The chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has said the government’s economic credentials are in tatters after today’s emergency statement.

David Simister cautiously welcomed last month’s mini-budget for containing measures to stimulate growth.

He said at the time scrapping the rise in national insurance and reversing the increase in corporation tax was “good news for businesses large and small”.

But Mr Simister was less complimentary about today’s statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, which reversed almost all tax cuts besides national insurance.

Mr Simister said:

“This is a massive U-turn, and the government’s economic credentials are in tatters.

“In the Kwarteng mini-budget there were some real positives for business, cutting corporation tax, reducing national insurance, and reforming off-payroll (IR35) rules. Only the NI reduction has stayed.

“If Mrs Truss goes, and I really can’t see her staying the course, I wonder if there will be a third mini budget in as many months?”

The chamber, which was founded in 1896, supports local businesses and lobbies on their behalf.

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A tandem bicycle has been stolen in a burglary at Forge Garage on Park Row in Knaresborough.

Suspects stole the bike from one of multiple small units belonging to the garage they broke into.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for information about the theft, which occurred at about 1.40am on October 7.

The force said in a statement:

“Notably, we’re looking for a Transit-style van that was believed to have been involved in the incident.

“We’re asking nearby residents and businesses to review CCTV or ring doorbells for potential footage, as well as any information that could help recover the tandem bicycle.”

Anyone with information can email jacob.wright@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Jacob Wright.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The North Yorkshire Police reference number is 12220178605.

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The 17th century Bay Horse Inn at Goldsborough has appointed a new manager and head chef and revamped its food offering.

Clare Oglesby and her husband Mark, who own nearby Goldsborough Hall, took on the village pub in November 2019.

The pub, near Knaresborough, was fully refurbished but then had to close due to covid.

Ms Oglesby said:

“After being open/shut/open for the last couple of years with the covid times, we finally have the right team in place to drive the pub forward.”

The inn will continue to provide traditional home-cooked food but Ms Oglesby said visitors would notice a difference in terms of quality and presentation with the new team in charge.

Marius Salaru, who was previously deputy general manager at Goldsborough Hall for three years, has taken over as manager.

Eric Mucha, whose previous experience includes running the kitchens at Goldsborough Hall, has been appointed head chef. Originally from Krakow, Mr Mucha has been a chef in the UK for over 10 years and has cooked to a 3AA rosette level.

Mr Salaru said:

“We are thrilled to have Eric as our executive chef. He brings a wealth of experience from his fine dining background, which is reflected in the new seasonal menu and daily specials.

“The pub is cosy with a real fire, traditional oak beams, and is great for families and locals. It’s got dog-friendly areas as well. Having an amazing chef will elevate our offering, taking it to the next level while still being affordable.”

The menu will change seasonally, using ingredients and produce from Goldsborough Hall’s kitchen garden.

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Mr Mucha said:

“I am so excited to be working at The Bay Horse Inn and plan to incorporate as much local produce as I can to my dishes.”

Recent specials include pan-fried scallops, venison steak and chocolate delice as well as a new vegan menu.

The venison steak dish

The Bay Horse Inn, which opens daily, dates back to the early 17th century.

It is named after the original Bay Horse, the Byerley Turk, the eldest of three stallions that make up all thoroughbreds today, which was buried in the grounds of next door Goldsborough Hall, in 1706.

The body of a man found in the River Nidd yesterday has been identified, police said this evening.

Police, ambulance and firefighters were called to Nidd Viaduct in Bilton just before 8am yesterday.

The viaduct bridge was closed while the body was recovered.

Tonight’s update by North Yorkshire Police said:

“The man has now been identified and his next of kin have been informed.

“Investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of his death.”

No further details, including the man’s name or suspected cause of death, have been revealed.

He was described yesterday as a white man who was believed to be in his 40s.

Read more:

• BREAKING: Body found in River Nidd as viaduct remains closed at Bilton
• Councillors vote to defer decision on 53 homes in Bilton

The Crown Hotel in Boroughbridge has completed the first phase of a major refurbishment.

The project has seen a coffee bar added to the historic 38-room hotel and the ground floor given a totally fresh look.

The Coaching Inn Group bought the hotel in February after its parent company, RedCat Pub Company, purchased it from Best Western for an undisclosed fee.

Kevin Charity, chief executive of the Coaching Inn Group, attended a Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade event on Monday to talk about the project.

The Crown Hotel

Mr Charity said the previous management team had done a great job looking after the Grade II listed coaching house, whose spa and leisure facilities include a swimming pool, but it had been “time for a change”. He said:

“We wanted to improve the decor, bring the standard of food up and create a coffee shop.”

The Coaching Inn Group, which owns 32 hotels, including the Golden Fleece Hotel in Thirsk, the Talbot Hotel in Malton and the King’s Head in Richmond, has so far invested £720,000 on the Boroughbridge hotel.

Mr Charity told the Stray Ferret the company, which employs 1,400 staff, planned to redecorate the outside and introduce new signage in spring and longer-term planned to refurbish the leisure facilities and the function room.

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The restaurant

The bar

Organisations have agreed to work together to achieve designated bathing water status on the River Nidd at Knaresborough.

Longstanding concerns about water quality were heightened in summer when people and dogs fell ill after entering the Nidd.

If the bathing water bid is successful, the Environment Agency would be obliged to put plans in place to monitor and protect the water.

Not a single waterway in North Yorkshire currently has bathing water status but the River Wharfe in Ilkley has achieved it.

Knaresborough has been chosen because of the amount of  recreational river users it attracts, but if the campaign succeeds the rest of the Nidd would also benefit from the measures introduced.

Anglers, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Nidderdale AONB, Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, Leeds University, councillors and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, are among those involved after a meeting this month.

They must demonstrate the river attracts a large number of bathers and has support for such a move. Landowners must also support applications for privately owned sites.

Shan Oakes

Shan Oakes, a Green Party councillor in Knaresborough chairing the group, said the government was not setting high enough water quality standards and action was necessary. Ms Oakes, who is also on Knaresborough Town Council, added:

“It’s not going to be a quick fix. We need to consult with a lot of groups.”

Read more:

• Meeting called to hear concerns about state of River Nidd
• UK’s largest weir removal project begins on River Nidd at Scotton

Last week Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East on North Yorkshire County Council, agreed to chair a cross-party sub-group of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee that will examine the issue. She said:

“We are well placed to achieve this but we need the support of the community and the town council.”

Knaresborough lido, which is particularly popular with recreational river users, will probably be the focus of the campaign. Cllr Gostlow said:

“The river plays a big part in the local economy but people are getting ill so we need to do something.”

She added she hoped the campaign might succeed by summer 2024.

Action by anglers

Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.

North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.

This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.

The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.

Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.

Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.

But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.

Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:

“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.

“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”

Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Read more:

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• Could Harrogate’s ‘little temple’ be moved to ‘neglected’ Starbeck?

After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.

‘It just goes on forever’

Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.

Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:

“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.

“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.

“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.

It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.

A Starbeck community group has offered to find a new home for the ‘little temple’ that looks set to be moved from Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council said yesterday it had submitted a planning application to remove the tempietto in Station Square.

It plans to sell or recycle the construction so it can open up the area and use the space to host events, as part of the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

Postmaster Andrew Hart has written to the council offering to donate £1,000 towards bringing the little temple to Starbeck.

Mr Hart, who founded Starbeck Community Group, which has 1,800 members, wrote in his letter:

“Starbeck is very much the poor relative of Harrogate and Knaresborough and has suffered badly due to a depleted High Street, covid and the economy.

“We noticed with interest that you are planning to recycle or sell the tempietto from Harrogate. Could we please have first claim on it as either a gift or as a purchase?

“The community would be so proud to have this in Starbeck, it would not only enhance our community but it would lift spirits. I would happily start a community fund with a donation of £1000 towards the purchase if necessary.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s ‘little temple’ could be sold to make way for Station Gateway
• Firefighters and councillors make calls to improve Starbeck crossing

Mr Hart was behind a successful bid last year to relocate eight planters from Harrogate to Starbeck when Harrogate Borough Council decided to get rid of them.

He said “these things help poor neglected Starbeck” and told the Stray Ferret the idea of Belmont Park hosting the little temple had been well received by locals:

“Everyone is working hard in Starbeck to make it look more colourful and this would give us a sense of pride.

“I saw the story and thought ‘this is a great opportunity for us’.”

A marathon spell of bell ringing will take place tomorrow to mark the 1,350th anniversary of the consecration of Ripon Cathedral.

The cathedral’s bell ringers will attempt a peal to mark the consecration by St Wilfrid in the year 672.

Peals are traditionally rung to mark significant events in the history of both the cathedral and the city.

Over 160 peals have been rung at the cathedral since the first in 1764.

A post on the cathedral’s Facebook page said:

“A peal requires at least 5,040 changes to be rung continuously and without repetition or mistake and will take up to three-and-a-half hours to complete, so it poses a significant mental and physical challenge to the bell ringers.

“The attempt will be made by members of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers under the leadership of Martin Davies, the cathedral ringing master, and will start at around 9.30am. We wish them luck!”

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• Revealed: the three Harrogate district sites that could become investment zones
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North Yorkshire County Council revealed today it has selected three possible sites in the Harrogate district to become investment zones.

The sites are: junction 47 of the A1; Potter Space Ripon, a business park at Junction 50 of the A1 and Harrogate Convention Centre.

The government has said the zones, which will receive liberalised planning laws and tax incentives for businesses, will support business and economic growth.

But they have been criticised by conservation organisations because of the potential impact on wildlife.

Last month, North Yorkshire County Council was named as one of 38 local authorities in talks with the government over creating investment zones.

Today, the county council named the 12 commercial sites it had identified for possible zones in North Yorkshire.

Read more:

• Harrogate district planning rules could be ‘radically streamlined’
• Harrogate Convention Centre ‘could lose £250 million without investment’

Of the seven districts within the county, only Selby, where five sites have been identified, has more locations than the Harrogate district.

Carl Les

Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the county council, said:

“We are at a very early stage in the process, but this could be an exciting and welcome initiative that would enable us to work with the government to deliver benefits for the North Yorkshire economy.

“Following discussions with our district council colleagues, we are submitting an expression of interest. This identifies a number of sites across the county that we feel fit the criteria from government. We look forward to further negotiations with Government following our submission.”

Full list of sites in North Yorkshire

The sites identified in the expression of interest are:

• Hambleton: Dalton, at Junction 49 on the A1.
• Harrogate: Harrogate, at Junction 47 of the A1; Potter Space Ripon, at Junction 50 of the A1; Harrogate Convention Centre.
• Richmondshire: the area around A1 Junctions 52 and 53.
• Ryedale: Eden Camp East, Malton.
• Scarborough: Scarborough Business Park.
• Selby: Gascoigne Wood Rail Interchange, Olympia Park, and sites at Eggborough, Kellingley and Sherburn.

Cllr Les said:

“The sites we are putting forward for consideration are locations that have already been earmarked for commercial development to support business growth and job creation. The proposed benefits of investment zones could help to make these sites even more attractive to new businesses and accelerate development ambitions.

“We are fully aware of the need to minimise any environmental impacts, so all the sites we are putting forward have been selected in accordance with local planning and conservation policy. None are sensitive or protected sites.”

Proposed sites must meet the Government’s criteria to offer a significant economic opportunity, be ready to deliver quickly and align with the wider local strategy.

Once the government has received the expressions of interest from invited authorities, further criteria will influence site selection, including consideration of the overall geographic distribution of investment zones, the balance between residential and commercial, and urban and rural sites and the readiness to deliver.