Harrogate energy company CNG became the victim of a global phenomenon this year when it ceased trading after 27 years.

Wholesale energy prices spiralled this year, and the impact was dramatic, with CNG one of more than 20 UK companies exiting the market.

Paul Stanley, chief executive of CNG, told the Stray Ferret the company failed because four of its main customers went out of business within two weeks, leaving it with unpaid bills.

Attempts to raise capital or sell the business were unsuccessful due to continued market volatility and high prices in the energy sector.

The company supplied about 15 to 20 retail energy companies through its wholesale business arm and also has around 50,000 business customers. About 150 jobs were lost.

CNG’s headquarters on Victoria Avenue

Swift collapse

Despite being regarded as a local success story for the majority of its 27 years, CNG’s collapse was swift and unforgiving.

Alarm bells began to ring on October 14 when Mr Stanley sent a letter to customers saying it was exiting the wholesale market. Two weeks later the company entered liquidation.

With Christmas approaching, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for staff.

A series of meetings were held between company bosses and worried employees, who had questions about redundancy pay.

Staff have been paid for November but were not expected to be offered a redundancy settlement until after Christmas through a government scheme.

A source told the Stray Ferret it was a “stressful time to have no income.”

Read more:

• In Depth: Why Harrogate success story CNG ended in collapse
• Harrogate energy firm CNG ceases trading

Administrators

CNG then entered the Supplier of Last Resort process operated by the government’s energy regulator Ofgem.

The SoLR procedure was established by Ofgem as a safety net to ensure that when a company stops supplying energy, affected customers are guaranteed continuity of supply through other companies.

However, businesses that were supplied gas by CNG were warned that their energy bills will be expected to rise.

Interpath Advisory has now been appointed as administrator, and around 30 staff are working to close the company.

CNG was also synonymous with Harrogate Town football club, becoming the first-ever sponsor of their Wetherby Road ground from 2008 until 2020 when it was rebranded the CNG Stadium.

The company was also well-known in Harrogate as a supporter of local charities and community projects.

New data has revealed the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood has had a dramatic impact on traffic on nearby roads — but the number of cyclists using it remains around three an hour.

North Yorkshire County Council closed the Harrogate road, which connects the A61 and Otley Road, to through traffic in February, initially for a six-month trial. It later extended the trial to 18 months.

The move aimed to reduce traffic and encourage cycling and walking on the road, which runs alongside the Stray. Beech Grove was chosen because it would connect to other planned cycle schemes in the town.

But some residents and motorists were angered by the sudden loss of the thoroughfare and said it would just push traffic elsewhere.

The council has released new data about the controversial LTN following a freedom of information request from the Stray Ferret. The council’s press office had refused to provide the information, saying it wanted to wait until the trial had ended.

The council also provided a letter sent in October to residents living close to the LTN. The letter includes data that reveals road traffic has reduced on Beech Grove by as much as 85% since the closure.

The council compared current data with a traffic count on the road undertaken in 2015 that found, on average, 2,712 vehicles a day used its mid-point.

Displaced traffic

The data addresses the question of whether the closure has pushed traffic onto nearby roads.

An automatic traffic counter on Victoria Road found there has been a 230% increase in vehicles using the northern section since the LTN was introduced. In February, 300 vehicles a day used the road. The number increased to 1,058 a day in April then fell slightly in subsequent months.

Information by North Yorkshire County Council. AADT stands for annual average daily traffic.

Queens Road has also seen the number of vehicles using it double from around 500 to over 1,000 a day.

However, in the letter sent to residents the council disputed claims that Cold Bath Road has born the brunt of displaced traffic from the LTN. It said its traffic counter found “no evidence” to support the suggestion that traffic levels have increased.

It said around 8,500 vehicles used Cold Bath Road a day pre-covid 2019 and the number had fallen to 7,200 in 2021. However, it added the the latest numbers from August this year suggested traffic had now returned to pre-covid levels.

Read more:

• Beech Grove closure officially extended until August 2022
• Beech Grove closure to remain in place, despite petition objecting

• ‘It’s working well’: Campaigner counts cyclists using Harrogate’s Beech Grove

The number of cyclists using the Beech Grove LTN remains between two to three an hour, although the number increased in November.

North Yorkshire County Council does not record what time of day cyclists use the road and only has the figures for a 24-hour period.

In August 2020, before the LTN was introduced, around 50 cyclists used the road each day. This has stayed broadly the same throughout 2021.

Council officers believe the automatic traffic count numbers are “light” compared to casual observations they have made when visiting the LTN. The council said it planned to conduct manual surveys on this.

Information by North Yorkshire County Council

Conservative county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“We are committed to encouraging active travel, easing congestion and improving air quality in Harrogate. Experimental traffic restrictions on Beech Grove and Lancaster Road will run until August 2022. At that point we will compile an extensive report of cyclist data which will span the 18-month period to paint a full comprehensive picture.

“We will consider this alongside the consultation responses, vehicle data, ongoing site observations and other active travel measures in Harrogate before a formal decision will be taken on the way forward.

“Other schemes such as the Otley Road cycle route, the Station Gateway project and the Active Travel Fund proposals for Victoria Avenue are all at various stages of design and construction so when work is complete we anticipate a further increase in cycling.

“A reduction in traffic levels on Beech Grove has resulted in a reduction in the speed of vehicles and an increase in cyclists. More people are likely to cycle – for both commuting and leisure – when improved infrastructure is in place that reduces conflict with vehicles.”

A 14-year-old carer from Harrogate spent a special day with her family at the Duchess of Cambridge’s Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.

Jasmine Clark was among a group of community heroes invited to the service this month to thank them for their efforts during the pandemic.

Jasmine is a carer for her 15-year-old brother Dylan, who has Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder.  She has also helped her mum Sophia, who has suffered from mental health problems during the pandemic.

Sophia said the day was “so emotional and overwhelming”, adding:

“I was in tears all day, it was a very proud moment.”

Read more:

• ‘Terrifying but rewarding’: Harrogate home carer reflects on another covid year
• ‘It’s no longer all about the traditional turkey at Christmas’, says butcher

The family has been supported by the charity Action for Children.

Rossett School

Sophia said her daughter has been the “the rock between us all” during a difficult time.

“She’s been there in so many ways. I don’t know where we’d be without her.”

Jasmine, who is in year nine at Harrogate’s Rossett School, said “it felt amazing” to attend the service, which included performances from the Westminster Abbey choir, Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding.

She added:

“I was so happy to get the opportunity to go and see Kate and William.”

The concert will be shown on ITV at 7:30pm tonight.

The New Year will bring new challenges for key council services and major projects in the Harrogate district.

But 2022 will be a year like no other.

It will mark the beginning of the end for Harrogate Borough Council which will enter its final full year before it is abolished and replaced with a new North Yorkshire-wide authority.

Elections to the new council will take place in May and are set to be one of the most intriguing campaigns yet as political parties fight for control over a drastically reduced number of councillor seats at what will be a crucial time for the future of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper said while he would reflect on the end of the authority’s 47-year history with sadness, now was a time for planning ahead for the transition to the new council structure.

He said:

“The transfer of services to a new council is a complex process.

“Thorough planning is needed to ensure a smooth transfer for residents and staff too.

“It isn’t just Harrogate Borough Council combining with North Yorkshire County Council to form a new council; it is six other district councils combining into the new council too.

“So that is eight different ways of doing things – collecting the litter, supporting council housing, running leisure services and so on – combining into one new council on the same day.”

Cllr Cooper, who will stand down as a Conservative after 24 years of service when the new authority is created, added:

“Harrogate Borough Council will cease to exist in April 2023. I am sad about that, and sad that I will stop being a councillor at that time.

“However, how I feel as a councillor isn’t important. Like the vast majority of people reading this I am a local resident so I want the new council to deliver the services upon which I, my neighbours and friends – all of us – rely.

“What is important is making sure that the services the borough council runs are transferred efficiently to the new council and that they are run equally well or better than now.

“I am particularly concerned that our homelessness support services continue being supported.

“The poorest in society should not fall through any cracks in the process.”

Read more:

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While Harrogate Borough Council’s time may be coming to a close, the authority has shown no signs of slowing up and has a number of major projects either underway or in the pipeline.

These include the £10.9m Gateway project, the new Ripon Swimming Pool, plans for a new Knaresborough Leisure Centre and a potential £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre which councillor Cooper said will be a key economic driver for the district’s future.

The projects will be seen as a lasting legacy for the authority which is also pushing for the creation of a Harrogate Town Council to retain control of some services under local government reorganisation.

This comes as there are still lingering questions over what will happen to several council-owned buildings – not least to mention Harrogate Borough Council’s new Civic Centre headquarters.

Under the next stage of the councils shake-up, a structural change order will be approved by central government and act as the blueprint for reorganisation.

It will drastically cut the number of councillors representing the area, with the future of the Harrogate district set to be made up of around 20 councillors compared with 57 under the current structure.

Although they have yet to be announced, Cllr Cooper said he was confident the Conservatives had a strong selection of candidates to stand in the May election when the party will aim to keep its tight grip on the district.

He said:

“Elections are always challenging and we live in unprecedented political times.  However we have a set of excellent candidates who work hard in their local communities.

“I am confident in the ability and application of our candidates and I hope that, when it comes to polling day, people will vote for those who have a track record of action for residents irrespective of any party political concerns.”

This sense of optimism is one that is shared by Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, who said a loss of trust in central government and election victories elsewhere in the country showed the party is “on the up”.

She said:

“We hope our local residents will think very carefully about what their present Conservative-dominated councils have delivered for them over two decades.

“As the opposition group, we will keep pushing to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.

“With the Gateway project we would like a more holistic approach and that this scheme is not just looked at in isolation, but fitting into a wider town centre master plan.”

“A Harrogate Town Council needs to be in place quickly so Harrogate residents have the same local governance as the rest of the district.

“The new town council should have the powers to take control of places such as the Valley Gardens, the Royal Pump House Museum and any other assets that Harrogate residents feel needs local decision-making on, rather than a remote North Yorkshire council.

“We need to ensure our district has a strong voice on the council and that any area committees are balanced to ensure our area, with many residents, has a strong voice.”

A Harrogate heroin and cocaine dealer has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Mark Richard Bowden, 47, was sentenced at York Crown Court today after pleading guilty to seven drug supply offences earlier this month.

North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite County Lines Team watched Bowden sell heroin from his car near his home address on Cheltenham Crescent on December 20 last year.

Bowden, who has numerous previous convictions for dealing Class A drugs, was arrested the following day and a year-long investigation began.

Police searched his home and found heroin and cash worth more than £1,500.

Despite the ongoing investigation, Bowden was arrested again on November 30 this year. Officers found heroin, cocaine and cash again worth around £1,500.

Bowden was also told by York Crown Court to hand back £1,500 which is believed to be from the sale of heroin on the streets of Harrogate.

Read more:

• Car ploughs into Masham Bridge and almost ends up in river
• Police respond to gun reports near Dishforth to find long-lens camera

PC Michael Haydock, who led the Operation Expedite County Lines Team investigation, said:

“The criminal actions of Bowden and other drug dealers like him are truly deplorable.

“Motivated only by greed to make cash through the exploitation of often young and vulnerable drug-users, they think they can operate without impunity or just receive a ‘slap on the wrist’ from the authorities if caught.

“Well, for Bowden, he can now think again. This substantial custodial sentence will hopefully hit him with an equally substantial dose of reality of the repercussions of dealing Class A drugs in our neighbourhoods.

“We will not tolerate it and will act on any information or intelligence about such activity to tackle the scourge of drugs, which can cause so much harm to individuals and to communities as a whole.”

Taxpayers are set to be hit with another rise in council tax after Harrogate Borough Council revealed plans for a 1.99% rate increase in its final budget before the authority is abolished.

Officials say the rise – which equates to an extra £5 per Band D household per year – is needed in order to balance the books as the council continues to face financial challenges due to pandemic pressures and more than a decade of government cuts.

Paul Foster, head of finance at the council, said in a report that while the authority’s grant allocations had been reduced by £8.2 million since 2010, it had continued to prioritise key services including bin collections and planning.

He said:

“During a period of significant funding reductions, as the government continued to rein in the national deficit, and as other councils across the country faced uncertain futures, Harrogate has continued to maintain its valued frontline services.

“This is a testament to the council’s strong record of financial management before and during the age of austerity.

“In addition to this, the council has been faced with an unprecedented financial detriment as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

“The resultant economic downturn continues to impact on the council’s finances, with commercial property income, planning fee income and the convention centre lettings income, now not forecast to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2023/24.”

Under government rules, 1.99% is the maximum amount the authority can raise council tax by from April without a local referendum.

The proposed increase will be debated at several meetings before a vote from councillors in February. If approved, contributions for the average Band D property will rise to £255.92.

Harrogate Borough Council makes up just under 13% of council tax bills, while North Yorkshire County Council makes up 70% and police and fire services the remainder.

After rises were agreed last year, average bills in the Harrogate district rose above £2,000 for the first time.

• Campaigners vow to fight on to save Kirkby Malzeard pub
• Car ploughs into Masham Bridge and almost ends up in river

North Yorkshire County Council is currently consulting with the public about its council tax and social care precept levels for next year.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“Putting up council tax is never an easy option for this authority. We have always striven to be moderate in our increases.

“In considering the level of council tax, we must understand and balance the hardship families are currently facing and the added pressure a council tax increase may bring with the need to fund essential services to support the most vulnerable in our communities through this critical period.

“We continue to feel that residents in North Yorkshire pay too much council tax, particularly in comparison to London, and urge the government to press on with funding reform to create a fairer solution for rural counties.”

The coming year will be the county council and Harrogate Borough Council’s last before the merger of all North Yorkshire councils into one new authority which will take over control of all services from April 2023.

It will mark the biggest changes to local government in the area for almost 50 years, with elections to the new council set to take place in May 2022.

Cllr Les added:

“We are currently developing our council plan and budget and encourage residents to have their say on our budget, ambitions and priorities.”

To have your say go to the North Yorkshire County Council website here.

A Masham man was lucky to escape unscathed after he crashed his car into Masham Bridge and almost ended up in the River Ure.

North Yorkshire Police said it happened at around 7.30am on Wednesday morning and the driver was a local man in his early 30s.

A police spokesman said the man “was very lucky to escape without any injuries”.

The car was recovered at around 9.00am and damage to the bridge was reported to the county council highways department.

Photos of the aftermath were shared with the Stray Ferret by Masham resident Jason Drew.

It appears a tree was the only thing stopping the car from entering the river.

Read more:

• Police respond to gun reports near Dishforth to find long-lens camera
• Thieves steal wrapped Christmas presents from Harrogate home

Knaresborough-based pest control technology company Pelsis Group has bought Spanish firm Sanitrade and distributor Vesta Distribuciones for an undisclosed sum.

Sanitrade specialises in protecting grain stores and also owns Vesta Distribuciones, which is focused on the agricultural sector.

The deal is the first acquisition made by Pelsis after it was sold in September to Pamplona Capital Management.

Pelsis, which is based at Grimbald Crag Close, now has a turnover of around €165 million and employs over 600 people across 15 sites throughout Europe and the US.

The company’s chief executive, Andrew Milner, said:

“We are very pleased to be expanding our southern Europe operations by bringing Sanitrade and Vesta Distribuciones into the Pelsis Group.

“Inés and Sara have done a fantastic job in building the business into what it is today, and we see plenty of opportunity for further collaboration, investment and growth.

“Our objective is to make Edialux Professional Europe’s number one pest management distributor and this deal is a key strategic element of achieving that goal.”

Read more:

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• Station Gateway hit with second petition calling for project to be halted

Two men have been charged with murder after a man was found dead at a flat in Mayfield Grove, Harrogate.

Police arrested the men, 36 and 38, on Monday night after receiving a report at around 11.30pm that a man had died there.

The two men are due to appear at York Magistrates Court.

A third man arrested in connection with the incident has been released with no further action.

DCI Jonathan Sygrove, of North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team, said:

“I’d like to thank local residents for their patience and support while we carry out enquiries. I can reassure people that this was an isolated incident, and officers will remain in the area to provide ongoing reassurance and support to the community.”

Read more:

• Mayfield Grove residents react to ‘absolutely shocking’ suspected murder
• Men suspected of murder after body found in Harrogate