Eight motorists fined in Ripon in police metal theft campaign

Eight motorists in Ripon have received fixed penalty notices as part of a week-long police metal theft campaign.

North Yorkshire Police revealed today it stopped more than 100 vehicles at two roadside checkpoints on Ripon bypass and the York ring road during last week’s campaign.

In Ripon, this resulted in three untaxed vehicles being seized as well as the eight fixed penalty notices.

Police across the country took part in the campaign, partly in response to fears about the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles.

Hybrid vehicles, which contain more precious metals in their catalytic converters, and 4x4s, which are more vulnerable because of their higher chassis, are particularly at risk.

The campaign also targeted fly tipping and metal theft from places of worship.

Officers carried out patrols at more than 40 churches, particularly in remote areas, to check security and raise awareness with local residents about metal theft.

Rural areas, including North Yorkshire, are believed to be particularly vulnerable to metal thefts.

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Inspector Clive Turner, of North Yorkshire Police’s rural task force, said:

“Following the covid pandemic, metal prices may start to rise, risking an increase in metal theft and associated crimes.

“Vital public services – such as transport, power and telecommunications – can be severely affected, and construction work can be interrupted and delayed, resulting in a significant knock-on economic impact.

“Similarly, the theft of catalytic converters causes disruption and expense for vehicle owners.

“Heritage sites can also be targeted by metal thieves, including places of worship – and this may result in irreparable structural damage.

Inspector Turner added the campaign had presented “a good opportunity for us to work alongside partners to keep up the pressure on those responsible” and urged people to report suspicious activity.

The police did not provide further details about the nature of offences that resulted in the fixed penalty notices, which can be issued for offences such as driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone whilst driving, vehicle defects and no insurance.

 

Tesco Express in Harrogate gets lowest mark in council covid checks

A Tesco Express in Harrogate received the lowest mark of all supermarkets in the district when unannounced covid checks were carried out.

More than 230 supermarkets and shops were assessed in a joint operation between North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

Trading standards and environmental health officers checked whether they had made their premises covid-secure and followed regulations.

Premises were graded using a traffic light system, with green lights given to the most compliant and red lights to businesses where a number of issues were flagged up.

All supermarkets received either green or amber lights, with the exception of Tesco Express on Knaresborough Road.

The inspector who visited that store on February 8 noted “poor and infrequent cleaning”, “lack of cleaning products for the in-store Costa Coffee” and “cashier not wearing mask but was advised she was exempt”. Another comment said:

“Felt I was being given lip service.”

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A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“With regards to the Tesco on Knaresborough Road; a follow up visit was undertaken, the site had followed up on the issues raised and it was found to be compliant and following government guidance.

“No further action was necessary and we were satisfied with the measures that had been put in place.”

A Tesco spokesman said:

“We are following government guidance in stores to ensure that all our colleagues are wearing face coverings, unless they cannot do so for medical or safety reasons.”

Information released after FoI request

North Yorkshire County Council issued a press release in February about the visit but initially refused to reveal details of individual inspections.

However, after a request made under the Freedom of Information Act by the Stray Ferret it did release its findings.

The Stray Ferret’s investigation focused solely on supermarkets.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, said in the press release:

“Many supermarkets and other essential retailers have made huge efforts during the whole of lockdown to make their shops covid-secure.

“Across the whole county we have found breaches by only a handful of retailers.

“North Yorkshire’s shoppers can have real confidence that the vast majority of retail premises are covid-safe in our county, that they carry out proper cleaning procedures and that regulations about the wearing of face masks, hand sanitising and keeping a social distance are properly applied and patrolled.”

Checks were carried out in December and January.

 

Early morning blaze ruins house in Harrogate district

An unsupervised candle is believed to have caused a fire that badly damaged a house in Minskip in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Harrogate using and aerial ladder platform and breathing apparatus rushed to the scene just after 1am.

Nobody was injured but the fire, which started in a bedroom, left the home in Roecliffe Drive uninhabitable.

The first floor suffered 100% fire damage and there is smoke damage throughout the building.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews used six breathing apparatus sets, two hose reel jets, door enforcer, 9 metre ladder, thermal imaging camera and small tools.

“They also gained access to a neighbouring property to check for fire spread.”

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service told the Stray Ferret the adjoining semi-detached was not damaged and it was fortunate nobody was hurt.

Minskip is about a mile from Boroughbridge.

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New vicar for Killinghall, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite

The Reverend Suzy McCarter has been appointed vicar of Hampsthwaite with Felliscliffe, Killinghall and Birstwith.

Revd McCarter, who lives in Birstwith vicarage, will be installed at an induction service with the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, on July 28 at 7pm in Killinghall.

Born in Northampton, Revd McCarter was ordained in Blackburn Diocese.

She said:

“I then served a curacy in Standish, Wigan and my first appointment as a clergyperson was in the benefice of Harden, Wilsden, Cullingworth and Denholme in West Yorkshire where I stayed for nearly 11 years before moving here.

“We hope to settle and remain here for a nice long time.”

Birstwith and Hampsthwaite churches reopened for worship during Holy Week and are now back to the normal pattern of worship.

Killinghall, however, is having work done to repair the chancel after some water damage to the foundations resulted in the floor sinking.

It is expected to open for worship on May 30.

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Mr and Miss Harrogate cancelled due to low competitor numbers

Bodybuilding barber David Steca has cancelled plans to stage a Mr and Miss Harrogate competition on August 1.

Mr Steca, who is a multi-titled bodybuilder, intended to stage the event in a in a marquee near his home in Menwith Hill.

But he announced on social media the event will not take place. He said:

“After much deliberation, I am sad to announce the cancellation of the show. Competitor numbers are very low, which would not make for an entertaining day.

“It’s a shame but it needed to be entertaining and the numbers need to work.

“Thank you to all the generous sponsors who came forward to support the day.”

Mr Steca, 61, owns Steca No6 in Harrogate and another salon in Leeds.

Besides being a barber, he also trains physique athletes for competitions.

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£2,000 grants available for Harrogate district sports clubs

Sports clubs affected by covid in the Harrogate district are being invited to apply for grants of up to £2,021.

Made by Sport, a charity that promotes the power of sport to tackle social issues, has made the unrestricted funding available to not-for-profit groups.

Organisations that work with young people aged five to 25, and have annual turnover of less than £75,000, are eligible to apply.

They need to be able to demonstrate they work in one of five key areas, which include improving mental health and developing life skills.

They must also show the pandemic has adversely affected them, either operationally or financially, and funding could save, resume or adapt their activity.

Two Ridings Community Foundation, the community foundation for north and east Yorkshire, is administering the grants programme on behalf of Made by Sport.

The deadline for applications is May 31.

The guidance notes for organisations interested in applying are here.

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Has Banksy painted a mural in Scotton?

The owners of the historic Guy Fawkes Arms in Scotton are trying to find out whether a mural, which appeared on their pub yesterday, is a genuine Banksy.

Danielle and Adam Vear were shocked to discover the image featuring Guy Fawkes, who lived in the village, when it appeared in broad daylight yesterday at about 3.30pm.

The spray paint and stencil mural, which bears a Banksy signature, shows covid passports dropping from a barrel held by Fawkes into a burning Houses of Parliament.

The quality of the mural, plus the fact it was done so quickly, suggests it is the work of a talented artist. But is it a Banksy? Ms Vear said:

“I really don’t know. Whoever did it is good and put a lot of thought into it. Everyone is intrigued by it.”

The couple think the artist appeared when they were in the pub. Remarkably, nobody seems to have spotted them even though the pub is situated in the heart of the village.

The Vears are now trying to verify the work by contacting the pest control website set up for such a purpose.

If it is a Banksy, it would be worth millions of pounds.

The pub, which dates back to the 1700s, reopens today for outdoor drinks only and Ms Vear insists the mural isn’t an elaborate publicity stunt.

“The whole thing is just bizarre.”

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Harrogate artist sells paintings to help Yemen

Local painter Clive Wilson is selling 10 of his paintings to raise money to help children affected by the civil war in Yemen.

Mr Wilson paints impressionistic and dreamy landscapes. Most of his paintings show the Northumberland coast, where he has a holiday cottage. Although he was born and grew up in Leeds, he has lived in Harrogate for 32 years.

He began painting as a teenager, when he would make pocket money by painting shop signs. Now he works as a life coach and environmental consultant.

He has written two books on business performance and sustainable development, and is also chair of the Harrogate branch of the United Nations Association, an organisation dedicated to promoting the work of the UN.

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The Yemen conflict has become the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world, leaving more than 12.4 million children in need of assistance. All proceeds from sales of Mr Wilson’s paintings, which cost from £40 to £110, will go towards Save the Children’s Yemen Appeal.

The paintings can be seen in the cafe of the garden rooms at auctioneers Tennants in Leyburn, which is open for takeaway. Alternatively paintings can be viewed and bought on the auctioneer’s website.

Mr Wilson also has a JustGiving page for those who wish to make a donation to the Save the Children appeal.

Taxpayers foot £330,000 bill for councils’ consultancy fees

North Yorkshire councils facing reorganisation have spent almost £330,000 of taxpayers’ cash on consultants to help fight their corner on the future of key services, it’s been revealed.

A government-run consultation on the reorganisation plans, which will see Harrogate Borough Council abolished, has this week come to a close.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is set to make a decision this summer on whether a single authority for all of the county or two bodies split on an east/west basis should replace the current two-tier system.

People in the Harrogate district currently pay for services provided by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

The aim is to save money by bringing all council services including highways, planning and education under the control of a streamlined structure, but leaders are deeply divided and can not agree how to go about it.

It has meant the seven district councils – including Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Craven, Hambleton, Ryedale and Richmondshire – have spent around £240,000 on consultants in support of their joint east/west bid, although Hambleton has since pulled out.

North Yorkshire County Council has used just under £90,000 for its single authority proposal.

Councillor Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“This was an extensive piece of work requiring professional input, public consultation and modelling. The costs of the work were shared between all the district councils in North Yorkshire and represent a tiny fraction of our overall budgets.

“Looking after the elderly, children with exceptional needs, the homeless and those least fortunate in our society isn’t something we can leave to chance.

“That is why it was important for all seven councils to contribute to make sure we got this right. And we have.”

But the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council has criticised the almost £330,000 spends from all councils, saying public cash has been “wasted” on “Tory infighting”.

Group leader councillor Pat Marsh said:

“Many people will see this as their own political interests, rather than giving much-needed investment to our local services.”

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

“The reason we have used consultants is because we are talking about very big proposals which involve a lot of money.

“The county council has a budget of over half a billion pounds and if you add in another £100m on top of that from the districts, there is a need to make sure our assumptions are correct.

“We wanted to be sure our plans are solid as they can possibly be, and they are.”

Process complete by April 2023

North Yorkshire County Council used consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, while the districts employed the services of KPMG .

They each produced lengthy reports on how services should be managed and public cash spent under the reorganisation plans, which are linked to a potential multi-billion pound devolution deal with the government.

City of York Council, which wants to remain a unitary council under the county bid, did not use any consultants as part of the process but did spend £6,400 on an agency firm, as well as £5,500 on a market research organisation to conduct polling.

Elections for county councillors are being held across England next month but not in North Yorkshire due to the reorganisation plans.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, it is expected that any new North Yorkshire unitary council or councils would be fully operational from April 2023, with transitional arrangements and elections to the new structure set to take place in 2022.

Plans approved to build 95 homes at Harrogate’s Granby Farm

Harrogate councillors have approved controversial plans to build 95 homes on a grass field described by residents as a “vital green corridor” connecting the town to the countryside.

Redrow Homes were awarded planning permission to build the homes at Granby Farm at a meeting today despite complaints from residents that it would result in the loss of the last remaining link between the Stray and the town’s surrounding scenery.

Those who have contested the plans over the past year also pointed towards an assessment report published in 2016, which said around half of the site should be maintained as a green corridor under any housebuilding plans.

This, however, was only a recommendation and not made an official policy when the Local Plan was adopted last year.

Speaking at today’s Harrogate Borough Council planning committee, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh voiced her objections to the plans and questioned why the assessment of Granby Farm was ever carried out.

She said:

“I won’t be supporting this – I don’t think it is achieving what the council set out when it went to the effort of pulling together a site assessment for inclusion in the Local Plan where it clearly puts into perspective what this site was meant to achieve.

“If we didn’t want to take note of it, why have it assessed?”

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Today’s approval of the plans also follows warnings from worried locals that a planned access road connecting the nearby Devonshire Gardens development would “decimate” a parkland created for residents less than two years ago.

Richard Clark, an agent for Devonshire Gardens Residents’ Association, said the new street set to be built over Pickering Gardens would “split” the popular outdoor space in two.

He said:

“While this proposal includes replacement open space, splitting the existing space in two to allow access undoubtedly reduces its usefulness. Simply providing more does not address this.

“The access route proposed would of course be cheaper for the developers than securing access via Kingsley Drive, but being the cheaper option does not justify granting permission.”

Locals living south of the site on Roseville Gardens had also lodged complaints that the proximity of the new homes would “severely compromise” their privacy, although council planning officials said all guidelines had been met and that a cycle lane and landscaping measures would reduce the impact.

‘Ideal location for new housing’

The plans – which include 38 affordable homes – were voted through by seven votes for and four against.

Once construction is completed, there will be a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties.

Mike Ashworth, planning manager at Redrow Homes, told today’s meeting:

“The Granby Farm site forms a natural extension to our previous development at Devonshire Gardens and has been proposed for development since the drafting and eventual adoption of the Local Plan.

“It sits in an ideal location for new housing within walking distance of the town centre but also the extensive amenity space at the Stray. We will improve this relationship further through new and improved pedestrian and cycle links.

“The proposals have been subject to a number of changes in consultation with officers, consultees and neighbouring residents.

“The development of the site will lead to significant benefits, not least the delivery of housing to meet identified demand.”