Harrogate could become a haven for renewable energy and some villages could even come off the grid and power themselves, according to the managing director of a local energy firm.

Mike Kaye, managing director of Energy Oasis, said the Harrogate district could make greater use of solar panels and wind turbines.

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Renewable energy is a big issue at the moment: Harrogate Borough Council aims to have a net zero-carbon economy by 2038. Pressure groups, such as Extinction Rebellion, have been campaigning locally for more to be done to combat the climate emergency.

Reducing wasted energy will be essential to achieving these aims.

Small villages, such as Marton-cum-Grafton, are ideally placed to come off the grid completely, according to Mr Kaye.

“It would be difficult to take the whole of Harrogate off grid but there are some small villages which could power themselves quite easily. It just takes some solar panels and wind turbines. That way you have power generating all year round. I think that with enough political will the whole of Yorkshire could become carbon neutral in a few years.”

Mr Kaye added that more energy-efficient council buildings would save the taxpayer millions of pounds each year.

His firm has already replaced the lighting at the council’s Springfield Avenue car park, which Mr Kaye claimed saved £14,000 a year.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, has praised the new rainbow tribute to key workers above the Stray’s cabman’s shelters.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Jones revealed a private donor and local electrical firm had paid for the tribute.

He then called for a debate on how to celebrate the efforts of key workers.

“Our key workers have kept the nation going throughout lockdown and I want to see local and national celebration of that,” he said on Thursday.

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The tribute to key workers in Harrogate.

In response, Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats tweeted the MP had “made a career out of refusing our key workers the pay rise they deserve”.

They added: “Many feel unwelcome in the country they call home. But sure, we all love rainbow lights.”

The government dealt an indoor play centre in Harrogate a devastating blow in its coronavirus update today.

Kidzplay Harrogate has kept a keen eye on the lockdown easing throughout hoping for the green light.

Owner Lisa Mee has been putting on the pressure and even attended a demonstration in London yesterday alongside others in the industry.

However, this morning Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that while most industries can now open indoor play centres and night clubs cannot.

Lisa Mee told The Stray Ferret that it was “devastating” to hear that she cannot reopen and questioned the logic behind the decision.

“I think, based on the conversations I’ve had with others in the industry, it’s the end of indoor play. If we were in Scotland, Wales or Ireland we would be able to open. I don’t understand the logic.”

The Stray Ferret has approached government press offices and Andrew Jones MP to ask about extra support for Kidzplay Harrogate but had no reply.

Kidzplay Harrogate will have to close without a government u-turn.

Nidderdale Museum had planned to reopen next month but many of its volunteers are self-isolating or shielding.

Without its regular supply of volunteers, it will likely stay closed until October and even then just on weekends for three hours.

The museum had put in a one-way system and pause points as well as hand sanitising stations and a self-service contactless payment system.

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Now the museum has launched an appeal for volunteers between 16 and 69 years old. They have asked volunteers to get in touch before August 8.

Sue Welch, chairman of the Nidderdale Museum, told The Stray Ferret:

“There are various other museums in Yorkshire that are saying they are likely to have the same problems because many of their volunteers are over 70. I am afraid it is a known issue. People that volunteer are often older people and particularly museum volunteers. Although this is an immediate need we are hoping it will bear fruit for the future as well.”

The government gave the museums the go-ahead to reopen from July 4. However, many may be in the same position as Nidderdale Museum.

Nidderdale Museum had been working towards an exhibition celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Markets and Fair Charter to Pateley Bridge but may need to delay until 2021.

The owner of a Harrogate indoor play centre has demanded the government gives her business the green light to reopen.

Lisa Mee runs Kidzplay Harrogate, which has been closed since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

She has made every effort to make her play centre safe for children to return but indoor play centres are one of a few industries in England still closed.

Today is the 120 day point since the closure. To mark the occasion Lisa travelled down to Westminster to demonstrate and to Downing Street to hand in a petition.

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Nearly 20,000 people have signed the “Rescue Indoor Play” petition which claims that the government has overlooked children in its decisions.

Standing just outside Downing Street Lisa Mee told The Stray Ferret:

“Children between one and five years old are low risk when it comes to coronavirus. But when we keep them in isolation they are high risk for social and emotional development. A one-year-old came to the centre recently. They have spent half of their life with their parents and nobody else and they really struggled meeting other people, I fear for their future.”

Today is the 120 day point since the closure.

Lisa Mee also fears for the future of her business. With no concrete date of when she can reopen Kidzplay she could potentially have to pay some big bills going forward.

She managed to get a government loan but with the furlough scheme coming to an end she faces a £30,000 bill for her 30 staff. Without further help, Lisa may need to make some tough decisions.

Residents in North Rigton say they will continue to fight council plans to build more homes on their street.

The battle started in 2006 when Harrogate Borough Council planned to demolish all of the garages in Brackenwell Lane for more homes.

Harvey Alexander, chairman of the North Righton Community Association, said they managed to get the council to partially back down then.

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They argued that the space in front of the garages is the only turning point and the grass there is also where kids play.

Years later Harvey says the council has broken its promise to leave the area alone. He fears that, if the development went ahead, it would also create a “nightmare parking” situation.

“You can see how crowded the street is at 6.30pm and it gets worse later on. It’s going to be a parking nightmare. The council are going against the promise they made back in 2006, it is frustrating. This would cause chaos, there are plenty of other places to build homes. We don’t have the amenities.”

Six garages could be demolished for development.

The council has proposed to demolish the six-car garage to erect two dwellings on Brackenwell Lane, losing ten car parking spaces in total.

Currently, there is no date for the council to make its decision on the development. The Stray Ferret approached Harrogate Borough Council for a comment but did not receive a reply.

Commuters travelling between Harrogate and Leeds will be able to get a new smart ticket for discounted travel from today.

It is a step towards a London-style contactless payment system and comes as part of Transport for the North’s (TFN) drive to update public transport.

The new season tickets are available on Northern and LNER services. They give passengers 10 unlimited travel days for the price of nine valid for six months.

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TFN plans to roll the scheme out on further routes. A Transport Focus survey found that over a third expect to work from home with limited travel to the work place.

TFN hopes the new tickets with a flexible season pass will work well for those workers.

Jeremy Acklam, TFN director of integrated and smart travel, said:

“Now more than ever, due to the impact of coronavirus on our travel habits, passengers need safer, better value and more convenient ways to pay for public transport. Flexi seasons will provide this for thousands of passengers.”

This is part of the £150 million integrated and smart travel programme. The next stage proposes to deliver more contactless payment technology across the North.

Nidderdale’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is under threat from an invasive Himalayan plant.

Those that look after the beauty spots have tried to keep them under control but have now appealed to the public to help cut them back.

Himalayan balsam is infamous for its impact on the health of river banks and wildlife. Its explosive seed heads spread very easily.

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The plant overshadows native plant species and causes widespread erosion of river and canal banks. It leads to flooding and the suffocation of fish eggs.

Iain Mann, Nidderdale AONB manager, said:

“We have a dedicated team of consultants, contractors and volunteers surveying and removing the offending plant. It may just seem like a plant but biosecurity is important to protect against the invasion and needs to be taken seriously.”

Nidderdale’s AONB team is working on three water bodies in Upper Nidderdale to remove the plants. It is part of a healthy rivers project, funded by a European Union grant.

Himalayan balsam has large, pink flowers shaped like a bonnet. Photo: Elizabeth Bishop

The public can notify the team of Himalayan balsam on a national database through the plant tracker app that can be found here.

Although people can remove them if it is on their property it may be best to leave the plant to the experts as it could spread further if done incorrectly.

North Yorkshire’s Police (NYP) Federation has said that officers cannot force people to wear face coverings in shops.

The prime minister warned people yesterday that they could be fined up to £100 for failing to wear a covering or facemask from July 24.

Shopkeepers saw a visible increase in people wearing facemasks today following on from the announcement but worry that some may refuse.

If that happens it seems there may be problems with who will enforce the rules.

The Stray Ferret spoke to the local police federation and shopkeepers who said they will not be able to force people to wear face coverings.

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Rob Bowles, chair of the NYP Federation, said:

“I think it would be incredibly difficult for officers to police this. It is just impossible and impratical. North Yorkshire Police do not have the resources to make people wear face coverings in shops. When the lockdown fines came in place there was a lack of clarity back then. It just created tensions.”

Graham Jack, one of the owners at menswear shop G23, said:

“I can’t see it being an issue. If people come in the shop they will have to wear a face mask and if they don’t have one we will provide one. It will put some people off shopping, I am sure it will.”

Gavin Longreach, the manager at jewellers Hugh Rice, said:

“It’s interesting that it’s not for retail employees to enforce these measures. I don’t know why someone would come into the shop without a facemask when it’s there to protect you. We have lots of measures in place here to protect our customers and I think it gives them confidence.”

Clare Nelson, manager at menswear shop Porters, added:

“I would feel uncomfortable telling customers to wear a facecovering. If a big group of lads were to walk in without them I don’t think I would be able to tell them to wear one. It might put people off coming into the shop. I don’t think we would be able to enforce this.”

Care homes in the Harrogate district have now reported more than 100 coronavirus deaths among their residents. It is a grim milestone for the local care sector.

The latest ONS data, which only accounts for deaths up to July 3, revealed that there have been 104 deaths. That number is where coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate.

It is different from the NHS England data from hospitals where the deaths are only added to the tally when coronavirus is deemed to be the cause of death.

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• No coronavirus deaths reported in Harrogate for six days

Currently, Harrogate District Hospital has recorded 81 coronavirus deaths. That is according to NHS England data from yesterday.

This new ONS data revealed that there have been four extra deaths at the hospital. That difference is where coronavirus is on the death certificate but not necessarily the cause of death.

It also revealed that there have been five deaths at homes, one death at hospices, and two more deaths at “other communal establishments.”