Thomas Barrett, Author at The Stray Ferret

Woodlands pub could get controversial new name and £200,000 facelift

The Woodlands Hotel pub on Wetherby Road could be renamed West Riding Harrogate and given a £200,000 refurbishment.

Star Pubs and Bars, whose parent company is Heineken, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for permission to overhaul the premises to give it a “fresh, modern appeal”.

According to the pub company’s website, £196,136 would be spent on the plans, which include creating a new covered seating area.

However, the proposed name change is proving controversial.

Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat borough councillor for Harrogate Hookstone, said local people were attached to the Woodlands name and she hoped the owners would rethink plans to change it.

Cllr Marsh told the Stray Ferret she believed there had been a pub called the Woodlands on the site since at least the 1940s. She said:

“I welcome the investment as it’s a very good local pub in the heart of the community but please don’t change the name.

“Why would they want to name it West Riding? We’re in North Yorkshire. The logic of that name doesn’t chime with me so I’d be very disappointed if it happens.

“They’ll do themselves a disservice and they need the local community to support it.”

A computer generated image of how the pub might look.

Star Pubs and Bars is advertising for a landlord to take over the pub, which it says has an annual turnover of more than £600,000.

Its website says:

“The pub has the ability to attract both the local community and visitors, which combined with the right food and drink offer provides excellent opportunity for the new operator to drive trade and build the pub’s reputation.

“The refurbishment will allow for distinct trading areas for both dining and casual drinking. It will also be given a fresh, modern new look to maximise its appeal.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Star Pubs and Bars for a response but did not receive one by the time of publication.

Health chiefs call for patience on Harrogate district vaccines

Senior health officials in North Yorkshire have appealed for patience over the vaccination programme amid concern by some people about a lack of information.

Vaccination for the Pfizer-BioNTech jab got underway this month at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

Several people who have been inoculated have told the Stray Ferret the process was smooth and efficient.

But we have also received numerous calls and emails from people wondering why they haven’t heard anything yet. Some have parents in their 90s.

The North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents agencies involved in tackling covid, urged people to be patient at a media briefing today.

Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council’s director of health and adult services, said the NHS was working “as quickly as possible” to administer the vaccine and that residents should wait to be contacted by their GP or local NHS trust.

Mr Webb added:

“Our colleagues in the NHS are working around the clock to prepare to receive the latest batches of vaccines. Please be patient, it’s a massive logistical issue.

“They are moving as quickly as possible to get people vaccinated.”

The media briefing also revealed there has been a big increase in the number of people being tested at the covid testing centre in the Dragon Road car park in Harrogate.

Matthew Robinson, senior resilience and emergencies officer at North Yorkshire County Council, said that on December 21, 280 people were tested at the site, the highest daily total to date.

This is more than double the figure of some previous weeks, which reflects the growing spread of the virus.

From December 21-27 over 1,200 covid tests took place.

Harrogate district to move into tier 3 at midnight

The government has announced that the Harrogate district will move into tier 3.

The decision, which comes into effect at one minute past midnight, means pubs and restaurants will only be able to provide takeaways.

It will force many people to change their New Year’s eve plans.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement this afternoon as part of a review of the national tiers.

Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

North Yorkshire was previously in tier 2 but rising rates, especially in Scarborough and Hambleton, prompted the decision along with concern about the spread of the new mutant strain of covid.

The Harrogate district’s infection rate has also risen considerably over the last fortnight, albeit less dramatically.

Public Health England confirmed another another 47 positive cases yesterday and the R number rose above one for the first time in over a month.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement this afternoon.

What are the rules in tier three?

You must not meet socially with anybody you do not live with or have a support bubble with.
However, a group of up to six may meet outdoors in some public places, such as parks and beaches.
Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can stay open, as can swimming pools.
Small wedding ceremonies can take place but with no receptions.
Hotels, B&Bs, campsites, holiday lets and guest houses must close.
Indoor play centres and areas, including soft play centres and areas must close.
Leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead.
Work from home where possible.
No supporters are allowed into sporting events.
The advice is not to travel to-and-from tier three areas.

Frustration as Harrogate Town game abandoned after 10 minutes

Harrogate Town’s game against Carlisle last night was abandoned after just 10 minutes when the referee decided the pitch was unsafe.

The club had asked volunteers to clear snow at its ground on Wetherby Road before a 5pm pitch inspection,

Their efforts appeared to be rewarded when referee Martin Coy agreed to let the match kick off at 745pm.

There was more good news for the 576 home fans when midfielder Connor Kirkby scored in the first minute to give Town the lead — but minutes later the match was abandoned due to the icy conditions.

Manager Simon Weaver described the referee’s decision as “frustrating”. He added:

“At 5.15pm the game was clearly on in the mind of the referee, five minutes after kick-off it didn’t look to be putting players at risk, no one was playing with any trepidation or hesitation, there was no slipping and we felt the condition had actually improved since 5.15pm.

“Our players were happy after the warm-up and it was taking the stud. It’s frustrating because in the summer in pre-season you can play on much harder pitches.

“I feel for the volunteers who have been here all day clearing the snow off the pitch and doing an amazing job. There were fathers, sons, daughters, mums all on the pitch and it just shows what a close knit group of fans we’ve got with us.”

Jordan Ford, of Harrogate Town Supporters Group, was at the game. He told the Stray Ferret the referee should not have started the match if he had doubts. He said:

“I thought it was ridiculous to even start the game. The conditions didn’t change within the nine minutes the game was being played.

“It’s a shame as we were playing well and on top. At least the supporters got to witness a live goal, albeit it counts for nothing.”

If the Harrogate district is placed in a higher tier today, it would mean last night’s fixture was the final match supporters could attend until restrictions are eased again.

MPs watch 2020: the year of coronavirus, Brexit and free school meals

Each month the Stray Ferret tracks what the three MPs in the Harrogate district have been up to in Parliament and their constituencies.

As this is the last month of the year, this time we have provided a round-up of the activities of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams throughout 2020.

The district’s three elected Conservative representatives in the House of Commons have a combined 30 years’ experience as MPs but nothing could have prepared them for 2020 and the arrival of coronavirus.

As always, we asked all three if they would like to highlight anything in particular. Once again, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here are some of the key moments from Mr Jones’s year:

Fresh from a fourth straight general election victory, Mr Jones began the year by speaking out on his website against what he described as the toxic nature of modern political campaigning. He wrote: “Politics needs to grow up and step away from this old-fashioned and frankly US-style attack ad approach. I hope over the next few years – at least locally – there will be agreement to adopt a more positive approach.”
In April, at the height of the first lockdown, Mr Jones warned constituents about the dangers of covid: “This virus doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor, by race, by religion, by nationality, by gender or sexuality or by political allegiances.”
One of Mr Jones’s nine tweets in June was that he found some car keys near to Tewit Well in Harrogate.
On his website in June, Mr Jones wrote to the head of Bauer Media to “seek assurances” about the future of Stray FM. The radio station rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio in September.
On August 2, Mr Jones hailed Harrogate Town’s win at Wembley as “the best news in ages”. He also tweeted about Notts County’s non-existent equaliser, which was quickly deleted. This led to the Stray Ferret’s Paul Baverstock suggesting that Mr Jones might not have been actually watching the game.
Mr Jones released a statement apologising for the government’s u-turn over A-Level results. He said: “I am sorry for the distress and uncertainty this has caused pupils. In all about 20 students contacted me personally and I am writing to each of them”.
Mr Jones refused to comment on a Stray Ferret story involving a police investigation into allegations of missing Porsche sports cars from GMUND in Knaresborough. The company was run by Andrew Mearns, while his wife Cllr Samantha Mearns was a company secretary until late 2018 and is now a caseworker in Mr Jones’s office.
At Prime Minister’s Questions in October, the MP urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to commit to a support package for the conference and exhibition industry.
In October, Mr Jones voted against an opposition motion to extend the provision of £15-a-week school meal vouchers throughout the October half term through to the Easter 2021 holidays. Following a backlash, Mr Jones responded in the local press and in a local Conservative news bulletin email. The email said: “I know that many of you will have seen the coverage about free school meals during the holidays in the news lately. I hope that people who know me, or who have been helped by me, would realise that I would not vote to increase child hunger or ensure children starve.”
Mr Jones said on October 20 “a blanket national lockdown is wrong and local interventions are what we need now to tackle this crisis”. On November 2 he voted in favour of a new national lockdown.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Ripon, here are some of the key moments from Mr Smith’s year:

In February, Mr Smith was sacked as Northern Ireland secretary. Despite lasting just 204 days in the role, he was widely praised for his work, including brokering talks between rival political parties to restore a power-sharing government at Stormont.
In May, the MP contacted the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, offering support after she received death threats for speaking out over Dominic Cummings’ decision to travel with symptoms of covid-19, against government advice.
In July, Mr Smith voted against protecting the NHS in a future trade deal with the US. Unlike Mr Jones, he wrote to the Stray Ferret to explain why he voted this way. He said: “No future trade agreement will be allowed to undermine the guiding principle of the NHS.”
Throughout the year, Mr Smith has raised residents’ concerns about the 1,300-home Ripon barracks development to local health leaders and Harrogate Borough Council officials, including chief executive Wallace Sampson.
The Stray Ferret revealed in August that Mr Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a hydrogen company at a rate of £3,000 per hour.
In September, he abstained on both Internal Markets Bill votes, which related to Brexit. Opponents of the bill said it could lead to a trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
That month, the MP visited Ripon Cathedral to view its new £6m design plans, which include new toilets, a cafe and the creation of rehearsal space for Ripon Cathedral Choir.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural parts of the Harrogate district.

In rural south Harrogate, here are some of the key moments from Mr Adams’s year:

The arch Brexiteer celebrated January 31 when the UK left the European Union. He wrote on Facebook: “Today is a historic day but tomorrow, the work to take our country forward continues with renewed enthusiasm.”
In April, the MP offered his “thoughts and prayers” to prime minister Boris Johnson, who was in hospital with coronavirus. He wrote: “The Boris I know is a fighter and will defeat this.”
In July, Mr Adams hit out at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying he had an “obsession” with undermining the Brexit vote.
In September, he criticised environmental group Extinction Rebellion after it blocked vehicles from leaving a printing press in London, causing disruption to several national newspapers. He called the group “socialist anarchists masquerading as well-meaning hippies”.
In October, Mr Adams voted against the amendment to the Agriculture Bill. In a post on his website, he defended his decision. He said: “Several people have been in touch who appear to have been misled into thinking that Tuesday’s vote on the Agriculture Bill was somehow a vote against our high food standards. This is not the case. In fact, the amendment to the bill which was defeated was well meaning but I believe unnecessary as well as having some negative unintended consequences.”
Ahead of a planning committee hearing into 72 homes in Spofforth in November, Mr Adams’s office confirmed to the Stray Ferret that he had made representations to councillors ahead of their decision, which was ultimately to refuse the plans in their current form.

St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans set for refusal

Councillors look set to refuse St Aidan’s Church of England High School’s plans to build a new floodlit artificial pitch.

The 2,000-pupil school has said the pitch is “urgently required” but nearby residents have complained the 15-metre high floodlights would cause light pollution to their homes and the Stray.

St Aidan’s, on Oatlands Drive, withdrew a previous application in March last year following concerns by residents about light pollution, noise and traffic.

Now Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee has been recommended to refuse the school’s latest application when it meets on Tuesday.

In a report to councillors, case officer Jeremy Constable said noise and lights from the pitch would have a “significant adverse impact” on the surrounding area even though a new pitch would benefit the school and local football teams. He added:

“Whilst the proposal undoubtedly involves public benefits arising from the development, these do not outweigh the harm of the impact of the development on residential amenity and the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.”

The previous application said the facility would close at 10pm on Monday to Friday.

The latest plans reduced the closing time to 8pm but still received 40 objections, including one from the Stray Defence Association, which said the lighting would have an “immense and detrimental” impact on the Stray.

Robert Holmes, from project management firm MHB Partnerships, explained on behalf of St Aidan’s why the new facility is “urgently required”.

He said current facilities were “woefully inadequate” and prevented the school from hosting sports fixtures.

He added there was a shortage of 3G artificial pitches in Harrogate, made worse by Harrogate Town replacing their artificial surface with grass over the summer due to English Football League requirements.

He wrote that the floodlights would be directed onto the pitch and no lights would shine on neighbouring homes, adding:

“The school cares greatly about their relationship with their neighbours and make every effort to listen to any concerns raised by them. The comments published on the planning portal have been read and digested by the school and it is considered that the school has done as much as possible to address the concerns raised.”

Police recover stolen jewellery and medals

A treasure trove of stolen jewellery and medals, including some from the First World War, have been recovered by police.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for people who may have lost the items to come forward.

It is urging anyone who suffered a burglary between August and October this year to check these photos and get in touch if they believe any belong to them.

The items include some distinctive items including First World War medals, one inscribed with the name DVR.P.WRIGHT.R.A., spirit level cufflinks, engraved signet rings and cufflinks, cluster rings, necklaces and gold chains.

The force believes the items could have been stolen during burglaries in North Yorkshire and other parts of the country, including West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside, Sussex, Dorset, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire.

Anyone wanting to get in touch with the police should contact David.Pegg@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or call 01904 618691, select option 2 and ask for Dave Pegg.

Harrogate Town asks for help clearing snow ahead of tonight’s game

Harrogate Town are appealing to fans to help clear their Wetherby Road pitch in time for tonight’s game against Carlisle.

Snowfall hit Harrogate overnight, covering the grass at Town’s EnviroVent stadium on Wetherby Road.

The game is due to kick off at 7.45pm so there is a race against time to get the snow cleared.

The club has asked volunteers with snow shovels to come to the ground this afternoon to help out.

The club tweeted:

“We would greatly appreciate some volunteers turning up ASAP with snow shovels to help move the snow ahead of tonight’s game.”

300 more Harrogate children receiving free school meals since pandemic

An extra 300 children in the Harrogate district received free school meals after the coronavirus pandemic began, figures reveal.

A total of 2,402 children received the meals in October this year, compared with 2,109 in January this year.

The Stray Ferret obtained the figures from a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire County Council, the education authority for the district.

To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.

Since January 2018 the number of children in the district receiving them has increased by over 58%.

Over 10% of children in the district are now receiving them, which is lower than the national average of 17.3%.

Harrogate District Food Bank project manager Lucy Stewart told the Stray Ferret that parents who work in Harrogate’s hospitality sector have been hit hard by covid restrictions.

She said:

“A lot of families live right at the end of their means. When you get furloughed and are on 80% of your income, a lot of us are not set up for living on that.

“People will have had to start claiming benefits, which triggers free school meals. The whole area will struggle because we rely so much on the conference industry normally.

“A huge industry has gone from the town and the fallout from that cascades down to working families in the hospitality industry.”

The issue of free school meals rocketed up the agenda this year following a high profile campaign by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford.

A Labour motion to extend the provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down in the House of Commons in October.

Several food venues in Harrogate decided to offer families free meals, including Portofino, Major Tom’s Social, and Thug Sandwich.

The government launched a £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme for vulnerable families across England.

Christmas waste and recycling in the Harrogate district

Waste and recycling centres in the Harrogate district will be open every day over the festive period except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, December 30 and New Year’s Day.

The North Yorkshire County Council household waste recycling centres on Wetherby Road and Pennypot Lane in Harrogate, and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon will be open from 8.30am to 4pm.

The centres accept discarded electrical goods, Christmas packaging, broken Christmas lights, household batteries and Christmas trees.

Good reusable toys can be donated to the Reuse Santa appeal within the reuse containers at the recycling centres. Toys will go to the No Wrong Door campaign and other charities.

Wrapping paper that passes the scrunch test (if you scrunch the paper in your hand and it stays in a ball) can be put in blue recycling bags for kerbside collection. Check collection dates over the holiday period.

North Yorkshire County Council’s household waste recycling centres in the district are managed on the council’s behalf by private firm Yorwaste.

County Councillor Andrew Lee, executive member for business and environmental services, said:

“Working together, the county council and Yorwaste are continuing to give residents the opportunity to recycle as much as they can over this Christmas period.”

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