Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In May, lockdown restrictions eased again and life in the district slowly began to return back to normal.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• In the House of Commons, Mr Jones revealed that he was enlisted by the Conservative Party to knock on doors in Hartlepool for the May 6 by-election. The seat was won by the party for the first time in its history.
• He spoke about the sub-postmaster scandal in the House of Commons on May 19, saying: “Trust is central to a thriving Post Office and trust is necessary for people to take on the role of sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress with any certainty or security”.
• Following the latest unemployment figures that revealed 2,530 people in Harrogate & Knaresborough were claiming unemployment-related benefits, the MP wrote on his website encouraging local employers to take part in the government’s Kickstart scheme.
• On May 25 in the House of Commons, he raised the issue of community choirs being unable to rehearse indoors following the latest relaxation of restrictions. It prompted The Times’ sketch writer Quentin Letts to describe the MP in the newspaper as a “timid flower”.
• Writing on his local “news” website, Community News, Mr Jones looked forward to better times ahead: “Our country is turning its sights to a post-COVID future, a more digital and greener future. That is good news for us all”.
• On May 26 he voted down several clauses put forward by opposition parties for the Environment Bill. These included stopping peat burning in upland areas and making it a duty to create a tree strategy in England.
• On May 27 in Parliament, he raised the fact that Knaresborough no longer has a bank.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• In early May, Mr Smith attended a meeting with North Yorkshire County Council about the local Transforming Cities Fund proposals in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby.
• With museums reopening in May, he visited the gardens at the Ripon Workhouse Museum which is part of Ripon Museums.
• On May 19, he gave an online talk to children at Beckwithshaw Primary School. Writing on his website, he said the pupils were interested in local issues and asked him questions on covid and climate change.
• Last week, Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, described the claims by the Prime Minister’s former chief advisor Dominic Cummings over the government’s handling of the covid pandemic as “for the birds”.
• Five of Mr Smith’s 11 tweets were related to Northern Ireland politics. He tweeted about the Ballymurphy inquest that exonerated those shot dead by British Army forces in 1971: “All thoughts & prayers with the families of those killed at Ballymurphy.”

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On Twitter, he posted his own Eurovision Song Contest scorecard. He gave the UK entry, James Newman, a generous 24 points out of 40. In the actual competition, the song received no points and came last.
• A story published in The Times on May 9 revealed that Mr Adams received financial donations and luxury trips abroad from controversial Indian businessman Sanjeev Gupta. Mr Gupta has links to the biomass industry and, Drax Power Station, which burns the wood pellets to create energy, is in his constituency.
• The Minister for Asia tweeted that the foreign office will spend more money on the BBC World Service to help tackle fake news around the world.
• In ministerial written answers, he wrote about India’s covid outbreak that ripped through the country in May: “We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner in the fight against Covid-19, and send our solidarity and condolences to the Indian people at this difficult time.”
• He tweeted 17 times in May.

Rival homing pigeons who race against the clock across the UK have been banned from starting their race from Ripon Racecourse after a wagon used to house the birds got stuck on sodden grass.

Pigeon racing is the sport of releasing trained pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance.

Specially designed wagons collect up to 1,000 pigeons before releasing them at Ripon Racecourse in what is known as “pigeon liberation”.

The aerodynamic birds then use a built in homing system to hurtle through the sky and reach home. They are microchipped and their times are recorded.

But following some recent wet weather, the trucks got stuck on the grass — which led to an upset racecourse having to call a local recovery firm to rescue it.

A pigeon liberation

James Hutchinson, managing director and clerk of the course at Ripon, told the Stray Ferret there have been two incidents where drivers drove the heavy wagons “without due consideration” onto the sodden grass, leaving them stranded.

He added:

“We attempted to help extracting these vehicles but due to their size we were unsuccessful. A local recovery firm had to be called to complete the job and we were left with damage to repair to the grass car park.”

Read more:

• Lucky sick pigeon on James Street finds someone who cares
• Woman gets first covid vaccine at Ripon racecourse

The Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA) tweeted earlier this week that it had received notice from the racecourse that pigeon liberations can no longer be accommodated from June 1 and the site “has been cancelled”.

It warned pigeon fanciers that the nearest alternatives are 10 miles away in Harrogate and 29 miles away in Malton.

However, homing pigeons flying above the cathedral city could return soon after it appears the racecourse has had a change of heart.

Mr Hutchinson added that discussions with the RPRA are underway to consider the resumption of pigeon liberations “at the earliest opportunity”.

An RPRA spokesperson told the Stray Ferret they hope to be able to resume pigeon liberations in Ripon in the future.

The owner of the Kimberley Hotel in Harrogate has filed for liquidation amid over £3.5m debts to local companies as well as HM Revenue and Customs.

Insolvency firm Booth & Co was appointed to wind up Denison 2 earlier this week.

In December 2020 the hotel announced it had permanently closed due to the impact of covid.

Its sole director, Stewart Lewis, is still a director of several other hospitality and property companies that are still trading.

There are 80 entries on Denison 2’s list of creditors totalling £3.5m. £2.6m of this is to its sister company Denison which has the same registered address in York.

Other creditors include HM Revenue and Customs for £338,935 and Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) for £1,380. Almost £27,000 is also owed to staff in holiday pay.

The Stray Ferret emailed Mr Lewis for a response and for information on the future of the hotel but we did not receive a reply.

Read more:

• Hospitality has lost ‘sexiness’ due to covid, says Harrogate hotel boss

• The man hired to revive one of Harrogate’s most historic hotels

The 70-bedroom, four-star hotel, close to Harrogate Convention Centre on King’s Road, had been welcoming guests for over 50 years.

A post on the hotel’s social media channels in December said:

“It comes with a heavy heart that we have to tell all our loyal guests and friends that due to the financial position caused by covid, we unfortunately have to close the hotel.

“We sincerely thank everyone, customers and staff alike, that have supported us over the years and regret deeply that covid placed us in a situation that we cannot recover from.”

The Kimberley Hotel opened in the 1960s when five townhouses dating back to the turn of the 20th century were converted.

It benefitted from the opening of what was then called the Harrogate Conference Centre in 1982, which is a short walk away.

The properties were originally built as homes for some of the wealthier families in Harrogate during its Victorian expansion.

A Tik Tok craze where teenagers squeeze themselves into a children’s swing and film it, unwittingly getting stuck in the process resulting in an embarrassing rescue by firefighters, has made its way to Harrogate.

On Wednesday evening, a fire crew based at Harrogate Fire Station rescued a 14-year-old girl from a swing at a park in Jennyfields who was taking part in the challenge.

Firefighters had to prize her out of the seat using small tools and fortunately, the swing was not damaged. She was advised on her future behaviour.

It’s a phenomenon that started last year but firefighters have noticed a resurgence in the UK in recent weeks.

A number of other fire and rescue services have spoken out against it. Footage is shared on the social media platform in the hope it will go viral.

A video of a girl in Oxfordshire getting stuck in a swing and rescued by firefighters was posted online by SWNS last year.

Read more:

• Insurance problems make Stray bonfire event a ‘huge gamble’
• Community rallies to raise £7,000 for Minskip fire victims

Earlier this month, London Fire Brigade’s Commissioner for Fire Stations, Jane Philpott, urged teenagers to think twice before getting stuck and wasting firefighters’ time.

She said the pursuit of ‘TikTok fame’ is stopping firefighters from attending emergencies.

“We would ask people to please just think twice before taking part in this challenge – think of the injuries you could cause yourself, the damage to the swings which have to be cut apart and most of all the fact you’re tying up resources which could be needed for a genuine emergency.

“It might be a fun story for your friends, but wasting the time of emergency services is serious.”

Local environmental group Zero Carbon Harrogate is encouraging children in the Harrogate district to walk to school on Friday June 18.

Road transport is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the district, and the group hopes the day will help improve the environment whilst boosting children’s physical and mental health.

Children that use public transport or car for part of the journey can ‘park and stride’ the last mile of their trip to school.

ZCH said it will be a regular event taking place once every half term:

“We need to build better transport habits within our community and help combat the effects of climate change and protect our planet! That is why we are launching this regular, half-termly event.”

Read more:

• Who is the mystery Good Samaritan carving seats in Nidd Gorge?
• Harrogate to get £1.5m to improve net-zero energy infrastructure

ZCH wants to add some healthy competition to the day and will be logging the miles walked, or cycled, and carbon saved by schools across our district and putting them on a leaderboard.

​For more information and an event pack contact schools.zch@gmail.com

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott will address growing concerns about dog theft in a public meeting on the Stray tomorrow.

The session will be held between 1pm and 2pm on the section of the Stray near Harrogate District Hospital.

Dog owners will be able to air their feelings and find out more about what is being planned to tackle the problem.

Mr Allott, who lives in Knaresborough, said tackling dog theft would be one of his top priorities during his campaign to become the new commissioner.

He highlighted a survey showing dog thefts increased by 250% last year due to gangs cashing in on the demand for puppies during lockdown.

Sought-after breeds, such as French bulldogs, can sell for more than £5,000 and a litter can fetch £35,000.

Read more:

• North Yorks Police urges dog owners not to carry weapons on walks
• Kim’s Canines: Has the last year made our dogs more reactive?

A local firm has stepped in to restore the information plaque in Harrogate’s Stonefall Park after it was damaged by vandals.

The plaque, which gives visitors information on the history of the park, including Queen Victoria passing on the former train line that ran alongside it, is thought to have been smashed with a rock on March 20 or 21 this year.

Police said it was hit with “considerable force”. At the time, it was estimated it would cost £300 to repair.

However, a local firm Platinum Print, came forward and offered to repair the damage for free.

Read More:

• Free tours of Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery as covid puts focus on British war graves
• Increased police patrols after vandalism at Stonefall park

Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh, whose Hookstone ward includes the park, said the move had restored her faith in the local community.

She said:

“Hookstone and Stonefall Action Group were totally taken aback by such a generous offer and now the results of that work are clear for everyone to see and enjoy again. It has restored our faith in our community.

“When we saw the devastation created by these mindless people, we thought it would take a lot of time to fundraise to repair but Platinum Print came to our rescue and we and the wider community, cannot thank them enough.”

The latest plan to convert Windsor House, near Valley Gardens, into 94 flats has been approved by Harrogate Borough Council.

There have been several similar applications to convert the office block on Cornwall Road in recent years.

In 2014 the council approved an application from landlord Boultbee Brooks to convert the building to housing under permitted development rights.

However, a condition was attached that said the conversion must be completed within three years.

When the 2014 application lapsed, the landlord submitted another application in 2017, which was again passed.

Three years later in 2020, with building work still yet to begin, a new application was submitted but this time it was refused because the council said some rooms would have inadequate natural light.

Revised plans in March that dealt with the lack of light have been accepted by council planning officer Mike Parkes.

First introduced in 2013 as a way to mitigate the UK’s housing shortage, office-to-residential permitted development rights make it easier for owners of office blocks to convert them into homes.

Read more:

• Plan to convert Windsor House into 94 flats refused

• Bid to convert Windsor House into 94 flats

Last year, the Windsor House application received an objection from a tenant of the building, who said the conversion would “drive businesses out of Harrogate”.

The objection said:

“It took us months to find office space in Harrogate within a reasonable walking distance of town. Please think of business in Harrogate, it can’t all be about residential. We need places to work too, Harrogate needs commercial business.”

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel and became offices in the 1980s.

The Stray Ferret contacted Savills, the agent acting on behalf of Boultbee Brooks, to ask if it planned to start work on the conversion within the next three years but we did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Update: This missing man from Starbeck has been found safe and well. The police have thanked residents and said their calls were “crucial”.

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for help locating a missing man from Starbeck.

Andrew Macleod, 54, is described as white, 6ft tall, slim build, having short grey hair and tattoos on top of his arms.

He was last seen wearing pale blue jeans, a blue puffa jacket and possibly brown suede leather boots.

Police issued the appeal this afternoon. No photo of Mr Macleod has been released and it is not known how long he has been missing.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and quote reference number 264.

Read more:

• ‘They’re only trying to help us’: GPs face verbal abuse over delays for non-covid services

• Who is the mystery Good Samaritan carving seats in Nidd Gorge?

The group behind a petition against the Station Gateway proposals has criticised the councils responsible for “ploughing ahead” with the scheme despite what it called “inconclusive” consultation results.

Yesterday it was agreed that designs will be drawn up for the controversial £7.9m project, which could see the pedestrianisation of James Street and Station Parade reduced to one lane of traffic.

A public consultation on the plans this year found 45% of 1,101 respondents in favour of the full pedestrianisation of James Street; 32% said no changes should be made and 17% backed a partial pedestrianisation.

For Station Parade, 49% favoured an option to reduce traffic to one lane, while 27% said it should be retained as two lanes and 24% said neither option was workable.

North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council both support the project, which is being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

It aims to make the area around the station more accessible and attractive, especially to pedestrians and cyclists.

But Anna McIntee, co-founder of the Harrogate Residents Association, which has amassed 800 Facebook members since it was formed three months ago, fiercely opposes the scheme.

Her group is behind a petition against the Station Gateway that has so far achieved over 500 signatures and one against the planters on James Street that has received over 800.

Ms McIntee said the results from the council’s consultation were ‘inconclusive’ because of the modest response and the fact that there was not overwhelming support for any proposal.

Just over 1,000 people, in a district with over 157,000 people, responded to the survey.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Why aren’t they listening? There’s a lot of anger in the town and they are just ploughing ahead.

“This town has incredible people with incredible ideas. Is this the best we can come up with?”

“It will create a complete funnel neck of traffic.”

Read more:

• Explainer: Station Gateway Project

• Full steam ahead on Harrogate’s £7.9 million Station Gateway project

Speaking at a North Yorkshire County meeting yesterday, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said the council had listened to businesses.

He said:

“We have been lobbied quite strongly by the business community in Harrogate, of whom one or two members seem to think the gateway scheme is intended to make life more difficult for them. Those comments could not be further from the truth.

“The whole purpose behind the gateway scheme is to make all three of these town centres more attractive to visitors, especially those who want to come and spend money in our shops, restaurants and pubs.”

Traffic evaporation

Last week a report commissioned by the county council said in a “reasonable worst-case scenario” the Station Gateway plans could increase greenhouse gas emissions.

It said this was because reduced traffic flow in the area would force some drivers to take longer alternative routes.

However, it also said the council would refine the scheme to ensure it is environmentally friendly.

Rod Beardshall, transport lead at Zero Carbon Harrogate told the Stray Ferret he disputed this suggestion that traffic would increase elsewhere due to a phenomenon known as “traffic evaporation”.

He said:

“Essentially traffic is not a zero-sum game. It isn’t an inevitability that the same amount of traffic will exist independently of the road availability. The phenomenon of ‘induced traffic’ refers to the increase in traffic over and above what would otherwise have been predicted when new roads are built.

“Conversely ‘traffic evaporation’ is widely seen when road space is reduced. It is this latter phenomenon which will mitigate against increases in congestion elsewhere, and crucially, reduce overall traffic and therefore its environmental impact as people are incentivised to consider other travel options.

“It is always worth repeating that this doesn’t imply that all travellers will seek alternative means of transport and nor do they need to, but enough are likely to for the proposed changes to bring positive results. Those journeys where a car or a van is the only practical option will still be possible and won’t take significantly longer according to the report.”

With the designs due to go to consultation, the Station Parade battle looks set to continue for some time.