Harrogate council apologises after wrongly threatening council tax payers with court

Harrogate Borough Council has apologised for wrongly sending letters to residents threatening them with court action for not paying council tax.

A Harrogate resident, who asked not to be named, alerted the Stray Ferret to the council letter dated May 21.

The letter asked for three months of council tax instalments and threatened a court summons, plus costs, if payment wasn’t received by Friday this week.

However, only two months of council tax, April and May, were due by that date, which meant the demand for June’s payment was made prematurely.

The source claimed the local authority’s council tax department had been “overrun with angry council taxpayers” who had received similar letters.

He described the episode as “an administrative cock-up”, adding:

“At a time when many people are struggling financially and being faced with a council tax increase above the rate of inflation, I wonder why Harrogate Borough Council didn’t check their facts more carefully before acting in such a heavy-handed way?

“Even if the figures were correct in the first place they should be showing more consideration towards people and trying to help rather than intimidate them.”

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A council spokesman said:

“Unfortunately, residents who receive council tax reminder notices, have this month been issued with the wrong payment figure. It incorrectly included the June instalment figure as well as May.

“Anyone who received this reminder notice will receive a replacement notice in the next couple of days. We’d like to apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this has caused.”

The Stray Ferret has asked how many people received the demand for June’s payment but the council has so far declined to reveal the information.

Pannal Ash residents’ faith in planning process ‘severely tested’ by rush to approve 200 homes

A residents group has said its faith in the planning system is being “severely tested” over the rush to approve a controversial 200-home development at the former Police Training Centre in Pannal Ash.

An HBC report recommends councillors approve the application on Yew Tree Lane by Homes England at next week’s planning committee.

It was due to be considered last month but was withdrawn from the agenda at short notice.

The withdrawal came after Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association said it had received both written and verbal assurances by Harrogate Borough Council officers the application would not be decided until a document known as the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is agreed.

The parameters plan will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate. It was expected last year but has been delayed.

A HAPARA spokesman said:

“Although the council accept that the parameters plan is a ‘material consideration’ in this application, no definitive plan exists at this time so it is illogical, let alone bad faith, to bring this matter to a decision at this time.

“We cannot understand the rush to judgement on this application, considering the time normally taken for decisions on major developments. Our confidence in the council’s consultation process and indeed the Local Plan process itself, is being severely tested.

“We are writing to all members of the planning committee to urge them to defer the item to a later committee.”

Several residents who objected to the plans were not told about last month’s planning meeting and nobody from the group was invited to speak against the plans.

The council admitted it had made an error and withdrew the item on the agenda.

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The Police Training Centre site is earmarked for 161 homes in the council’s Local Plan, which outlines planning in the Harrogate district until 2035. It is called H36. The current application is for 200 homes.

A council spokesman said:

“Although there is no policy requirement for site H36 to prepare the WHPP or wait for its completion, the site is located within the geographical area of the WHPP. As such, work undertaken to date – including discussions with infrastructure providers – is a material consideration in the assessment of this new application on H36.

“Accordingly, the applicants have included provision of a segregated cycleway to link up with other west Harrogate sites and will be making transport improvements/contributions that take into consideration the impact of all of the sites within the west Harrogate area.

“Site H36 is a brownfield site with an extant permission (14/02970/FULMAJ) for 161 new homes and forms part of the council’s housing land supply position. Homes England acquired the site because it had stalled and they are seeking to unlock it as part of their housing delivery role.

“The current application has been with the council since June 2020 and full public consultation has been undertaken, with responses considered as part of the planning application process.

“Our position on the determination of the current application for site H36, in the context of the WHPP, has been explained directly to HAPARA and is set out within the report to members of the planning committee”.

 

Barclays begins Knaresborough mobile bank trial today

Barclays bank will trial a mobile banking service in Knaresborough over three days this summer, starting today.

The mobile bank will be available in Harrogate Borough Council’s Chapel Street car park and customers of the bank can drop in or book an appointment through this website.

The bank will be there today as well as on June 17 and July 20. Its opening hours are 9.45am to 2.30pm.

Knaresborough’s last bank, Halifax, closed its doors for good in February this year. News of the bank’s closure prompted 1,200 people to sign a petition to keep it open.

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Last year, Harrogate Borough Council ran a consultation to gather views on Knaresborough banking services.

Cllr Graham Swift, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:

“The issues regarding banking availability in Knaresborough have been well documented, and Councillor Darling, particularly, has pushed hard to seek new, flexible solutions.

:Officers have also worked very hard to seek a potential solution and this trial with Barclays is the result of a lot of work and persistence.

“I would encourage the residents of Knaresborough to embrace this lifeline and use the service as much as possible. Retail and banking services are going through great change, and persistent use and strong demand are critical to retain this trial. We are very grateful to Barclays and everybody involved in getting this to happen.”

Shock at sudden death of woman on Harrogate’s popular King’s Road

Businesses on King’s Road in Harrogate have reacted with shock to the news that a woman died suddenly at a house on the street yesterday.

The woman, who has not been named, died at about 9.15am yesterday on the busy residential and shopping street.

Paramedics alerted police, who arrested a man in his 40s at the property on suspicion of supplying class A drugs but he was later released under investigation.

There was subsequently a heavy police presence around the property, which is opposite several shops and cafes, including Bobbins & Bolts and Santar Deli.

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Gemma Kay, the owner of fabric store Bobbins & Bolts, said she saw police take a man away in handcuffs.

She added:

“It’s a bit shocking, isn’t it? It’s a nice neighbourhood.”

Sandra Fernandes, the manager of Santar Deli, noticed police and ambulance crews at the house all morning.

She said she had seen nothing unusual about the house or the people who lived there.

She added:

“It’s very sad. It’s not good for this to happen here or anywhere else”.

Further details of the incident have yet to be released.

Police investigate sudden death of woman in Harrogate

Police are investigating the sudden death of a woman in a house on Kings Road, Harrogate.

The ambulance service alerted police to the incident at 9.15am yesterday.

A man in his 40s at the property was arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drug.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

There was a heavy police presence throughout yesterday at the home, which is on the opposite side of the road to Regal Fruiterers.

No further details have been released at this stage.

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Police outside the house where the woman died.

‘Heartbreaking’ figures reveal 5,700 children in Harrogate district live in poverty

A report has revealed the extent families across the Harrogate district are facing hardship, where 5,725 children are living in poverty.

The national campaign group End Child Poverty and researchers from Loughborough University have produced the report which is based on figures from 2019/20 before the pandemic hit.

It uses government statistics to calculate the number of children who live in a household where income is 60% below the median household income of £29,900.

For a family of one adult and two children, this would leave them with £280 a week after housing costs.

According to the report, of all the children in the Harrogate district, 20.1% are considered to live in poverty – below the UK average of 31%.

The group is calling on the government to create a “credible plan” to end child poverty which it said must include a commitment to increase child benefits.

Scarily high

While Harrogate has the lowest child poverty percentage in Yorkshire, the figure still represents over one-fifth of all children living here.

Ruth Jackman is a volunteer for The Village in Harrogate which works to alleviate material poverty among families with small children

She said 5,725 children is a “heartbreaking” and “scarily high” figure.

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Ms Jackman said child poverty is often a hidden problem in the area with some women scared or embarrassed to come forward to ask for help.

She said:

“Harrogate comes across as very middle class and wealthy, but there are extremes on both sides.

“In some ways Harrogate is tougher place not to have money. Some people have a sense of shame or embarrasment. It must be incredibly hard.”

Ms Jackman added many young mums who have contacted The Village have particularly struggled during the covid pandemic. She said it’s been harder to find jobs which in turn has made it harder to pay housing costs or bills.

Families in need

The government measures child poverty differently and said over the last 10 years, child poverty fell from 28% (3.7 million) to 25% (3.5 million).

A spokesperson said:

“Latest figures show that the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2010.

“We are committed to supporting families most in need, spending billions more on welfare and planning a long-term route out of poverty by protecting jobs through furlough and helping people find new work through our Plan for Jobs.

“We also introduced our £269 million Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay warm and well-fed throughout the pandemic.”

No covid patients at Harrogate hospital for the first time since August

Harrogate District Hospital currently has no patients with covid for the first time in nine months.

At the peak of the second wave in mid-February there were 68 covid patients at the hospital.

Now, the hospital has recorded zero covid inpatients – the first time since August 28.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust tweeted its praise to colleagues for their “immense efforts” over the past year.

It also thanked the local community for doing their bit to suppress the virus.

“And thank you to our local communities for following guidance, making sacrifices, being understanding and doing your bit. Especially if you’ve had the vaccine. Please, keep following the guidance and remain vigilant.”

For the first day since 28 August 2020, we have zero inpatients with Covid-19 in Harrogate District Hospital!

Thank you to our hospital-based colleagues for their immense efforts throughout the past year and a bit. An incredible effort. pic.twitter.com/F2J8cUTLE1

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) May 24, 2021

There has not been a covid death at the hospital now for six weeks. 179 people who tested positive for covid have died at the hospital since the pandemic began.

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Safety fears over Nab Bridge near Harrogate

Temporary two-way traffic lights on Nab Bridge on the A658 Harrogate Road could be in place for some time yet due to safety fears.

North Yorkshire County Council and Network Rail are currently working out how best to protect the bridge barrier that has been hit nine times in the last 18 months.

They both have concerns about debris falling onto the railway tracks below.

40mph speed signs were placed on moveable frames by the side of the road but they were stolen so NYCC said it is now waiting to erect the speed signs on steel posts concreted into the ground.

It has also commissioned consultants to look at the best long-term solution for the bridge.

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Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council area highways manager said:

“Temporary two way traffic lights are currently in place until a temporary 40mph can be introduced.

“The speed signs, and then the traffic lights, were introduced as a necessary safety measure to slow vehicles down in order to repair the vehicle restraint barrier (VRS) protecting Nab Bridge.

“Although the barrier and a blocked gully from recent flooding have both been repaired, there has been no further damage to the barrier since the lights have been in place.

“Clearly we have to make sure safety is a priority as we cannot allow the risk of vehicles breaching the VRS and falling onto the main railway line below. Network Rail has placed additional concrete blocks on their land to supplement the VRS barrier. We are now working with Network Rail to find a better long term solution at this location.

“We have commissioned our consultants to look at preliminary designs and costings for safety improvements. We are also in consultation with local residents, including the Nab Bridge riding school about any potential improvements.”

Harrogate to get £1.5m to improve net-zero energy infrastructure

Northern Powergrid will spend £1.5 million of government funding in Harrogate to increase the town’s energy capacity and help prepare for future decarbonisation.

The money will be spent on infrastructure upgrades that will support more electric bus use, electric vehicle charging points or other future net-zero needs.

The funding has come from the government’s energy regulator Ofgem and is part of £53 million that will be spent on 14 projects across the north of England.

Patrick Erwin, policy and markets director at Northern Powergrid, said:

“This is targeted investment in the region’s energy networks, which will kick-start projects and increase prosperity across the north.

“We play a critical role powering the everyday lives of the communities we serve. Electricity is one of the most important building blocks for economic growth. In the coming years, our reliance on electricity will increase as we turn to electricity to heat our homes and power our cars.”

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Meanwhile, latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of electric vehicles licensed in Harrogate has nearly doubled since 2019.

According to the data, the number registered in the district increased from 446 at the start of 2019 to 863 by the third quarter of 2020.

By comparison, the UK saw the number of vehicles licensed increase from 199,886 to 355,872.

The government will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Harrogate taxi firm refusing to pay £25,000 for unfair dismissal

In June 2020, Tracey Lee won an employment tribunal against Airline Taxis after they sacked her in January of last year.

But she has given up hope of ever receiving the £25,501 a judge ordered the company to pay her.

Almost a year on from the tribunal she is yet to receive a penny from the taxi firm and described the “horrible” process of trying to get her money back through the courts.

She said the system is stacked against individuals who have been unfairly dismissed.

The tribunal

Ms Lee worked on the phones for the taxi company, which is based on East Parade on Harrogate, on and off for around three years.

She said the work environment soured due to a change in management and, following a disagreement, she was sacked.

She challenged the decision in an employment tribunal in June 2020, where she was successful.

Airline Taxis failed to turn up to the hearing, but the judge ordered the company to pay Ms Lee £25,501, which included loss of earnings.

She said:

“The way they treated me was diabolical. It’s not fair what they did.”

Money struggles

In July 2020, Ms Lee went to Huddersfield County Court to try and obtain a court order to get her money back.

The court ordered bailiffs to try and recover the money from Airline Taxis. However, they have tried and failed to reclaim money or assets from the company on two separate occasions, the latest being in March 2021.

In an email sent to Ms Lee, the bailiffs said: “As suspected, there has not been a good outcome to your file” as “there was nothing to levy upon or apply pressure”.

This is because the company has no assets, including its taxis. They are instead in the name of its sole director Mohammed Suleman.

Ms Lee said she was even advised by a solicitor to “not waste any more money” on the case. She is now resigned to not seeing any of the money she is owed.

She said in the months following her dismissal, she struggled to find a new job and went into rent arrears.

“I had to sign on, it was horrible”.

Ms Lee has since found another job in Harrogate but is angry that the company has been able to avoid paying her the money, despite the employment tribunal, county court ruling and visits from bailiffs.

She added:

“The sting in the tail is that they are still trading. It’s disgusting. They are driving around like they don’t have a care in the world.”

The Stray Ferret asked Airline Taxis to respond but we did not receive a reply.