Police issue 1,151 coronavirus penalties in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police has so far issued 1,151 fixed penalty notices to people who have breached coronavirus restrictions.

The figure was revealed at North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s public accountability meeting yesterday.

The meeting, which was broadcast on YouTube, also revealed the county’s police force has so far only issued five fixed penalty notices to people who refused to self-isolate.

NYP chief constable Lisa Winward said the “vast majority” of fines were issued during the start of lockdown when police found people taking non-essential journeys, which was a breach of restrictions at the time.

NYP chief constable Lisa Winward.

Under coronavirus legislation, the police have the power to issue £60 fixed penalty notices to anyone breaching restrictions. The sum is reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.

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The police have adopted a ‘four Es’ approach to coronavirus; engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforcement.

Chief constable Winward said:

“We adopt and engage with the community to explain to them what the guidance is, we then encourage people to follow that guidance or legislation.

“It’s only as an absolutely last resort we would move to an enforcement outcome for that person because they absolutely refuse to take that advice and are therefore putting other members of the public at risk of spreading the infection.”

Harrogate College welcomes government skills boost

The principal of Harrogate College has welcomed the government’s announcement that it will pay for adults to retrain and study at further education colleges.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this morning the government will fund adults who do not have Level 3, or equivalent qualifications such as A-Levels, to study at a college course in England from April 2021. It will be funded via the £2.5bn national skills fund.

Harrogate College at Hornbeam Park offers a range of Level 3 qualifications in subjects including construction and healthcare. Principal Danny Wild told the Stray Ferret that the measures will help boost the local labour market post-covid.

He said:

“It’s really, really positive news thats going to allow the workforce to keep pace with the changing labour market. That’s only going to help productivity and employment opportunities across North Yorkshire.”

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Currently, the government will only pay adults up to the age of 23 to study what they deem to be essential courses, such as English and Maths.

However, the Prime Minister said this morning he wants to see a “radical change” in how the country trains people as it recovers from coronavirus. The Labour Party said the funding would not reverse the impact of “a decade of cuts”.

Mr Wild said sectors in Harrogate including construction, digital, science, and healthcare will all benefit from the increased skills funding.

He added:

“The skillset people need to work in these sectors they didn’t need 10 years ago. People need an opportunity to upskill or retrain and this is what these measures will help with.”

Nidec SR Drives relocates to Hornbeam Park

Nidec SR Drives will relocate across Harrogate from its current premises on Otley Road to Hornbeam Park.

The company, which is part of the Japanese electric motors firm Nidec, has signed a long-term lease on an 8,184 square foot unit at Hornbeam Park.

It will be adding additional offices, lab space and upgrading the power supply.

The company employs 18 people in Harrogate. It has been at its Otley Road site since 1996 after relocating from Leeds.

Paul Rawlins, financial director at Nidec, said:

“It’s a perfect location for the business to relocate to due to its close proximity to our existing workforce.”

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‘No worse time’ for devolution, say council leaders

North Yorkshire’s seven district and borough council leaders, including Harrogate’s Richard Cooper, have written to the Prime Minister saying there “could not be a worse time” for local government reorganisation due to the worsening Covid situation.

Ministers told council leaders in the county in July to draw up plans for devolution ahead of a White Paper in autumn.

But speculation is mounting that the government might put its devolution plans on hold.

Hambleton council leader Cllr Mark Robson, writing on behalf of all of North Yorkshire’s district and borough council leaders, urged the government to press ahead with devolving powers to the county even if it does not reorganise local government,

Cllr Robson said:

“There is no doubt the Covid situation has worsened nationwide and this will inevitably put extra pressure and new demands on district and borough councils to further support our communities and businesses as we work through this crisis together.

“Let me be clear, this critical responsibility must come first, and we must not be distracted by an unnecessary, resource-intensive and ill-timed local government reorganisation.

“The letter we have sent makes this point in the strongest possible terms and we look forward to the government response with what we hope is a sensible and realistic way forward for North Yorkshire in these difficult times.”

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Last week, Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret he was still “hopeful” that a devolution deal could be put on the table.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said:

“We have set out a clear commitment to level up all areas of the country by empowering our regions through devolving money, resources and control away from Westminster.

“We are considering a range of options and will set out our detailed plans in the White Paper that will be published in due course.”

Harrogate district’s coronavirus tally since March passes 1,000

The total number of people in the Harrogate district diagnosed with coronavirus since the pandemic began passed the 1,000 milestone today.

Figures released by Public Health England showed another 11 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 1,002 since March.

Eleven new cases were also confirmed yesterday.

North Yorkshire County Council announced today it is advising care homes to halt routine visits throughout October to protect residents from Covid.

In Harrogate, a mobile testing site will be in place tomorrow and on Friday at the Dragon Road car park from 11am to 3pm.

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Harrogate care homes urged to end routine visits in October

Care homes in Harrogate have been advised to halt routine visits throughout October to protect residents from covid.

North Yorkshire County Council director of health and adult services Richard Webb has written to every care provider in the county asking them to introduce the restriction from Thursday due to rising coronavirus infection rates.

Mr Webb recommended that families and friends visiting residents at the end of their lives should still be allowed to do so.

A similar restriction was brought in earlier this month for seven days.

Mr Webb tweeted:

“This is a step I was very reluctant to take but against a backdrop of rising community infection rates, we need to act now.”

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Mr Webb said in future he would like care homes to operate a nominated visitor scheme whereby a named visitor gets tested regularly so they can continue visiting.

However, he said national problems with testing availability “make that unrealistic at the moment”.

Mr Webb added on Twitter:

“We will look at alternative options to see what we can do to help providers find a better way forward. Balancing #Covid protection versus residents’ #mentalhealth is one of the toughest dilemmas.”

Mike Padgham, chair of the provider organisation The Independent Care Group, said:

“It is regrettable that home visits have to stop but we have to do everything we can, with North Yorkshire County Council, to prevent the spread of coronavirus to the older and vulnerable people we care for.”

Alcoholics Anonymous in Harrogate reports surge in enquiries

Alcoholics Anonymous in Harrogate has reported a surge in enquiries since lockdown began — and one member has urged local people struggling to overcome addiction to attend a meeting.

Known for its 12-step programme for dealing with addiction, AA meetings provide a safe space to discuss experiences. The only attendance requirement is a desire to stop drinking.

Harrogate, which has long had a reputation as a drinking town, has twice as many AA meetings per capita than York and four times as many as Leeds.

The Harrogate district has 16 weekly AA meetings, including in Knaresborough and Ripon.

In-person meetings recently resumed after taking place for most of the year on Zoom. Public Health England has confirmed that AA meetings are exempt from the government’s “rule of six”.

Michael, which is not his real name, told the Stray Ferret he had been attending meetings for almost two years.

He said alcoholism often went “under the radar” in affluent Harrogate. Many people with problems were often functioning in highly paid and pressurised jobs rather than conforming to the stereotype of being asleep on a park bench, he added.

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Indeed Michael said he made a lot of money during a successful business career but pain inside caused him to drink. He explained:

“To the outside world I had the ideal life. But there was something that wasn’t right inside and my drinking escalated over 20 years.

Michael started rehab for a month in January 2019 and has stayed sober ever since. He credits AA with helping turn his life around.

Public Health England figures published last week revealed there are 8.4 million high risk drinkers in the UK, a figure that has almost doubled since February.

Many people drank alone at home when pubs closed during lockdown. But Michael said self-isolation is not unusual for people in the depths of alcoholism. After socialising with friends at the pub he would regularly carry on drinking at home with a bottle of wine or some beers.

Michael said when he first went to an AA meeting he was surprised it wasn’t all “doom and gloom”.

He added:

“My preconception was they would be depressing environments. It surprises people that you find people laughing and are happy. It’s not doom or gloom, it’s warm, caring and supporting. That can come as a shock to people.”

For a full list of AA meetings in the district visit this website.

Rare species found in Nidderdale AONB

A major investigation in Nidderdale’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has found rare species including the Pyropterus nigroruber, a net winged beetle, and moths including Bilberry pug, Devon carpet and V-moth.

Volunteers gave more than 4,500 hours of their time over three years tracking animals across the AONB and reported other species such as the otter are increasing in number in the area.

They also found that the curlew population is stable, bucking a national decline.

However, the findings reported a large decline in water voles in the AONB, which are thought to one of the fastest declining mammals in the UK. In response, the AONB team has released 100 water voles in the Washburn Valley to try and revive the threatened species.

Bird species already thought to be lost from the AONB include the lesser-spotted woodpecker, yellow wagtail, wood warbler and hawfinch.

Iain Mann, AONB area manager, said:

“The report shows the vital importance of conservation to safeguard and improve Nidderdale AONB habitats. It is recognised nationally that biodiversity is in crisis and urgent action is needed.

“Our team is proud of the conservation success stories we have had in recent years and these findings will act as a springboard for future conservation work.”

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The report also highlights projects such as the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, which works with moorland land managers to promote best practice to safeguard these nationally significant habitats.

Read the State of Nature report here.

River Nidd fails water pollution tests due to raw sewage

Every section of the River Nidd that runs through the Harrogate district has failed water pollution tests due to the river being contaminated with wastewater – including raw sewage.

The Environment Agency yesterday published its latest report into the health of the UK’s rivers which revealed that each of the Nidd Middle and Lower’s 13 water bodies failed chemical tests to determine whether the water is of good quality.

The agency said this was mainly due to wastewater from water companies and agricultural pollution.

Wastewater includes raw sewage, household chemicals, and water from sinks, showers, washing machines and dishwashers.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson told the Stray Ferret that the company uses sewer overflows into the River Nidd which helps to prevent flooding in the sewer network. Sewer overflows (known as CSOs) are permitted and regulated by the Environment Agency.

The spokesperson said:

“As our network takes rain water and foul water from properties, the sewers can become overwhelmed when there is a significant amount of rainfall.

“When this happens, they can discharge very diluted waste water into watercourses through permitted overflows, as this prevents the system from backing up and flooding customers’ homes. CSOs are an important part of the sewer network and help to protect against flooding.”

The spokesperson added that the company is investing in sustainable drainage systems to reduce sewer overflows into rivers. He also said that to keep sewers clear, people should not flush products like wet wipes down the toilet or pour fats down the sink.

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The Nidd Middle and Lower begins in Birstwith, and flows downstream through Killinghall, skirting the northern edge of Harrogate and through Knaresborough. The river then travels through rural areas before it meets the River Ouse at Nun Monkton near York.

Several sections of the river have decreased in quality over the past decade. Low Bridge in Knaresborough to Crimple Beck had previously received ‘good’ ratings from 2013 to 2016 but has now failed chemical tests two years in a row.

The Nidd Upper, which runs through Pateley Bridge, also failed chemical tests.

The data released yesterday revealed that the health of rivers across the country is poor, with just 14% receiving a “good” ecological status.

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency, said:

“Water quality has plateaued since 2016, which isn’t good enough. Today just 14% of our rivers are [rated good]. To get where we want to be everyone needs to improve how they use water now and that means water companies, farmers and the public.”

District MPs decline to comment on ‘broken’ covid testing system

The Harrogate district’s MPs have declined to share their views on the performance of the government’s Covid-19 testing system.

With infection rates rising across the district, there has been a rise in demand for testing. However, the Stray Ferret has been contacted by several residents this week who are concerned about the availability of testing.

Harrogate mum Madeline Smyth told us that the system is broken is “broken'” after spending two days trying to secure a test for her daughter. She finally secured an appointment – but it was in Burnley, a two-hour round trip from Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret asked our local MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith, and Nigel Adams – all Conservatives –  if they think the system is working well and whether it could be improved. We also asked if they have been in discussions about it with health ministers or the NHS. None of them responded to our request.

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On Wednesday, North Yorkshire County Council declared a covid “emergency” for North Yorkshire and raised concerns over testing in the county.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health for NYCC, said testing was being hampered by “significant limitations” with laboratory capacity.

He said:

“This issue is a national one and outside of our control. We have escalated our concerns nationally and we are targeting our local testing facilities towards the communities and people in greatest need.”

In Parliament today, Conservative MP and Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said there has been “endless carping” from people unable to book coronavirus tests. Instead, he said the number of tests being carried out should be celebrated.