Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has urged people to back the long-running bid to improve the River Nidd as it enters a key period.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has opened a consultation on 27 applications for bathing water status, including one for the Nidd at the Lido in Knaresborough.

If successful, the Environment Agency will be obliged to undertake measures to improve water quality at the Lido, which would impact the rest of the river,

Conservative MP Mr Jones, who has led the campaign, submitted the bid to Defra in September.

More than 30 farming groups, parish and town councils, businesses and environmental groups have supported it.

They include Lido landowner Frank Maguire, the chief executive of Yorkshire Water, nearby Conservative MPs, nearby businesses including Blenkhorn’s Boats and the Watermill Cafe and parish councils representing Pateley Bridge, Birstwirth, Bewerley, Little Ribston, Scotton and Lingerfield, Hampsthwaite, Kirk Hammerton and Moor Monkton.

Mr Jones (left) and Knaresborough Lido owner Frank Maguire.

Mr Jones said

“It is good that our bid for bathing water status has reached the next stage.  We need to demonstrate strong support for the bid and so I encourage residents and businesses to take part.

“If we achieve bathing water status that means the Environment Agency will put in place plans to address water quality problems at the Lido which will have benefits up and downstream from the site.”

He said Yorkshire Water had already committed £180 million to reduce the operation of storm overflows in addition to £147 million already committed in its business plan, and added that according to the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, water run-off from farmland is the biggest Nidd pollution factor.

Mr Jones said:

“I know that local people are behind the bathing water bid but we need to show Defra that this is the case and we need to do so right now because of the tight deadline for this consultation.

“The site is ideal. There are plenty of local facilities on site, the landowner is supporting the case and the site is well-used recreationally. The consultation is short and if you need more information about the bid it is available online.  We only have until March 10 to give our views so we need to act quickly.”

Details on how to take part in the consultation are here.

Main image: a photo from Mr Jones’ Defra submission showing people at the Lido in June last year.

Read more:

• Environment secretary ‘impressed’ by River Nidd bathing water bid
• Rivers Nidd and Ure named among UK’s most polluted rivers
• Tories and Lib Dems clash over River Nidd water quality

Pat Marsh has resigned her seat on North Yorkshire Council after publishing anti-semitic tweets.

Ms Marsh, who represented Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, served as a councillor for more than three decades.

She was for many years the Liberal Democrat leader in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

But her tenure ended suddenly after it was revealed last week she posted hundreds of anti-semitic messages over a period of a month on X, formerly Twitter, which described Jews as “vile” and “horrendous” and said they “fund politics throughout the world”.

The Liberal Democrats suspended her but she denied the comments were antisemitic and pledged to continue as an independent. She claimed her tweets were prompted by concern about the deaths of thousands of children in Gaza.

Her page on the council’s website had disappeared today, which prompted the Stray Ferret to seek further details.

A council spokesperson said:

“Cllr Pat Marsh has resigned as a councillor and member representing the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division.”

It means there will be a by-election for the division, which Ms Marsh won in May 2022 with 1,350 votes, ahead of Conservative John Ennis with 910 votes. Labour polled 189 votes and Independent Anna McIntee received 167 votes.

Local Lib Dem representatives have remained silent on the issue, which has been dealt with by the party’s national press office. Harrogate and Knaresborough is regarded as a target seat for the Lib Dems at the next general election.

The Stray Ferret asked the party for an update on its investigation into Ms Marsh, which it said last week would be swift.

A spokesperson said the matter was being dealt with by an independent panel and it was currently unable to comment.

Read more:

• Pat Marsh removed from Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee
• Ex-Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh released from custody
• Pat Marsh refuses to resign as councillor following antisemitism row

Plans have been revealed to create a major new community sports facility in the Harrogate district.

Boroughbridge Sports Village would include a games field, a one kilometre running track, a 100 metre sprint track and a multi-use games areas for team sports such as five-a-side football and netball.

The 10-acre site would also host a gym, functional strength and CrossFit centre, health food café as well as a community meeting room and nature reserve.

The scheme is a joint venture between Boroughbridge gym Absolute Fitness, which is owned by former World’s Strongest Man competitor Darren Sadler, and Boroughbridge Town Council.

They have created a charity called Boroughbridge Sports Village to develop the project, which would be built on land between Aldborough Cemetery and Boroughbridge allotments on Chapel Hill,  near to Aldborough Gate.

Residents are being invited to complete a phase one consultation form to gather views before a planning application is submitted.

The consultation document says the sports village would “enhance the quality of life for residents of Boroughbridge and neighbouring communities”, adding:

“It is intended that this proposed development will increase the number of people participating in physical activity, contributing to improved health and well-being of local residents and act as a central hub for the community to come together.”

You can complete the consultation form here.

Read more:

• The pub entrepreneur putting Boroughbridge on the map
• Two new shops set to open in Boroughbridge next month

The government has awarded £380 million of reallocated HS2 funding to improve transport in North Yorkshire.

The seven-year funding, from April 2025 to 2032, has been hailed by ministers as the “first fully devolved transport budget of its kind targeted at smaller cities, towns and rural areas”.

It will be spent on schemes such as new roads, filling in potholes, tackling congestion, increasing the number of EV chargepoints and improving public transport.

The new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which will be overseen by whoever is elected mayor on May 2, will decide how to spend it.

The £380 million awarded to North Yorkshire represents the lion’s share of an overall £950 million package to the Yorkshire and the Humber region announced today.

The Department for Transport said in a statement the deal was on average at least nine times more than local authorities received through the local integrated transport block, which is the current mechanism for funding local transport improvements in their areas.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the funds would “deliver a new era of transport connectivity” and help to level up the country.

He added:

“Through reallocating HS2 funding, we’re not only investing nearly £1 billion directly back into our smaller cities, towns and rural areas across Yorkshire and the Humber, but we are also empowering their local leaders to invest in the transport projects that matters most to them – this is levelling up in action.

“This unprecedented investment will benefit more people, in more places, more quickly than HS2 ever would have done, and comes alongside the billions of pounds of funding we’ve already invested into our roads, buses and local transport services across the country.”

‘Truly game-changing’

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the investment would deliver an unprecedented long term funding uplift across the region over seven years.and give local authorities long-term certainty to invest in “transformative and ambitious transport improvements” from next year.

Mr Harper said:

“Today’s £947 million investment is truly game-changing for the smaller cities, towns, and rural communities across Yorkshire and the Humber, and is only possible because this government has a plan to improve local transport and is willing to take tough decisions like reallocating funding from the second phase of HS2.”

The money is from the DfT’s Local Transport Fund, which compensates the north and Midlands for the decision to scrap the northern leg if the high speed rail route HS2. It is also specifically for communities in the north and Midlands outside city regions – who already receive City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.

The South and West Yorkshire Combined Authorities already benefit from £1.4 billion of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements from 2022-2027.

Today’s DfT statement said the investment “demonstrates our commitment to reinvest all of the £19.8 billion from the northern leg of HS2 in the north”.

Lord Patrick McLoughlin, chair of Transport for the North, said:

“We welcome this funding for our local transport areas as a sign of progress towards transforming the north to a more inclusive, sustainable and better-connected region. By having greater clarity on the funding that’s available, and consolidating funding streams, it helps remove inertia and accelerates delivery on the ground.”

Sums awarded

* Numbers may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Read more:

• Skills and transport: What does the Harrogate district need from the new combined authority?
• Council pledges further action after ‘shocking’ repair of Knaresborough road

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This letter is in response to an article about Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, being awarded a pay rise.

Who sanctioned Richard Flinton’s pay rise?

He was already on a near £200,000 salary and is now to be awarded nearly another £6,000 – can’t he survive on what he already gets?

It is rather ironic when others are struggling with the cost of living and expecting a 5% rise in council tax.

Lenny Redmond, Harrogate

Keane Duncan should ‘increase his quest to 365 days’

This letter is in response to Keane Duncan’s 100-day campervan trip around North Yorkshire.

The best thing Mr Duncan can do is to increase his campervan quest for mayorship to 365 days a year.

Hopefully, that will keep him out of the way from making anymore huge mistakes such as the Harrogate Station Gateway project that he pursued, which fortunately didn’t come to fruition after wasting £2 million of public funds.

Gordon Lund, Sawley

Read more:

• Readers’ Letters: Hookstone Woods being turned into a ‘light-polluted’ disco
• Readers’ Letters: ‘It suddenly clicks – you’re not alone’, says Andy’s Man Club member

Yorkshire Water will face ‘many complaints’ over reservoir parking charges

This article is in response to the parking charges recently imposed at reservoirs in the Harrogate district.

For background, my partner and I are well into our 70s. I have poor eyesight and can’t drive, and she has chronic arthritis and a limited walking range. We absolutely love walking around the Washburn Valley reservoirs, it’s flat and it’s most beautiful for mental uplift, so it’s a trip we do quite regularly from our home in Ilkley.

On January 18, I saw an article in The Stray Ferret about the car parking charges being introduced at the reservoir car parks from the following Monday. Despite my having a blue badge parking permit, I have to apply for a special permit to use it under the new scheme. That, in itself, is indicative of the problems which are going to arise for Yorkshire Water.

I immediately went on the website, completed the form, and applied for my special permit. But three weeks later, and still no sign of any acknowledgement from the parking company. 

Nevertheless, last week we decided to venture up to the reservoir and pay our £1 charge; it goes against the grain but needs must.

To our dismay we first of all found that the registration number has to be typed into the ticket machine, but the keyboard is far too small both for me to see to use it, and for my partner to use it with her arthritic fingers — if nothing else that is surely against the spirit of the disability discrimination legislation. And in any case the machines don’t take cash, only card: not anticipating this we had not brought a card with us, but I’m very reluctant to use one anyway in such circumstances.

So we drove back home, unable to take our much anticipated exercise because of our disabilities. How Ironic!

Imposing parking charges and the way they are collected is a dreadful situation for a renowned beauty spot, and the income likely to be generated is very low.

Yorkshire Water is going to be faced with a great many complaints, especially when the parking company starts dishing out the massive fines for inadvertent breaches of their ridiculous regulations.

A very sad situation indeed, and extremely bad public relations.

Steve Broadbent, Ilkley

Old wounds between Harrogate and Ripon councillors reopened this week over council tax as North Yorkshire Council agreed proposals to increase its charge by 4.99%.

The increase will result in almost £90 added to the average Band D bill, with senior councillors arguing the rise was crucial to protect frontline services and to keep up with inflation.

But during the debate in Northallerton, the Liberal Democrats suggested an amendment, which was ultimately rejected, that would have seen council tax limited to 3.99% instead.

Councillor Bryn Griffiths, the leader of North Yorkshire Council’s Liberal Democrat group, told councillors that residents should be paying less following an additional £6m government grant.

Cllr Griffiths said this should be used to protect residents from “execessive” tax rises during a cost-of-living crisis.

This led several councillors, including Andrew Williams, an independent who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside for the Conservatives and Independents, to accuse the Liberal Democrats of political posturing.

He referred to a song from the movie Wonka called A World of Your Own”and said:

“It seems this is where the Liberal Democrats reside most of the time”.

Cllr Williams added:

“What we have here is literally a nonsense. It’s an attempt to grab an election leaflet headline and as usual has no substance behind it from the Liberal Democrats.

“What the people of North Yorkshire need are sensible people taking sensible decisions that protect the long-term future of services.”

Cllr Williams’ comments provoked an angry response from Cllr Philip Broadbank, a long-serving councillor who represents Fairfax and Starbeck for the Liberal Democrats. He then accused Cllr Williams of voting to increase Ripon City Council’s council tax precept by 9% at a meeting last month.

Councillors from Harrogate and Ripon would regularly clash on the old Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“Some points we’ve heard them all before from the same people.”

However, Cllr Williams, who is also the leader of Ripon City Council, did not attend the Ripon budget meeting where the 9% increase was confirmed due to a family bereavement.

He demanded that Cllr Broadbank withdraw his accusation but he refused.

Cllr Williams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service afterwards that he was going to make a complaint.

He added:

“It’s appalling to be accused of something when I wasn’t even there”.

Read more:

• Harrogate BID and council silent on free parking U-turn 
• Bid to make Ripon businesses more disability friendly 

The days are lengthening and spring is coming, which means only one thing – Knaresborough Tractor Run is approaching. Having attended the last two departs, I can say it’s quite a spectacle. Read about it here.

The week has been dominated by the anti-semitism row concerning Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh. We have a feature on the fallout tomorrow morning.

Last September, I joined other journalists at a drenched Nidderdale Showground at a media gathering celebrating the launch of a new event called the Long Course Weekend.

The event, which is sort of based on triathlon, but a similar gathering in Wales attracts thousands of people and is being promoted as a major boost to Nidderdale sports tourism.

But amid less fanfare this week, the council revealed the event had been moved from Pateley Bridge to Masham because of unspecified difficulties with the Nidderdale Showground.

Is the Debenhams building in Harrogate finally set to be revived? Heritage groups that previously objected to demolition indicated this week they were happy with the new plans to convert it to flats and retail units.

One Harrogate building that has been revived is the Woodlands Pub. I went there this week for a sneak peek.  It’s all happening at that junction: a new Asda convenience store is being built and we still await the opening of Starbucks in the former Leon site.

Read more:

• Harrogate serial rapist jailed for 18 years
• Council pledges further action after ‘shocking’ repair of Knaresborough road
• Harrogate Town Council: Lib Dems issue plea to ‘get on with it’

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

The last time I was in a home economics classroom was over four decades ago.

A lot has changed since then, with microwaves and air fryers playing active roles in many kitchens, and food delivery services at the click of a finger.

In a world filled with instant gratification, the magic of preparing a meal from scratch often takes a back seat.

The art of cooking is a celebration of flavours, creativity and wholesome living. I love rekindling a passion for cooking, especially among young people.

So, when Rachel Baskind, head of food and nutrition at Harrogate Ladies’ College, invited me to spend time with her A Level class, it was an offer I simply could not refuse.

Dishes

During my time at the school, I loved seeing the students’ willingness to explore new herbs and spices to create dishes without any written recipes.

They made spiced chicken with rose harissa and all agreed to use tellicherry black peppercorns – one of many peppercorns they were introduced to. They also made hummus, cumin roasted carrots, pickled carrots and a dressed flatbread with lime, honey, butter and za’atar.

I loved seeing young people get creative in the kitchen and using their minds to bring delicious recipes to life. But the kitchen is about so much more than cooking itself; it’s about community, developing a healthy relationship with food and fuelling our minds and bodies.

Healthy habits

Social media often feels limitless and, in a world of such comparison, can feed heavily into self-esteem and problems with body image.

Statistics show rates of potential eating disorders in young people are rising, which is why it is so important to develop a healthy relationship with food and the kitchen.

The kitchen isn’t merely a place of culinary creation — it’s a sanctuary where healthy habits are formed.

By getting young people back into the kitchen, we empower them to make conscious choices about the ingredients they use, fostering an understanding of the impact of food on their well-being.

I believe in the power of culinary creativity as a lifestyle. It’s not just about following recipes; it’s about experimenting, adapting, and infusing personality into every dish.

When young individuals embrace this approach, they not only develop a lifelong skill but also cultivate a positive relationship with food – one built on exploration and joy.

Harrogate Ladies’ College implement this very well. Their students learn about why our bodies need food, certain food choices, menu planning and nutrition.

The joy of a sit-down meal

Home-cooked meals have a unique way of bringing people together.

Whether it’s a family dinner, a gathering with friends, meeting work colleagues, or a solo culinary adventure, the act of preparing and sharing a meal fosters connections.

By instilling the love of cooking into young hearts, we create a foundation for a future where shared meals become a cherished tradition, promoting mental well-being and a sense of community.

When we intertwine the joy of home cooking with education, we equip young minds with valuable life skills and career opportunities.

See you next week.

Read more:

• Yemi’s Food Stories: Foods for better mental wellbeing
• Yemi’s Food Stories: My review of new Harrogate fine-dining restaurant Rhubarb

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of the calendar — Knaresborough Tractor Run — returns to the Harrogate district in three weeks.

The sight of hundreds of tractors setting off from the Great Yorkshire Showground and powering their way around Nidderdale us something to behold. Crowds line the route and children struggle to contain their excitement.

But it’s a massive event to organise, which for the volunteers involved, is the culmination of a year’s work. 

As soon as one Knaresborough Tractor Run is finished, the wheels are set in motion for the next, with the 15 committee members meeting just a few days later to start it all over again. They get together about 10 times a year to organise every element of the event.

A lot of time is spent planning the route. It changes slightly each year, but it’s usually around 25 miles and runs from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to Pateley Bridge and back again, passing through Knaresborough, Burton Leonard, Markington and other villages.

The committee tries to avoid routing the tractors — which last year numbered 374 — along the major roads for long periods of time, to minimise disruption to other road users. The finalised route is published a few days before the event.

Another key task is ensuring the drivers are fed on the day, with breakfast on offer before the run and a hog roast for around 1,000 people awaiting the convoy when it stops for lunch in Pateley Bridge. 

But all the hard work, the preparation and planning is worth it. Ramsgill sheep farmer Steven Brown, who chairs the committee, said:

“When you see over 300 tractors of various shapes, sizes and colours go past you in a line, and they are all flashing their lights and beeping their horns, it’s not something you can go and see every day.

“For the people in the tractors, it’s an incredible feeling to drive along and see the crowd lining the road, supporting and waving at you. Children bring out their toy tractors and to see their faces lit up is amazing. “

‘It’s a fitting tribute’

Mike Spink

This year’s Knaresborough Tractor Run takes place on March 17, with the committee particularly encouraging cab-less vintage tractors to take part. The event was started in 2012 by the Knaresborough Young Farmers, and featured 11 tractors. When one of their members, Mike Spink, died in a road accident in 2017, the Young Farmers decided to hold the event in his memory and raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, a cause close to Mike’s heart.

That year, 80 tractors took part, and the following year the number was 134. The record was 384 in 2022. Steven believes the Knaresborough run is one of the biggest in the UK in terms of the number of tractors taking part and the distance they travel in one day.

Last year’s event took the total amount raised for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to £113,341, earning the Knaresborough Tractor Run logo a place on the charity’s new helicopters. It’s a milestone that Steven said they’d been aiming for since the start. 

“The air ambulance plays a vital role in our rural community and yet it’s heavily under-funded. You never know when you might need them and there are many farmers who have themselves been helped by their services, or know someone who has. It’s nice to give something back and it’s a fitting tribute to Mike.

“As committee members, the story behind the event and the support we get from the public makes us sit back and think, ‘This is why we do it’. We always said we wanted to break the £100,000 mark so I’m not sure what our target will be now!” 

Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Enduring appeal

Changes for this year include a push on pre-event online registration, which is now open. Although maintaining the ‘turn up and join in’ ethos that respects the unpredictability of the farming calendar, pre-registration eases the strain on organisers on the day. 

The committee has also improved its online security after its new livestream tracker showing the tractors’ progression along the route was cloned last year by scammers who included false links for donations. They are therefore stressing the importance of only following links posted by their admin on social media and making all donations via their Just Giving page.  

 As for any future plans and changes to the event, Steven said they don’t intend to alter much at all, adding: 

“The appeal is the whole story behind it, the charity we support, and the delight it brings to the crowd and the children. Why fix something that’s not broken?” 

For up-to-date information on the Knaresborough Tractor Run, visit their Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read more:

• The incredible rise and rise of Knaresborough tractor run
• Record turnout for return of Knaresborough farmers’ tractor run

Councillors voted to remove Pat Marsh from the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee yesterday.

It follows comments Cllr Marsh made on social media platform X that were widely condemned as antisemitic and led to her suspension by the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Marsh, who didn’t attend yesterday’s full meeting of North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton, chaired the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee, which determines significant planning applications in the area.

Councillors from across the floor agreed it would be “inappropriate” for her to continue in the role or sit on the committee.

Cllr Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, put forward the proposal.

He said:

“I’m sure members are aware of a controversial issue affecting Cllr Marsh this week. It’s fair to say many of us were genuinely shocked by events, she serves on the planning committee and chairs it but it’s no longer appropriate for her to do either. It’s important we move swiftly.

“I think it’s in the public interest we make these changes now and the public would expect us to.”

The move was supported by all of the Liberal Democrats, with High Harrogate and Kingsley councillor Chris Aldred adding:

“It is totally inappropriate for Cllr Marsh to maintain as chair and sit on that committee.”

As part of the vote, councillors also chose Cllr John Mann, a Conservative who represents Pannal & Oatlands, as the new chair.

He was previously planning committee chair on the defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Aldred will be the new deputy chair and Cllr Michael Schofield, independent councillor for Harlow and St Georges, will replace Cllr Marsh on the committee.

It means the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats now have three councillors each on the committee.

The next meeting of the planning committee is on Tuesday in Harrogate.

Read more:

• Ex-Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh released from custody
• Pat Marsh refuses to resign as councillor following antisemitism row