A recruitment crisis at Betty’s forced the famous cafe to close its doors early last week — and other Harrogate hotels, pubs, and restaurants have spoken of difficulties in employing people.
But could Harrogate’s notoriously high rental and property costs be to blame?
The average rental property in Harrogate for a one-bedroom flat is £656 a month. For an adult earning full-time minimum wage at a local bar, this would make up more than half their monthly pay packet — and that’s before council tax, bills and other expenses.
The Stray Ferret spoke to two people who work in housing in Harrogate to ask if the two are linked.
Sarah Hart helped create Harrogate Community Land Trust four years ago after becoming demoralised with the cost of housing in the town.
She thinks high living costs have made Harrogate an unviable option for people earning hospitality wages. She predicts more venues will be forced to reduce their opening hours due to staff shortages.
“House prices and rents have been pushed up even further whilst wages haven’t. It’s a crucial link and we’re at a critical point. It’s not a housing crisis, it’s becoming an armageddon situation.”
Ms Hart says that with both petrol prices and housing costs increasing, hospitality workers who could commute to Harrogate from Bradford and Leeds will decide to find jobs closer to home.
She believes an intervention in the housing market such as rent caps is needed so hospitality workers can afford to rent in the town.
Rent caps have been used in Germany and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also believes it could help solve the housing inequalities in the capital.
Ms Hart added:
“Housing in Harrogate benefits the few and not the many.
“If people had lower rent they’d have a higher disposable income.
“I met someone from Harrogate paying 60% in housing costs. There’s nothing left at the end of the day. No money for summer holidays or for her kids to do to stuff. If she had a lower rent she’d have money to spend in the local economy. It’s as basic as it gets.”
Harrogate-based property consultant Alex Goldstein believes that job shortages in hospitality are primarily due to covid and not high property or rental prices.
Mr Goldstein said property prices and rents have increased in Harrogate whilst wages have stagnated but he believes it’s wrong to suggest that Harrogate’s economy is overly dependent on low-paid hospitality workers. He thinks that increasing housing costs are good for the town as it brings in investment.
He said:
“Some people feel they’ve been left out in the cold. You’ve got to earn your keep. If you can’t afford to live in Harrogate you should move elsewhere.
“You work up the ladder and Harrogate opens up for you. You’ve got to bide your time. If you can’t afford something, you can’t afford it. A lot of society wants it here and the world doesn’t work like that.”
On the subject of rent caps, Mr Goldstein said the “draconian” measure would unfairly hurt investors who purchase buy-to-let properties in Harrogate which he believes gives the local economy a boost. He said: “We can’t make sweeping changes to the market”.
He added:
“Harrogate has always been an expensive part of the world and it’s increased hugely.
“But there will always be winners and losers.
“I would like to live in Mayfair with a Lamborghini, but I can’t afford it.”
Owners of Harrogate hospitality venues have complained for years that it’s not easy to fill roles pulling pints or waiting tables in the town.
Whether this is because of low wages, Brexit, undesirable working conditions, too many bars and restaurants, or high living costs, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason.
But in Harrogate, there is a feeling the issue of attracting and keeping good hospitality staff won’t be solved anytime soon.
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Tomorrow we’ll be looking at the acute shortage of chefs and the impact of Brexit on the recruitment crisis.
Harrogate Borough Council is set to offer £811,000 for three empty homes in the district.
The homes, which are on Greenfields Drive and Electic Avenue in Harrogate, and Beech Lane in Spofforth, would not be used for social housing but instead would be sold on by HBC on the open market should the offers be accepted by the owners.
Any profits made would go back into buying more empty homes so they can be brought back into use.
There are currently 811 properties across the district that have been empty for six months or longer. Of these, 215 have been empty and unfurnished for over two years. 31 have been empty for over ten years.
The report says:
“Empty homes represent a wasted housing resource; they also pose other problems for local authorities, owners, neighbours, emergency services and the environment. They are often a blemish on an area and can be subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.”
A report will go before HBC’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Conservative Cllr Mike Chambers, next week that asks him to rubber stamp the move.
If the council’s offers on the three homes are not accepted the report says HBC will consider enforcement action, such as compulsory purchase.
Victoria Road one-way scheme will stop ‘rat run’, says cycle groupChanges to make Victoria Road one-way will stop a “rat run” and improve safety for cyclists using the Otley Road Cycle Route, according to Harrogate District Cycle Action.
North Yorkshire County Council will next month begin an 18-month trial to boost active travel on the road by stopping cars from using it to enter Otley Road. It will place a barrier at the junction and one-way only and no entry signs will be installed.
Some local residents who will be affected by the scheme criticised it last week.
Kevin Douglas, chairman of HDCA, told the Stray Ferret the nearby Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood has displaced traffic onto Victoria Road creating a ‘rat run’ which is why the move is needed.
He said it will also ensure a safer route for cyclists using Otley Road.
“The idea of these things is they settle down and there is less traffic, it’s to stop rat-running.”
Mr Douglas said he is looking forward to the various active schemes such as Victoria Avenue and Station Gateway being completed as it will eventually create a safe link for cyclists into the town from Harlow Hill. However, he said he was “frustrated” at the speed NYCC is taking to implement them.
He said:
“It looks like they are doing it bit by bit and it’s piecemeal.
“When we get the other schemes youll have access from Cardale Park to town. That’s what people want. But it’s taking a long time and it’s a frustration for us.”
A petition signed by over 600 people was presented to NYCC this week against the Beech Grove LTR.
Mr Douglas said the public needs to get behind active travel schemes in order to reduce carbon emissions.
He added:
Green Shoots: Why Harrogate should be at the vanguard of tackling climate change“The aim of these schemes is to get people to use alternatives [to cars]. If every time people say they want it somewhere else, where are you going to do them?
“I dont know where people think we will get a reduction in carbon usage if we don’t do schemes like this.”
Did you know that Harrogate played a key role in the major IPCC “code red for humanity” climate change report that was published last week? The document was discussed around the globe and warned of climate catastrophe unless we act now.
Renowned climate scientist Piers Forster has lived in Harrogate since 2005 and was one of the main authors of the report. He’s a director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate and Professor of Physical Climate Change at the University of Leeds.
The report was a global effort and each line had to be painstakingly signed off by all 195 countries that are part of the IPCC.
Much of this was done by Prof Forster from his kitchen in Harrogate.
He said:
“That bit was quite tiring. There were 3am calls to talk to places like China and Brazil. It was bizarre.”
As we go about our everyday lives in the Harrogate district it might feel like we are insulated from the most frightening consequences of climate change like wildfires in Australia or landslides in China.
But Prof Forster warns that extreme weather events, such as the January floods in Boroughbridge, will become much more common unless we take immediate action.
Flooding in Boroughbridge. January 2021.
He said:
“This country gets off gets off quite lightly from the effects of climate change but we are absolutely beginning to see changes. We’re warmed by the gulf stream here a lot, but it might collapse. That will have a very big effect on our weather.”
Harrogate is one of the most affluent towns in the UK and Harrogatonians have a stereotype for enjoying an expensive way of life.
So is our consumption-based capitalist lifestyle part of the problem?
A web tool created by researchers at the University of Leeds suggests it is.
It looks at things like transport use, energy consumption and flights taken and estimates the average carbon footprint of a person living in a particular postcode, grading it from A+ to F-.
Harrogate fares badly with Duchy getting the lowest score of F-, meaning its residents are in the 1% of people across the UK with the biggest carbon footprint.
Credit – the University of Leeds
Prof Forster says:
“On a lot of categories we do a lot worse in our town, particularly in the Duchy. It’s very nice of course, but we’re one of the worst in the country for getting on aeroplanes.
“We also drive a car that’s too big, have a home that’s too big and we heat by gas. It’s up to us to begin to make the changes”.
Prof Forster describes both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council‘s green credentials as “certainly not terrible” but thinks they are hamstrung by a planning system that does not work in the best interests of the environment.
He points to the paradox of NYCC and HBC promoting active travel schemes in the town centre, whilst vast housing developments are approved on the outskirts of town where residents have no choice but to use a car.
He said:
“They absolutely do want to get to net zero. We all have to get there, but I do think the biggest issue is they dont have authority, investment or power to really make the big changes they want to make.
“The biggest issue is with planning. The way the system works and you do not necessarily get the best outcome for the environment.”
One planning application that captured the imagination of the town was Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial advance on Rotary Wood to expand its bottling plant.
In the days leading up the planning committee, Prof Forster intervened to produce his own research paper that said the water company vastly underestimated the number of replacement trees needed to achieve carbon parity with the current woodland.
He believes the refusal was the kind of local victory that needs to be replicated across the country if we are to turn a corner on climate change.
“If you don’t like something, it’s your opportunity to get involved like i did with the spring water application. It was an impressive decision by the council’s planning committee because they went against the norms. There needs to be more and the council needs to be empowered to make these decisions”.
A key message of the report is catastrophe can be averted if the world acts fast. Prof Forster hopes discussions around the climate in Harrogate can be less divisive, as seen with the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood debate.
He said:
Andrew Jones MP branded ‘hypocrite’ and ‘out of touch’ over foodbank picture“It’s sad as often the first reaction is eurgh!
“We need to learn by doing. We can’t just have endless consultation and reports. We have to try and get on and make changes.
“This big international report has to be translated into changes we want to see in our community.
“We have to try and get on and make changes that works to improve our town, job prospects whilst saving the world.”
Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has been branded a “hypocrite” and “out of touch” by the local Green party after he posed for a picture to promote Harrogate District Foodbank earlier this week.
Mr Jones posted an article on his website Community News alongside two of his caseworkers, Stephen Culpin and the Harrogate Borough Council councillor Matt Scott, that said the pair would be attending sessions of Harrogate Foodbank to offer “advice and support”.
In the article, Mr Jones is quoted as saying:
“It’s important that we tackle the long-term underlying problems which cause people to visit Foodbanks in the first place.”
However, Harrogate & District Green Party member Arnold Warneken, who is a former HBC councillor and stood to become a Bilton county councillor earlier this year, told the Stray Ferret that he believes Mr Jones has contributed to the need for foodbanks through his voting record since he became an MP in 2010.
On 53 occasions Mr Jones has voted to cut spending on welfare benefits. He has also consistently voted against paying higher benefits for those unable to work due to illness or disability. He voted in favour of the so-called “bedroom tax” 16 times.
Mr Warneken said:
“If you look at his voting record on benefits it’s disgraceful.
The Conservatives should put policies in place to protect people, but they don’t. There is hypocrisy there.
“I think Andrew Jones is out of touch, hypocritical and has the power to make change but he’s ineffective.”
Conservatives enlist Andrew Jones MP to help fight Batley by-election
Andrew Jones MP should be ‘shaking in his shoes’, says local Lib Dem leader
Mr Warneken set up Ainsty Community Larder from his farm where he distributes food and medicine to those in need.
He accused the MP of “electioneering and getting brownie points” by posing for the “staged” picture.
“If he was quietly doing it in the background I’d give him a pat on the back.
“But he’s smiling, whats he smiling for? He is saying, ‘Arent we wonderful, a problem we created we are getting credit for solving.
“Humility is something people should adopt.”
The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones to respond to Mr Warneken’s comments but we did not receive a response.
On Community News, he said:
81 more covid cases reported in Harrogate district“Over the years my casework team have helped hundreds steer the maze which is the benefits system to get cash which is available to them.”
Another 81 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.
It means there have now been 12,660 positive cases reported since the start of the pandemic.
Harrogate hospital has recorded no covid deaths in the last 24 hours. However, earlier this week it reported its first covid death in four months.
The death toll at the hospital from covid since March 2020 stands at 180.
The estimated R rate in North Yorkshire is between 0.9 and 1.1 and the district’s weekly rate has increased to 330 per 100,000 people.
The North Yorkshire rate stands at 296 and the England average is 320.
110,495 people have received both doses of the vaccine in the district.
Two charged over Ripon knifepoint robberyTwo people have been charged after a teenage boy was robbed at knifepoint in Ripon last week.
A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man have been charged with robbery and possessing an offensive weapon and appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
They have been remanded in custody to appear again on September 17.
Three other men who were also arrested in connection with the incident remain on police bail whilst enquiries continue.
There has been a spate of anti-social behaviour incidents in Ripon over the past week and police have urged the public to contact them with information on 101.
Inspector Alex Langley, North Yorkshire Police, said:
Harrogate electronics firm receives £600,000 Northern Powerhouse loan“Violence and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Ripon and we are doing all we can to bring those responsible for the events over the past week to justice.
“We have stepped up patrols in the area but we also need your help. We would like to hear from anyone who has CCTV covering Bondgate, Southgate, Mawson Lane and surrounding areas – this could be from a traditional CCTV camera, a video doorbell or dash-cam footage.”
A Harrogate firm that refurbishes computer equipment has received a government-backed loan worth £600,000 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
Intelligent Servers Ltd, which is based at Hornbeam Park and employs 50 people, says the loan will help the company increase its stock, expand its warehouse and employ 23 more staff members.
Since the company was founded in 2011 it has delivered refurbished products to over 3,000 customers including Manchester United FC.
The loan was provided through FW Capital Debt Finance.
Its assistant investment executive Alex Brown said:
Knaresborough’s Picnic in the Park cancelled due to heavy rain“We are delighted to back Intelligent Servers, a business with a great track record of growth and a proven management team.
“Our investment will assist Intelligent Servers in achieving their growth strategy through maintaining higher stock levels and improving purchasing power. Best of all, this growth strategy will support significant job creation.”
Organisers have cancelled today’s Picnic in the Park in Knaresborough due to the forecasted heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.
The free event in the gardens of Knaresborough House was set to start at 12pm and be part of the popular FEVA arts festival that is celebrating its 25th year.
Musicians that had been booked to play, including DJ Trev and Hot Sauce, will instead perform inside as part of the Knaresborough Lions Beer Festival at Knaresborough House that starts at 12pm.
See information about other FEVA events that are taking place this weekend here.
Harrogate Town invites over 50s to join walking football team
Harrogate Town is inviting people to join their walking football team to help boost physical and mental health.
Walking football is a twist on traditional football that is played by people who have mobility or other issues.
It’s generally played by the over 50s although the majority of players with Harrogate Town are in their 60’s, with some even in their 70’s.
The club has a 50’s team and a 60’s team who both play competitively in the Northern Premier League and they also play friendlies with clubs throughout Yorkshire and the North East, both home and away.
The club holds sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Rossett Sports Centre. There are different sessions to accommodate players of all ages and abilities, including those who are new to the game.
Harrogate Town walking football player Andy Town said:
“I decided to call it a day at the age of 62 after a football injury. When my wife said ‘why don’t you try walking football?’ I responded as I imagine most old footballers might react, with a mixture of incredulity and mirth.
“After giving it a go, I found that like ‘real’ football it can be played at different levels, from slow and social to fast and competitive. I’ve met lots of interesting people and made a whole new group of friends.”
Would you like to give walking football a try? Email community@harrogatetownafc.com or htwfc2020@gmail.com