People will get a rare opportunity to explore Grove House, the former home of Samson Fox, during next month’s Heritage Open Days.

The historic house, off Skipton Road, is one of 23 heritage sites in Harrogate opening their doors for free from Friday 9 to Sunday 18 September for free open days.

It is part of a national scheme celebrating history and culture that enables people to see places that are often closed to the public.

Sponsored by Harrogate Spring Water and coordinated by the Harrogate Civic Society, this year’s festival includes guided tours, talks and music recitals.

There will be the chance to discover Harrogate’s spa history at the Royal Pump Room Museum, explore the Royal Hall, Harrogate library and The Harrogate Club, join a tour of Harrogate Theatre, climb a tower, or take part in one of four different heritage walks.

Seven religious sites will be open, some with special music recitals or talks, and there are tours at Stonefall Cemetery.  Plus a castle, a well, a heritage centre, and even a council chamber to explore.

The opening of Grove House and its gardens is one of this year’s new features.

Graeme Lee, chief executive at Springfield Healthcare, which owns the house, has plans to transform the site into a new care project.

Mr Lee said:

“We’re delighted to be part of Harrogate’s Heritage Open Days and share the remarkable heritage of Grove House, the former home of Samson Fox, Harrogate’s famous engineering inventor, benefactor, and mayor.

“When I bought the building I knew we had a unique opportunity to restore this beautiful Grade II listed house and grounds into high quality retirement apartments and a luxury care home for the community, whilst safeguarding the property’s rich heritage.

“We’re looking forward to opening our doors to showcase one of Harrogate’s oldest buildings, share stories of its past and the exciting plans for the future.”

‘Most varied programme for years’

Stuart Holland, chair of Harrogate Civic Society, said:

“This year’s Heritage Open Days programme in Harrogate is the most varied and
interesting for some years, with a fascinating mix of the town’s historical, cultural, civic and religious sites to explore.

“The Harrogate Civic Society helps to coordinate participation by local venues in this festival, but all the hard work is done by the volunteers who open the doors, host the tours, and welcome their visitors.  They all deserve our thanks.”

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“At Harrogate Spring Water, we have always been immensely proud to continue Harrogate’s rich legacy.  From the town’s Victorian spa town heritage to its status today as a hub of culture and hospitality, we are delighted to lend our support to the 2022 Harrogate Heritage Open Days.”

Heritage Open Days, which is England’s largest festival of history and culture, is presented by the National Trust with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Read more:

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The turnover of Harrogate Borough Council staff has been described as “uncomfortably high” as the authority enters its final months.

A combination of uncertainty over jobs and rising living costs resulting in staff leaving for higher salaries has led to a turnover rate of 16% at the council, which will be abolished in April.

The rate is calculated from the number of leavers as a percentage of total staff – and is up from 10% in 2020/21.

It comes as the council is preparing to hand over all of its responsibilities to a new unitary authority covering the whole of North Yorkshire in what will mark the biggest change to local government in the county in almost 50 years.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, told a meeting on Wednesday that it was “no surprise” staff were looking for new opportunities – despite them being given reassurances about their roles.

He said:

“Sixteen percent is starting to get uncomfortably high.

“Although all eight councils involved in the local government reforms have made it very clear about the plans and TUPE needs for staff in the future, uncertainty is one of the few things humans manage poorly.

“It is not a surprise therefore that you see some people are not necessarily comfortable in an uncertain world.”

The council has over 1,000 staff – and a total of 146 have left over the past 12 months.

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The departments which have seen the highest percentage of leavers include organisational development and improvement, Harrogate Convention Centre, and place-shaping and economic growth.

ICT, legal and finance perform the best at staff retention.

As well as the high turnover, the council has struggled to recruit staff because of competition from the private sector.

This has been the case since the start of the covid outbreak in 2020 when the council introduced a recruitment freeze to keep costs down during the pandemic.

Pay concerns

Union officials have also complained that council jobs are unattractive because of pay.

David Houlgate, secretary at the Harrogate branch of Unison, previously said: 

“Local government pay must be increased to match the cost of living squeeze our members are now experiencing on the back of year-on-year below inflation pay increases.

“Without a decent above inflation pay rise to help workers meet soaring costs, vital council services will struggle to hang on to skilled staff which could put some services at risk.

“Indeed this is already happening.”

Almost all council workers except some senior staff have been told they will transfer across to the new North Yorkshire Council under Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations.

Those which won’t include the current eight chief executives whose roles will be subsumed into one. That top job is to be taken on by Richard Flinton who was appointed into the role this week.

Mr Flinton, who is the current chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, will receive a salary of between £180,000 to £197,000 and have responsibility for an annual budget of £1.4 billion and a workforce of 10,500 staff.

A teenager has been arrested after police seized about 500 cannabis plants from a house in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police swooped on the property in Harlow Hill on Friday after being alerted by residents.

They forced entry and seized the plants and other items linked to drug production.

Officers from Expedite, a police team that tackles county lines drug dealing, and the Harrogate Safer Neighbourhood Team, were involved in the operation.

The 18-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of drug offences and remanded in custody.

He appeared in front of magistrates the next day and is due to appear in front of a judge at York Crown Court next month.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Information supplied by the community is just one of many ways we’re ensuring North Yorkshire stays the safest county in England.

“But it’s a vital source of information for any police force.

“If you have concerns about drug activity in your community, tell us by visiting our website and clicking ‘report it’, or call us on 101.

“You can also share information anonymously with the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Read more:

• Harrogate is the cannabis hotspot of North Yorkshire
• Drug pushers jailed after £140,000 cannabis seizure in Boroughbridge

The older half of Ripon Leisure Centre would have to permanently close unless newly-approved groundworks costing £3.5 million are carried out, a council official has said.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at Harrogate Borough Council, made the statement at a cabinet meeting last night when councillors agreed to the remedial works on underground voids found at the site.

Mr Watson also stressed that the leisure centre’s new swimming pool – which opened in March – is unaffected by what is planned and will remain open throughout. He said:

“We really do need to seek to address the ground conditions.

“If we chose not to do the work, then the reality is we wouldn’t be reopening the leisure centre.”

Mr Watson added the underground voids are believed to have been present for several years and were not caused by building works for the new pool.

The discovery during the pool construction in 2020 prompted an investigation by an engineering firm which this month revealed the extent of the ground stability issues at the site.

Read more:

• Expert urges council to stop ‘pouring money’ into Ripon leisure centre
• Report reveals extent of ground issues at Ripon Leisure Centre

Stantec found “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre built in 1995 and also warned that not carrying out groundworks would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”.

The works due to start in December mean more costs and delays for the venue’s new pool and refurbishment project which is believed to have cost in excess of £18 million so far.

The original contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon was worth £10.2 million for the scheme originally due for completion in May 2021.

The project was approved in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

Cllr Swift speaking at last night’s meeting.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said it was “good fortune” that the underground voids were discovered before a more serious collapse could have occurred.

He said:

“As a result of the fact that technologies have improved over the last 25 years, we have learnt a lot more about what is under the leisure facility.

“This is actually good fortune as it is good to know now. If we hadn’t had the swimming pool, we wouldn’t have discovered this until a genuine incident.”

Cllr Swift also said it was “very exciting” that a temporary gym is planned for the leisure centre car park during the groundworks which will close parts of the venue for at least 10 months from November.

The temporary gym will cost an additional £300,000, while the pool will remain open.

The leisure centre is reported to now have more than 14,000 members since the pool opened, generating around £34,000 a month which the council said will help offset some of the groundwork costs.

After these works are carried out, the refurbishment is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

Work on a masterplan for the regeneration of Ripon has been paused due to negotiations over a £85,000 contract.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded the contract to Bauman Lyons Architects last year to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.

However, there have been delays for the Ripon Renewal scheme, which was due for completion earlier this year.

And now the project has been halted while a contract variation is agreed with the Leeds-based firm.

Ripon Moorside councillor Stuart Martin told a meeting on Monday that he was concerned about the delays as he questioned whether the project would be completed before the council is abolished.

In response, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said he did not know when the project would be done, but the aim was before the launch of the replacement North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

He said:

“We are in dialogue with the consultants and it is very difficult to say when that conversation will be concluded.

“But it will be our intention to bring the project forward in that timeframe.”

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The project started in February 2021 and was due for completion a year later. Bauman Lyons Architects has been contacted for comment on the delays.

Regeneration projects

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held last year with residents, businesses and community groups which highlighted problems in the city.

These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

There were also calls for better traffic management on Low Skellgate and Westgate, and a new green route linking the Workhouse Museum and Ripon Cathedral.

The Ripon Renewal project is being funded by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Separately, the borough council made a joint bid for £6 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

This included cash for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the bid was rejected by the government last year and the plans have been put on hold.

Firefighters from Harrogate dealt with a hay stack fire shortly after midnight today.

The crew were summoned to Little Ribston, near Knaresborough, at six minutes past midnight and requested assistance from a second fire engine.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, firefighters used one hose reel jet to dampen down the fire and set up a water relay.

About half an hour earlier, Knaresborough firefighters were called to reports of a fire on Harrogate Road, near Mother Shipton’s cave.

The incident log said:

“Crew located an unattended bonfire. They used knapsack sprayers to dampen down the surrounding area.”

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Asda is to introduce a new parking system at its supermarket in the centre of Harrogate.

Cameras are being introduced to check number plates when vehicles arrive and leave the large car park.

Visitors will receive two hours for free but face a fine if they overstay.

Under the old system, motorists bought a ticket from a machine entitling them to park for up to two hours for £1.

The £1 was refundable at the checkout providing at least £2 was spent in-store.

Parking was monitored by enforcement officers rather than by cameras and people could return throughout the day.

There have been concerns raised on social media that anyone wanting to return to the store later in the day under the new system could be fined £70 because the maximum stay is two hours in 24 hours.

The old machines are being replaced by camera technology.

The new system has not yet been activated.

The Stray Ferret asked Asda when the new system would go live and to respond to concerns that motorists could be fined for parking on site twice in one day.

However, the company declined to comment.

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A study looking into a park and ride bus service for Harrogate could finally bring forward proposals next year.

North Yorkshire County Council said feasibility work is underway and should take around six months to assess a scheme which has long been seen as part of the solution to the town’s congestion woes.

Plans would then be produced before a funding bid is made for the service where motorists would park outside Harrogate town centre and get the bus in.

However, it is unclear how much money would be needed and where it would come from as the council said “it is too early to provide costs”.

It was previously suggested that construction costs could exceed £10 million.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at the council, said it was looking at several locations to run the service from and that there were no longer any plans for a trial.

He said: 

“We are actively considering the feasibility of a park and ride for Harrogate and it remains a key priority for us as we work to tackle congestion.

“We expect this will take around six months to complete and then the findings will be used to determine which proposals should be developed into a bid for funding.

“There are no plans for a pilot.”

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More than 100 locations have been examined and the two most promising were last year revealed as land near Pannal Golf Club and the Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.

These were identified as they connect to the 36 bus service which runs between Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds on the A61.

Making use of existing bus routes is a priority for the council as its other park and ride services often run at a financial loss due to the high costs involved.

Harrogate Bus Company runs the 36 service, and Alex Hornby, chief executive of its parent company Transdev Blazefield, said he was happy to support the council in progressing its plans.

Mr Hornby said: 

“The Harrogate Bus Company has long advocated for bus-based park and ride on the A61 – served by the 36 as an existing, high quality bus service – as we believe that will help manage congestion and emissions by reducing car journeys in the town centre.”

Determined to push ahead

The long-awaited progress comes at a worrying time for North Yorkshire’s buses after a bid for £116 million in government cash was rejected before warnings that services are at risk of being axed when other funding comes to an end in October.

The bid to the high-profile Bus Back Better scheme included new bus lanes, other infrastructure improvements and cash to keep services running.

However, it was rejected in its entirety by the Department for Transport which said the bid lacked “sufficient ambition”.

Although funding for a Harrogate park and ride service was not included in the bid, Cllr Duncan stressed the council’s determination to push ahead with the plans.

He said: 

“While we suffered a setback with our Bus Service Improvement Plan bid to the Department for Transport being unsuccessful, we are working to identify potential sites along the A61 corridor and elsewhere in town.

“This will build on the work we’ve already undertaken as part of the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study that was completed in 2021.”

Concerns have been raised over a “perfect storm” of homelessness in Harrogate due to the cost of living crisis and a lack of accommodation.

Harrogate Borough Council recently revealed a “huge” 60% increase in requests for housing help, which has led to more homeless people staying in bed and breakfasts for longer.

The council also said it has had difficulties in moving hostel tenants into permanent housing as cases have been “more complex than normal”.

Speaking at a meeting on Monday, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said these issues combined with a lack of private rental properties in the district were creating a “perfect storm”.

A total of 370 people accessed housing help in the first quarter 2022 – up from 334 the same time in the previous year.

The increase comes amid big rises in the cost of living with soaring prices putting a squeeze on people’s finances.

Harrogate Fairfax Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Aldred urged the council to not “lose sight” of the worsening situation as he also raised concerns over long delays in the licensing of multiple occupancy houses.

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The council is currently taking an average of 323 days to licence these properties against a target of 60.

Mr Watson blamed the backlog on the covid pandemic which he said has had a “huge impact” on staff being able to process applications.

A report to Monday’s overview and scrutiny meeting said councils across the country are facing similar issues and that finding accommodation for homeless people “isn’t always easy due to complicating factors like mental health or debts”.

It said: 

“Following a huge increase in the number of families approaching the service, the homelessness indicators performance have worsened.

“Our homelessness performance indicators, though off target, unfortunately reflect broader national trends around homelessness.

“Housing teams across the country have been dealing with higher case loads.

“In Harrogate, cases are about 60% higher than previous years.”

Twenty-two junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate said they were raped or sexually assaulted last year.

Figures released by ministers reveal 47 British army recruits under the age of 18 claimed to have been raped or sexually assaulted last year.

Dave Doogan, the Scottish National Party MP for Angus, asked armed forces minister Leo Docherty how many of those were from the Harrogate college.

Mr Docherty replied:

“Of the 47 victims in those statistics, 37 were female and of those cases one has been proven, four are ongoing, and 11 have been transferred to the civilian police.

“Twenty-two were based at the Army Foundation College at the time of the offence.”

The Harrogate college, which recruits about 1,500 recruits each year, is the only British army establishment that delivers military training to junior soldiers aged 16 and 17. Recruits undertake 23-week or 49-week basic training at the college on Penny Pot Lane.

The college on Penny Pot Lane.

Colonel Philip Ingram a former army commanding officer and NATO planner was quoted in The Sun saying:

“These statistics are shocking whatever way you look at them.

“They highlight the most basic of failures in command at a number of different levels and yet it takes a parliamentary question to get the information into the public domain, delivered by the very minister who continuously says the MoD is making huge progress in addressing inappropriate behaviours.

“It is clear that either he is lying or is being lied to in his briefings and the result is the lifetime of trauma imposed on the victims, some of whom are still children. Until defence gets some form of independent oversight then it will continue to cover up what can only be described as atrocious acts.”

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The Stray Ferret asked the Ministry of Defence to respond to the allegations and asked why so many abuse claims were made by recruits at Harrogate.

An MoD spokesperson said:

“There is absolutely no place for unacceptable behaviour in the army. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence and commanding officers will always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the service police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to alleged victims.

 “At the Army Foundation College emotional, psychological and the physical safety of our young junior soldiers is taken extremely seriously and is central to the ethos at the college. Junior soldiers are empowered to call out unacceptable behaviour and should have confidence that their complaint will be investigated.”

Series of claims

This is not the first time concerns have been expressed about behaviour towards junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College.

Claims of bullying and abuse were raised in the House of Lords in November last year.

Last year also saw a female instructor at the college demoted after being convicted of punching teenage soldiers and three parents call for the college to be closed after claiming their children were abused.

But the college was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted last year. Government inspectors gave positive feedback on safeguarding at the college, saying it investigated incidents thoroughly and made necessary improvements.

Last year Carol Monaghan, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for the armed forces, attempted to introduce a clause in the Armed Forces Bill preventing 16 and 17-year-olds enlisting in the army. Anyone under the age of 18 in the UK is legally classified as a child.

But Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, defended the college. He said:

“I suggest that anyone who wants to see the positive way individuals can and do improve their lives visits the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.”