An independent body for care providers in North Yorkshire has said it would be “pointless and unnecessary” to allow devolution to dismantle the current system of social care in the county.
Under the existing two-tier system of local government, North Yorkshire County Council has full responsibility for social care in the county.
But this could change under government plans to devolve power.
The seven district and borough councils in North Yorkshire, including Harrogate Borough Council, would prefer to create an east / west model of local government.
NYCC prefer having a unitary authority for the county, which Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group, said would offer the best outcome for older and vulnerable people in the area.
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Mr Padgham said effective county-wide social care services already existed built on years of close working between the local authority and independent providers of social care. He added:
“It would seem pointless and unnecessary to dismantle this.
“NYCC is looking to bring in more investment and more decision-making power to a single authority, which can only be a positive move forward for the overall future of North Yorkshire.
“The proposal from NYCC for a single unitary authority provides the best option for facing and overcoming those challenges.”
Speaking on behalf of the seven district and borough councils, Keane Duncan, leader of Ryedale District Council, told the Stray Ferret it was “surprising and disappointing” that the ICG has backed NYCC’s proposal.
He added:
“ICG’s support for a mega-council is particularly disappointing too when they have not engaged with us about their views, aspirations and concerns for the future of care in our county.
“We would welcome the opportunity to share with them how our alternative to a mega-council can best support care providers, and those who need care, not only in North Yorkshire, but in the City of York too.”
MPs WATCH: Care home visits, the Brexit bill and a visit to Ripon Cathedral
Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.
September saw MPs return to Parliament after the summer recess. Several important votes took place on issues such as Brexit, the military, and fire safety in high-rise buildings.
We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them.
So here is what we know after analysing their online presence.
Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
In Harrogate and Knaresborough here is what we found on Mr Jones:
- On September 15 and September 29, Mr Jones voted in line with the government on the Internal Markets Bill. The legislation sparked controversy after Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, said it would break international law in a “specific and limited way”.
- On his website, Mr Jones called on local politicians at Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council to “engage constructively” in the issue of devolution and “think beyond” party political rivalries. He called devolution a “moment of opportunity”.
- The MP voted for the Overseas Operations Bill on September 23. The bill states that prosecutions against overseas military personnel should only take place “in exceptional circumstances”. The former chief of the defence staff, field marshal Lord Guthrie, co-signed a letter to Downing Street that called the bill “disturbing” and said it could lead to immunity from torture prosecutions.
- Mr Jones published information on his website that in August 136,000 meals were sold in Harrogate and Knaresborough through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
- In the House of Commons on September 28, Mr Jones suggested that family visits at care homes could take place behind glass.
- At Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy questions on September 29, Mr Jones raised concerns about Harrogate’s hospitality sector to business secretary Alok Sharma.
- The MP hailed Harrogate Town’s start to life as an EFL club after they beat Southend United 4-0. He wrote on his website: “What a perfect start to the league battle – and away from home too!”
- The parents’ group Ready Steady Mums made contact with Mr Jones who reassured them that they can resume their weekly walks after the government’s rule of six came into place.
- On September 7, Mr Jones voted down recommendations from the first phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry as part of the Fire Safety Bill. It would have forced building owners to share information with fire services about building design and materials.
- Mr Jones did not send a single tweet in September.
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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.
In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- Mr Smith abstained on both Internal Markets Bill votes. He is a former Northern Ireland secretary and opponents of the bill said it could lead to a trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
- Mr Smith tweeted 12 times in September.
- On September 28 he tweeted that he has spoken to North Yorkshire County Council’s director of health and adult services Richard Webb about how safe visiting can begin again in care homes. The council has asked all care homes in the county to restrict visitors during October.
- The MP visited Ripon Cathedral to view their £6m new design plans which include new toilets, a cafe and the creation of rehearsal space for Ripon Cathedral Choir.
- On September 25, Mr Smith was a keynote speaker at The Centre for Cross Border Studies annual conference, which was held online. The organisation aims to “foster practical co-operation” across the Irish border.
- Mr Smith tweeted that he had received an update from Harrogate Borough Council about their plans for “local place-making, transport and sustainability” in new developments in Ripon.
- The MP voted for the Overseas Operations Bill on September 23.
- On September 9, he voted against replacing the coronavirus support schemes for employees and the self-employed with more targeted income support.
Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty
In rural south Harrogate here is what we found on Mr Adams.
- On September 23, the minister for Asia met with the Cambodia ambassador Kan Pharidh to discuss how the two countries can work together on trade.
- On September 14, he met the ambassador for South Korea, Enna Park, where they discussed collaborating on a coronavirus vaccine.
- On Twitter, Mr Adams praised MPs for backing the government’s internal Markets Bill. He tweeted: “Not only have they backed the bill, they’ve backed #Brexit, backed @BorisJohnson and honoured the result of the #EUReferendum and #GE2019″.
- Mr Adams hit out at environmental group Extinction Rebellion after they 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”.
- On September 3, he met with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rights of the Rohingya, which works to support the plight of the persecuted Rohingya population in Myanmar.
- Mr Adams’ website was updated for the first time since April with two updates about Selby.
- He tweeted 13 times in September.
Couple’s mission to plant 100,000 trees in Harrogate district
Husband and wife Christopher and Helen Neave are on a mission to plant 100,000 trees in the Harrogate district before 2030 — and they say the biodiversity benefits for everybody living here will be profound.
Their business Make It Wild started 10 years ago when they bought a 26-acre plot of land near Kirk Hammerton.
Helen told the Stray Ferret they were inspired after planting 20,000 trees on the land. She said after waiting five years for the trees to grow, the amount of wildlife that came was “absolutely incredible”.
She said:
“It was an oasis of nature with insects, birds and mammals.”
The site is now home to a vast array of wildlife and known locally as Sylvan Nature Reserve.
Helen was a consultant surgeon in the NHS for most of her career and said that what started out as a semi-retirement project for the couple has taken off massively.
Make It Wild has since bought more sites in Nidderdale including 111 acres at Bank Woods and a 44-acre neighbouring site known as Dowgill Grange.
Working with the Woodland Trust and the Forestry Commission, Make It Wild has already planted more than 16,000 trees across both sites and this year Bank Woods was designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
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To fund the tree planting, Make It Wild sells tree dedications for weddings or birthdays, carbon offsetting for businesses and eco-friendly products including animal habitat boxes.
Helen added:
“People are always building houses, roads and runways so we thought we’d do our little bit to give some space back to nature. It’s captured people’s imagination.
“With lockdown people are appreciating how important it is to connect with nature. We’ve lost so much of that as a society.”
The Woodland Trust says trees provide crucial habitat for much of the UK’s wildlife. However, we lag behind other European countries when it comes to woodland. 13% of the UK’s land area is woodland whereas France and Germany have 31% and 32% respectively.
Make it Wild’s mission statement is to “give space back to nature” and several local companies have partnered with it to plant more trees. These include Full Circle Funerals, which is paying for a tree to be planted for every family it supports whilst off-setting the carbon of its funerals.
Helen said Make It Wild is on the lookout for more land in the Harrogate district to reach its target of 100,000 trees.
Helen said anyone who owns a piece of land can do their bit.
She said:
“Even if you can’t plant hundreds of trees, just plant one in your garden that will attract wildlife. Everybody can do their little bit to help.”
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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Police say they will act to disperse any post-curfew parties in Harrogate
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Harrogate police officer ‘bitten by man claiming to have coronavirus’
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.”
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 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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Harrogate council to hand back up to £530,000 in business grants
- Harrogate BID aims to bring town centre businesses together
‘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.
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.”
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.
Read more:
- Harrogate care homes urged to end routine visits in October
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Harrogate woman sends minister letter pleading to see her father
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 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.