20 parents protest against covid vaccine for children at St Aidan’s

Around 20 parents linked arms outside St Aidan’s Church of England High School today to protest against giving children aged 12-15 the covid vaccine.

Children will be able to get their first shot of the vaccine from next week, the government has confirmed.

It follows advice from all four of the UK’s chief medical officers, who said offering vaccinations to children would reduce disruption in schools.

Evidence suggests a single dose cuts the risk of catching covid by around 55%. However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government, recommended not vaccinating children on health grounds alone.

One parent at the protest today said she disagreed with the government’s decision not to follow the JVCI’s recommendation. The woman accused the government of “brainwashing” children to take the jab.

She said:

“We are concerned for our children.”

Another protestor added:

“Our hearts are broken.

“We maintain the vaccinations are nothing to do with health”.

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Groups of curious sixth formers stood outside their classrooms to watch, and some approached the protestors to ask why they were there. Two police officers also attended the scene.

Afterwards, the Stray Ferret was contacted by mother Charlotte Castle, who has a child in the sixth form at St Aidan’s. She said she was “furious” at the protestors, who she called “idiots”.

She added:

“The arrogance that these parents know more than 99.9% of world’s viralogists. These people live in echo chambers. They are misinformed.”

250 jobs ‘under review’ at Harrogate council

Nearly 250 jobs at Harrogate Borough Council are under review in a potentially major shake-up of several departments.

Not all 250 staff in the review are at risk of losing their jobs but some will receive ‘at risk’ letters warning them that they could be made redundant.

The review is across departments, including parks and environmental services, transport, street cleaning, pest control, bereavement services, recycling and waste.

Trade union Unison is currently holding a consultative ballot with members who are employed by the council over whether to accept the local authority’s “derisory” pay offer.

Dave Houlgate, Unison’s Harrogate branch secretary, said council staff were experiencing “review fatigue”, with members feeling “overworked and undervalued”.

He said:

“This is the latest in an ongoing cycle of reviews staff at Harrogate Borough Council have been through now over the last decade.

“It could be said that staff are now experiencing ‘review fatigue’, which on the back of the ongoing pandemic and derisory pay offer does present a challenge in relation to ongoing recruitment and retention issues.

“Our members feel overworked and undervalued.

“Whilst this is clearly a major review, Unison remains confident that none of our members at Harrogate Borough Council will be made redundant against their wishes in this particular review.”

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A council spokesperson said the review was about ensuring “the best value for money for the taxpayer”.

They added:

“All organisations, whether they are public or private sector, routinely review their services so that they are fit-for-purpose.

“This review will provide us with the opportunity to listen to feedback from our staff and partners – such as the union – and ensure we provide the best service possible for our customers, residents and of course staff.

“As the union have suggested, a review doesn’t automatically mean job cuts. The purpose of this review is to ensure a better service for everyone and create opportunities for existing and new people to join our team, learn new skills and support the delivery of our services.”

Parents to protest against covid jabs for children outside St Aidan’s

A group of parents of St Aidan’s Church of England High School pupils will form a ‘human chain’ outside the school tomorrow to protest against giving covid vaccines to children aged 12-15.

Children will be able to get their first shot of coronavirus vaccine from next week, the government has confirmed. It says this will reduce the chances of children getting covid and reduce the spread of the virus.

However, a group of Harrogate mums and dads angered by the move will hold a demonstration tomorrow. At least 10 parents are expected to take part in the protest on Oatlands Drive at 10.30am.

One of the parents, Laura Brett, told the Stray Ferret that giving vaccines to schoolchildren was “100% not worth the risk” and she hoped the protest would send a message to government.

She said:

“We need to do something. It’s like a bad dream. The narrative the government gives us doesn’t make sense.

“Vaccinating children on school grounds feels totally unethical. It’s a disgrace.”

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Another parent, Alexandra Campbell, told the Stray Ferret she was taking part in the protest because she doesn’t believe the vaccine will benefit children.

She added:

“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have not recommended it for children but the government are ignoring this and doing it anyway. No one knows the long-term effects so why on earth would anyone want to put this in children’s bodies.

“This should be about choice, not pressure, virtue signalling or guilt.”

The Stray Ferret contacted St Aidan’s but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Traffic fears in Beckwithshaw over plans to build 780 homes

Haverah Park & Beckwithshaw Parish Council has raised concerns that a major housing development on Otley Road will significantly increase traffic through the village.

Planning consultants Johnson Mowatt has released details of a 780-home development and new primary school that could be built on Otley Road, less than a mile from Beckwithshaw.

The Windmill Farm development would be the largest housing scheme to be built in Harrogate for many years. It would dwarf Beckwithshaw, which has a population of 400.

Cllr Derek Spence, chair of the parish council, told the Stray Ferret he expected residents of the new development would drive through the village to get to Otley and Bradford, or Leeds via North Rigton.

He said:

“Our overriding concern is traffic through the village, it’s increased quite remarkably over the last decade. The development will make the situation worse.”

Harrogate Borough Council is drawing up a West Harrogate Parameters Plan, which is a document assessing the transport and infrastructure needs associated with plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

Mr Spence said local residents’ groups would like to see the plan published before any further decisions are made on the Windmill Farm development. He said:

“It’s been massively delayed. It’s almost a year late. We want some public involvement.”

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‘We don’t want to be NIMBYs’

Windmill Farm is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan, which outlines development in the district until 2035. This means the battle over whether it will be built has effectively been lost already and the debate is more about the amount and type of homes plus infrastructure.

Mr Spence said the parish council hoped the new homes reflected the character of the surroundings. He added:

“We don’t want to be NIMBYs, we respect the fact that people need somewhere to live.

“We want the village of Beckwithshaw to retain its influence rather than be subsumed into a massive development. Our little community wouldn’t be the same.”

Harrogate jewellers to relocate to Cambridge Street

Harrogate jewellers Fogal & Barnes will move into a new shop on Cambridge Street next month.

The luxury retailer will relocate from its current location on Oxford Street, where it has been for the past 10 months after initially launching online.

It will move into a unit between Marks & Spencer and Card Factory on Cambridge Street in about three weeks, after shopfitting is complete.

Fogal and Barnes

Fogal and Barnes’ new unit on Cambridge Street.

Richard Norman, who co-owns the business with his wife Mona, said the new shop was a better size and location. He added:

“We need to be in a prime location.

“It also gives us the opportunity to hire more people and we’re looking for one full time and one part-time staff member.”

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In July, Ms Norman was left terrified when specialist police officers took over her shop as part of a VIP training exercise. One officer, wearing a bulletproof vest, blocked the door.

She had not been forewarned about the visit and feared she was going to be robbed.

Durham Constabulary apologised, saying the officers should have identified themselves.

 

More homes added to 600-home Manse Farm development in Knaresborough

More homes are to be added to the 600-home Manse Farm development in Knaresborough.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee yesterday granted approval for an extra 24 properties at the site, which is being built out by developers Taylor Wimpey and Linden Homes.

Councillors also approved changes to the road layout in order for the site to link up with separate proposals from Taylor Wimpey for 400 homes at the nearby Highfield Farm.

The Highfield Farm plans have yet to be granted planning permission and, if approved, would mean building over 1,000 homes to the east of Knaresborough in what councillors previously described as a “new village” being tacked onto the town.

The extra homes at Manse Farm were approved despite an objection from Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council, which said:

“The total 1,000 approved houses on the east side of Knaresborough, at the Manse Farm and the neighbouring Highfield Farm developments, are already excessive and inappropriate.

“Adding more housing in this soon-to-be congested area is not supported and we strongly recommend reducing the housing density at this, and each of the other developments, to make this a more rewarding living environment.”

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No loss of green space

Speaking at a meeting today, Becky Lomas, an agent for Taylor Wimpey, defended the increase in house numbers, saying it would provide more smaller family homes for the area.

She said:

“The uplift in dwellings is as a result of looking at the mix of housing – we have looked at what was previously proposed and there are now more smaller family homes.

“The uplift is also only in the developable area of the site, so we haven’t reduced any green space, public open space, landscaping or wildlife corridors.”

Also included in the Manse Farm development are plans for a new primary school, which will cater for families moving into the new homes.

In May, Elevate Multi Academy Trust was appointed by the Department for Education to run the school, which will provide 210 places for pupils, with the capacity to take in a total of 420 children if needed in future.

The project is expected to cost in the region of £5m and will be funded by North Yorkshire County Council using government grants, together with a £2m contribution from the developers.

Elevate Multi Academy Trust already runs Meadowside Academy, Aspin Park Academy and St John’s C of E Primary School in Knaresborough, as well as nine other schools in Yorkshire.

Harrogate district covid infections down 14% in week

The Harrogate district has recorded another 56 covid infections, according to today’s Pubic Health England figures.

It takes the total number of infections over the past seven days to 588 — a figure that has fallen by 14% on the previous seven days.

The district’s weekly infection rate has declined to 383 per 100,000 people. The North Yorkshire rate is 318 and the England average stands at 295.

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It was also revealed today that the Knaresborough vaccine clinic is moving to larger premises in the town.

The clinic will relocate to Chain Lane Community Hub from September 27 where it hopes to offer up to 1,500 covid and flu vaccinations a day.

The current site, at the former Lidl, has been in use since February but with winter approaching Homecare Pharmacy Services, which runs the clinic, wanted a larger space where people could wait indoors.

Lidl store at Ripon retail park gets go-ahead

Plans for a new Lidl supermarket at St Michael’s Retail Park in Ripon have been given the go-ahead.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today granted approval for the store, which the German retailer said will create up to 40 jobs and occupy three units at the £10m retail park.

Lidl also said the supermarket would represent a “multi-million-pound” investment into the Rotary Way site, which opened last year and is currently only occupied by Marks and Spencer.

Speaking at a meeting today, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said she was happy to support the development because of the hundreds of homes set to be built in the area over the coming years, including plans for 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks.

She said:

“This huge residential development is coming so there is a requirement to make sure that there is this kind of retail in Ripon.

“And what made me comfortable with this was the analysis of whether the store would impact on the city centre itself.

“Once that assured me it wouldn’t, I was very happy to support this to give the people of Ripon a choice in their shopping.”

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The Lidl plans were submitted to the council in May following a virtual consultation with the local community earlier in the year.

Today’s approval comes after separate plans for a Lidl store at the former Lookers car dealership on Harrogate’s Knaresborough Road were approved by the council last month.

Lidl previously said this store will also create up to 40 jobs once built.

Bid for 780 homes and new school on Harrogate’s Otley Road

A major 780-home development and new primary school could be built on Otley Road near Beckwithshaw.

The Windmill Farm development would be the largest housing scheme to be built in Harrogate for many years. It would dwarf the nearby village of Beckwithshaw, which has a population of 400.

The housing would be built on green fields on the opposite side of the road from the charity-run nursery Horticap and behind RHS Harlow Carr. Part of the land is currently used by Beaver Horse Shop.

Planning consultants Johnson Mowat has released aerial computer generated images of the proposed development, which also includes a new primary school, community hub and shop. It would have three access points on Otley Road.

Four hundred of the homes would be built by Taylor Wimpey UK and the remaining 380 by Redrow Homes. Johnson Mowat said 32% of the site would remain as “open green space”.

A website containing details of the development invites people to give their thoughts. No formal planning application has been submitted yet.

The website says:

“The site is considered a suitable location to meet the need for new homes, it is well located with ideal access to Harrogate town centre and good public transport networks.|

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The site is allocated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which is a document that lays out where development can take place in the district until 2034.

Scoping report

A preliminary scoping application approved by the council in 2019 suggested 1,000 homes and two primary schools could be built on the site.

If the Windmill Farm development is granted full planning approval, it would mean over 1,200 homes could be built on that section of Otley Road.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, has plans to build 560 homes on Bluecoat Park, near Harrogate police station.

A spokesperson for Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association told the Stray Ferret it was “very concerned” about the scale of the Windmill Farm development and its impact on the environment.

They added:

“When added to the other developments proposed for this section of the Otley Road we remain unconvinced that such a development will prove sustainable.

“Given the scale of what is being proposed, we believe that there needs to be a full consultation event for the wider public, that should also include Bluecoat Park to share their views.”

Harrogate council installs beehives to pollinate flowers

Harrogate Borough Council has installed two new beehives to help pollinate flowers and support biodiversity.

Once established, the bee colonies will produce honey that could be sold to the public.

A council spokesman said the beehives had been put on council-owned land off Wetherby Road, although the precise location wasn’t revealed.

They will be looked after by Terrence Ogilvie, a keen beekeeper who works in the council’s parks and street cleaning team.

If the experiment proves successful, the council could introduce more beehives across the district.

Conservative councillor Andrew Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Bees are a vital part of the ecosystem to help pollinate many of the trees and flowers that provide habitats for wildlife.

“By introducing beehives we are further playing our part to help stop and reverse the decline of wildlife in the district.”

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Earlier this year, the council’s new rewilding strategy saw swathes of green spaces, including on the Stray, left untouched by mowers and strimmers to allow nature to grow free and attract bees.

The idea was welcomed by many, who saw it as a sign that the council was serious about improving biodiversity. But others, who cherish Harrogate’s reputation for organised and elegant planting, believed it made the town look untidy.