Harrogate village shocked after 30ft topiary cockerel cut down

A village between Harrogate and Ripon has been left in a state of shock after its most famous sight — a 30ft topiary cockerel — was cut down.

Bishop Monkton has crowed about its magnificent bird for more than 100 years.

Standing proudly in front of a 300-year-old home known as Cockerel Cottage, it attracted visitors and even national media coverage.

Photos on local history website Bishop Monkton yesterday show the bird outside the cottage, whose proper name is Burngarth, in the 1920s.

Pic: Bishop Monkton Yesterday

But it disappeared this week, leaving some villagers horrified, and wondering what had led to its demise.

The Stray Ferret spoke to Gary Cross, landlord of the Masons Arms in Bishop Monkton, to find out more.

Mr Cross said the cockerel had been one of the main talking points in the pub in the days since it was cut down on Tuesday.

But he said that, contrary to appearances, it was not an act of wanton vandalism and could even return, Phoenix-like, after its shearing.

Mr Cross said he knows the owners, who we have not named, and understood the cockerel’s size and proximity to the house caused problems including blocking light  and was difficult to maintain. He added:

“It was a pretty big object and attraction. Some residents are very upset about it. But they don’t have to live next to it.

“With the beck flooding, a lot of their garden was subject to flooding and it held pools of water, which was difficult to deal with. The owners have been there two or three years and tried to work with the cockerel but it had just become so big.”

Mr Cross said a leading topiarist was hired to prune the bird down to its roots so it could regrow, although this would take years. He said:

“Some people are being rude and vicious but it has not been butchered, it was carefully cut.

“Most people think it’s a shame but when you pose the question ,’would you want to have to maintain it?’, the answer is usually ‘no’.”

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Andrew Timothy, Liberal Democrats

Andrew Timothy says North Yorkshire Council needs more enthusiasm in its ranks.

He believes he can offer that if elected as councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone on April 11. He’d be the youngest member of North Yorkshire Council at 25.

Originally from the West Midlands, he moved to Harrogate a few years ago to work in a science lab. He lives just outside the division on Leeds Road.

The nature of being on the council where meetings are held during the day means younger people can be put off from standing due to work commitments. Mr Timothy says his employer will allow him to go part-time so he can fulfil his duties.

He believes his age helps him better understand the challenges facing young people in Harrogate and points to the often-heard complaints that there’s not much for them to do here.

He said:

“It’s difficult for young people. We’ve seen youth services cut and teenagers have nowhere to go in Harrogate.”

Mr Timothy believes transport is a big issue for residents in the division and he says they have been let down by the Conservative administration in Northallerton.

He said:

“Their record on transport has been really poor. We’ve seen how the Station Gateway has got to a point where it now just looks like a face-saving exercise. It’s not worth the £12m quid spent on it.

“The roads are full of potholes too, patched up on the cheap.”

With his scientific background, he’s looked into a Scottish company that fills in potholes using recycled plastic. He believes it’s the sort of innovative approach needed to get the roads in a better condition.

The Lib Dems have had some bad press lately due to their leader Sir Ed Davey getting dragged into the Post Office scandal and the shock resignation of Pat Marsh, which led to the by-election.

If he’s going to be elected, he’ll need to win over the supporters of the long-serving councillor.

Mr Timothy said “it was right she was suspended and resigned” but that she also “did a lot of good over 30 years”.

Voters go to the polls on April 11 and Mr Timothy wants to be a forensic presence on North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s an asset that I’m coming in from a scientific background. I have the literacy to scrutinise the administration properly.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Main road in Knaresborough to close for resurfacing

A main road in Knaresborough is to close during the evening for resurfacing.

Motorists on Briggate have faced recent delays due to long-term traffic lights caused by the collapse of a section of wall.

Now Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West, has been informed by North Yorkshire Council that resurfacing is due to start at the beginning of May for two-and-a-half weeks.

The road will be closed between 7pm until midnight each evening.

Cllr Walker said it was great the work was finally getting done but it “should not have taken three years of campaigning”.

He urged the council to tackle Wetherby Road in the town next:

“They now need to get on and do Wetherby Road. It’s an absolute disgrace and they keep patching it up and going back every few weeks to redo.

“I’ve asked for it to be resurfaced and what the criteria is but no response so far.

The council announced yesterday its annual surface dressing programme was due to take place this month and May. It will cost £5 million and cover 142 miles of road,

NYCC surface dressing

Surface dressing in Ryedale

It will begin in the Selby area from Beal to Kirkby Whalfe and from mid-April it will incorporate roads in Fewston and Darley in the Harrogate district.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“The annual surface dressing programme is a proactive measure that is vital to maintaining a safe network and preventing potholes arising.”

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Geoff Foxall, Labour

Labour are predicted to win a landslide at the next general election and Geoff Foxall is hoping some of that optimism will rub off on his campaign to become the new councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone.

He believes John Ennis and the Conservatives “don’t stand a chance” so he hopes people who typically vote tactically for the Lib Dems will feel confident enough to vote Labour this time.

Mr Foxall said:

“We have to try and persuade voters in the division it’s worth voting Labour in this by-election. I would say in Harrogate voters are pretty smart.”

Born and raised in Harrogate, he was a councillor for Labour on Harrogate Borough Council for eight years in the 1990s.

He’s also a former teacher in the town and has been saddened at how council finances and public services have been squeezed.

He said:

“The changes have accelerated over the last 14 years since the coalition. I’ve never witnessed so much diminishing of the budgets coming from central government. It’s had an impact on all services. As the Labour group on North Yorkshire Council, we’ve got to try and increase that funding.”

Mr Foxall was a campaigner against the relief road through the Nidd Gorge and is a board member of Long Lands Common, the community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He also organises weekly walks for elderly residents and says improving social care and helping people to live independently is an issue he’s passionate about.

He said traffic and congestion are a huge issue in the division, particularly around Wetherby Road, and would like to see a park-and-ride scheme introduced for Harrogate and improvements to buses.

He added:

“Harrogate has already started operating electric buses but we would aim to require all public transport road vehicles to be electric by 2030 as well as all the council’s own vehicles.”

Mr Foxall is optimistic about his chances and hopes he can be a bold voice for Harrogate on North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“Harrogate has been controlled by Conservatives and Lib Dems for years with little growth or progress. Just look at the mess they have made of the Station Gateway project. Labour in Harrogate can provide the change that is needed.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Government inspector to assess plans for new town in Harrogate district

Plans to build a town the size of Thirsk in the Harrogate district are to be assessed by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

North Yorkshire Council said in a media release today it had submitted its draft new settlement development plan for Maltkiln to the inspectorate for independent examination.

The settlement, for a minimum of 3,000 homes, would be centred on Cattal rail station 10 miles east of Harrogate. Nearby villages, including Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Whixley, would be affected. The settlement would be built by developers Caddick Group.

The draft plan gives a broad 30-year vision for Maltkiln and a policy framework to guide how it is developed. However, many residents have concerns about the lack of detail that has been released so far.

They have also expressed concerns of feeling “bullied and threatened” after the council threatened to compulsory purchase land for the scheme after a disagreement with a landowner.

Cattal Station

‘Acute need for housing’

Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director of community development, said:

“We are acutely aware of the need for more housing across the whole of North Yorkshire to meet the demand for homes so that people can choose to live in the communities that they wish to.

“The Maltkiln development is a major scheme and is aimed at addressing the housing needs in the area.

“We have now submitted documents for the independent examination, and we will wait for the inspector’s comments to see how we can then hopefully progress the development.”

The draft plan, as well as accompanying evidence and consultation responses, will now be examined by an independent inspector to assess whether it has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is ‘sound’.

In most cases the examination will include hearing sessions which are held in public. The inspector will determine the appropriate format for these sessions.

At the end of the examination, the inspector will send a report to the council recommending whether or not it can adopt the plan, and if any modifications are needed.

Today’s statement said Maltkiln would be “heavily themed around sustainability and the environment and is set to provide local amenities and facilities alongside the new homes, as well as extensive areas of open space and landscaping”.

Cllr Arnold Warneken, a Green Party member who represents Ouseburn on the council, said:

“I want to stress to residents that if they made representation to the inspector on the original document they have a right to comment on this amended document.

“I still have serious concerns about its deliverability and viability, relying on including land that is not available and thus using compulsory purchase orders is fundamentally wrong.

“There is still no agreement with Network Rail which is required to make this so called exemplar in sustainability and environmental terms.”

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Body found in search for missing Molly, 25

A body has been found in the search for missing 25-year-old Leeds woman Molly Ann Garbutt.

North Yorkshire Police joined West Yorkshire Police in the search today after Molly’s black Renault Clio was seen in the Grassington area last night and then found just before 8am today parked near Dibbles Bridge at Hebden, about two miles from Greenhow in the former Harrogate district.

But in a statement tonight, North Yorkshire Police said the search “has been called off after a body was found at around 3.15pm today”.

The statement added:

“While formal identification has not yet taken place, Molly’s family have been informed about the death and they are being supported by the police.

“We ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time as we prepare a report for the coroner.”

RAF Mountain Rescue, Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association and a HM Coastguard helicopter joined the search for Molly, whose disappearance on Tuesday night led police to say they had  “immediate concerns for her welfare”.

Officers urged anyone with information that could assist their enquiries to call 101, select option 4, and speak to the force control room. Quote reference number 12240057708.

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Harrogate Town post £2.5 million loss

Harrogate Town lost £2.5 million last year — more than double the amount it lost the previous year.

The club’s financial statement for the year ended June 30, 2023 appeared on the Companies House website today.

The 12-page statement does not include a copy of the profit and loss account, which it says “the directors of the company have elected not to include”.

But it reveals the club made a loss of £2,475,345 compared with £1,168,631 in 2022.

It also highlights the club’s ongoing dependence on chairman Irving Weaver, who owns 86% of shares.

It says despite the £2.5 million loss and net current liabilities of £2.7 million, the directors have prepared cash flow forecasts “which indicate that, taking account of reasonably possible downsides, the company will have sufficient funds, through funding from its controlling shareholder, R I Weaver, to meets its liabilities as they fall due for that period”.

It adds:

“Those forecasts are dependent on R I Weaver not seeking repayment of the amounts currently owed to him, which at 30 June 2023 amounted to £2,458,074, and providing additional financial support during that period.

“R I Weaver has indicated his intention to continue to make available such funds as are needed by the company, and that he does not intend to seek repayment of the amounts due for the period covered by the forecasts.”

The financial statement added that no interest had been charged on the £2.5 million owed to Mr Weaver — and that the club owed him £4.4 million in 2022.

The statement also revealed the club employed on average 66 staff in 2023, compared with 55 in 2022 — an increase of 20%.

Simon Weaver, Irving’s son, has steered Town to within four points of a League Two play-off place this season with five matches to go.

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Gilly Charters, Green Party

Green Party candidate for the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election, Gilly Charters, points to the controversial planning approval of Wetherby Road’s Leon drive-thru, soon-to-be Starbucks, as an example of where things have gone wrong in the division.

Critics say the site, which opened as a Leon in 2022 after the government overturned the council’s decision to refuse it, has increased congestion, contributed to rubbish being tossed out of car windows and has taken business away from cafes in town.

It’s a car-led development that Ms Charters wants to see less of. She favours improving active travel infrastructure so it’s safer and more environmentally friendly to get around whilst improving air quality.

She says streets like Oatlands Drive and Hookstone Road in Harrogate should become a more pleasant place where people can cycle to work, go to school, or meet friends without fearing they’ll be knocked over by a car.

Then there are the potholes, which can make riding your bike in Harrogate akin to navigating a ski slalom.

She said:

“People feel happier with active transport. The potholes are just ludicrous too and it means some people don’t want to be on bikes. It’s a real concern. I’d like to see much slower speeds outside schools. Children and elderly people deserve to be looked after.”

Ms Charters has lived in Harrogate since 1981, including 20 years on Hookstone Drive, but now lives just outside the division.

She was a teacher at King James’s School in Knaresborough for 25 years and now works part-time supporting boys who are struggling with mainstream education.

She’s been spirited by the success of fellow Green Party councillors in North Yorkshire including Arnold Warneken in Ouseburn. He’s been a strong voice in favour of active travel and green policies in Harrogate and the county since he was elected in 2022.

Ms Charters believes that it shows that the Greens are now a trusted electoral force in North Yorkshire.

With the council in the early stages of formulating its Local Plan that will map out where housebuilding can take place across Harrogate for the next few decades, Ms Charters hopes to encourage greener housebuilding, which she said has been a missed opportunity in previous years.

She said:

“People throughout Harrogate are aware of the amount of house building going on. Really good insulation, solar panels and heat pumps have been missed time and time again.

“If we want fuel security, we have to look at these things. If we let builders build on green land, they have to do their bit.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday, April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Village idiot visits Harrogate

A YouTuber who plans to visit all 10,474 civil parishes in England is turning his attention to Harrogate.

Andy Smith, who calls himself The Village Idiot, has visited more than 1,000 parishes since he started in 2020. He expects it will take him 30 or 40 years to complete his challenge.

Mr Smith uploads a video after each trip and last Friday he published a 14-minute account of his trip to Kirk Deighton. His escapades have attracted 9,300 subscribers.

He also visited North Deighton, Little Ribston, Spofforth with Stockeld, Follifoot, Plompton, Goldsborough and Flaxby on the same two-day trip, and will upload videos about each one on forthcoming Fridays.

Mr Smith said:

“The idea is to create a visual record of every single village and small town in the country, with some historical bits and quirky features thrown in to the mix.

“I’ve already been featured in national newspapers, the most notable being the Guardian. I’ve also appeared on Channel 4 on Steph’s Packed Lunch.”

Former teacher Mr Smith, who lives in Rotherham, said he usually spent two days a week on the road with his GoPro camera.

He plans to tick off all 139 parishes in the Harrogate district in the weeks ahead and upload the videos over time on to his YouTube site. He said:

“I plan to visit Sicklinghall, Pannal and Burn Bridge next and then move on towards Ripon.

“Before I came to Harrogate I didn’t know much about it. But I like going back. Every time I arrive I think it’s so clean and tidy and welcoming.”

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Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone by-election preview: John Ennis, Conservative

The Conservative John Ennis is hoping his previous 12-year stint as a Harrogate councillor will stand him in good stead for the upcoming by-election.

Voters will go to the polls on April 11 following the resignation of Pat Marsh.

Mr Ennis believes his experience means he can better navigate the large Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council on behalf of his residents.

He said being a councillor is not for the faint-hearted and requires someone who already understands the intricacies of local government in Northallerton. He added:

 “There is a mystery about the new council with some people perceiving it as being a bit remote.”

Mr Ennis was born in Northern Ireland and had a career in the NHS where he worked in Leeds.

He’s the only candidate standing in the by-election who lives in the division, which he says gives him a better insight into the issues.

Potholes are one of the area’s biggest problems and he said he has experience in battling for repairs.

He also said that residents in Hookstone are poorly served by the number 8 bus route and hopes to lobby the bus operator to make changes if elected.

The Saints area has long faced traffic problems linked to local schools. Mr Ennis said he would be in favour of neighbourhood parking schemes to cut down on parking congestion.

He said:

“There are issues in particular around St Aidan’s. Residents around there say it’s a very dangerous situation with people parking right up to the junctions.”

Nationally at least, there is a sense that the winds of change are blowing, with some people wanting a fresh start and a change from the Tories.

The Conservatives will also face a challenge from Reform UK candidate John Swales who is targeting disgruntled Tory voters.

However, Mr Ennis said he is “not trembling in my boots” about Reform and suggests the party could take votes from all parties.

Despite the Conservatives polling poorly nationally, Mr Ennis hopes his experience as a councillor and promises to tackle nuts and bolts local issues like potholes and parking that will count the most.

He added:

“The division has had a Lib Dem for the last two years so if people want a change, I am a change.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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