District residents will be able to get vaccinated without appointments at a number of pop-up coronavirus clinics this weekend.

The clinics will open in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge tomorrow and Sunday, and are part of a final push to get younger people vaccinated.

First and second doses will be offered to anyone aged over 18, while any care workers and those aged over 50 who have not yet taken up the opportunity to get vaccinated are also being urged to come forward.

The Wesley Centre on Oxford Street, Harrogate will offer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday between 10am to 4pm.

In Knaresborough, the Homecare Pharmacy Vaccination Centre at the former Lidl site on York Road will offer first doses of the Moderna jab on Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm.

And in Pateley Bridge, both first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available at Bishopside and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road on Saturday between 8am and 5.50pm.

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Sue Peckitt, chief nurse at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said:

“These walk-in clinics are aimed at those people who have not taken up the opportunity to book their vaccine via the NHS National Booking Service or NHS 119.”

Driven by the faster-spreading Delta variant, Harrogate’s weekly infection rate is approaching record levels with a current average of 416 cases per 100,000 people.

The highest rate on record was 497 at the beginning of January.

The rise in infections has been followed by a slight increase in hospital admissions with five patients in Harrogate on Wednesday, although the hospital has not recorded a Covid-related death in more than three months.

Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said this was down to vaccines weakening the link between infections and serious illness, as she also urged people to make use of the pop-up clinics this weekend.

She said:

“Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce the risk of developing serious or life-threatening symptoms from coronavirus, as well as protecting others in the community.

“The vaccination programme in this country has been a huge success and the numbers of people becoming seriously ill, or dying, as a result of contracting the disease have fallen dramatically.

Wetherby Road in Harrogate has been closed in both directions just as the evening rush hour begins, due to a broken water pipe.

Heavy traffic is already starting to build up around the area.

The busy commuter route could be closed for more than a day between Masham Close and the junction with Hookstone Road, according to North Yorkshire County Council.

The council said on Yorkshire Water‘s engineers “were on scene and aim to reinstate the road over the weekend”. It apologised for any inconvenience.

Wetherby Road in #Harrogate is closed in both directions from Masham Close to the junction with Hookstone Road.

This is due to a collapsed @YorkshireWater pipe.

Their engineers are on scene & aim to reinstate the road over the weekend.

Apologies for any inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/3LzLPmoFeI

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 25, 2021

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“Due to a burst water pipe, we’ve had to close Wetherby Road from Masham Close to the junction with Hookstone Road.

“Our contractors are on with fixing the pipe and assessing the work that needs to be done to get the road open safely again. We’re sorry about any disruption this causes.”

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The date for a by-election has been set following the resignation of Harrogate district councillor Samantha Mearns.

Cllr Mearns announced at the weekend that she was stepping away from her Knaresborough Scriven Park ward due to family reasons after holding the seat as a member of the Conservative party since 2018.

A by-election has now been officially called by Harrogate Borough Council which, if contested, will be held on July 29.

The by-election is being run by the council and nomination papers are available during normal office hours from the Returning Officer at the Harrogate Civic Centre on St Lukes Avenue.

Completed nomination papers must be delivered by hand to the same address between 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, before July 2.

Announcing her resignation in a letter to residents, Cllr Mearns said she was moving to Wales to be closer to her family after her younger brother died and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

She said it had been a “great honour” to serve the area where she had lived for more than 18 years.

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Cllr Mearns said:

“In many people’s lives things happen that change the direction of their lives. This is the same with me. Not too long before the pandemic struck, my younger brother – my only sibling – died after a relatively short but terrible illness.

“Shortly after, and during the pandemic, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“Having lost my brother and faced with potentially losing my mother in a short time made me look at what I needed to do with my life to do the right thing by my family.”

Tomorrow the Great Yorkshire Creature Count is beginning across the county and there is still time to sign up and take part.

The event runs from midday Saturday to midday Sunday June 20. People can join in for as long as they like, whether for just a few minutes or a whole afternoon.

Any wildlife they see over the 24 hours, whether that’s a sparrow perched on a windowsill, a slug among the vegetables or a moth attracted by a streetlight, can be counted towards the total.

A boy using a magnifying glass to look for bugs (Photo: Adrian Clarke)

There are three ways to join in: by downloading the iNaturalist app, uploading any sightings to the website or downloading a checklist with 20 popular species to spot, which has extra space to make notes or draw pictures of any other creatures.

The checklist is a new feature for 2021 and is aimed at younger children or people who prefer a more traditional way of recording data.

Bilton resident Angela, who has taken part in previous years, has already downloaded the iNaturalist app. She said:

“The app is fairly easy to use: you basically take a photograph of a creature and it comes back with suggestions and gives feedback.”

People can submit their results online or download the iNaturalist app to log sightings.

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Last year 4,500 people took part and 13,638 observations were made of 1,471 species. The most-sighted creature was a blackbird, followed by a woodpigeon and a house sparrow.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said:

“Our gardens make up more of the UK’s green space than all the nature reserves combined. And the past year has shown us how much we need nature in our lives.

“But nature needs our help. The 2019 State of Nature Report (a health check of the UK’s wildlife) reports the devastating effects of human impact on our wildlife. Of the 8,418 species assessed, 15% are now at risk of extinction.”

Some of the most senior staff at Harrogate Borough Council could be in line for pay rises totalling around £133,000 between them.

The authority has proposed a new senior management pay structure with increases to the upper salary limits for 17 top earners including the chief executive Wallace Sampson, two directors and several heads of service and managers.

Mr Sampson is the highest paid member of staff and could see his upper limit increased to £130,000 under the proposals, which were supported by the council’s human resources committee on Wednesday and will require a final approval from full council next month.

It follows a review by the Local Government Association (LGA) and Yorkshire and Humber Employers Association, which concluded the recruitment and retention of senior staff was challenging and that pay was a factor.

The review looked at council salary levels elsewhere in the region, as well as Harrogate’s cost of living, and proposed several pay rises to be introduced from 1 July.

These will not apply to mainstream staff who had their pay structure reviewed two years ago and are currently in negotiations for a further rise.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Kay Atherton, head of organisational development and improvement at the council, explained:

“In 2019, as part of the National Joint Council pay agreement, a new pay structure was agreed for mainstream staff where some staff did see an uplift in pay.

“That pay structure was to address the issues of low pay – which it did.

“At this point in time, because we have only reviewed the pay structure for mainstream staff recently, we don’t feel we need to do that again.”

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Under the proposals for senior staff, the vacant position of director of community would be scrapped after Paul Campbell suddenly stepped down last spring and was paid £55,065 in compensation for loss of office after three and half years in the role

His responsibilities – which included emergency planning, housing, parks, and health and safety – have since been shared between the other two directors and this arrangement is likely to continue.

Rachel Bowles is director of corporate affairs, while Trevor Watson is director of economy and culture, and he could see his title renamed as director of economy, environment and housing under the proposed changes.

The pair would also see their upper salary limits increased from £92,194 to £100,000, although this is only an upper limit and how much they and all other senior staff actually earn is based on a grading system.

Meanwhile, Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, would remain on the same £104,502 salary, while the managing director of the council’s new leisure company Brimhams Active, Mark Tweedie, could earn up to £76,350.

For the 12 heads of service, the upper limit would be boosted from £63,584 to £75,000.

Meanwhile, some managers, including those in charge of communications and engagement, elections, and democratic services will see no increase in their upper pay limit.

All council workers last received an across-the-board 2.75% pay rise in August, but union officials have issued a warning over the “perception” by lower-paid workers and the public of reviewing senior staff pay now.

In response to the LGA review, Unison Harrogate said in a statement:

“Whilst we do not dispute the legitimacy of the senior management proposal, perception is something that does need to be factored in.

“Staff, who have recently been offered a derisory 1.5% pay rise, will understandably question why a senior management review is happening much quicker than one for the majority of staff, which seems way off in the future.

“It is our expectation that the council gets on with the pay and grading review for mainstream staff now, prioritises it and delivers on it in a much quicker time frame than is being proposed.”

A Masham teenager who was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer earlier this year is raising money for the charities who have been supporting her through her illness.

Lucy Verity, 19, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in February and has been undergoing gruelling treatments ever since.

Over the next few months she will go through 14 chemotherapy sessions, radiotherapy and proton therapy at different hospitals across the north of England.

Rather than raise money towards her own treatment expenses, she decided to fundraise for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Bone Cancer Research Trust, who have been supporting her over the past four months.

She set up her fundraiser on JustGiving last Saturday and has already reached £3,900, more than three quarters of her £5,000 goal.

Before becoming ill, Lucy was an avid sports player and loved to look after her animals in her home in Masham. She hopes to get back to this as soon as possible, and run her own fundraising events.

She said:

“We’re in a lucky position where we’re able to support ourselves to travel for my treatments; that’s why I chose to raise money towards these charities instead of for myself, as they have a great team of dedicated nurses and youth workers who helped me to not feel alone when I wasn’t allowed visitors in the hospital.”

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Her family and friends have been rallying around to raise money towards her goal. Her brother will be running 24 miles in 24 hours on June 19, and her friends and cousin will take part in the Leeds 12km Total Warrior in July.

Lucy and her family have given suggestions for people who want to set up their own fundraisers for the cause, such as coffee and cake mornings, clearouts or tombola raffles.

Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer that can cause bone pain, tiredness and constant fever. For many the illness can go undiagnosed for a long time due to its rarity.

The Bone Cancer Research Trust aims to find a cure for this and other types of bone cancer through scientific research. You can find out more about Lucy’s fundraiser or donate here.

LNER is planning to change its East Coast Main Line timetable from May 2022, with a significant shake-up to services from Harrogate.

The operator currently runs six trains each way between London King’s Cross and Harrogate each day and there are several key changes on the cards.

It says the planned improvements will benefit its fleet of 65 diesel-electric Azuma trains, which use Japanese bullet train technology.

LNER is calling for the public to give feedback on the full timetable over the next eight weeks.

Big changes to and from London

Direct departures from Harrogate to the capital would move from odd hours to even ones:

• The first service would leave earlier, at 6.35am rather than 7.34am
• A new seventh daily train would leave Harrogate at 6.35pm. On the current schedule, the last train departs at 5.36pm.

In the opposite direction, from London direct to Harrogate:

• Trains would start almost an hour earlier (6.40am rather than 7.33am)
• The final service back would also be earlier, at 4.39pm rather than 5.33pm.
• There are no plans to run an extra seventh train from London to Harrogate.

LNER estimates that travel times between Harrogate and London would be about 10 minutes faster.

There would be a new direct daily service to Newark North Gate, but this would come at the expense of the direct Grantham service. Passengers to the south-west Lincolnshire market town would need to change at Leeds or Doncaster.

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The rail company said in its consultation document that the May 2022 timetable’s core structure is fixed, but that “it may be possible to make some local adjustments in response to feedback”.

The pandemic has “significantly skewed” figures on how a major revamp of stroke services has impacted on survival rates in Harrogate, an NHS official has said.

Simon Cox, director of acute commissioning at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, told a meeting today that disruptions during Covid have meant the NHS is not yet able to give a full picture on the impact of changes to where critically ill stroke patients are sent for treatment.

Under the changes introduced in 2019, ambulances began taking patients to specialist units at Leeds or York hospitals rather than Harrogate after evidence showed they had a better chance of survival and not needing long-term care, even if travel times were increased.

It has meant around two thirds of the on-average 300 people who fall seriously ill with a stroke in Harrogate each year are sent to Leeds, with the other third taken to York.

Mr Cox told the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee that while he would provide the full figures at a later date, he was confident the changes were taking their intended effect.

He said:

“Just as the changes were started to be embedded we had the emergence of the Covid pandemic. Nationally the numbers of patients presenting with strokes has significantly reduced – and that is potentially quite worrying.

“We absolutely can provide additional data – it just needs to be very heavily caveated as it is very difficult with the smaller numbers to make too many judgements.”

The changes follow a national review, which found larger, more specialist stroke units were better equipped to increase survival rates and improve recovery times.

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Before they came into effect, members of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee signalled their support for the move, although there were questions over the impact of increased travel times to hospital.

Speaking at today’s meeting, councillor David Goode said he was “disappointed” that the data was not provided for this and that he hoped the committee would be given a fuller picture soon.

He said:

“I fully appreciate the difficulties of operating and creating stats during the period of covid, but I am a little disappointed with the lack of evidence.

“There was general consensus that this was the right direction of travel but there were concerns around the potential impact on travel distances.

“At the time, my wife had just had a stroke and she was transferred to Leeds – the experience in the ambulance there was that there was certainly delay due to traffic volumes.”

In response, Mr Cox said there was now greater priority on getting patients to the better-equipped stroke units rather than the nearest.

He also said the main reason for the figures being skewed was because of a lower number of patients presenting with stroke symptoms – something he added was “concerning”.

He said:

“Stroke is unfortunately a relatively common and devastating condition. It is a sudden attack on the brain, either a bleed or a clot. There are an awful lot of them happening all the time across the UK.

“One of the things that has been concerning in 2020 was the lower presentations of patients.

“That was a much more significant issue in the first wave of the pandemic and it has been less so fortunately through the latter part of the year.”

North Yorkshire residents are being urged to have their say on targets to cut carbon emissions from road and rail vehicles in the wider region to almost zero by 2045.

The North of England Decarbonisation Strategy aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions by tackling surface transport, which covers people and goods moved by cars, vans, lorries, buses and trains.

‘Net zero’ means a state in which greenhouse gas emissions are at the lowest possible rates combined with policies to mitigate the remaining emissions, such as planting trees.

Transport for the North (TfN), a sub-national transport body, estimated that in 2018 the region saw 26 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from surface transport, which represented almost a quarter of the UK’s total road emissions.

Its consultation document includes four future travel scenarios to suggest how emissions may change depending on how much action is taken.

Proposed measures include phasing out petrol, diesel and hybrid car and vans by 2030, and boosting sales of zero-emission vehicles by 2025.

TfN also wants to encourage higher use of public transport and reduce private car travel, to decarbonise the rail network and suggests authorities could consider introducing clean air zones or congestion changes.

Other suggestions include cycle and e-scooter hire schemes, low-traffic neighbourhoods, and prioritising planning developments close to existing transport hubs to create ’15/20-minute neighbourhoods’

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Harrogate-based councillor Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“The county council fully supports TfN’s proposed Decarbonisation Strategy. Our county is the largest in the country and residents often have to travel long distances just to reach destinations within North Yorkshire.

“That is why we support improvements in public transport whenever we can to offer alternatives to the private car. We also continue to expand opportunities for safe sustainable travel, and to invest in the county’s digital infrastructure to improve broadband and mobile phone reception.”

The Climate Change Act (2019) commits the UK government to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels by 2050.

This law is linked to 2015’s ‘Paris Agreement’, which aims to limit the global average temperature increase to  no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and try to limit the rise to 1.5°C.

To find out more and respond to the consultation visit transportforthenorth.com/decarbonisation. The consultation opens today and closes at noon on August 31 2021.

Tim Wood, interim chief executive at TfN, said:

“We urge everyone in North Yorkshire to get involved in this vital work and provide their views to the consultation, helping to shape future transport networks that are not only efficient and reliable, but are sustainable too.”