Man in hospital after being struck by thieves’ getaway van in Ripon

A man is recovering in hospital after being struck by a van driven by thieves at a Ripon supermarket.

The incident happened at 6.40pm last night at Morrisons.

According to North Yorkshire Police, a white utility van failed to stop after striking the unnamed man, who is in his 40s.

The extent of his injuries us now known.

A police statement said:

“The van did not stop at the scene and so we are appealing for information to help identify the vehicle and its occupants.

“Anyone who was in the area of Morrisons between 6.20pm and 6.50pm and has any dashcam or video footage, is asked to contact police.

“Dial 101, press 1 and pass information to the force control room, quoting reference number 12220012344.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate headteacher ‘concerned’ by Cold Bath Road pollution data

Western Primary School installed a pollution sensor in June last year, amid concerns about heavy traffic on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.

Headteacher Tim Broad was worried about the sheer volume of traffic plus the fact he could tase diesel in his mouth when larger vehicles passed.

Six months on, The Stray Ferret has reviewed the data, which suggests levels of pollutants meet national objectives but exceed guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.

The sensor, which was installed within the school grounds, revealed concentrations of PM2.5, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) all fell within the national objectives’ limits for short and long-term exposure.

However, a local pollution campaigner expressed concern that PM2.5 and NO2 levels exceeded WHO guidelines both short- and long-term.

PM2.5 particles are man-made particles suspended in the air, produced by woodburning stoves and transport, as well as industrial processes. When breathed in, these particles can get into the blood and lodge themselves in organs.

NO2 is a gas produced by combustion of fossil fuels. Eighty percent of roadside NO2 pollution is caused by road vehicles. Exposure to the gas can cause inflammation to the airways and exacerbate pre-existing heart and lung conditions.

‘No safe threshold for air pollution’

We showed our findings to Western headteacher Tim Broad, who said he was “concerned” by the exceedance of WHO guidelines, Mr Broad added:

“I intend to follow up with an investigation in school, with a view to passing on the findings to the appropriate people at Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.”

Read more:

Local campaigner Brian McHugh claimed the national objectives were too weak, and children were at risk. He added:

“The concern with using numbers and limits sometimes can be that there is a belief formed that anything up to that level is ‘safe’. There is no safe threshold for air pollution.

“The harm of air pollution on humans is well documented. The increased harm to children, with developing lungs, cannot be overstated.”

Better monitoring needed

Western Primary School is believed to be the only school in the district with an air pollution sensor, and live measurements from the sensor are available to the public online here.

Mr McHugh called for better monitoring of pollution in and around schools. He said:

“It is incredibly useful that we are even able to have this data and analyse it. Huge thanks must go to Western Primary for having the foresight to install an air quality sensor and it is hoped that other schools in the Harrogate district follow their example, so we have accurate information on which to base policies and initiatives.”

In its 2021 Air Quality Annual Status Report, Harrogate Borough Council used 63 monitors throughout the district to measure NO2 levels but had no monitors for PM2.5 particles.

The council itself stated PM2.5 can have a significant impact on health, including “premature mortality, allergic reactions, and cardiovascular diseases”, but it relied on council data from Leeds and York to estimate levels of the pollutant in the district.

Harrogate student Emily Holder aims for Paralympic gold

A student at Harrogate College is aiming for wheelchair fencing gold on the back of her debut for Great Britain at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sport Federation‘s World Cup in Italy.

Emily Holder, 17, is already competing at the top tier in the UK having won a medal at the national championships. She balances her fencing with studies for a BTEC in business at Harrogate College, which she will finish this year.

Emily regularly travels to Milton Keynes for training sessions, so juggling her two workloads has been far from easy. She said:

“This course has been a good choice for me and in terms of the college being flexible to let me continue my fencing and training, it’s been really great.

“The staff have been very helpful and understanding. Although we haven’t been going to too many things, because of covid, when it has come to me having to take time to attend training and fencing competitions, they’ve been really good.”

Emily has cerebral palsy and her mobility varies depending on her chronic pain, spasticity (muscle tightness) and dystonic (involuntary muscle contraction) levels. She uses a crutch or an electric wheelchair but on good days can manage without.

Read more:

With little to no funding available, Emily’s family has supported her in buying the necessary equipment to compete, including £4,000 on a specialist wheelchair. Meanwhile, Emily also remains dedicated to her studies, and is looking to study business management or human resources at university next year.

Harrogate College Business student Emily Holder

Harrogate College business student Emily Holder

Tutors have praised her as a “fantastic role model”, while course leader David Gaunt said she was “very conscientious and always prioritises her grades”.

Emily, who lives in North Rigton, began fencing in 2013 after attending a disability sports festival before joining Harrogate Fencing Club. She now trains across the UK, from Milton Keynes to York to Durham.

To support or sponsor Emily, please email emilyholder43@yahoo.com.

For more information about wheelchair fencing click here.

Harrogate charities host care recruitment event today

Two Harrogate charities have joined forces to host a care recruitment event in Harrogate town centre today.

Staff from Disability Action Yorkshire and The Avalon Group will be answering questions at the Everyman Cinema from 11am until 1:30pm, discussing the work they do and the roles currently available.

The recruitment drive comes as North Yorkshire suffers from a shortage of care workers, with over 1,000 estimated vacancies in the sector across the county on any given day.

Disability Action North Yorkshire operates a care home on Claro Road in Harrogate and has a training centre in Hornbeam Park, providing services for disabled people to live their lives fully.

Read more:

Jackie Snape, Disability Action Yorkshire’s chief executive said:

“As two Harrogate-based charities operating in similar fields, we’ve decided to partner for this social care recruitment event.

“For those considering a career in social care, this will be an ideal opportunity to find out about the importance of this sector, what we as individual charities do, and the jobs that are currently available.”

The Avalon Group works across the north of England to support anyone who needs additional care and support, including those with dementia, learning or physical disabilities, mental health difficulties and more.

 

Zero Carbon Harrogate receives £125,000 to make buildings more energy efficient

Environmental charity Zero Carbon Harrogate has received a grant of £125,422 to make buildings more energy efficient.

The organisation, which promotes a low carbon sustainable economy in the Harrogate district, was awarded the funding this week from energy regulator Ofgem‘s energy redress scheme.

The scheme, which collects money volunteered by energy companies who may have breached Ofgem rules, has awarded over £34 million to nearly 200 organisations since 2018.

In this latest funding round, Ofgem said it focused on projects that would relieve the ongoing energy crisis, choosing “new initiatives that support vulnerable households with energy bills and projects that will help homes reduce their long-term household carbon emissions”.

Zero Carbon Harrogate’s award will go towards its retrofit training and engagement programme, which aims to reduce the climate impact from domestic energy use in the Harrogate district by accelerating the delivery of local retrofit services.

It will improve the accessibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy services for local households by addressing issues with both supply and demand for retrofit services.

Read more:

In a statement on Twitter, Zero Carbon Harrogate said:

“We are absolutely delighted to secure this funding and we’re really excited to deliver our retrofit project to the Harrogate district.”

How retrofitting helps buildings 

Zero Carbon Harrogate has previously run a retrofit awareness event in collaboration with Harrogate College and subsidised the college’s Foundations of Eco-Retrofit course.

Buildings make up 17% of UK emissions, and retrofitting homes by adding insulation, reducing draughts, and installing heat pumps can reduce energy consumption by up to 80%.

Graham Ayling, senior project manager for the energy redress scheme, said:

“The latest round of grant funding comes at a crucial time, with UK households facing exceptional rises in energy costs, alongside the ongoing climate emergency.

“National and regional charities have a key role on the frontline, particularly in supporting those most at risk from high energy prices and in ensuring that the transition to zero carbon energy happens quickly, sustainably and leaves no-one behind. These funds will support more charities to do just that.”

Harrogate set for colourful fountains and WiFi-charging benches

Harrogate town centre is set to get water fountains and smart benches where people can charge their phones as part of the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme.

North Yorkshire County Council is expected to approve the controversial gateway project next week.

Most of the focus has been on how the scheme will reduce traffic to single lane on a stretch of Station Parade and part pedestrianise James Street to encourage cycling and walking.

But documents sent to councillors ahead of next week’s executive meeting also reveal proposed changes to the public realm close to the train station.

They include creating a dry plaza water jet feature surrounded by new trees and seating at Station Square, where the Victoria monument is located.

Read more:

One of the documents says:

“The fountain jets can be switched on and off by the council to cater to year-round events in the plaza. Lighting can also be controlled by visitors using a smart phone to connect.

“Smart benches are proposed in the plaza to allow visitors to enjoy the space whilst charging their devices. These smart benches can also have built-in WiFi and lighting so you can enjoy your time in the plaza.”

Other proposals include new lighting columns with built-in insect hotels for wildlife along with other green measures. The documents says:

“We want to celebrate how green Harrogate is by adding in new colourful planting and new trees along streets and in the new plaza at the station.

“Some areas of planting will be rain gardens. These are special planting areas that love collecting rain water to reduce the likelihood of floods around the town.”

Traffic disruption expected in Killinghall next week

Delays are expected in Killinghall next week when new electricity cables are laid for the village’s forthcoming Tesco Express.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed and buses and lorries will be prevented from turning in and out of Otley Road from Ripon Road.

The measures will allow Northern Powergrid to excavate a trench and install cables beneath the pavement outside the Tesco on Ripon Road.

Northern Powergrid has written to residents saying work is expected to last 10 days. The letter says:

“There will be a certain amount of disruption during the implementation of this work but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum.”

The letter adds the traffic lights will “inevitably lengthen journey times” and buses will be affected.

A barrier and temporary walkway will operate outside the Tesco for pedestrians.

Read more:

A spokesman for The Harrogate Bus Company, which is part of the French company Transdev, said:

“This will mean our service 24 will be diverted in the Killinghall area, while journeys on our 36 route may also experience some delays.

“Full details of alternative arrangements are being advertised to keep our customers informed, including on our Twitter feed ‘@harrogatebus’ and on the free to download Transdev Go mobile app.”

The Stray Ferret asked Tesco when the store was due to open. All it would say was “early 2022”.

North Yorkshire police officer touched breasts of woman he met on duty

A former North Yorkshire Police officer touched the breasts of a vulnerable woman he met on duty and discussed the possibility of forging a relationship with her.

PC Chris Bolton also exchanged sexual images with the woman, a misconduct hearing heard.

The hearing heard that PC Bolton interacted with the woman, known as Ms A, between August 13, 2020 and November 24, 2020,

He was also found to have dishonestly re-scored a risk assessment relating to Ms A on or around August 23.

The hearing took place at North Yorkshire Police headquarters in Northallerton last week. The panel concluded that the allegations had been proved and amounted to gross misconduct.

Read more:

It found PC Bolton breached standards for discreditable conduct, authority, respect and courtesy, honesty and integrity and duties and responsibilities.

The panel concluded that, had Mr Bolton still been serving with North Yorkshire Police, he would have been dismissed.

It also ruled he will be placed on the College of Policing barred and advisory list.

Individuals remain on the list indefinitely, unless they win an appeal against their dismissal or make a successful review application, where they would have to provide clear evidence as to why they were now suitable to re-join policing.

North Yorkshire Police declined to reply to a question from the Stray Ferret asking where PC Bolton was based.

Confirmed: £11m Station Gateway to get green light next week

North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that the £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway will be recommended for approval next week.

The Stray Ferret revealed last week that the county council’s executive was expected to give the green light on January 25.

Now the county council, which is the lead partner for the scheme, has confirmed the executive is recommended to take the proposals forward to detailed design stage so work can start in spring or summer.

It says the move will save shops from decline, make the town centre more attractive and improve the town centre for cyclists and pedestrians.

Station Gateway design

James Street will be partly pedestrianised and traffic on some of Station Parade reduced to single lane.

The decision comes despite widespread opposition to the scheme from businesses and residents.

The results of the second phase of consultation, published last month, revealed that of 1,320 people who replied to an online survey, 55% feel negatively, 39% positively and five per cent neutral towards the scheme. One per cent said they didn’t know.

Nevertheless the scheme is expected to proceed with only minor amendments.

Read more:

A report to councillors acknowledges there has been “a general reduction in the level of support for the changes”. It says the main concerns are the negative impacts on businesses, congestion, air quality and the attractiveness, accessibility and safety of the town centre.

It adds that officers believe:

“The proposals will have an overall positive impact on the local economy, air quality and the attractiveness, accessibility and safety of the town centre with a minimal increase in journey times and flows in the worst case traffic modelling.

“It is therefore considered appropriate that the proposals be taken forward through detailed design and implementation.”

The report adds the “overall impact on retail footfall is expected to be positive”, adding.

“Evidence suggests that the town centre retail sector is at risk of decline in the medium term. There is also a growing body of case study evidence which indicates that the scheme will increase footfall and economic value.”

Granville Road Gateway protestors

Residents living near the town centre fear their streets will get more traffic.

Extra traffic in residential areas

Regarding concerns that the changes will displace traffic along the A61 Cheltenham Crescent into nearby residential streets, the report says traffic modelling looked at “significant changes (an average change of 3 vehicles per minute or more)”, adding:

“At the worst time of day (the afternoon peak hour) only East Parade experiences a significant increase in flow (5 vehicles per minute).”

The Harrogate scheme is one of three in Yorkshire being paid for with £42m from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

These proposals represent the biggest investment in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton town centres in decades and aim to increase productivity by making it quicker, easier and safer for people to travel around and connect with economic opportunities.

“We want to encourage more people to travel by foot, bike and public transport because it is good for health and the environment by promoting fitness and reducing congestion. The spending will also provide a welcome boost for our town centres after two difficult years of trading during the pandemic.

“The entire project is a great example of partnership working between Craven District Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Selby District Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and is set to deliver real benefits to residents and businesses across our county.

“We have listened to feedback from the public consultations and are confident people will be pleased with the results.”

Lack of affordable housing ‘killing’ villages in North Yorkshire

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said second homes and holiday lets are “killing” rural communities in places such as North Yorkshire.

Mr Farron told a debate in Parliament last week that more than a quarter of the housing stock in the Yorkshire Dales was not lived in.

He added the majority of properties in some towns and villages were empty most of the year.

Mr Farron, whose constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria is severely affected by second homes, called for action to “shift the dial and save the dales and other rural communities”.

He said:

“Excessive second home ownership is a colossal problem in our communities.

“The collapse of affordable, available housing for local communities is killing towns and villages in Cornwall, Northumberland, Shropshire, Devon, Somerset, North Yorkshire, the highlands of Scotland and rural Wales, as well as in my home of Cumbria.

Mr Farron accused the government of “inexcusable inaction to save our communities” and outlines a seven-point action plan.

The measures included making second homes and holiday lets new and separate categories of planning use so councils and national parks could limit the number of them in each town and village, giving councils the power to increase council tax by up to 100% on second homes in the worst-affected communities and ensuring Airbnb properties “meet the same standards as any other rental”.

Read more:

Housing minister Christopher Pincher said rural communities faced “some very specific challenges”, which was why the government had changed the tax system.

“Since 2013, local authorities have been able to levy 100% of council tax on second homes, where the people who own them do not necessarily use the local services that they might, but through the council tax have to contribute to them; 96% of local authorities make use of that opportunity.”

He added changes had been made to stamp duty to help first-time buyers and a surcharge had been introduced for foreign purchasers of property.

Mr Pincher added:

“This issue is also why we have reformed the planning system. It is opaque, slow, and is not predictable. That does not help small and medium-sized enterprises—often the builders who build different types of homes for different tenures in the places that the big builders do not want.

“We need a system that will help those SMEs and is far more engaging.

“We also want, as a reform to be introduced soon, a new infrastructure levy to replace section 106, which tends to favour the bigger developers that can afford the bigger batteries of lawyers.”