The board room at the top of Bettys on Harrogate’s Parliament Street provides panoramic views of the town centre.

Spectacular as they are, it’s impossible not to look down now without a sense of trepidation.

Recession, cost of living crisis, inflation, recruitment problems and energy bills are rarely out the news and you wonder how many of the shops and businesses will still be around in a few months time.

Simon Eyles, a member of the collaborative chief executive at Bettys since June 2016, says it feels like the most challenging time in his career.

“It is a tough time for the High Street and I do worry where things are going. Every retailer needs to be on top of their game in the next six months time.”

Even Bettys? The queue for the flagship tearoom in Harrogate still snakes around the corner but Harrogate’s best-known brand is not immune to the turbulence.

Its latest accounts, published in July, warned of ‘significant trading challenges’ ahead and revealed that although turnover grew by 8.8% in the year to October 31, 2021, operating profit fell by £1.6m to £15.5m.

Mr Eyles says recent accounts are difficult to read because there have been so many one-off costs due to things like covid but accepts these are tough times.

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He quotes ex-boxer Mike Tyson’s famous line that ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’, adding: “It feels like we have been punched in the mouth a lot recently.” But he remains upbeat.

“I’m an optimistic person because if you were a worrier you would get yourself into a pickle right now.

“There’s an insight we have that says ‘there’s nowhere quite like Bettys’. That’s something I want every single customer to feel when they leave.

“We need to ensure our menus keep changing by doing things like making sure we have the best service, more vegetarian options. We don’t need to reinvent ourselves or have a revolution — it’s about how we carefully and skilfully change.”

Northern roots

Born in Stockton-on Tees and now living near Boroughbridge, Mr Eyles has spent his entire student and working life in the north.

He did business studies at Sheffield Hallam University and subsequently held senior marketing and commercial roles with household brands in the food and retail industry, including Asda, McCain and Lurpak.

A Middlesbrough FC fan and former county tennis player who now plays for Boroughbridge Tennis Club, he joined the Bettys & Taylors Group as marketing director for Taylors of Harrogate in 2011.

In 2016 he transferred to his current role at Bettys, which employs about 1,450 staff at its Starbeck bakery and five tearooms. He says:

“This place grabs you. It has deeper connections, deeper history. It can be a weight to carry knowing how precious and valuable it is.”

Outside Bettys’ flagship tearoom in Harrogate.

Five chief executives

My Eyles is one of five chief executives under Bettys’ unusual collaborative structure. He says:

“I find it a supportive model as the five of us have different perspectives and areas of expertise, meaning that we can make better, rounded balanced decisions.

“We can move at pace when we need to but sometimes it’s better to discuss, listen to each other’s views, in order to make a more informed decision.

“We certainly are not a ‘command and control’ business, as we have all worked in organisations that have this power dynamic and believe that this is a more rounded, considered approach to leadership.”

The leadership isn’t planning any fundamental changes. Bettys will continue to operate five tearooms: Harrogate town centre, RHS Harlow Carr, York, Ilkley and Northallerton. Mr Eyles says:

“We are Yorkshire through and through. There are no plans to open in London or anywhere.”

Harrogate town centre and York are the busiest and attract more tourists for afternoon tea. Harlow Carr, he says, does well on the retail side from people popping in as part of a trip to the RHS gardens whereas Northallerton and Ilkley have loyal local followings seeking tea and cake.

There’s also Bettys’ bakery in Starbeck, which is significantly affected by rising energy costs. My Eyles says:

“We have to work really hard as to how we can absorb those costs.

“You can’t just keep putting prices up, you have to find the right balance and the queues are sign we have got that equation right.”

Christmas build-up begins

September marks the start of Bettys’ build up to Christmas, which is its busiest time of year.

The window displays and products are planned and the Christmas catalogue will soon be published.

Last year’s Christmas window display in Harrogate.

Last year the company reported its highest ever sales figures for a Christmas period. Online sales have doubled since the pandemic.

The premium market Bettys serves is to some extent insulated from the recession but equally many people are more cutting back on treats.

Recruitment remains a major headache, especially for kitchen staff. Brexit, he says, is having a delayed effect and making recruitment harder. It’s also prompted the company to stop trading in Europe:

“We ship a lot to the United States and Australia but the complexities that are involved with shipping to Europe means that we are not doing it because it’s not worth it for us. I don’t think Brexit has done us any favours.”

Bettys was founded in 1919 by Frederick Belmont, of Switzerland, whose family still owns the company. Mr Eyles, who has a 14-year-old daughter and two labradors, says the family is not involved in day-to-day business but are regularly updated and make strategic decisions.

“Bettys will be thriving for years to come. We will have evolved but at the heart of it we will always be a magical experience.

His advice for companies struggling to survive?

“If you freeze and wait for things to settle down, that is a big risk. You need to be proactive.”

An eight-week public consultation looks set to start in October asking people in North Yorkshire if they support devolution and the election of a mayor.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive will be asked to agree to the consultation when it meets on September 6.

It will also be asked to pay an initial £600,000 to cover the costs of the consultation exercise and other early implementation costs.

If devolution goes ahead, it will lead to the creation of a combined authority for North Yorkshire and York and the election of a mayor for the region.

A draft deal was signed on August 1, which is Yorkshire Day, in York. The 32-page document promised £540 million over 30 years and more devolved powers over skills, transport and energy.

Now councillors are being asked to move to the next stage of the process.

Councillor Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the county council, hailed the deal as “life-changing for the region’s economy”, adding:

“I have been a huge supporter of the devolution of powers and money from Whitehall to the Town Hall and of local-led decision making set against our own priorities.

“I have no problem in recommending the acceptance of the draft deal and of asking my executive colleagues to agree a public consultation.”

Earlier this month, the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough called for a public vote on the deal saying it gave too much power to one person. 

Read more:

• North Yorkshire devolution concentrates power into ‘hands of few’
• Strayside Sunday: Is the £540m Devolution Deal good enough?
• Explained: What is North Yorkshire’s combined authority?

If the consultation is agreed, it will run through the autumn and close before Christmas.

York and North Yorkshire councillors will then consider the results and make a decision on a submission back to the UK government in the spring.

The current timeline then outlines the formation of a combined authority for the region in winter 2023, with the public electing a mayor in May 2024.

The deal can be found on the Government’s website, here.

The executive paper can be read here.

The Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found is no longer registered by the Care Quality Commission.

Government inspectors put Mary Fisher House in special measures this year after discovering rodent droppings in the kitchen and finding some medicine practices to be “unsafe”.

The CQC report detailing the findings, which also said bedrooms “smelt strongly of urine”, was published in April.

The health and social care regulator subsequently said it had “taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home” by moving them them to other homes.

But it added its legal processes did not allow it to go into further detail at the time because care provider Svivekcaregroup Limited could appeal its findings.

An updated version of the report, released this month after the appeal deadline passed, revealed the CQC had issued notice of a proposal to cancel the home’s registration.

Read more:

• Rodent droppings found in kitchen of Harrogate care home
• Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found plans to reopen

A CQC spokeswoman told the Stray Ferret enforcement action “did not proceed to the final stage”. When the Stray Ferret asked why not, the spokeswoman said:

“The service is now closed, and no longer active on the CQC’s register. No one is living on site, and as far as CQC is concerned the matter is concluded.”

In June, Svivekcaregroup indicated the home, which catered for up to 24 residents on Cold Bath Road, was likely to reopen.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Svivekcaregroup to ask if it still planned to re-open Mary Fisher House or had other plans for the building but has not received a response.

A new heritage map for the Boroughbridge district has been produced to illustrate the history of the Norman town.

Many iconic buildings of the past no longer exist but the map points to where the remnants are, as well as existing buildings.

They include the Manor House, which was the home of the Tancred family in the 1500s, Langthorpe brewery, the railway station, the old mill, the battle cross and the ancient church.

The map was designed by Mike Tasker and produced by Boroughbridge and District Historical Society with support from Boroughbridge Town Council and the tourist information centre, Langthorpe Parish Council and Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade.

It compliments the recently published book by the society called Boroughbridge, a Yorkshire Town.

Copies of the map are available from the Boroughbridge tourist information centre and the town’s library.

It will soon be available to download here.

Read more:

• Battlefield trail to be launched in Boroughbridge this month
• Harrogate Neighbours set to relocate residents to Boroughbridge

The Royal British Legion Nidderdale branch could close after 96 years.

The branch, which covers Pateley Bridge, Summerbridge and nearby villages, was founded in 1926.

But membership has dwindled to below 20 and the current officers, who are in their 80s, plan to step down at the end of this year.

Paul Darley, who is on the Royal British Legion’s county committee for north and east Yorkshire, said:

“No branch would mean no standard to raise at armistice parades.

“We don’t want that to happen and hope we can get enough people to keep the branch going.

“Anyone can be a member of the Royal British Legion and and annual subscription is less than £20.”

Mr Darley, who is also president of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion, said the workload wasn’t high, except for activity surrounding the annual Poppy Appeal fortnight in November.

Anyone interested in joining the branch can email Mr Darley at pauldarley@btinternet.com.

Read more:

• ‘We want to disappear,” says Knaresborough British Legion
• Nidderdale campsite owner calls for more regulation of ‘pop-up campsites’

The Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats are to restart their process to choose a prospective parliamentary candidate.

The party had begun moves to find someone to oppose Conservative Andrew Jones at the next general election.

But the process will be re-run after the national Lib Dems upgraded Harrogate and Knaresborough to a target seat.

Local members participated in a first selection in June and July. But a recent email to party members, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:

“Before the results of our PPC selection had been announced, we were notified that Harrogate and Knaresborough has been recognised as a target seat.

“This is great news and something that the local party executive have been working towards. However, this has implications for the selection of a PPC.”

Conservative Andrew Jones has represented Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010.

Read more:

• Sir Ed Davey: Lib Dems will target Harrogate and Knaresborough as key seat
• Andrew Jones MP defends government response to energy crisis

The letter goes on to say that every PPC in a target seat “must be selected through a more robust selection process” and therefore the current selection process had been “curtailed”.

The email adds further information will be sent in “due course”.

David Goode, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems, said

“We have been recognised as a target seat and this is fantastic news. This is the result of months of work by our local campaigners and councillors.

“The local party started the process of selecting a parliamentary candidate earlier this summer. News of their target seat status means the process will now begin again.

“We will have to kick start a new selection process, in line with party rules. This is just something we must do but it will not detract from our campaign. ”

Local election success

At the local elections in May, the party won eight of the 13 North Yorkshire County Council seats in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  It won 11,907 votes compared to the Conservatives’ 11,103.

However, the Tories won 47 of the 90 seats across the county to retain control.

Jubilant Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough celebrate the local election results.

At the last general election in 2019, the Lib Dems increased their share of the vote in the constituency by 12 percentage points and reduced Conservative Andrew Jones’s majority to 9,675 votes. But Mr Jones has held the seat since 2012.

New figures show that North Yorkshire Police is now the worst police force for responding to 999 calls.

Forces are expected to meet the Home Office target of answering 90% of emergency calls within 10 seconds.

Home Office data showed that, in July, North Yorkshire only managed this 39.9% of the time.

The best performing force was Nottinghamshire Police, which achieved 87% – still below the 90% target.

North Yorkshire Police has often been close to the foot of the table but this was the second month in a row when it was actually last.

The force’s own statistics show its latest average 999 response time for the month of July was 20 seconds. This was higher than its 36-month average of 18.84 seconds.

The figures will come under the spotlight at the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s monthly public accountability meeting next Tuesday, August 30.

Data published by the commissioner’s office in advance of the meeting revealed the number of 999 calls increased by 8% in July 2022 compared with the same month last year.

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

‘A huge increase’

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office was approached for comment on the slow response times but a spokesman said the issue would be discussed at next week’s meeting.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe told the Stray Ferret in June that she was working to reduce delays in answering 101 and 999 calls in the police control room.

She said there had been a “huge increase” in 999 and non-emergency 101 calls.

Ms Metcalfe has pledged £140,000 to increase the number of staff working in the force control room.

Travellers have pitched up on the Stray in Harrogate for a second time this summer.

An encampment has appeared on a section of the parkland between Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein. Several vehicles are on site,

Harrogate Borough Council is the legal protector of the Stray. Asked if it was aware of the Travellers’ arrival, a council spokesman said:

“We are indeed and will be following the normal procedure to ensure they are moved on swiftly.”

The scene on the Stray today,

Read more:

• Travellers arrive on Oatlands Park in Harrogate
• Calls for more temporary sites for Travellers in Harrogate district
• Andrew Jones MP writes to Priti Patel about ‘law-breaking’ Travellers

A recent spate of arrivals by Travellers in the Harrogate district has led to calls to provide more designated temporary sites.

Six caravans and several cars arrived near to Oatlands Drive on the Stray in the week leading up to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

Last month Travellers also pitched up on Oatlands Park, off Hookstone Road,

On both occasions, the council instigated legal proceedings and the Travellers moved on quickly.

But more friction occurred when Travellers parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough this summer.

It prompted Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, to write to Home Secretary Priti Patel complaining of “disorder and anti-social behaviour completely off the scale compared to that associated with previous traveller encampments in our area”.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has defended the government’s response to the energy crisis, saying there are “no easy short-term fixes” to reduce the nation’s dependency on gas and oil.

Business leaders wrote to Mr Jones this week with warnings that many firms face closure due to soaring energy prices.

In response, Mr Jones said long-term progress had been made in the move away from fossil fuels and that the government was providing support for businesses and households during the current crisis.

He said in a letter: 

“Renewable capacity in the electricity market has increased from 2.3% in 1996 to 49.7% today, according to the UK Energy Brief 2022.

“Even though renewable energy is supplying more of the market, its cost is linked to wholesale gas prices.

“What the above shows is that there are no easy short-term fixes to reduce our dependency on gas and oil. But the long-term decisions that have been taken are beginning to bear fruit.”

Mr Jones was writing in a letter to the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, which also contacted Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams about its “grave concerns”.

Chamber chief executive David Simister urged the Conservative MPs to put pressure on the government to “act now” and help businesses before they reach “tipping point”.

Read more:

• £70,000 energy bill increase forces Harrogate district farm shop to close
• Harrogate council could dip into reserves to cover soaring energy costs
• MPs warned energy bills are pushing Harrogate district businesses to ‘tipping point’

In response, Mr Smith said in a statement he was “extremely concerned” about energy costs and that he would “put pressure on ministers to do more”.

Meanwhile, Mr Jones also highlighted the support already being provided to businesses and families, including a £400 grant for all UK households from October.

Homes in council tax bands A to D should have also received £150, while eight million low income households will get £650 on top of this. There are also £300 payments promised for eight million pensioners.

For businesses, Mr Jones said a new rates relief will support investment in property upgrades from 2023 when a separate small profits rate will also mean around 1.4 million businesses continue to pay corporation tax at 19% or none at all.

Mr Jones added: 

“Business owners, those who work for them and their customers are also domestic gas and electricity users and you will know that a lot has been done in respect of shielding everybody from rising prices.

“I wanted to highlight that support for businesses and employees is already of scale.”

His comments come as the government has previously said there would be no new policies before a new Prime Minister is in place. 

The new Conservative Party leader – and Prime Minister – is set to be announced on September 5.

Liz Truss is the current favourite to replace Boris Johnson. She has promised tax cuts and recently hinted at direct financial help for hard-hit households.

Her rival, Rishi Sunak, has vowed to introduce more targeted support for households, including a reduction in VAT on domestic energy bills from 5% to zero.

Celebrity antiques expert David Harper is joining forces with a Ripon auction house for a new antiques game show.

The show will be filmed at Elstob & Elstob‘s saleroom at Ripon Business Park and broadcast online.

Members of the public are invited to join in either as contestants or as part of the audience.

Mr Harper, who has presented programmes such as Antiques Road Trip, Flog It, Cash in the Attic and Bargain Hunt and appeared on numerous other programmes, has own YouTube channel, which will host the new show.

He will work alongside David Elstob, who opened Elstob & Elstob at Ripon three years ago.

Outside Elstob & Elstob in Ripon.

Mr Harper said:

“Much of my career to date has been spent on TV and radio but I am now keen to take the familiar game show format online, for a faster, more informal and interactive feel that will reach even wider audiences.

“I wanted to base the show within an auction house setting and as I already had an excellent working relationship with Elstob & Elstob they were an obvious choice for a media partner.

“They also have a very innovative approach to buying and selling antiques and are always looking to try new things, which is very important for an experimental project such as this.”

Two contestants will attempt to describe items brought in by the audience before antiques expert Mr Elstob awards points based on how accurate they are.

Whoever gets the most points will be invited to choose a prize from the auction house’s collection.

Read more:

• Hot Seat: the Ripon auctioneer bringing a modern edge to antiques
• Ripon auctioneer recruits new painting and sculpture specialist

The show’s first six-part series will be shot over three days at Elstob & Elstob  on September 15, October 5 and October 19 from 10am to 3pm.

Anyone interested in watching can just turn up on the day at anytime between those hours. You don’t need to book.

Mr Elstob said:

“We hope to welcome as many people to the auction house as possible on the filming days.

“I am sure it will be hugely enjoyable for everyone involved. Just come along and join in the fun.”

Anyone interested in taking part as a contestant is asked to get in touch in advance with the auction house on 01765 699200 for more information or email: info@elstobandelstob.co.uk.

The first series will be screened weekly from Friday 7 October at 7pm and can be viewed here.