Leeds .

Farmers Doug Dear and Bradley Sykes are also on the panel which will be chaired by Farmers Weekly Editor, Andrew Meredith.

For more information on the event, visit the Future Farmers Eventbrite page here.

Women’s business group to host networking event in Harrogate

A women’s business group is set to host another networking event in Harrogate.

Ladies Who Latte (LWL) is free to attend and is open to all women who are in employment, own a business or are starting a business.

Following a well attended meeting last month, the group is set to host another event at the Lilypad restaurant on Kings Road on March 8.

Sarah Shaw, a European strategy consultant who co-founded the group, said:

“Everyone enjoyed the relaxed, friendly atmosphere and no pressure to sell yourself or your business. 

“It was great to meet so many women from a range of fantastic businesses, and it’s fitting that our next meeting coincides with International Women’s Day.”

Meetings are held between 9.30am and 11.30am on the second Wednesday of every month at Lilypad Restaurant on Kings Road. 

It is a drop-in event with no pre-registration and those who attend can then join a closed Facebook community for further promotion and networking opportunities.

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A former Harrogate Army Foundation College instructor has been sentenced after being found guilty of sexual assault.

Cpl Simon Bartram stood trial at Catterick Court Martial Centre in January.

He was found guilty of eight counts of disgraceful conduct of a cruel or indecent kind and one count of sexual assault.

The offences took place over a nine-month period between 2020 and 2021.

He was sentenced to 20 months detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre and five years on the sex offenders’ register.

Cpl Bartram was also dismissed from the armed forces.

The Stray Ferret approached the Ministry of Defence for a response to the case, but it did not respond.

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Children at a school near Ripon were among thousands nationwide to dress up today for World Book Day.

Pupils and staff at Fountains Church of England Primary School, which is at Grantley, came to lessons dressed as their favourite characters from a range of books.

The children also swapped books with each other as part of the celebrations.

It comes as pupils across the district have celebrated the day, which aims to promote reading for pleasure among children.

Staff at the school get into the spirit.

Do you have any pictures from your school celebrating World Book Day? Send them to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook.

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