Harrogate strip club drops legal challenge as new licence agreed

A legal challenge between Harrogate’s only strip club and the council has been dropped after the owners warned a ban on dancers drinking alcohol would “simply finish the business”.

The Kings Club, on Oxford Street, had its sexual entertainment licence renewed by Harrogate Borough Council’s sub-licensing committee in September.

But conditions that dancers do not drink alcohol and must be paid by bank transfer led to the owners lodging an appeal with York Magistrates Court.

An appeal hearing was due to take place on Friday next week but will not go ahead after committee members agreed to new licensing rules at a meeting today.

Speaking at the meeting, Paul Kinsey, the owner of Kings Club, told councillors that he and dancers themselves ensured they do not drink excessively “because drunk girls don’t earn money”.

He said:

“The dancers are all there to earn money and they themselves realise that actually they are not there to drink.

“They are very self aware they don’t want to be drunk because drunk girls don’t earn money.”

Mr Kinsey also gave reassurances that dancers are escorted to a safe mode of transport at the end of their shifts, as his legal representative Paddy Whur argued an alcohol ban would “simply finish the business” due to dancers not wanting to work.

Mr Whur said:

“We do want dancers to have the opportunity to have a drink with the customers. That is something that has always happened here. It happens in every venue nationally of this type.

“Quite often customers will go into the premises and they don’t even want to be dancing. They will buy a drink for a dancer and sit and talk to them.

“You wouldn’t get dancers coming to work here if they weren’t allowed to socialise.”

Mr Whur also said the venue “wouldn’t get the quality of girls that we want” if payments to dancers had to be made through bank transfer.

He added:

“A lot of dancers will not work here if they have to be paid in BACS – they want the money when they finish their shift and that is for a variety of reasons.

“We do keep a very clear audit trail of who has paid what and when. Everything is done properly.”

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In September, councillors raised concerns over the safety of dancers after they heard how council officers inspected the venue in 2019 and found some panic alarms in dancing booths were not working correctly, although they were repaired the same day.

Councillors were also told the venue had been in “cahoots” with two former dancers over payments, although this was dismissed by legal representatives at the time.

It was agreed by councillors today that the venue’s new sexual entertainment licence would be renewed with the ban on dancers drinking alcohol and need for them to be paid by bank transfer removed.

The new conditions will be added to existing licensing rules, which include no physical contact between dancers and customers, no photography, no throwing of money and no use of sex toys.

The sexual entertainment licence covers topless pole dancing, topless stage striptease and full nudity lap dancing, and is separate to the venue’s alcohol and premises licence.

Marriage proposal mystery solved: She said yes!

The mystery surrounding an aircraft flying over Harrogate trailing the message “Chloe will you marry me? Luke” has had a happy ending.

Luke Stocking contacted the Stray Ferret after reading our story to let us know that it was he who proposed and his girlfriend Chloe had accepted. He wrote to us in an email:

“Luke here! We loved this article, you’ll be pleased to hear she said yes.”

He also sent some photos taken when he popped the question at Castle Howard near York.

Luke arranged a romantic picnic to watch the flyover with Chloe.

The message brightened an overcast day in the district, generating lots of warm comments on social media — as well as generating intrigue about the identity of Chloe and whether she said yes.

The couple live in the south of England.

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Harrogate council’s judicial review bill amounted to £74,000

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed it paid Flaxby Park £17,000 in legal costs after last year’s judicial review between the two parties.

The sum is in addition to the £57,360 the council spent on its own legal fees to contest the case.

It means the council’s full legal bill for the long-running saga amounted to £74,360.

The developer brought the judicial review after the council opted for a site at Green Hammerton over Flaxby as the location for a new 3,000-home settlement in the district. It claimed the process was flawed.

At October’s High Court hearing, Mr Justice Holgate ruled in the council’s favour by saying it did not have to make the decision again.

But he ordered the council to pay 15% of Flaxby’s legal costs because it failed to adequately consider an environmental assessment of alternative locations for the settlement.

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The council initially refused to say how much it had spent on legal fees.

The Stray Ferret sent a request under the Freedom of Information Act for the information but the council said it was exempt from disclosure because its lawyers’ legal fees should remain private.

We requested an internal review of this decision. Joanne Barclay, acting chief solicitor for corporate services, overturned the council’s decision and revealed the fee paid.

Today’s revelation of the sum paid to Flaxby means the full legal cost of the review is finally known.

‘Make traffic two-way on Parliament Street and West Park’

Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam has called on North Yorkshire County Council to explore making West Park and Parliament Street open to traffic from both directions.

The two adjoining roads have been one-way for 50 years since the layout changed in 1970.

Mr Neesam, who has written several books on the town, believes returning the roads to how they used to be could be a solution to the town’s congestion problems.

Station Gateway

Traffic flow in Harrogate has been under the spotlight in recent months due to the £7.9m Station Gateway proposals, which could reduce Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianise part of James Street under plans yet to be decided

Some fear that it would have implications for the rest of Harrogate town centre and would exacerbate tailbacks on Station Parade, Cheltenham Parade, King’s Road and back to Parliament Street and West Park.

Mr Neesam believes that changing the road layout would “free up” traffic to flow more easily through town.

He also said it could benefit delegates visiting Harrogate Convention Centre, who would have better access to the town centre.

He said North Yorkshire County Council had long opposed reintroducing two-way traffic but called on the highways authority to reconsider.

He said:

“I’m very much in favour of making the roads two-way. It already works on Leeds Road and Ripon Road.

“They were built as a two-way system in the 18th century.

“It’s quite logical and would free up Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade.”

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In response, Don Mackenzie, the county council’s executive member for access and the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Saltergate, said he “wouldn’t rule it out forever” but was lukewarm on the idea.

He said:

“Many people will recall that in the 50s and 60s there was two-way traffic on West Park and Parliament Street. But this was when vehicle numbers were far less than today.

“Look at West Park and Parliament Street today — it’s difficult to imagine it being two-way with the amount of traffic the two lanes get.”

Cllr Mackenzie also rejected suggestions the Station Gateway proposals would significantly increase congestion in the town. He said:

“It’s likely to happen to a small extent, but the numbers suggested are very small.”

A radical history

Plans to make West Park and Parliament Street one-way were first drawn up in the 1960s by the former West Riding and Harrogate councils.

It was intended to be the first of a five-phase plan to radically alter the road network and would have involved the creation of dual carriageways and flyovers in Harrogate town centre.

However, the rest of the plan was scrapped following massive public opposition.

Trees planted to honour Captain Tom at Harrogate’s army college

Junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate have planted six magnolia trees in tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who was the honorary colonel of the college on Pennypot Lane.

The planting is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative to plant trees to mark next year’s platinum jubilee.

The project was launched yesterday by the queen and Prince Charles, who planted a tree at Windsor Castle.

The choice of a magnolia tree, which is native to Asia, is designed to be poignant as during Captain Tom’s service during World War Two he served in India and Burma.

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Having been raised in Keighley, West Yorkshire, Captain Sir Tom was made an honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate last spring. He later visited the college to speak to junior soldiers and was invited back for their graduation in September.

He raised almost £33m for NHS Charities Together by walking lengths of his garden in Bedfordshire, hitting the headlines in the process. He died aged 100 in February this year.

Junior soldier Michael Oates said:

“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been a new experience for me and it’s ace. Captain Tom was born in the same place, and went to the same school as my mum, who has passed away. So, it’s good to see someone from a place close to me.

“Planting trees and helping the environment is really good. It makes me proud to know that I am a part of this.”

Harrogate council awarded £204,000 to reduce rough sleeping

Harrogate Borough Council has been awarded £204,269 by the government to help people living on the streets find accommodation.

The funding is part of the £203m Rough Sleeping Initiative allocated to councils by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the funds will be spent on providing short-term support for rough sleepers, including accommodation and support worker staffing.

According to the government, the Rough Sleeping Initiative, which was launched in 2018, has reduced rough sleeping by almost a third compared to areas that have not taken part in the programme.

Eddie Hughes, the minister for rough sleeping, said:

“This is part of an unprecedented £750 million of government investment this year to help us reach our goal of ending rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.”

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Harrogate and homelessness

Last month, the council opened a new 19-bed homeless centre in Starbeck called Fern House. The site, on Spa Lane, cost £2.3 million to build and provides accommodation as well as support for homeless people.

The council erected temporary winter accommodation units for homeless people on Tower Street last winter. The units were removed in March without being used.

The Stray Ferret revealed in March that the council spent more than £350,000 on bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people from the start of the first lockdown until the end of last year.

E-scooters: scourge of pedestrians or saviour of transport in Harrogate?

E-scooters have been described as both an innovative solution to congestion and air pollution and a danger to pedestrians.

The Stray Ferret published a letter from reader Richard Abbott over the weekend, who said he recently dodged out the way of an e-scooter rider near the Stray. 

He called them a “blight” and a “scourge” yet they are likely to become a more familiar sight in places like Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon in the coming years.

The government is trialing the use of rented e-scooters in over 30 areas across the UK until August. It thinks they could encourage people to use their cars less and help the country’s green recovery post-covid. 

What are e-scooters?

E-scooters are similar to regular scooters but have small, electric motors.

Over 100 cities across the world operate scooter-sharing schemes, including Paris and Barcelona, where you can hire one for around €19 an hour.

E-scooters are sold in the UK online and in shops, and they can cost anywhere from just over £100 to £1,000.

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Are they legal?

It is against the law to use a privately owned e-scooter in the Harrogate district. Riders risk a £300 fine, six penalty points on their licence or having their e-scooter impounded.

The government said it will make a decision on legalising e-scooters in the rest of the UK after the trial ends in August.

For the trial, e-scooters are allowed on the road and in cycle lanes provided users have a full or provisional car, motorcycle or moped licence. They are still banned on the pavement and must not go above 15.5mph.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said it was not aware of e-scooter use being a particularly prevalent issue and added the number of recorded incidents last year was in single figures across the whole of the county.

Sustainable or dangerous?

Mr Abbott’s letter to the Stray Ferret provoked a lively response on the Stray Ferret’s social media, with some heralding them as a sustainable transport option for the future while others were fearful of injuries.

One person said on Twitter:

“They are dangerous, they use both the pavements, precincts and roads, going too fast.”

Another said:

“Depends on who’s riding it and how. If used with consideration for others I think they’d be a useful sustainable transport option that takes up less room than a car. If they were legal I’d get one for sure. Far cheaper than an electric bike.”

With the number of e-scooter riders set to increase, the debate is likely to intensify in the years ahead.

Simon the Big Issue vendor: After 18 years I’m still smiling

Big Issue North vendor Simon Wray is one of the most friendly, and familiar, faces to shoppers in Harrogate town centre.

“Not many people can stay in a job for 18 years and say they still enjoy it. I still have a smile on my face.”

Simon, who is 43, moved to Harrogate from his home city of Wakefield when he became homeless.

He has lived in a house in Knaresborough for many years while making a living selling the magazine for £3 per issue. He keeps half of all the money he makes, with the other half covering the costs of the magazine.

His current pitch is on Cambridge Street outside Boots and he said getting to know the “kind and loving” people of Harrogate was the best part of the job.

Simon received life-changing news five years ago when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that affects the nervous system.

He said:

“The way I look at it, s*** happens. There’s no point sitting here maungy-looking like something has kicked me. Smile and be happy.”

During the covid lockdowns, Simon was classed as clinically extremely vulnerable so relied people making donations directly to Big Issue North, which then passed money on to him.

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Over the years, he said he’s become an expert lip reader so does not like people wearing masks as it makes it difficult to understand what is said to him. It hurts his feelings when he is ignored and he always appreciates a shake of the head or a “no, thank you”.

He added:

“Some people look at me and walk away.”

Cambridge Street can be a busy place with different street fundraisers, buskers and vendors vying for shoppers’ attention.

When the Stray Ferret met Simon, an opera singer was belting out a song further down the road.

Simon joked:

“Buskers are the bane of my life! I sometimes ask them to turn their speaker down, I got to the toilet and they’ve turned it back up!”

The micro-entrepreneur said he enjoys being his own boss and can work up to seven days a week. If he is not seen on his pitch after a couple of days, the Big Issue North office in Leeds will even get calls from the public asking if he is OK.

“I’ve made a lot of friends in Harrogate over the years, just don’t ask me to name them all!”

Harrogate Town releases seven players

Harrogate Town have cut their squad ahead of the new season letting seven first-team players leave the club.

Jake Lawlor, Brendan Kiernan, Ed Francis, Melvin Minter and Jay Williams have not been offered a new contract and have left the club.

Calvin Miller and Scott Brown, who spent time out on loan at Notts County and Warrington respectively, will also be departing following the end of their contracts.

38-year-old striker Jon Stead announced his retirement after the club’s final game of the season against Cheltenham Town last weekend.

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The winger Kiernan was a popular member of the squad and he featured heavily in the 2019/20 campaign that saw the club promoted to League 2. However, he found opportunities more limited this season.

The club paid tribute to him on Twitter as did former teammate Ryan Fallowfield who called him an “unbelievable character on and off the pitch”.

https://twitter.com/RyanFallowfield/status/1393239020210204674?s=20

Controversial Oatlands Drive active travel scheme scrapped

Proposals to make the Oatlands Drive area of Harrogate more friendly to cyclists, which included making some of the Saints area one-way, will now not go ahead following fierce opposition from local residents.

In December, North Yorkshire County Council accepted £1,011,750 as part of a five-year, £2 billion programme by the Department for Transport to improve active travel infrastructure.

The council put forward four schemes in the county: three in Harrogate and one in Whitby.

However, opposition against the Oatlands Drive plans has proved too difficult to overcome for the county council which has now withdrawn it from its bid.

Unpopular with local residents

NYCC had originally planned to make the whole of Oatlands Drive in Harrogate one-way but it was dropped in March after 57% of respondents to an initial county council consultation opposing the proposal.

Opponents cited the impact on school buses and the creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

The scheme moved forward and included making nearby St Winifred’s Road and St Hilda’s Road one way but this was similarly unpopular with residents.

It also proposed to make Oatlands Drive 20mph and to add double yellow lines down both sides of its advisory cycle lane to stop motorists parking there.

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NYCC will instead commission an ‘Oatlands Constituency Feasibility Study’. It says this will “reeassess opportunities” for infrastructure improvements across a wider area than the government scheme allows.

The two other schemes in Harrogate have been recommended for approval, however.

Don Mackenzie, NYCC’s executive member for access, said:

“The work done so far on this scheme will not be wasted since it has highlighted opportunities to deliver improvements more widely in that area. That is why it is proposed to carry out a feasibility study focused on the Oatlands area later this year.

“The three schemes recommended to be taken forward were generally well received by residents. The Oatlands Drive scheme, however, and in particular the one-way filters for motorised vehicles, proved less popular and many local residents expressed their opposition. Since a condition of the Active Travel Fund is that each scheme should have public support, it is recommended that the Oatlands Drive proposal be withdrawn.”

The council said some of the savings made by dropping the Oatlands Drive scheme would be spent expanding its Whitby scheme.

The schemes that have been recommended to go ahead are below:

Victoria Avenue, Harrogate

A59, Harrogate Road, Knaresborough

Recommendations will be considered at a meeting of NYCC’s Business and Environmental Services Executive Members on Friday, May 21.