Police arrest five in Harrogate as part of national county lines action

North Yorkshire Police arrested five people in Harrogate as part of a national week of action to tackle county lines drug dealing.

The week started on Monday last week when officers stopped an 18-year-old man who was riding an illegal motor scooter.

Officers stopped him after smelling cannabis and seized 15 packages of the Class B drug.

They then arrested the man on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intent to supply before releasing him while under investigation.

Later that day officers arrested two women in their 30s in the Starbeck area on suspicion of possessing heroin with intent to supply. Again the suspects were released under investigation.

On Friday police arrested a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man on Jennyfield Drive after they earlier ran away from officers.

When the officers caught up with the pair, the officers seized ketamine, cannabis, £300 in cash and equipment police believe was being used for drug supply.

They arrested the two suspects on suspicion of possessing ketamine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis with intent to supply. They were released while under investigation.

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The activity was part of a national “week of intensification” led by the National Crime Agency that saw police forces across the country work to bring down drug dealers and safeguard vulnerable people.

Detective chief inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:

“This week’s action gives a glimpse of the work that goes on the target county lines drug dealing all year round.

“Thanks to these national weeks of action, we are able to draw on additional resources such as our British Transport Police colleagues, the Regional Organised Crime Unit and local partner agencies to tackle what is a major priority for us.

“In addition to enforcement activity, a major focus for North Yorkshire Police is protecting vulnerable people who are drawn into the world of drug dealing. Whether young people who are forced to sell drugs on behalf gangs. Or those who are forced to let drug dealers use their homes as a base for selling drugs in a form of exploitation known as “cuckooing”.

“It requires support from a number of agencies including local authorities, community safety partnerships, housing providers, charities, health workers and drug rehabilitation services. My thanks go to all the agencies who supported the week and for their ongoing efforts throughout the year.”

David Harewood confronts Earl of Harewood House over slavery past

Actor David Harewood sat down for a difficult conversation with the current Earl of Harewood House, whose family kept his four times grandparents as slaves.

The extraordinary moment was captured for a new Channel 5 documentary series 1000 Years A Slave, which aired for the first time last night.

Harewood House, an 18th century stately home near Harrogate, has been trying to take on the estate’s colonial past for more than 25 years.

In the TV programme Mr Harewood travelled to Barbados where he discovered the names of his ancestors, Richard and Betty.

He also discovered that they were slaves on a plantation owned by the Harewood Estate so set up a meeting with David Lascelles, the eighth Earl of Harewood.

The pair looked through the second Earl of Harewood’s account of slaves where Mr Harewood’s ancestors Richard and Betty were listed.

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David Harewood, who was the star of Homeland and Blood Diamond, told Mr Lascelles:

“So my great-great-great-great grandparents were slaves on your family plantation. This is a fine house on beautiful grounds but it was built on the proceeds of slavery.

“Do you feel any guilt or shame about that?”

In reply Mr Lascelles explained that he does not feel guilty for the actions of his ancestors but added that he is accountable:

“I don’t feel that feeling guilty for something that you have no involvement with is a helpful emotion. I think we need to take responsibility for our own actions.

“Although I do feel accountable. There is nothing you can do to change the past but you can be active in the present.

“What I am responsible for is what I try to do about that legacy. To try in a small way to make that a force for good today.”

In a statement after the programme aired a spokesperson for Harewood House said:

“The Trust and the Lascelles family have been at the forefront of acknowledging the estate’s colonial past for over 25 years.

“Being transparent about colonial history and ensuring the Trust hosts much-needed, and sometimes difficult conversations is vital to calling out racism, and to forging new connections with visitors and the communities of the cities and countryside around.”

Are you concerned about anti-social behaviour in Ripon?

North Yorkshire Police has launched a survey to try and tackle anti-social behaviour in Ripon.

The police have asked for as many people who live in Ripon as possible to respond so officers can decide on the next steps to take.

Ripon’s anti-social behaviour have been in the spotlight for well over a year. Ripon City Council sought to join forces with the police in November 2020 but the problem has persisted.

This survey comes just a day after a 21-year-old man was jailed for his part in a knifepoint robbery, which he carried out during the day outside the Ship Inn on Bondgate.

The robber threatened a teenage boy with a knife and said if he “did not hand everything over, he would be shanked”, York Crown Court heard yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police believe that anti-social behaviour is often caused by underage drinking so is working with Community Alcohol Partnerships on the survey.

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The survey asks residents for their views on alcohol related litter, young people drinking in public places, young people being rowdy and asking for adults to buy alcohol for them.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’re keen to hear your thoughts on the issues around young people and alcohol in your community.

“We’re working with the organisation Community Alcohol Partnerships to bring local partners together to discuss, tackle and protect our community from anti-social behaviour often caused by underage drinking.

“The first step in this process is to find out local resident’s views and thoughts on the issue so it’s really important we get as many people to take part in the survey as possible.”

Plans to plant 1,800 trees across Harrogate and Knaresborough

Harrogate Borough Council has outlined plans to plant around 1,800 trees in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The council identified Bilton Fields in Harrogate and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough as key places to increase canopy cover and biodiversity.

The new trees will form part of the new White Rose Forest project for North and West Yorkshire, which will be one of 10 community forests in England.

Government funding to the tune of £3.7m will enable 218 hectares of trees to be planted – 17 hectares of which will go to Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Oak, hornbeam, hazel, alder, cherry, crab apple and other native trees would be used if the council goes ahead with the project as planned in the 2021/22 planting season.

The tree planting season runs between November and March in the UK.

Harrogate Borough Council has opened a public consultation into the tree planting project, which has a deadline of November 7 for feedback.

The first White Rose Forest trees were planted in the Harrogate district last year in Nidderdale by the Rotary Club of Harrogate, Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Ashville College.

Another 150 covid cases in Harrogate district as rate reaches 734

A further 150 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours, according to the latest Public Health England figures.

It brings Harrogate’s total number of cases to 19,271 since the start of the pandemic. The district has a seven-day infection rate of 734 per 100,000 people.

The rate in the Harrogate district is the highest in Yorkshire and the eleventh highest in England.

Public health officials said today school pupils were driving the rapid increase in infections in the Harrogate district.

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Headteachers have been urged to bring back face masks and postpone after-school activities.

Despite the rise in infections, deaths and hospitalisations remain lower than previous waves with 15 covid-positive patients at Harrogate District Hospital on Monday.

According to the latest NHS data, the hospital in Harrogate has not reported any new coronavirus deaths today.

Harrogate district schools urged to bring back face masks

Schools in the Harrogate district are being encouraged to reintroduce face masks and postpone some activities after the district’s sharp rise in covid cases was linked to young people.

The district has the 11th highest infection rate in England, with cases rising most sharply among five to 19-year-olds.

Public health officials called an urgent press briefing today and revealed every headteacher in Harrogate had been contacted with the offer of extra support and advice.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director of education and skills at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“We are working to minimise the disruption to education by recommending that face coverings are worn in certain settings and on school transport.

“We have asked schools to consider the risk of mixing and for some out of school activities to be postponed until case rates are reduced.

“We would also ask that everybody at schools continue to conduct twice-weekly lateral flow testing and report their results.”

Attendance levels down

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, also said extra measures including no mixing of students at break times and moving parents evening online had been introduced.

Neil Renton, Headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School.

Neil Renton

He said of the school’s 2,100 students, attendance levels had fallen from 96% to 92% largely due to covid. Mr Renton said:

“Young people have been really pleased to be back at school – it has been very positive.

“However, we are seeing more cases at this point than we saw last year.

“Cases are higher, but the distribution to learning I would argue is lower because of the different rules about isolation.

“We have some staff who have been absent due to Covid, but not at a level to significantly disrupt provision.”

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At the start of term, all schools were advised by the government that face coverings were no longer routinely needed for staff or pupils, although they were still recommended in crowded spaces such as on school buses.

But the Department for Education also said schools could temporarily reintroduce bubble groups and face masks in communal spaces in areas with higher Covid rates.

45 district schools have covid

The Harrogate district’s weekly infection rate has been rising steadily since mid-September and currently stands at a record level of 733 cases per 100,000 people.

A total of 45 schools, colleges and early years settings in the district are currently dealing with at least one confirmed covid case.

Despite the rise in infections, deaths and hospitalisations remain lower than previous waves with 15 covid-positive patients at Harrogate District Hospital on Monday.

It was also announced at today’s briefing that the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate will reopen as a vaccination centre later this year to support the booster programme.

Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, has urged people to take up vaccines which are now available for 12 to 15-year-olds, as she also said everyone had a part to play in reducing the high infection rate.

She said: “The rate in Harrogate is higher than any of us would like it to be. No one at any age wants to catch covid so I want to reiterate some key messages.

“Washing your hands will not only help to protect you from covid, but also from other unpleasant things you do not want to catch this winter.

“Letting fresh air in is also hugely beneficial.

“The other big thing we can all do that makes a difference is to pop on a face covering. This is particularly important in enclosed and busy indoor areas, and on all forms of public transport.

“If you have symptoms, please isolate and book a test. It is still really important.

“And please come forward and get a vaccination. It is the best form of defence.”

Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine centre to reopen

A vaccination centre will reopen at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate amid surging covid cases driven by the transmission of the virus in schools.

An urgent press conference called today to address the Harrogate district’s high infection rate heard the Yorkshire Event Centre will be used to administer jabs again.

Currently there is no specific date for the return of the showground vaccine centre, which was last used in June. However, the meeting heard it will coincide with the “peak of the booster programme”.

Today’s meeting was convened hastily in response to the district’s seven-day coronavirus rate reaching 733 cases per 100,000 people.

It is the highest in Yorkshire and one of the highest in England.

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Rachael Durrett, head of communication and engagement at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said during the meeting:

“In response the Yorkshire Event Centre site will be stood up later in the year to cover the peak of the booster programme.

“There are also pharmacy sites that service the Harrogate area, including at Knaresborough. We will share a full list of pharmacy sites.”

‘Vaccine centre will not clash with events’

A spokesperson for the Great Yorkshire Showground said the vaccine centre will not clash with any of its existing events.

The vaccine centre will open in Hall 2 straight after the Christmas fair, which runs from December 2 to 5.

Green light for 1,000 solar panels on Harrogate Convention Centre roof

More than 1,000 solar panels are to be installed on top of Harrogate Convention Centre in a bid to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved its own plans for 1,077 solar panels on several buildings at the venue, which is the largest energy consumer of all buildings in the district.

The solar panels will save 24 tonnes of Co2 each year and be paid for with £375,000 of decarbonisation funding from the government.

Energy efficient lighting, air source heat pumps and insulation will also be installed at the venue, which hosted a business conference event as part of the first Harrogate Climate Action Festival on Friday.

A council spokesperson said:

“The grant is enabling the delivery of a fully-funded carbon reduction scheme, supporting the proactive delivery of our carbon reduction strategy and reducing the council’s annual carbon emissions by 70 tonnes per year.”

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Using cash from the same decarbonisation scheme, 420 solar panels and air source heat pumps will also be installed at the Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate in a move that could reduce the venue’s annual Co2 emissions by 577 tonnes.

Harrogate District Hospital also received £14m to reduce its carbon footprint by 25%, while North Yorkshire County Council was awarded just under £2m to improve the efficiency of its buildings.

How the solar panels will look on top of the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council is pushing ahead with plans for a potential £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre after warning it may not survive without major investment.

The 40-year-old venue was struggling financially before the pandemic and was used as a 500-bed NHS Nightingale hospital for almost a year.

It did not treat a single coronavirus patient and the facility was dismantled earlier this year.

Another covid death as case rates climb in Harrogate district

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another coronavirus death as case rates in the district continue to climb to new highs.

The patient died on Tuesday last week but the hospital reported the death today. It takes the hospital’s covid-related death total to 192.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

Public Health England said today another 147 people have tested positive for the virus in the Harrogate district.

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Case rates in the Harrogate district are so high that North Yorkshire County Council has called an urgent meeting to discuss them tomorrow.

The district’s seven-day rate is now 733 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 448.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Urgent meeting to tackle Harrogate district’s soaring covid rate

Public health officials are to hold an urgent press conference tomorrow to discuss soaring coronavirus rates in the Harrogate district.

The district’s seven-day rate is currently 723 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 436.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Richard Webb, the corporate director for health and adult services at the council, has urged people in the Harrogate district to think about hygiene. He said:

“Harrogate currently has amongst the highest levels of coronavirus in England. Please keep safe.

“And yes, wash your hands. Wear your face mask to protect others. Think about space and ventilation.”

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Covid case rates in the Harrogate district have been rising since mid September, when the rate was 372.

However, although the number of cases has risen sharply the number of coronavirus patients at Harrogate District Hospital has not risen in the same manner.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

No further details of tomorrow’s meeting have been made available.