The Harrogate district’s famous floral displays will soon be looking worse for wear due to the hosepipe ban.
The ban came into force today and Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it won’t be watering plants until it is lifted.
Yorkshire Water acted following months of dry weather, which have depleted water levels in the district’s reservoirs such as Thruscross and Swinsty.
It’s the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995 and means the council’s parks and environmental services team, which looks after floral displays in parks as well as in towns and the city of Ripon, will have to watch its hard work wither until the ban is lifted.
The district’s floral displays are a source of local pride.
Little rain is forecast for the remainder of the month.
A council spokesperson said:
“The Yorkshire Water website states that during the period of the ban councils cannot use hosepipes or sprinklers to water floral beds, displays or hanging baskets in public locations.
“This unfortunately means that we are not able to continue watering the floral beds, hanging baskets, barrier baskets or floral tubs around the Harrogate district.
“Using watering cans is not practical and continues to use water from our water supplies, which are currently in short supply and high demand”.
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- Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district
The council also runs a subsidised hanging basket scheme in which businesses pay the council to provide the basket and plants. Staff then water and maintain the baskets throughout the summer.
The council says businesses who use the scheme will not be eligible for a refund.
Its spokesperson added:
Rishi Sunak to court Conservatives in Harrogate tomorrow“The hanging basket scheme is already subsidised by the council to reduce the price of baskets to businesses in the town centre.
“The hosepipe ban has come in at the end of the season so hopefully with lower temperatures and a bit of rain over the coming weeks the baskets will last a few more weeks until they are scheduled to be removed late September.
“Whilst the hosepipe ban is unfortunate, it is also important that as community leaders we play our part in adhering to the restrictions and highlighting the need to conserve water”.
Rishi Sunak will visit Harrogate tomorrow to court Conservative Party members as he attempts to boost his flagging hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister, the Stray Ferret understands.
The former Chancellor is expected to be in Harrogate at around 3pm to meet members, who have been voting for either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or Mr Sunak to be the next Tory leader and PM.
Mr Sunak was the most popular choice among MPs, but among members, polling has put him consistently behind Ms Truss.
Bookmaker William Hill has odds of 1/16 for Ms Truss to be the winner with Mr Sunak trailing way behind on 17/2.
A lengthy campaign has seen two rivals tour the country in July and August.
Liz Truss met members in Harrogate on August 9, attending a house on the Duchy estate believed to be owned by Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift.
Liz Truss arrives at Bettys in Harrogate this month.
It will be the second visit to the Harrogate district for Mr Sunak, who spoke to party members in Masham earlier in the campaign.
The winner will be announced by September 5.
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The Richmond MP has the backing of both Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.
In an article on his website, Community News, Mr Jones described why he is backing the former chancellor. He wrote:
Goalkeeper’s journey from Harrogate Railway to the Champions League“The country needs someone who is consistent and transparent to reinvigorate trust in politics.”
Beginning your career at Station View in Starbeck and ending up at grounds like the San Siro, Nou Camp and the Allianz Arena is an unlikely, even implausible, career path, but Jon McLaughlin was tipped for the top from the very start.
The 34-year-old Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper started last night during a 1-0 win over PSV that secured his club’s place in the Champions League group stages for the first time in over a decade.
Rangers were regulars in the competition in the 2000s when McLaughlin was starting out his career at Harrogate Railway.
Back then, he was a lanky 19-year-old student at Leeds Metropolitan University taking his first steps into part-time, non-league football.
‘The Battle of Harrogate’
McLaughlin made his debut for Railway in the Unibond League Cup away at Gateshead in 2006, due to an injury to the first-choice keeper.
He soon cemented his place in the side and stood out during Railway’s second fairytale FA Cup run of that decade. They were eventually knocked out by Mansfield Town in the 2nd round, live in front of the BBC cameras.
Earlier in the competition, fans of both Railway and Harrogate Town fondly remember his performance in a 2-1 qualifying win over a pre-Irving Weaver Harrogate Town.
The two clubs were at a much more even level than today.
It was a blustery October afternoon game that was watched by 1,300 at Station View. In a match report, non-league blogger Paul Kirkwood described the atmosphere, which contrasts wildly to the cauldron of Ibrox that the goalkeeper plays in today.
“The local paper tried to bull up the match as ‘The Battle of Harrogate’ but it was more like a cordial meeting of two old friends at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms down the road.”
The Scot’s talent was evident, and it was clear Railway had found a gem.
Following Railway’s FA Cup heroics, he was signed by Town in early 2008. At the time, then-Railway boss Vince Brockie predicted the 20-year-old would play for Scotland one day, and he eventually did in 2018.
‘Massive for the club’
Railway’s secretary Dave Shepherd said he was proud to see one of the club’s former players make it to the top of the game
“To have an ex-footballer make it at the very top level is massive for the club.
“He was quiet really, even back then, but he was very dependable. He always turned up for training and games and was never a problem.
“I can remember back then we had a group of lads who came and sang to him, Scotland’s number one, tongue in cheek.”
Harrogate Railway’s vice chairman Lee Holmes said Railway has been a good starting point for many players over the years.
“He was really, really good. I was there for the match against Town and he did well. He was a brilliant player.”
Katherine Swinn, of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, also remembers McLaughlin as a “great keeper, too good for non-league and very highly thought of”.
Up the ladder
After leaving Town after half a season, McLaughlin moved to professional, full-time football with Bradford City. They were then managed by Harrogate resident and fellow Scot Stuart McCall.
His career has included a League Cup final at Wembley and he will be hoping to make the Scotland squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year, but he still credits his time in Harrogate as laying the foundations for his success.
He told the Daily Record in 2020
Boroughbridge fashion brand to expand into US and Australia“I follow all my former teams. Harrogate Town just got promoted and it’s great to see them starting to build.
“When I was at Harrogate Railway before that, the pitches were open to anyone who wanted to walk in but nobody wanted to walk in unfortunately!
“There were a couple of men and a dog watching games so it’s the polar opposite to now.
“It’s great to be where I am now and hopefully it means I’ll never take it for granted.
“I have an appreciation for what I have now. I know first hand the difference between lifestyles from then and now – and the hours you have to dedicate to it.
“I don’t think any of the Harrogate lads are playing pro football now. We’re talking about quite a few levels below the National League in England so it was part-time boys.
“We try to stay in contact but I don’t get down too often. I don’t get the chance to get involved in the reunions but it would be great to go back.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Boroughbridge-based online women’s fashion retailer and brand Kit and Kaboodal is set to expand into the United States and Australia.
The company, founded in 2013, has posted a 48% increase in revenue on the same period the previous year, 20% ahead of target.
It’s now on track to surpass its annual target of £8m for the full 2022/23 financial year.
The retailer has now made the decision to trial international expansion and, from this autumn, it will launch specific sites and products in the US and Australia.
Helen Marsden, co-founder and buying director, said:
“We’re a family-run and family-owned business that began by making all our decisions around the kitchen table. Now we’re watching the orders grow daily and we’re reaching entirely new markets and customers.
“We’ve focused on building strong relationships with suppliers and customers and that has helped us navigate some of the most disruptive years in history and come out the other side with a strong business that’s fit for the future.”
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Harrogate district nursery supplies plants to luxury resort
Johnsons of Whixley are supplying plants to The Springs.
Johnsons of Whixley has supplied plants worth £135,000 for a multi-million-pound renovation at the 133-acre The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire.
The plants have been used to enhance the grounds of the Tudor-style hotel building, clubhouse, golf course and spa grounds and most recently used to landscape the modern lodges which include private outdoor areas with hot tubs and landscaped decking.
Johnsons has supplied a large number of hedging, shrubs, herbaceous, trees and grasses with varieties including mixed native hedging elements, Choisya, Geraniums, Heleniums, Hebes, Hydrangeas, Heucheras, Ilex, Lavender, Magnolia, Prunus, Stipa, Taxus, Viburnum and more.
Eleanor Richardson, marketing manager at Johnsons, said:
‘Deeply alarming’: Harrogate council uses CCTV from Chinese Communist Party controlled firm“We are pleased to be working with Darwin Escapes once again, and are honoured to be their principal plant supplier. It’s great to see our plants adding the finishing touches to this ambitious project, the grounds look fantastic and will certainly entice people to stay.”
A leading civil liberties group has said it is ‘deeply alarming’ that Harrogate Borough Council uses CCTV cameras supplied by a company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and with links to the Uyghur ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang.
HIKVision CCTV cameras have already been banned in the United States over security concerns.
But a report from Big Brother Watch this year revealed almost three-quarters of local authorities use CCTV manufactured by the company, as do many NHS trusts, police forces and schools.
The council has 212 CCTV cameras in total across the district. They are in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon town centres as well as at leisure centres such as the Hydro and Ripon’s new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre.
The Stray Ferret sent a freedom of information request to the council asking how many of these cameras were made by HIKVision and was told the number is 86.
HIKVision cameras come at the cheaper end of the market, making them a popular choice for cash-strapped local authorities but critics say they come with other, more sinister, costs.
As well as being used in Uyghur detention camps, software flaws have connected the CCTV cameras back to servers in China leading to fears about spying by the repressive state.
A CCTV camera — one of 212 in the district — overlooking the Royal Hall.
Detention camps
The Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in north west China who face persecution and oppression by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published reports that accused China of crimes against humanity. A UK-based independent tribunal last year ruled Beijing was guilty of genocide.
The BBC has captured evidence of HIKVision CCTV cameras being used to monitor the Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region, as well as in so-called ‘detention camps’ where it’s estimated over a million Uyghurs have been locked up.
Last year, MPs on the foreign affairs committee published a report that said cameras made by Hikvision “have been deployed throughout Xinjiang, and provide the primary camera technology used in the internment camps”.
Madeleine Stone, legal and policy officer at civil liberties group Big Brother Watch said:
“It is deeply alarming that Harrogate Borough Council is purchasing and using Hikvision cameras to monitor members of the public.
“Taxpayers’ money should not be funding a company so closely linked to the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang. Chinese state-owned CCTV companies have no place in the UK and the government should act now to ban them.”
China has denied all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
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Security concerns
As well as the ethical question marks around HIKVision cameras, there are also fears that the cameras could compromise security and be used for spying.
Whilst there is no direct evidence of HIKVision providing data gathered from CCTV cameras to the Chinese state, there was an instance in Italy last year where hundreds of HIKVision cameras suddenly started connecting to a server in China.
The incident in Italy was rare but Big Brother Watch has also reported other “security holes” in one of the company’s main remote viewing software tools that could connect directly to servers in the country.
A CCTV camera on Cambridge Street – one of 212 in the district.
Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor for Fairfax and chair of the council’s overview and scrutiny commission, said the security implications were potentially “very worrying” for the district. He said:
“It would be very worrying if our cameras in Harrogate district suddenly started transmitting their images anywhere else, not just China.
“I know from my own personal CCTV training within the security Industry that there are, quite rightly, very strict regulations as to who can view CCTV images and for what purpose, even the police have to apply for permission and follow strict guidelines.”
The council publishes an annual report about its use of CCTV but it does not mention who manufactures the cameras.
Cllr Aldred added:
“What is happening in the Uyghur detention camps is truly appalling and it is disappointing that Harrogate Borough Council has ultimately bought our cameras from the same company whose technology is undoubtedly aiding what is happening there”.
Cllr Aldred said he will ask the council if it has concerns about HIKVision, and if it has plans to remove the cameras.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:
“HIKVision CCTV cameras are used extensively by local authorities across the UK, as they are known for capturing high-quality footage that can prove invaluable when a crime is committed.
“Like all other organisations that use CCTV, we follow a code of practice, comply with the Data Protection Act, and our system is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
“We await further guidance from central government on any future use of HIKVision cameras.”
The Stray Ferret approached HIKVision for comment but we did not receive a response.
New zip-wire opens in KnaresboroughA new zip-wire on Fysche Field in Knaresborough is now open.
The zip-wire will be part of a new play area to be built next to Harrogate Borough Council‘s £17m new fitness centre and swimming pool.
The facility is due to be finished by the end of summer 2023 and will have a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.
The council said in a statement today it will be built to high environmental standards and include air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint.
Once complete, the current pool will be demolished and be replaced by a bigger and better play area with swings, slides and a roundabout.
Conservative councillor Phil Ireland, who represents Knaresborough Aspin and Calcutt ward, said:
“This is a great new addition for Knaresborough and the start of a much wider play area and leisure facility for the town.
“I’m delighted it is now available for young people to use and look forward to the scheme being completed next year.”
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Ripon resident says blocked gullies are leading to floods
A Ripon resident has called on North Yorkshire County Council to clean gullies in the city more regularly, after a burst water main led to a street being flooded this week.
People on North Street woke on Monday to water gushing out of a pipe onto the road. It was the second time in four days that a Yorkshire Water pipe had burst on the street and led to fears the flood might damage properties.
Some homes in the city and nearby villages were left without water for most of the day while the leak was fixed.
The street has gullies to take excess surface water but residents say they are regularly blocked by straw, hay and dirt.
Paul Oldham, who lives on North Street, said Monday’s flood was not an isolated incident.
He said whenever there is heavy rainfall in winter, residents have to go out to the drains to move dirt in the gullies so that water can go down.
Mr Oldham said:
“The fact is every year the residents on North Street clean out the drains because they are not maintained. We’re out in our wellies and we poke or prod to get water to subside, and eventually it does. The council needs to be cleaning out the drains.”
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It is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council to clean drains and gulleys in the district.
Mr Oldham added:
“I get that budgets might be cut, or cleaning drains might not be a priority, but the fact is it’s happened so often and regularly. It could have really affected properties along here.
“Its not a one off. They need to make sure the drains are cleaned. But I do have sympathy, it is difficult for them to get around and do all the jobs.”
North Yorkshire County Council highways area manager Melisa Burnham said:
Care provider expands to Harrogate district“The gullies in North Street were inspected recently and the team involved found they were in good condition but did need to be jetted.
“Following the inspection a programme had already been devised to have them cleared and cleaned and that work will be delivered today.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A care provider from Northallerton has expanded into the Harrogate district.
Blossom Home Care provides care to the elderly and other adults with home care requirements. Established in 2015 in Northallerton, Blossom has moved into the north-east, North Yorkshire and other areas of the UK.
Carrianne Walters and Darren Kacis, franchise owners of Blossom Home Care Harrogate, have over 30 years experience in social care.
Their office opened this week on Hartwith Way in Harrogate.
They can be contacted on 01423 649885 or by email at managerharrogate@blossomhomecare.co.uk.
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Harrogate town centre flats nears completion
Apartments being developed in central Harrogate are due to be ready to move into this autumn.
Lambert House is being built by Harrogate-based Tate Estates and consists of 12 two-bedroom apartments, just off Station Parade.
All the apartments have private under-croft parking and several of the properties include two-storey duplex layouts and balconies.
Shane Tate, from Tate Estates, said:
Extension to be built on former Ali Raj restaurant in Harrogate“We’re excited to release the homes for sale, and especially because we’ve already had high levels of enquiries from a wide range of potential buyers during the construction phase.”
Plans to build an extension at the back of the former Ali Raj restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent have been approved by Harrogate Borough Council.
The plans were submitted by the owners of the building, who also own the pub downstairs, The Little Ale House.
Richard Park and his wife Danni opened The Little Ale House in 2016 to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in the town centre.
The Ali Raj was a longstanding Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrogate that closed in 2021. It was the first Bangladeshi restaurant in town when it opened more than 35 years ago.
A change of use application was approved in February to turn the restaurant into a bar.
The latest plans will create improved back-of-house and toilet facilities and a roof terrace to increase seating capacity.
Mr Park told the Stray Ferret that building work is set to begin next summer when he will say which business will use the space.
He stressed the new venue will not be an extension of the Little Ale House, which will remain a separate business downstairs.
A CGI image of how the extension will look
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Flaxby modular housebuilder acquires site in Hastings
Flaxby-based modular house builder ilke Homes has bought a site in Hastings to develop 140 affordable properties.
The 12.35-acre site already has outline planning permission and was previously owned by Hastings Borough Council.
Work is expected to start in autumn this year ahead of completion in 2024. A total of 84 homes will be ‘zero carbon’ and powered by renewable energy.
The company, which has 500 employees, builds homes at its factory on Flaxby Moor Industrial Estate near Knaresborough that are then delivered across the UK.
Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said:
“We have enjoyed working closely with Hastings Borough Council’s Estates Team and the local authorities planning department to bring forward our proposals for the site at Harrow Lane.
“Subject to the clearance of pre-commencement conditions, we are excited to commence on site later this year.”
Cllr Maya Evans, deputy leader and portfolio holder for housing at the council, added:
“We are very impressed with ilke Homes, who have gone above and beyond in ensuring 84 homes are zero carbon.
“This means the energy they use will be 100 per cent renewable, on top of fabric first sustainable building materials.”
Read more:
Free business workshop in Harrogate
ActionCOACH Harrogate is hosting its second free business workshop at Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen on September 7.
It’s been designed for business owners who want “a more manageable, more profitable business that can work without them”.
Andrew Joy will talk delegates through the ActionCOACH 6 steps model that’s used by many companies around the world.
The free morning of business coaching will include marketing concepts, sales promotion and profit-building systems.
To register visit here.