Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge

North Yorkshire County Council could introduce a 100% premium on council tax bills on second homes within the next two years.

The local authority estimates the charge could generate £1.5m a year in extra council tax payments in the Harrogate district and £14m a year in North Yorkshire overall.

The issue of second homes in the county has risen up the political agenda in recent years, with concerns that they are pricing local people out of buying homes in the places they were brought up.

House prices in the Yorkshire Dales, for instance, are about a third higher than the county average. The average cost of a property in the Dales is nearly £400,000, while the average weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

Councillor Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the move depended on new legislation being introduced by the national government and the approval of the local authority.

He said any money raised through the premium would be used to fund council services, including council tax reduction schemes and affordable housing projects.

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The council’s executive will meet on Tuesday to debate the new council tax policy.

Carl Les

Council leader Carl Les

Cllr Les said:

“The issue of second home ownership has emerged as a major issue for many areas of the country, and it is one that we are acutely aware of in North Yorkshire.

“The county is a wonderful place to live and visit, and that has seen the trend towards people wanting to purchase a property either as a second home or a holiday let.

“Any proposed premium on second home owners will be carefully considered and debated by the council before the new legislation is introduced.

“But the revenue generated would prove to be a key source of funding to help to bridge the new council’s budgets and finance vital areas such as homelessness costs and also providing more affordable housing.”

Both the county council and Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on April 1 next year and be replaced by a new authority called North Yorkshire Council.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits Harrogate today

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, visited Harrogate today to attend the final day of the Local Government Association conference.

Mr Sunak, who is the Conservative MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire, is the latest high-profile politician to make an appearance at the three-day event at Harrogate Convention Centre.

It’s the biggest event on the local government calendar and has brought about 1,500 delegates to Harrogate.

On Tuesday, levelling up secretary Michael Gove gave the keynote address. His Labour Party shadow, Lisa Nandy, has also among the speakers.

Yesterday, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was in town for the conference and spoke to the Stray Ferret about the party’s ambitions in Harrogate.

Children at New Park Primary Academy also had a surprise visit this afternoon from secretary of state for education, Nadhim Zahawi.

Harrogate Convention Centre tweeted some pictures of Mr Sunak chatting with delegates today.

Day 3 of #LGAConf22 and among the 1,600+ delegates gathered in #Harrogate to debate important issues and make decisions on local public services is @RishiSunak #localgov @LGAcomms pic.twitter.com/WfmE25O5LA

— Harrogate Convention Centre (@HgtConventions) June 30, 2022

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Aldi looking to open second Harrogate supermarket

German supermarket chain Aldi has added Harrogate to a list of locations where it would like to open a new store.

Budget supermarkets have been making inroads into the Harrogate district in recent years. Aldi opened its first supermarket in Harrogate on Oak Beck Road in 2016 and another store in Knaresborough in 2021.

Aldi’s rival, Lidl, has had a supermarket in Knaresborough for several years and is currently building a new Harrogate store on Knaresborough Road. Lidl also has plans to open a supermarket at St Michael’s Retail Park in Ripon.

The cost of living crisis could see cheaper supermarkets continue in popularity and now Aldi has released a list of over 50 towns and cities, including Harrogate, that it is targeting in the coming years.

The company is offering a finder’s fee for anyone who recommends a suitable site, which it says should measure 20,000 sq foot, be able to accommodate 100 parking spaces and ideally be near a main road.

George Brown, national property director at Aldi UK, said:

“Despite our growth in recent years, some people still don’t have access to a local store, which is why it is our mission to continue on with our ambitious growth plans and change that.”

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MPs watch: Vote of no confidence and overriding the Brexit deal

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.

This month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs. MPs also voted to override part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Bentley on the Stray reignites parking debate

A Bentley that was casually parked on the Stray today has reignited the fierce debate about cars not following the rules when it comes to the 200-acre parkland.

The luxury vehicle was spotted parked on the grass, and on double yellow lines, this afternoon on Willaston Road, which is off Knaresborough Road and close to Harrogate District Hospital.

Parking on the Stray has been a long-running problem for Harrogate Borough Council. Last year it erected signs that said motorists parking illegally risk a £100 fixed penalty notice or being towed away.

A Twitter user claimed the chrome Bentley had been there for three days, which prompted the council to immediately despatch a member of its parking team to the stricken vehicle.

Less than an hour later, the car was spotted by a Stray Ferret reporter driving down Parliament Street.

It is not known whether the owner received a fixed penalty notice.

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Harrogate’s Leon drive-thru to open on Friday

Harrogate’s Leon drive-thru restaurant on Wetherby Road will open on Friday from 7am.

The Mediterranean-inspired fast food chain will be open daily from 7am to 10pm, except Sundays when it will be open from 8am to 10pm. It will have 70 covers, including some outdoor seating.

The restaurant has created 20 jobs and will feature digital kiosks.

Alex Parkinson, a Harrogate local who was originally hired by Leon as the assistant general manager at the firm’s Gildersome drive-thru, is leading the team.

The company describes itself as being good for the environment and its menu includes “carbon neutral” burgers, rice boxes, breakfast muffins, egg pots and cakes.

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The opening will end a saga that has gone back several years.

Originally, a Starbucks coffee drive-thru was planned for the site but it was refused by Harrogate Borough Council only for the decision to be overturned by a government inspector.

Concerns remain from residents who live near the site on how the drive-thru will affect traffic on the busy Wetherby Road.

Leon was bought by Blackburn billionaires the Issa brothers in 2021.

Glenn Edwards, Leon’s managing director said:

“Since opening our first drive-thru restaurant last year, we have been eager to grow this style of restaurant in order to  bring Leon to more guests and allow them to experience Leon while on the go – something that aligns with our mission to bring naturally fast food that tastes good, does you good and is kind to the planet.

“Our opening in Harrogate is a massive achievement across all fronts.”

Ex-Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott escapes driving ban

Former Leeds Rhinos head coach and Harrogate resident Brian McDermott has escaped a driving ban after arguing he needs his car to scout players.

McDermott, 52, of Knox Mill Close, was in York Magistrates Court yesterday after being caught driving his BMW above the 60mph speed limit on the A59 close to Bolton Abbey last year.

The coach, who also represented England and Great Britain during his playing career, pleaded guilty but asked the court to waive the three points as it would take him to 12 points and an automatic ban.

In a submission to the court, Mr McDermott said he unexpectedly found himself out of work for 18 months after his previous club Toronto Wolfpack went out of business due to covid in March 2020.

During this time he had been living from savings, which were now close to running out.

In October 2021, he took a job as head coach at Featherstone Rovers who play in the second-tier of the sport.

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McDermott said he drives over 40,000 miles a year for the role, which involves work in the community, travelling to amateur clubs and scouting players.

He said he was the only person at Featherstone able to watch players from other clubs.

Without the car, he said he could potentially lose his job, which would mean he’d struggle to pay child support and rent.

Special reasons

Magistrates said they were satisfied that Mr McDermott had ‘special reasons’ for contesting the penalty points. 

However, they said the reasons given were not appropriate “in all of the circumstances” so they issued the three penalty points, taking him to 12 overall, but allowed him to continue driving.

He was also fined £307 and asked to pay a victim’s surcharge of £34 and costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Harrogate murder trial adjourned until next week

The murder trial of Vitalijus Koreiva and Jaroslaw Rutowicz has been adjourned until Monday due to problems finding a Lithuanian translator.

Mr Koreiva, 36, and Mr Rutowicz, 39, are accused of murdering Gracijus Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

The trial began on Monday last week at Leeds Crown Court and was set to continue until at least the end of this week.

Mr Koreiva, who is Lithuanian, was due to take the stand this week but his translator is unavailable until Friday and the court has been unable to find another one.

One of the 12 jurors has also caught covid, so Judge Rodney Jameson QC today adjourned the trial until Monday morning.

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The trial began last week with the prosecution giving evidence.

The court heard how Mr Balciauskas’ body was found wrapped in a rug and CCTV footage was shown of the three men buying alcohol in the hours leading up to his death.

This week, the defence began with Mr Rutowicz claiming Mr Koreiva violently killed Mr Balciauskas after a drunken game of chess turned ugly — and then threatened to do the same to him if he dialled 999 for help.

Harrogate district population grows at half the national average

The Harrogate district population has increased by almost 5,000 people since 2011, the latest census has revealed.

The government’s census survey, which happens every 10 years, gives a snapshot of the population at that time and is used to inform local and national government policy.

Census day was in March last year and the Office for National Statistics has collated the data and published the first set of results.

It reveals the Harrogate district population has increased by 3.1%, from 157,900 in 2011 to 162,700 in 2021.

This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

Nearby areas like Selby and Leeds have seen their populations increase by 10.2% and 8.1%, respectively, while others such as Hambleton saw a smaller increase (1.8%) and Richmondshire saw a decrease of 4.4%.

The increase in population in the Harrogate district is lower than some may have expected considering the number of new homes built in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.

However many of the largest housing schemes included in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, such as 3,000 homes near Green Hammerton and a combined 1,500 homes on Otley Road in Harrogate, are yet to be built.

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The data also reveals that in the Harrogate district, 83,000 people are female and 79,700 are male.

A total of 34,000 people in the district are over the age of 65, which makes up over 20% of the total population.

Statistics on ethnicity, language and religion will be released later this year.

The Office for National Statistics’ deputy national statistician Pete Benton said:

“Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic. They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence.

“This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.”

Harrogate murder suspect claims he feared for his own life after ‘brutal’ assault

A man on trial for murder claimed his friend violently killed Gracijus Balciauskas after a drunken game of chess turned ugly — and then threatened to do the same to him if he dialled 999 for help.

Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, and Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, are accused of murdering Mr Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court began last week with the prosecution giving evidence. The court heard how Mr Balciauskas’s body was found wrapped in a rug and CCTV footage was shown of the three men buying alcohol in the hours leading up to his death.

Mr Rutowicz took the stand today to begin his defence.

Speaking through a translator, the Polish national said he came to the UK in 2004 and worked as a bricklayer.

After moving to Harrogate in 2019, he developed a friendship with Mr Koreiva and Mr Balciauskas through work.

The three men ended up living together at 6 Mayfield Grove. Mr Rutowicz described Mr Balciauskas as a “brother” and said they would meet in the evenings after work to drink and talk about their future plans.

‘Brutal’ assault

The drinking session that ultimately led to Mr Balciauskas’ death began on December 19. Mr Rutowicz said tensions flared after Mr Koreiva shaved off some of Mr Balciauskas’s hair as a practical joke whilst he was sleeping.

Mr Rutowicz said in the early hours of the next morning the three men ran out of alcohol so Mr Koreiva and Mr Rutowicz took a taxi to Pannal’s BP petrol station to buy more.

They returned to Mayfield Grove at around 5am when Mr Balciauskas challenged the two men to a game of chess, which they often enjoyed playing together while drinking.

Mr Rutowicz said Mr Koreiva erupted in anger during his game with Mr Balciauskas and described the ensuing beating of Mr Balciauskas by Mr Koreiva as “brutal”.

He said:

“Vitalijus was shouting more than Gracijus. At one point Vitalijus got up and threw Gracijus onto the floor from the stool. He started to beat him with his fist and with the heel of his foot.”

Mr Rutowicz then filmed a bloodied and bruised Mr Balciauskas with his mobile phone. He claimed this was to stop the fight and provide evidence that he was not involved in case it was later needed by police.

He said:

“I then decided to start filming. It was brutal. I wanted to use that in order to stop the fight. I approached and started to pull Gracijus away. Vitalijus was beating him and kicking him.”

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‘If you call the police, I will kill you’

After the assault, Mr Rutowicz said Mr Balciauskas was still alive but fading out of consciousness.

He said he wanted to call 999 but was stopped by Mr Koreiva who said he would kill him if he did.

Mr Rutowicz said:

“He started to threaten me. Gracijus was lying on the floor. I could hear him saying something. I was afraid to approach because Vitalijus told me to stay away or he would kill me.

“At a certain point, Gracijus’s head was drooping. I approached to film him and recorded what he was saying to me.

“I had my phone in my hand and turned towards Vitalijus. I said I was going to call the police. He raised his fist to me and said if you call the police or ambulance, I will kill you.

“That terrified me. I felt fear as if my body was paralysed by it.”

Mr Rutowicz said he and Mr Balciauskas “loved each other like brothers” and maintained that he did not strike or kick him during the assault.

He then went to check his pulse, which was faint. He said:

“Gracijus whispered to me, ‘it hurts’

“I said to him, “brother, everything will be fine, hang in there.”

“He knew I wanted to help him, he said ‘thank you’.”

Mr Rutowicz, who was tearful in court, described the moments after Mr Balciauskas died.

“It was a shock to me. I had lost my brother. I turned my head towards Vitalijus and said, ‘You’ve killed Gracijus. Gracijus is dead.’

“I said, ‘If I had called the ambulance when I wanted to, he would still be alive’.

“But I was threatened. It was a complete nervous breakdown for me. Vitalijus sat and looked at what I was doing. I simply got up feeling broken and sat down on the bed.”

‘Total shock’

With Mr Balciauskas now dead in the flat, Mr Rutowisz claimed Mr Koreiva wanted to cover up the crime and suggested wrapping his body up in a rug before burying him. Mr Rutowisz told the court:

“He said, ‘Shut your trap. I was in prison for four years. I will not go back’.”

Mr Rutowisz claimed he was in fear for his life after Mr Koreiva ordered him to go to Asda on Bower Road to buy more whiskey and cigarettes. He said he would “find him and kill him” if he did not return to Mayfield Grove.

He said the reason he returned to the flat and didn’t call 999 was due to fear.

“Never before had I the feeling that someone could kill me. There was a second feeling of realising that my brother was dead. Those two feelings caused total shock in me and a breakdown.”

After Mr Koreiva fell asleep later that evening, Mr Rutowisz went back to Asda at around 11pm.

He called family members in Poland to tell them what had happened before calling 999 to say there was a dead body at the flat.

He strongly denied telling an Asda employee that he confessed to murdering Mr Balciauskas.

The trial is expected to last until the end of this week.