A councillor has claimed the majority of people in his ward now support a 20mph speed limit — but enforcement issues mean any change is unlikely.

Paul Haslam, who represents Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council, raised the issue with Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee last week, Cllr Haslam asked Ms Metcalfe:

“In my area, Bilton and Woodfield, I would say the majority of residents want the whole area to be 20mph. At what stage will police enforce this?”

Campaigners across the country are calling for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres as part of the 20’s Plenty initiative.

Ms Metcalfe said the police and the council “don’t have the resources to be constantly enforcing a 20mph zone”, adding:

“I don’t necessarily agree with 20’s Plenty because for every one person that says they want 20mph there is one who says they don’t.”

She added she could see 20mph limits working “in certain circumstances, like outside a school,” but not as a general measure.

Read more:

• Crime commissioner pledges to tackle ‘woefully low’ rape prosecution rates
• Confirmed: Harrogate to have just one night time fire engine

Tom Thorp, assistant chief executive at the commissioner’s office, said “police enforcement of 20mph limits is difficult”. He said:

“The types of road that want to go 20mph are very residential urban roads and it’s simply not possible necessarily to do the enforcement on those roads easily.”

Mr Thorp and Ms Metcalfe agreed that although police enforcement was problematic, local authorities could introduce more targeted speed restriction measures, for instance speed humps and chicanes, in specific areas, such as near schools. Mr Thorp said:

“There’s an awful lot that we should be doing around prevention before we get to actual enforcement.”

He added North Yorkshire County Council already did this through the  York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership, which is a partnership of agencies working tp reduce road deaths.

More speed cameras?

Cllr Haslam questioned why Bilton and Jennyfields appeared to have different approaches.

“If you go to Jennyfields you will see the whole Jennyfields estate is 20mph and I don’t see any reason why the residents of Bilton and Woodfield can’t have the same scenario.”

Cllr Haslam said “camera enforcement works” in 20mph zones in London, adding “I don’t see why we can’t look at that”.

But Mr Thorp said:

“There’s a significant cost to camera enforcement and if we were looking to do that across the piece I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess as to what that would cost.

“In terms of managing expectations, sometimes putting in 20mph makes it worse.”

The owners of the Wild Swan, the 19th century inn at Minskip, near Boroughbridge, have hired Paul Murphy as chef.

Alex Bond and Stephen Lennox, who bought the Wild Swan last year, heralded Mr Murphy’s arrival as the start of a new era for the inn.

Mr Murphy previously built up the Timble Inn near Otley into a five-star hotel and worked with chef Frances Atkins at the Michelin-starred Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge.

Chef Paul Murphy (left) and co-owner Stephen Lennox. Photo: Laura Hargreaves.

Mr Bond said:

“Paul’s appointment is crucially important for the future of the Wild Swan.

“He has a superb reputation and we are in no doubt that he will take the Wild Swan to a completely new level in terms of the quality and the presentation of our food.

“We are looking to establish the Wild Swan’s reputation for excellent food and drink in relaxed and informal surroundings, making it a destination location for food lovers across the county.”

Read more:

• New owners unveil Minskip pub’s fresh look
• New heritage map reveals Boroughbridge’s rich history

Mr Murphy said he was “determined to give Minskip and the surrounding district an inn to be proud of”, adding:

“I have completely revamped the menu and am determined to create enjoyable and imaginative food at competitive prices. I haven’t been here long, but the reaction so far has been brilliant.

“I am aiming to replicate the success I had at the Timble Inn, which my wife and I ran from 2009 to 2014. Like the Timble, the Wild Swan has immense potential.

“This is a fabulous opportunity. Alex and Stephen have given us a blank canvas. They simply wants the Wild Swan to be at the heart of the Minskip community and to be loved and treasured by villagers.”

The owners said this year they intended to create a microbrewery at the inn but a spokesman for the venue said those plans were currently on hold.

‘Harrogate firefighters being used as guinea pigs’, says union

A union official has said Harrogate firefighters are being used as guinea pigs in a shake-up of fire services in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe confirmed her three-year blueprint for countywide fire services last week following a three-month consultation.

The changes include reducing Harrogate fire station to one appliance between 10pm and 9am, which would increase the town’s nighttime dependency on on-call firefighters in Knaresborough. However, the station will have enhanced cover during the day, when most fires occur.

The same changes will be implemented in Scarborough in three years time if the Harrogate pilot scheme proves successful.

Steve Howley, secretary of North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union said the changes lacked support by firefighters and councillors and would endanger lives.

Speaking on BBC Radio York, Mr Howley said:

“The Fire Brigades Union represent about 96% of firefighters in North Yorkshire and I can tell you now that none of our members are in support of these proposals

“We all think they are dangerous. We all think they will put firefighter and public safety at risk. Lives will be put at risk.

“They are using Harrogate as guinea pigs to trial these cuts because they are not confident that these are safe and these will deliver what they say they will deliver. It will lead to a real detrimental impact on public safety.”

Read more:

• Confirmed: Harrogate to have just one night time fire engine
• Majority support Harrogate fire station changes, consultation reveals

Mr Howley said the data behind the decision was “fundamentally flawed” because it was based on there being 100% availability of on-call firefighters. He added:

“For the last 15 to 20 years there hasn’t been 100% on-call availability. That number has dwindled and got worse in recent times.”

He said the union did not oppose better fire prevention initiatives but was “vehemently opposed to the removal of frontline public services to reinvest in some of these areas when it should be centrally funded by government”.

Ms Metcalfe said last week the changes were about a better way of operating rather than cuts, and savings will be reinvested in fire prevention work and boosting on-call fire stations. Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Masham, and Summerbridge have on-call stations in the Harrogate district and there is a volunteer-run station at Lofthouse.

Her changes, which will be phased in, will see Harrogate have two fully operational appliances during the day but only one at night.

The station currently has one fully operational appliance and a smaller tactical response vehicle staffed, which are both staffed 24 hours.

Announcing her decision, Ms Metcalfe — a Conservative who was elected commissioner last year — said:

“Some areas of the service will change, and I know change can be unsettling, but I remain confident that the right people, with be in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to support everyone in North Yorkshire and York.”

“I have made these decisions to support the transformation of our fire and rescue service based on extensive evidence and from listening to what is important to you, which you said was increasing and enhancing prevention and protection work to stop incidents from happening in the first place”

Jonathan Dyson, chief fire officer for North Yorkshire, said Ms Metcalfe’s proposals provided the correct strategic approach to resourcing fire risk.

He said:

“Our strong focus on prevention and protection activities are the primary way for us to reduce risk in our communities.”

Masham Young Farmers’ Club is fundraising in memory of two local farmers who died after contracting sepsis.

Hannah Brown was in her twenties when she cut her hand and the wound became infected.

David Cooke thought he had covid but also ended up dying of sepsis, which occurs when your immune system overreacts to an infection.

Masham Young Farmers’ Club is working with the UK Sepsis Trust this year to spread awareness of the condition and raise money.

A tractor run in May generated £2,500, now the club has organised an auction of promises, which will take place at Masham Town Hall on October 14. People will bid for donated prizes, which range from a family ticket to the Forbidden Corner to a quad bike package.

Jack Jobling, chairman of the club, which has about 40 members, said sepsis was a cause close to the heart of the farming community. He said:

“Sepsis, if diagnosed early can be treated successfully, however if people are unaware of the signs of the illness it can rapidly become very serious and untreatable.

“Masham Young Farmers’ Club is aiming to not only raise money for the charity, we are trying to increase awareness of sepsis so that people are able to detect signs of the disease faster and therefore save lives.

“This is particularly important within the farming community as farmers often cut themselves and come into contact with muck and other contaminants in their work, and this is one way that an infection can be brought into the body that can lead to sepsis developing.”

Read more:

• Masham Michelin restaurant sold to Tate Modern chef
• £70,000 energy bill increase forces Harrogate district farm shop to close

There are 48 lots on offer at the auction. Profit will be donated to the trust, with a small amount kept to go towards club running costs.

Tickets cost £10 and include a buffet. The event will begin with a short talk and video from a trust ambassador and then auctioneer Kenton Foster will sell the lots.

For more details email mashamyfc@gmail.com, call or text 07521 595412 or call 01677 470353.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has pledged to tackle the county’s “woefully low” prosecution rate for rape.

According to government figures, just nine rape allegations reached court in North Yorkshire between April 2021 and March 2022.

Ms Metcalfe told a meeting this week she planned to visit the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit in Leeds to learn how North Yorkshire could improve its prosecution rate.

The unit consists of lawyers who are specially trained in dealing with allegations of rape, serious sexual offences and child abuse.

Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative who was elected commissioner last year, was responding to a question from Victoria Oldham, the Conservative councillor for Washburn (pictured below), at this week’s Harrogate Borough Council overview and scrutiny committee. Cllr Oldham asked:

“Are you satisfied with the percentages taken through to prosecution?”

Ms Metcalfe replied:

“No I am not. It is woefully low and it needs to get a lot better.”

Read more:

• Majority support Harrogate fire station changes, consultation reveals
• Conservative councillor Victoria Oldham nominated as final Harrogate mayor

Ms Metcalfe said she frequently raised concerns with the Crown Prosecution Service and that violence against women and girls was one of her key priorities.

Cllr Oldham asked whether underfunding was the cause of the problem.

‘Myriad of factors’

Tom Thorp, interim assistant chief executive at the commissioner’s office, replied there were a “myriad of factors involved”, such as collecting evidence, victims not wanting to participate and being unable to locate suspects. Mr Thorp added:

“Then they have to meet evidential thresholds, which can be difficult and even if they get through to prosecution there is no guarantee they will convict.

“Our conviction rate when we get to prosecution is really good – about 80%. That’s one of the highest in the country. Once we get through we know the quality of our cases is good for those that we do take to prosecution so yes, it is about getting more prosecutions.”

Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader in Harrogate and Knaresborough, said she was “shocked to learn violence against women and girls is very high”.

Ms Metcalfe said she had launched a strategy to address violence against women and girls that identified gaps in provision and how to work in partnership better. She added:

“I would like more safer places and there will be investment in that going forward.”

A sheep stuck in brambles on a steep bank of Oak Beck was rescued by Harrogate firefighters yesterday.

Sandra Schiendorfer spotted the animal when she was walking her dog at Oak Beck Park yesterday morning.

She reported it to the land owner but noticed it was still stuck in the afternoon and the water was rising.:

Ms Schiendorfer said:

“When I went back with the dogs in the afternoon the poor thing was still there, but now the beck was rising, because of the heavy rain.

“I rang 101 who in turn contacted the fire brigade. They turned up very quickly with the animal rescue unit.

Read more:

• Confirmed: Harrogate to have just one night time fire engine
• Oak Beck will take three years to recover from pollution, says Harrogate conservationist

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says it was alerted to the incident, near Oak Beck retail park, at 3.20pm yesterday. It adds:

“Crews from Harrogate and Ripon responded to reports of a sheep stuck in wire by the horns, in distress.

“Crews used wading poles, water rescue equipment, an animal halter and a salvage sheet to release the sheep back into the field.”

The sheep back in the field afterwards.

A picket line is operating outside Harrogate train station this morning as rail strikes resume.

The RMT union and Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) are striking today, Wednesday and next Saturday over pay and conditions.

Previous industrial action was cancelled because it coincided with the Queen’s mourning period.

The strikes have affected some people travelling to Harrogate for the three-day Green Party autumn conference, which started yesterday, as well as football fans that planned to catch the train for today’s Harrogate Town vs Bradford City derby at 1pm.

About 15 picketers turned up to support the action today.

Rail passengers have also been warned to expect disruption on Harrogate’s LNER services from today until October 9.

Major engineering works in the Newcastle area by Network Rail will affect many services on the LNER route during this period.

Read more:

• Ouseburn councillor opens Green Party conference in Harrogate
• Harrogate and Knaresborough commuters face further strikes

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has revealed plans to become the second in the country to launch its own home care service in a bid to free up hospital beds.

Chief executive Jonathan Coulter said the problem of patients staying in hospital longer than they should because of a lack of private care services was the “biggest issue” that the trust currently faces.

Up to 90 patients were medically fit but could not leave Harrogate District Hospital in August, compared to around 20 before the covid pandemic.

The trust now wants to follow in the footsteps of the NHS in Northumbria and start providing care for patients in their own homes.

Russell Nightingale, chief operating officer at the trust, told a board meeting on Wednesday the move was a “huge change and big decision” for the trust, but one it had to take because the problem of bed blocking was “only going to get worse”.

He said: 

“If you are in a hospital bed and fit to leave but can’t, it is probably one of the worst places to be.

“In some instances, we have seen a degradation of people’s health in hospital beds when they do not need to be there, despite the great clinical service they receive.

“People want to be in their own homes as this is where they live and are comfortable.”

Mr Nightingale also said he was concerned the current situation would only get worse despite a recent government pledge of £500 million to help people get out of hospitals, which he described as a “drop in the ocean”.

Bed blocking has repeatedly been raised as a concern by hospital bosses who have warned of knock-on impacts on A&E waiting times.

This comes as Harrogate District Hospital has had an exceptionally busy summer and pressure on services is only likely to grow over winter as it tries to tackle long waiting lists and staffing shortages.

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital plans new £14m operating theatres
• Hospital ‘not anticipating’ service cuts due to energy price surge
• Harrogate hospital staff selling days off to cope with cost of living crisis

The trust’s home care service will initially run as a six-month trial and cost around £146,000 to provide care for 36 patients.

If the trial is a success, it is estimated around 15 patients who otherwise would be stuck in hospital could be moved back into their own homes each day.

The trust – which already provides home care for some children – has been in dialogue with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which this year became the first to launch such a scheme.

Some concerns have been raised over the high turnover of staff, as well the impact on the private care sector.

However, Wednesday’s meeting heard that care packages under the Harrogate plans would initially be offered to private care firms for 24 hours before the trust steps in.

More details of the scheme are set to be revealed in the coming weeks.

The majority of people support controversial changes to the number of fire engines based in Harrogate, according to consultation documents.

North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe confirmed yesterday Harrogate fire station will be reduced to one fire engine at night as part of a three-year blueprint for countywide fire services.

However, the station will have two fully operational appliances during the day rather than the current model of just one plus a smaller tactical response vehicle.

Ms Metcalfe’s decision followed a three-month consultation in which concerns were expressed that the loss of a second appliance from 10pm to 9am could put lives at risk.

But her 207-page consultation report, published yesterday, said 46% of respondents to an online survey supported the changes to Harrogate fire station whereas 40% oppose them.

The report, however, also said 53% of respondents whose closest fire station is Harrogate disagreed with the changes. Additionally, it highlighted opposition within focus groups held as part of the consultation.

It said:

“Those who supported the proposals did so on the grounds that they are evidence-based and represent a better use of resources in offering better capability during the day when needed.

“However, even if they understood the rationale behind it, most focus group participants ultimately opposed the proposals.

“The main worries were around the ability to provide an adequate nighttime response, especially to incidents requiring two or more appliances. Related to this, many questionnaire comments centred on the potential for more severe incidents at night, including house fires.”

Zoe Metcalfe and fire officials answer questions about her proposals.

Ms Metcalfe also suggested some people over-estimate the number of fires in North Yorkshire. She said:

“There is also some very different views of what and how high is the service’s demand versus the reality.

“The fact is that in North Yorkshire we are lucky that our service’s demand is low by comparison to the rest of the country. Moreover, what they attend has changed significantly, with fires making up a smaller proportion than before.”

The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks from May 23, 2022 to August 14, 2022, cost £30,000.

Savings made by the changes will be used to fund fire prevention work and boost on-call fire stations in rural areas.

A campaigner has accused Harrogate Spring Water of “greenwashing” over its latest plans to expand its plastic bottled water plant over a community woodland.

Sarah Gibbs, who has staged several protests dressed as a tree, said she had seen “no evidence” from the company on how it will manage the environmental impacts of the proposed expansion at Rotary Wood, which was planted by children 17 years ago.

Her comments come as Harrogate’s Green Party, Extinction Rebellion and other campaign groups are set to protest against the plans today.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French firm Danone, recently held a public consultation and is now “finalising” its proposals after a larger expansion was refused by Harrogate Borough Council last year.

Ms Gibbs said she took part in a recent consultation event, but added she was left with more questions than answers. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“I am interested to know how Harrogate Spring Water are finalising plans without a recent ecological survey.

“I attended the public consultation and saw no evidence of this, nor any evidence of an arboricultural impact assessment or tree protection plan.

“What I did see was a great deal of greenwashing, for example, launching a litter picking campaign.

“I have found Harrogate Spring Water bottles littering the streets of Harrogate and London.

“This is not a solution to a problem perpetuated by this industry.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water investigating new water sources on council land
• Harrogate Spring Water ‘finalising’ latest expansion plans

In response, a Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said the company would listen to all concerns from the community and that environmental impact assessments would be provided when the new proposals are revealed in full.

The spokesperson said:

“We remain committed to this approach and to taking on board people’s views about the design and landscaping of the proposed extension, which was granted outline planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017.

“We are currently putting together our updated proposals for how the new building will look and how the surrounding area will be landscaped.

“We intend to put these proposals on display to the public to gather their thoughts before we send our updated reserved matters proposals to the council.”

When the larger expansion plans were refused in January 2021, the council was accused of putting “profit and plastic before the environment” as the authority recommended approval.

This sparked a huge backlash by the community, and the plans were later rejected by members of the council’s planning committee who said they could not support the recommendation as approval would have been “damaging” for Harrogate’s image.

Harrogate Spring Water, Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Harrogate Spring Water then announced it would revert back to original plans for a smaller expansion, although questions remain over how much of Rotary Wood could be felled as the final designs have yet to be revealed.

Ms Gibbs, who will hold a protest walk from Harrogate Convention Centre to Rotary Wood on Sunday, said she was against the expansion altogether as the woodland needed to be protected because of its “great importance” to biodiversity and the community.

She said:

“If Harrogate Spring Water and Danone indeed listened to the community, they would not still be considering the deforestation of Rotary Wood.

“It is, in part, due to community action and outcry that the further expansion on the outline planning was refused.

“It is important that the people of the Harrogate district, and beyond, understand that they can be truly heard, and that their efforts to save Rotary Wood were not, and are not in vain. Still.”