199 more covid cases recorded today in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported a further 199 cases today, Public Health England has confirmed.

Yesterday saw a record high since the start of the pandemic when 202 cases were reported.

The district’s seven-day covid rate continues to rise sharply and currently stands at 682 per 100,000.

The North Yorkshire average is 509 and the England rate stands at 406.

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No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to latest NHS England figures.

Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 18 covid patients — the most since March this year when the hospital was recovering from its busiest coronavirus period

Harrogate businesses come together to target net-zero emissions

Harrogate’s business community met today to discuss how to meet the challenges of climate change and net-zero emissions.

The Business Net Zero Conference is being held all day at the Harrogate Convention Centre and has been organised by Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.

It’s part of the Climate Action Festival that is taking place all month in the district in the run up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Today’s speakers included representatives from Techbuyer, Transdev, Yorkshire Water and Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate.

‘A sign of hope’

The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, opened the day by challenging business people in the room whether their goal was profit “at all costs” or developing a social and environmental mission.

She said:

“Today’s conference is a sign of hope but we shouldn’t underestimate the challenges.”

Harrogate-resident Professor Piers Forster, from the University of Leeds, offered a scientific grounding to the debate during his speech.

Prof Forster sits on the UK government’s climate change committee and will be heading to the COP26 summit to help negotiate ambitious climate targets with other governments.

He showed a video of frightening wildfires in Canada caused by greenhouse gas emissions. However, he emphasised that he is optimistic that change can happen if businesses get on board.

“It’s within our power to change where we end up together.”

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Decentralisation of energy

Jennifer Woodhall, marketing director of Harrogate firm Chameleon Technology also spoke. The company is a Harrogate success story as its smart meters are in seven million homes across the UK.

Ms Woodhall said decentralisation of energy was essential to avoid the volatility that is currently engulfing the market.

“We can’t rely on a few, large sources of power.”

Paul Haslam, a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as a Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition member, told the Stray Ferret he hoped the conference would become an annual event.

“It’s great we’ve got to this point. I’m delighted and we’ve got some fantastic speakers. It will be bigger and better next year.”

Pictured are: (from left) Jemima Parker, Cllr Paul Haslam, Prof Neil Coles, the Bishop of Ripon, Jennifer Woodhall, Cllr Phil Ireland, Jade Boggost, Kirsty Hallett, Prof Piers Forster

Knaresborough memorial golf event raises £1,200 for hospital

An annual event held in remembrance of an avid golfer has raised over £1,200 for Harrogate District Hospital’s Intensive Treatment Unit.

Golfers from across the region descended on Knaresborough Golf Club to compete in the 12th annual Lee Flintoft Memorial Trophy Golf Event.

Mr Flintoft died after being stabbed aged 37 in 2009. He worked for SB Utilities in Knaresborough, which would hold frequent golf days to increase networking opportunities for the company.

Lee Flintoft (left)

Lee Flintoft (left), pictured in 2008 with Andrew Cooke and Robert Harris.

After his death, the corporate event became a charity fundraiser in his memory and has raised over £6,000 to date for local charities.

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This year’s competition was won by Gordon Dunn, who took home the coveted trophy.

Mr Flintoft’s sister, Tina Harris said:

“As a family, we think it is wonderful that everyone involved is fundraising for such a fantastic cause.

“Lee meant so much to his family and friends that they have continued to fundraise in his name for the last 12 years for the care he received at HDFT.

“This year we raised £1,200 at the golf day. Darren Swales, commercial manager at Knaresborough Golf Club, puts a lot of time and effort into this event every year and I would like to thank him for his help.”

Harrogate’s Victoria Road scheme delayed due to bin wagon concerns

A scheme to stop vehicles in Harrogate turning from Victoria Road onto Otley Road has been delayed because bin wagons will find it difficult to turn.

North Yorkshire County Council was due to introduce the initiative before the end of September as an 18-month trial to improve safety for cyclists using the forthcoming Otley Road cycle route.

A barrier would have been placed at the junction, and one-way only and no entry signs installed.

However, the scheme has been delayed while the council draws up a new design that accommodates turning bin wagons. The council does not know when the project will now be introduced.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, said:

“The original design needs to be amended to accommodate the safe turning and manoeuvring of bin wagons and making sure the proposed one-way filter lane doesn’t have any other impacts on waste services.

“We anticipated this design stage to be concluded by the end of September.

“We are currently working with Harrogate Borough Council to agree a revised design before the introduction of the 18-month trial of a one-way filter lane on Victoria Road.

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The council wants the Victoria Road scheme to join up with other active travel schemes in the town, including the nearby Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood, the scheduled new cycle path on Victoria Avenue, and the Harrogate Station Gateway project.

Construction on the much-delayed Otley Road cycle route began last month.

There are still uncertainties over when the project will be completed due to negotiations with the government and the Duchy of Lancaster – the landowners of the Stray – over the use of grass verges protected by law.

New Ripon pool to open on December 8

Ripon’s new swimming pool will open on December 8, Harrogate Borough Council announced today.

The new facility on Dallamires Lane will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, sauna suite and electric car charging points.

An AngelEye pool safety system using underwater cameras will help lifeguards detect whether swimmers are in danger or drowning.

Ripon Spa Baths will close on Sunday November 7 so staff can be transferred across to the new facility and receive training ahead of the opening.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, the council’s new arms-length leisure company that will run the pool, said:

“This amazing new facility will provide residents with local access to great swimming experiences for a generation to come.

“I’d like to thank Harrogate Borough Council for their bold and brave vision to provide unprecedented levels of investment into leisure and wellbeing across the district.”

Conservative councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of Brimhams Active, added:

“The addition of the new swimming pool is a major development for Ripon and the surrounding area and I’m delighted to announce that it will be officially opened this December.”

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£3m over budget

The Stray Ferret revealed that the new pool is more than £3 million pounds over budget.

The running total for the scheme is now in excess of £13.5 million and that figure is likely to increase.

There has also been growing concern over the project after a ‘void’ was discovered while digging foundations at the entrance of the leisure centre.

Derelict workshop near Harrogate Asda to be converted to flats

A derelict former workshop opposite Harrogate’s Asda supermarket will be converted into six flats.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved an application this week from TRG Developments to convert the building on Back Dragon Parade, which is visible as you drive into the supermarket from Bower Road.

The flats will provide rental accommodation for care staff working for Vida Healthcare, which the applicant is associated with.

The building was previously used by ironmongers Beardmore Dobson and Sons, which ceased trading in 2017 after 82 years.

In 2015, the council approved an application to demolish several commercial buildings on Back Dragon Parade and convert them into 14 flats.

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Boroughbridge pub fears energy bills could increase seven-fold

A pub landlord in Boroughbridge has said he fears his energy costs could increase seven-fold overnight amid concerns over the future of Harrogate-based energy firm CNG Group.

The Stray Ferret reported this morning that CNG is to stop supplying gas to energy customers, amid record wholesale gas prices.

It has also been reported that there is a deadline of tomorrow for organisations to submit bids to buy CNG’s small and medium-sized enterprises arm, which directly supplies gas and electricity to more than 40,000 SMEs.

One of those is the Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge. Owner Simon Wade told the Stray Ferret the move would have a major impact on his business.

Mr Wade is three years into a five-year contract with CNG, which provides gas to heat the pub at a rate of 5p a unit.

However, if the company collapses, he has been told by his energy broker that he will be placed on an emergency tariff that could be as much as seven times higher than what he currently pays.

He said:

“I’m facing a massive hike and it’s nothing to do with us. It’s a major concern”

“We’re completely shackled and it’s put us in a bad position”.

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Mr Wade said the pub had a good reputation and has been busy since reopening after lockdown but he was concerned that sky-high energy bills would eat into his takings.

He urged businesses to check their contracts or get in touch with their energy brokers to see if they are with CNG and, if so, make contingency plans, such as moving towards renewable energy.

He added:

“If you have an old building that relies on gas it eats into your budget.

“We’re backed into a corner, but we’re small fry.

“A lot of people will suffer and it’s not any of our doing.”

The Stray Ferret asked CNG for details of its current situation but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate firm CNG to stop supplying energy companies

Harrogate-based energy supplier CNG Group is to stop supplying gas to energy companies, amid spiraling gas prices that have caused several companies to close.

CNG, which is based on Victoria Avenue, was set up 27 years ago and is one of Harrogate’s major employers with around 180 staff.

It supplies about 15 to 20 retail energy companies through its wholesale business arm. It also has about 50,000 business customers.

However, an email from chief executive Paul Stanley to customers, seen by the Stray Ferret, said the current energy crisis had caused “significant financial damage to CNG” and it was exiting the wholesale market.

The email urged customers to find alternative suppliers.

It said:

“The past few weeks in the energy market have been unprecedented. Market volatility has caused many suppliers to exit the market in a short space of time, causing a significant amount of financial damage to CNG.

“We expect more suppliers to fail in the coming weeks, further compounding the issue. We have been exploring options to sustain CNG’s shipping services, but it is with regret that I have to inform you that we do not have any further option but to exit CNG’s wholesale business.

“This means CNG will no longer be able to provide gas shipping services. We advise you to seek alternative shipping arrangements through other known gas shippers in the market.”

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Mr Stanley hailed the company’s return to profit in the latest annual report, published in June. This was in part due to improvements in its now stricken wholesale division.

But since June, the energy crisis has deepened and the future of the company appears uncertain.

Sources told Sky News that CNG was preparing its wholesale business for insolvency. Sky News also reported yesterday that the company has a Friday deadline for bidders for its small and medium-sized enterprises arm, which directly supplies more than 40,000 SMEs.

CNG was formerly the main sponsor of Harrogate Town’s stadium on Wetherby Road, which was called the CNG Stadium.

The Stray Ferret has asked CNG for a statement and if it expects to make any job losses but we had not received a response by the time of publication.

New lights set to illuminate Boroughbridge

Planning permission has been granted for 14 new street lights to illuminate the River Ure bridge in time for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Boroughbridge next year.

Boroughbridge Town Council is behind plans to light up the historic bridge at night to improve visibility for pedestrians and motorists. There has been a bridge on the site since at least the 12th century.

The scheme was awarded £13,000 from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner following the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.

A planning statement submitted with the application said the visual impact of the street lights on the Grade II listed bridge will be “limited”.

“The only visual change will be the addition of the light units, which have been selected to complement the parapet walls with an honest approach and without imposing significant new elements on the structure.

“The low key design and hidden cabling aim to ensure that the installation will go largely unnoticed during daylight hours.”

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Battle of Boroughbridge

The Battle of Boroughbridge took place on March 16 1322. There was an encounter on the River Ure bridge between Edward II and his cousin, the Earl of Lancaster.

A small army of rebels under the Earl of Lancaster was held at the bridge itself by a larger group of men loyal to the king.

Attempts to negotiate a truce failed and the short, one-sided battle resulted in the surrender and subsequent execution of Lancaster.

The bridge has remained a key part of the transport network ever since.

Climate activists to march through Harrogate

Climate change activists marching from Spain to the COP26 summit in Glasgow will pass through Harrogate on Saturday.

The group, which calls itself Marcha a Glasgow and has support from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, set off from Bilbao last month and is stopping all the way up the UK during its 1,000-kilometre march.

It is due to arrive in Harrogate at about 6pm on Saturday.

The group wants to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and put pressure on governments to sign up to ambitious environmental commitments at COP26.

Nine Spanish activists are walking some 30 km a day but people can join them for sections by emailing here.

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The majority of the march will take place alongside roads because the group wants to make sure it is seen by as many people as possible.

A spokesperson for Marcha a Glasgow said:

“We are surprised and very thankful for the warm welcomes we have received along our way in England so far. We need to take note of what the science is clearly saying and take responsibility.
“This means changing our economic model, which is dependant on ever-growing CO2 emissions. We need to learn to find prosperity without abusing the natural world. There is much to be done!”