Covid vaccine tally in Harrogate district hits 70,000

A total of 70,138 people in the Harrogate district have received their first coronavirus vaccine, according to NHS England figures today.

The data, which covers the period until today, reveals almost 6,000 vaccines have been given in the last week.

North Yorkshire’s health officials insisted yesterday the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and urged people to continue to come forward for their jabs when invited.

However, under-50s will now not be offered a vaccine during April due to supply problems.

Read more:

Meanwhile, another 12 covid infections have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England.

The district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 39 cases per 100,000 people. The national average is 58, while the North Yorkshire rate is 48.

Harrogate council awarded £2.4m to cut carbon emissions

The government has awarded Harrogate Borough Council over £2.4m to cut carbon emissions at the Hydro swimming pool and Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Hydro, which opened in 1999, received £1.8m to replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps, install solar panels on the roof and put in place new energy monitoring and control systems.

A total of £580,000 will be spent on the almost 40-year-old convention centre to convert its lighting to LEDs, install solar panels and heat pumps and introduce variable speed drives to control the fans and pipework insulation.

Air source heat pumps are regarded as an environmentally friendly way to heat buildings. They work by absorbing heat from outside air and pumping it indoors.

The council, which has a goal of being a net-zero carbon economy by 2038, hopes the improvements will cut emissions by 577 tonnes a year at the Hydro and 70 tonnes at the convention centre.

Read more:

Kathryn Daly, head of place-shaping and economic growth at the council, said:

“We have ambitious plans to ensure our own operations and buildings will be clean, efficient and have a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

“This government funding provides a significant step to allow us to achieve this.”

The council has awarded a £1.1m contract to Arcadis to design the first phase of a proposed £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

Asked how the redevelopment might affect the new funding, a council spokesman said:

“Arcadis are still working on design plans for the proposed development.

“Should the redevelopment be agreed, and subsequent planning applications submitted and approved, these improvements will no doubt complement the plans.”

The council successfully bid for the funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy‘s public sector decarbonisation scheme.

The scheme has so far awarded £932 million to 429 projects in England and Wales.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust announced in January that it had received £14m from the fund to reduce Harrogate District Hospital’s carbon footprint by 25%.

North Yorkshire County Council also received just under £2m to improve carbon efficiency in its buildings.

Man charged after police officer struck by car in Harrogate

A 30-year-old man has been charged with three offences after a police officer suffered a fractured kneecap in Harrogate on Tuesday.

The man has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and use of a motor vehicle without third party insurance.

The incident happened at 3.20pm when officers approached a suspicious vehicle in Bewerley Road, Harrogate.

A male police officer underwent surgery and has remained in hospital since the incident.

A 35-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman who were also arrested have been released on conditional bail.

All three people are from Leeds. North Yorkshire Police has not revealed any names.

Read More:

 

Harrogate chippy sells deep fried creme eggs

A Harrogate fish and chip shop has put an unusual twist on the Cadbury’s Creme Egg by dipping them in batter and frying them.

Sophie Phillips, who owns Harrogate Fisheries on Skipton Road with her partner Tim, said the cream egg innovation “sounds totally wrong” but they have been a hit with customers.

We took the unusual delicacy to the people of Harrogate who gave their verdict.

Watch the video below:

Read more:

Although the eggs won’t break the bank at a cost of £1.50 each or three for £4, their calorie content is unconfirmed.

Sophie added:

“We had some Creme Eggs and a member of staff wondered what it would taste like deep fried.

“We tasted it and thought wow — this is pretty nice!”

“It’s not to everybody’s tastes. It’s just a bit of fun but it’s got people talking. It’s just a naughty treat.”

‘Joyous’ Knaresborough mural aims to lift spirits

A “joyous” mural inspired by nature is being painted on the side of a house in Cheapside, Knaresborough.

When complete, the artwork will include swallows, butterflies, bumblebees and flowers.

Lindsay Bradley, whose family has owned the property since the 1960s, hopes the mural will cheer people up as they enter the town.

She said:

“It’s all the things I love in nature.”

After seeing Harrogate artist Sam Porter’s work on Facebook, she commissioned him to paint the mural, which will take over a week to finish.

Sam is using spray paint and says he wants it to have a positive impact:

“It’s such a public spot so I want it to be really joyous.”

Read more:

Sam is a full-time artist and has worked in sculpture, fine art and print making. He said murals have become more popular over the past few years and hopes to paint more of them in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He added:

“Everyone is crying out for something that will jolly up their day.”

Whilst the mural is a paean to the natural world, it almost took a left-field turn after sci-fi fan Lindsay suggested to Sam that he adds the famous movie alien ET to the mural.

But Sam talked her out of it for artistic reasons.

Harrogate’s rural bus services not good enough, says councillor

A Liberal Democrat councillor has said he was “flabbergasted” by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ claim this week that Harrogate buses are among the best in the country.

Mr Shapps told Parliament this week that Harrogate’s “frequent modern services” has made buses “the transport of choice”.

His comments, alongside the launch of a new national bus strategy, prompted Chris Aldred, who represents Harrogate Fairfax, to contact the Stray Ferret.

Cllr Aldred said although Transdev’s “swanky number 36s” that link Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds provided a good service, rural areas suffered from infrequent or nonexistent services.

He said:

“Travelling on a bus within the Harrogate district is far from being ‘the transport of choice’ simply because there is often no bus to catch.

“I am lucky to represent a ward relatively close to Harrogate town centre. My colleagues representing rural wards within the district tell horror stories of villages and towns receiving so-called services of one or two buses a day.”

Read more:

A 2019 study published by the Campaign for Better Transport found that more than 3,000 local bus routes have been lost or reduced over the past decade.

Cllr Aldred said the Harrogate district’s rural residents have felt the impact most keenly.

He added Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission, which he chaired, had already identified bus provision as something to examine in detail.

Cllr Aldred said:

“These limited services often stop at teatime, making nighttime trips impossible. Sometimes there are none at all on a weekend and those that do run are often at very inconvenient times for those planning trips to the larger towns within the district.”

The Harrogate district is served by two private bus companies: Transdev’s the Harrogate Bus Company and Connexionsbuses.

Responding to Cllr Aldred’s comments, Harrogate Bus Company’s general manager Frank Stanisauskis said:

“Our 36 service is a proven success in attracting more people to choose the bus and provides a much valued service to villages on the route, including Harewood, Pannal, Killinghall, Ripley and South Stainley. Even during lockdown, when customer numbers represented 20% of normal pre-pandemic levels, we still operated over 80% of the usual timetable.

“As in most English counties, rural bus services in North Yorkshire are generally provided with local authority support. Some counties, such as Cumbria, have ceased to fund rural buses altogether, but we continue to work with North Yorkshire County Council and other external partners to sustain rural services wherever we can.

“Pressure on council funding over the years, and not any lack of desire to keep buses going, has seen a few rural services provided by various operators withdrawn. These impacted very few people, and both ourselves and the county council have to prioritise limited resources to support services which benefit the most people.

“Our obvious rural route is the 24 between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge: we operate it without subsidy and at a loss, but we persevere, not least because we know its importance to the people of Nidderdale.”

Two Harrogate district village pubs to be turned into housing

Two pubs in Little Ouseburn and Great Ouseburn will be converted into housing.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans to turn the former Green Tree pub in Little Ouseburn into housing.

Owners Michael and Barbara Briggs applied last year to turn the pub into two one-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom semi-detached home.

Another two three-bedroom detached homes will be built in the rear car park.

The pub, which is on the main B6265 from Green Hammerton to Boroughbridge, closed in late 2019.

A statement attached to the planning application highlighted the pub’s plight in recent years:

“Local interest in using the pub has dwindled and was patronised by only a handful of regular customers. Takings were only sufficient to sustain Mrs Briggs and keep the doors open.”

Read more:

The Crown Inn pub in Great Ouseburn

Meanwhile, the council has also approved a plan to turn The Crown Inn pub in Great Ouseburn into a five-bedroom home.

The pub won the Yorkshire Pub of the Year title in 2011 but has been vacant for several years, closing in June 2016.

Despite new developments and growing populations, village pubs have found it difficult to survive. Numerous establishments in the Harrogate district have been affected.

The Lamb and Flag pub in Burton Leonard could now be turned into commercial or retail space. Plans were also submitted to convert the Half Moon in Sharow into a new home.

Harrogate Business Improvement District appoints new manager

Harrogate Business Improvement District has appointed Matthew Chapman as its new manager.

Harrogate is one of more than 300 places in the UK to have a BID, which aim to attract inward investment in town and city centres and boost footfall.

Mr Chapman, who will begin the £45,000 role on May 1, was appointed Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.

The job advert for his new role said the successful candidate would be responsible for a budget of £3m over five years, managing staff and partners, leading projects and delivering key performance indicators.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“Matthew was the standout candidate in our recent recruitment drive for a new manager. He brings with him experience of working with two major Yorkshire BIDS.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Matthew as Harrogate comes back to life from covid lockdown number three. He has some fantastic ideas for promoting Harrogate as a must-visit destination.”

Read more:

Mr Chapman said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town with so much to offer, and coming here as a regular visitor since my childhood, I know it well.

“Thanks to my roles with both Leeds BID and Huddersfield BID, I’ve gained a great deal of experience working with businesses, councils, tourism bodies and the police. Building teams and working with wider teams is a core strength of mine.

“I’m really looking forward to starting my new job helping to promote Harrogate as a wonderful destination to shop, eat and drink, and to ensure the town centre is clean, safe and welcoming to all.”

Northern Energy submits plans to move from Hampsthwaite

Northern Energy has submitted plans to relocate its headquarters from Hampsthwaite to near Marton-cum-Grafton.

The company, which has an annual turnover of £27 million, has been based at its Hampsthwaite headquarters for over half a century.

It supplies more than 50 million litres of oil and liquid petroleum gas across the UK each year.

However, planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council say the business has outgrown its current site:

“Such is the success of the business, the company have now outgrown their current premises on the edge of Hampsthwaite.

“Indeed, the location of the facility, some distance from the local highway network, and the absence of oil and fuel storage capacity on site is now beginning to hinder the business.”

The company wants to build its new headquarters on Limebar Lane, one kilometre from the village of Marton-cum-Grafton.

The plans include 10,000 square feet of office space, a vehicle depot, LPG and oil storage tanks and a new car park.

The site would accommodate 30 office staff and 20 operations staff.

Established in 1932 by Ralph Robinson, the grandfather of current chairman, Howard Illingworth, the company originally began collecting milk from farmers and supplying coal to local people.

Read more:

 

£80,000 awarded for Harrogate district road safety schemes

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has awarded £80,000 to road safety schemes in the Harrogate district.

The projects have been part-funded by the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.

Communities, parish and town councils were invited to put forward projects that improved road safety for children and young people, cyclists, motorcyclists and older road users.

Applications exceeded by four-times the amount available.

In total, £350,000 was awarded to 81 schemes across North Yorkshire, with the following projects in the Harrogate district amongst them:

Read more:

The majority of funding came from the sale of the AJ1 number plate, which was the first registered number plate in North Yorkshire and had been used by every chief constable since 1907.  It sold at auction in 2019 for £243,000.

A total of £190,000 of this was earmarked for the road safety scheme, as well as £165,000 from community funds held by Ms Mulligan’s office.

Ms Mulligan said:

““Although the AJ1 numberplate will always have a historical connection to North Yorkshire Police, the impact these schemes will have confirms why it was right to use the value of the registration mark to make a real impact on people’s lives.

“These projects will improve lives – and I am sure they will also save lives – by making our roads and the communities they pass through safer for people however they use them.”