Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

Teenage boys arrested after Mercedes stolen in Harrogate

Two 16-year-old boys have been arrested after a Mercedes was stolen from a home in Harrogate.

The black Mercedes G Class, registration YK71 NKZ, was taken from Harcourt Drive in the early hours of Friday, October 21.

The two boys arrested in relation to the incident have since been released on conditional bail while police continue their enquiries.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Offers are appealing for anyone who has information about the incident, or the stolen car, or who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time, to contact police.”

To report information, call 101, press one and use reference 12220187200.

Alternatively, report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Roadworks lead to long queues on A59 near Knaresborough

Queues of more than an hour have been reported as motorists try to navigate roadworks on the edge of Knaresborough.

Four-way traffic lights are in place to allow Yorkshire Water to carry out work on the A59 near the junction with the A658.

However, they have been leading to long tailbacks, especially at peak times. Drivers have reported queues all the way back to the junction of the A1M and beyond.

Harrogate Bus Company said its 21 service between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge has also been caught up in the delays.

https://twitter.com/harrogatebus/status/1584480023918309381

Works in the area began at the start of October, but recently moved to the roundabout.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said the queues had eased today, adding:

“Our teams are on site laying a new water main for a new housing development.

“To allow the work to be completed safely, two-way temporary traffic lights will be in place this week.

“These will be manually controlled from 7am to 7pm to minimise disruption as much as possible during busier periods of the day.”

The works in the area are scheduled to continue until November 11.

Otley Road cycle path could be re-routed with new traffic restrictions

The next stage of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path could be re-routed onto side streets with restrictions for traffic under new proposals currently out to consultation.

North Yorkshire County Council is considering diverting part of the route onto Queens Road or Victoria Road in order to build wider cycle paths and footways.

Both of these options would link with Beech Grove which is seen as a key route for cyclists and could become a one-way traffic system – or see the return of bollards blocking cars and other vehicles as part of a low traffic neighbourhood which was removed in summer after a trial.

Option 1

The first option is what was originally proposed for this phase of the Otley Road cycle path which runs between the junctions of Cold Bath Road and Beech Grove.

These plans include junction upgrades and shared cycle paths and footways, similar to what has already been built on Otley Road. But the county council said some sections could be too narrow, which is why it is considering re-routing.

Option 2

Under these plans the route would be diverted onto Victoria Road with a one-way traffic system and the removal of some parking spaces to allow for a 1.5 metre wide cycle path.

The one-way traffic system would run up until Lancaster Road, before connecting with Beech Grove.

Option 3

This final option would see a 3m wide shared cycle path and footway built on Queens Road before connecting with Lancaster Road and Beech Grove.

Parallel and toucan crossings are also proposed.

The long-awaited consultation, which runs until November 28, comes as the county council has faced sustained criticism for slow progress on the cycle path and other active travel plans in Harrogate.

It was in 2017 when funding was first awarded to upgrade Otley Road and construction of phase two of the cycle path now won’t start until at least next summer.

Parts of the existing route which opened at the start of this year are also set to be rebuilt following safety concerns.

These setbacks follow further controversy for the county council and its Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood which is now set to be reignited as a topic of debate following the latest proposals.

Beech Grove is seen as a key link to connect Otley Road and the £11.9 million Harrogate Gateway project. But there was both joy and dismay when the traffic restrictions were removed from the street in August.

And although there were strong feelings on both sides of the debate, most residents were unanimous in their view that the county council failed to properly consult with the public.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the authority, said there are pros and cons for all of the latest proposals “which is why we need to engage with local residents and stakeholders”.

He said:

“It’s important to consider the possibility of conflict between road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the impact on properties along the route and parking.

“We would urge everybody to have their say and help us to shape the final designs.”

As part of the consultation, a meet the designer event is also being organised to allow for people to discuss the Otley Road proposals in more detail.

The county council is also seeking views for cycling and walking improvements in the Oatlands Drive area of Harrogate after previous plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped.

For more information and to have your say go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations.

Police appeal for help to track down child’s bike stolen from Harrogate home

Police are appealing for help to track down a child’s bike stolen from outside a home in Harrogate.

The Trek 3700 bike was taken from outside the property on Claro Avenue between Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8.

It is silver with black and green writing. There are scratches on the handlebars and some on the frame.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are appealing for information for any witnesses who may have seen this incident or the stolen bike. We are also appealing for anyone locally with CCTV that may assist with locating this item.”

Anyone with information can email jemma.grant@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option two and ask for PC649 Grant, using reference 12220183582.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Plans to extend drinking hours at village pub near Ripon

An application to extend drinking hours at the Sawley Arms near Ripon will be decided by the council next week.

The gastro pub has applied for a licence for late-night drinking until 1am, seven days a week.

As part of the application, the pub said it will ensure accompanied children are seated away from other guests, and that staff will be on site at all times. It also said there are 16 CCTV cameras recording constantly in order to prevent crime and disorder.

The application had originally requested the licence for both the bar and the gardens, but environmental health officer Gemma Demaline said that was likely to cause disturbance to nearby residents in Sawley.

Responding for the Sawley Arms, Steve Harryman said:

“This will be predominantly to allow us to serve our guests for a bit longer.

“We are a quiet country pub with the gardens only usable in the summer months and our current licence allows us to use them up until 11pm.

“No noise complaints in our nine-year trading period.”

Mr Harryman then offered to keep the licence for the gardens until 11pm and extend the hours inside only. He said staff would ask guests to move inside at 11pm and signs would be put up asking them to leave the pub “quickly and quietly”.

He added:

“This is most likely to be hotel guests walking to the rear of the pub to their hotel rooms, no traffic movements.

“We also have night porters on site to ensure noise levels are kept to a minimum, for the benefit of our neighbours and our other hotel guests.”

An objection to the proposal was submitted by David Taylor, clerk to Grantley and Sawley Parish Council, saying the council had “grave concerns”. He said:

“The residents of the village are very likely to be disturbed by vehicles leaving the site at times that would extend beyond 1am.

“Although 1am is the requested extended time, there would be ‘drinking up time’ and staff leaving the premises, therefore it would be nearer to 2am when the last cars leave the site.

“this would present a very real disturbance to the many residents leaving in close proximity to the Sawley Arms.”

The application will be considered by Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing committee next Friday, October 28.

Former teacher set to open coffee shop on Harrogate’s Leeds Road

A former teacher is set to fulfil a long-standing dream by opening her own coffee shop in Harrogate this month.

Sally Lumsden, who taught in a Leeds school for 19 years, is renovating the former florist shop on Leeds Road to create Folk Coffee House.

A self-confessed coffee snob, she said her interest was sparked when she was travelling in Australia when she was younger and experienced the thriving coffee culture.

She said:

“I got into teaching and loved it, and it ticked lots of boxes when my kids were younger.

“But it wasn’t the same after covid. It was horrific. We thought we worked long hours before, but having to do everything remotely and on Zoom was horrible.

“I thought, ‘I’m not getting any younger. Other people can do this – why not me?'”

Ms Lumsden has been supported in her plans by Dark Woods Coffee, which has helped transform the space and given her training.

Her baking enthusiast friend will be delivering cakes to be sold in the coffee house and she’s using independent bakeries Manna and Baltzersen’s to add to her menu.

However, food and drink won’t be the only things on offer: she is also planning to introduce a programme of workshops to build a sense of community around the coffee shop.

“I want it to be a meeting place where it’s friendly and the staff know you. You can come and meet up with all ages, all folk. If there’s anything you fancy on the programme, you can give it a go.

“I’m not precious about a model for the business. I’m open to what people want and we’ll constantly evolve.”

The coffee shop will initially be open from Monday to Saturday, in line with many of the other shops along Leeds Road. However, Ms Lumsden said she may open on Sundays in the run-up to Christmas if there is sufficient demand.

Ms Lumsden has already recruited a team of staff who approached her with “impressive initiative” after seeing work taking place at the coffee shop.

Support has also been on offer from nearby businesses and passing residents, who have given a warm welcome to Sally and Folk. She added:

“I’ve been bowled over with how lovely everyone has been.”

Knaresborough Connectors aim to bring community together in ‘living rooms’

A community organisation in Knaresborough is hoping to bring people together for mutual support through the cost of living crisis.

Knaresborough Connectors is establishing a number of “public living rooms” – a home from home offering a comfortable, warm space to be.

Rather than inviting the elderly or vulnerable to sit in them, though, the group is keen to ensure the whole community comes together through the rooms for everyone’s benefit.

Director Nick Garrett said:

“We aren’t going for the idea of welcoming in poor people from the cold. All the evidence says if you target towards frail, elderly people, they don’t come. This is for anyone and everyone.

“The rooms will be like someone’s living room at home: warm and comfy and with nice furnishings.

“[Knaresborough councillor] Hannah Gostlow’s background is in interior design. She’s designing some really cool-looking living rooms for us.”

The first community living room will be in Knaresborough Library‘s chill-out zone, which is currently being designed and transformed by volunteers.

A further two will follow at Chain Lane Community Hub and Gracious Street Methodist Church. There will also be a co-working space at 8 York Place.

The aim is for people to use them as a social space. They might go there to knit, to have a cup of tea or watch TV, or to play board games or read books. While there, they might meet others who want to learn to knit or play a game, or who might simply want someone to talk to.

Mr Garrett said the community living rooms would run alongside support from Resurrected Bites, which runs a community grocery and a pay-as-you-feel cafe in the town.

Knaresborough Connectors is also using social prescribing, encouraging people and businesses in the community to refer others to its team to access what they need.

He said:

“There was a hairdresser in Knaresborough who was cutting a customer’s hair and he told her he was on the brink of homelessness. She contacted us through someone else and he’s now been rehoused.

“There will be lots of people like that coming out of the woodwork because they can’t afford things. There’s also lots of support and advice from Knaresborough Connectors.”

The group is now urging everyone in the town to get involved in one of three ways: engaging with people simply by saying hello, using talents and gifts to help others, and sharing what they can, such as donating to local charity shops and community organisations.

Mr Garrett said research showed reducing social isolation also helped to relieve pressure on the NHS as people were less likely to visit the GP or be admitted to hospital if they were well supported in the community.

By engaging people who are struggling to be part of the network of support, Mr Garrett said everyone could make a difference for each other.

For more details, visit the Warm and Welcome page of the Knaresborough Connectors website.

Harrogate council leader asks for apology from victim of employee’s Twitter abuse

The Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council has called for an apology from a Liberal Democrat councillor who was a victim of offensive tweets sent by a disgraced council employee.

It follows the Stray Ferret’s revelation that an anonymous Twitter account posting abusive messages about Cllr Matthew Webber, among others, was run by the council’s head of parking services, Steve Rogers.

Mr Rogers resigned this morning with immediate effect – but a hostile email exchange on Wednesday reveals tension at the council as it attempted to deal with his actions.

The extraordinary message, seen by the Stray Ferret, was sent by Cllr Richard Cooper to Cllr Webber, copying in all councillors, the chief executive – and Mr Rogers, the very person who had been responsible for the abuse and was under investigation at the time.

It led to the council’s chief executive being forced to step in and call for silence on the issue.

Cllr Cooper wrote:

“I don’t read the Stray Ferret but a friend highlighted the article yesterday where you were quoted having complained to the chief executive about the Twitter account of a council employee calling for action and describing how a post about you had been upsetting.

“I sympathise. As many know I used to have a Twitter account but I came off because of the endless abuse I received.

“For some reason I find social media abuse far more hurtful than emails or phone calls. It is so easy for these keyboard warriors to type their anonymous bile late at night and cause hurt and upset.”

Cllr Cooper went on to mention he was aware of Cllr Webber’s complaint to the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson, and said he would not comment on that because he sits on the HR committee, which would have dealt with Mr Rogers had he not resigned.

Cllr Cooper pointed out in the email that Cllr Webber followed two accounts which he said were “dedicated to abusing” and “ridiculing” him. He appears to draw comparison between Cllr Webber following the accounts and Mr Rogers’ actions on his ChippyGlory account.

He added:

“Clearly if, as you state, Mr Rogers’ actions on his Twitter account bring the council into disrepute then the same could apply to your actions in following accounts clearly and specifically designed to insult and degrade me.

“I hope you will considering apologising and stop following those accounts and any others that I haven’t spotted that seek to demean, ridicule and insult local politicians.”

As well as copying Mr Rogers, Cllr Cooper sent the email to all 38 Harrogate borough councillors and chief executive Wallace Sampson.

Cllr Cooper said he did this “for transparency’s sake”, saying Mr Rogers should be aware of the correspondence. The full email from Cllr Cooper is below.

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Webber about Cllr Cooper’s email.

He said he did not want to comment any further on Mr Rogers, but he was considering making a complaint to the council’s standards committee about the council leader’s email.

He said he had never tweeted anything abusive in his life and found the comparison to be “completely inappropriate”.

He added:

“I was shocked and disappointed with the tone and the inference that I’m as bad as Steve Rogers.”

Less than two hours later on Wednesday, the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson, sent a firm email instructing councillors to stop all communications about the situation.

Following the article about Mr Rogers’ tweets on the Stray Ferret this week, Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Pat Marsh had called for the council employee to be dismissed, while fellow Lib Dem Cllr Chris Aldred asked for him to have supervision responsibilities for female staff members to be removed, and Conservative Cllr Nick Brown said he should be suspended while an investigation took place.

Referring to these statements and Cllr Cooper’s email, Mr Sampson wrote to all councillors to remind them of the need for the council’s HR processes to be followed. He added:

“I am therefore writing to all councillors to make clear that any further public comment or communication regarding this matter must cease with immediate effect, as such actions could be prejudicial to ensuring a fair and transparent process as the investigation takes its course.

“To be calling for the dismissal of an officer prior to an investigation considering the breach of policy is at risk of pre-determination.”

Mr Rogers has not posted from his Twitter account since the story was published earlier this week. He apologised for what he had previously posted and said he had “changed his persona over recent months”.

The Stray Ferret contact both Harrogate Borough Council and Cllr Richard Cooper for a comment on the situation. Neither has responded to our request.

Volunteer sets up artisan market in Knaresborough to support food waste charity

A monthly artisan market will raise funds for a food waste and food poverty charity covering Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Held at Gracious Street Methodist Church, Knaresborough Artisan Market will have stalls across three rooms featuring independent traders.

It will raise funds for Resurrected Bites, which runs community groceries and pay-as-you-feel cafes in the same venue and in Harrogate.

The market runs from 10am to 3pm tomorrow, Saturday, with more dates booked in for Saturday, November 5 and Saturday December 3.

As well as refreshments and cakes, traders will be selling jewellery, art, crystals, gifts, candles, beauty products, vegan and eco products, and more.

The market is being organised by Resurrected Bites volunteer Jade Lapsley.

The charity’s chief executive Michelle Hayes said:

“We have challenging times ahead to meet the demand for our services. In order to run our community groceries and give-as-you-can community cafes and shops, we still need to run various fundraising activities to help cover our costs.

“One of those activities is the Starbeck Artisan Market. This is a great opportunity to support the local economy and start Christmas shopping in addition to helping Resurrected Bites raise much needed funds.”

Earlier this month, Resurrected Bites appealed for more corporate supporters in order to ensure it could continue to support vulnerable people through the cost of living crisis.

While it said it has funding in place for the next six months, the amount of food waste being donated had dropped and the charity was having to buy in more in order to meet demand.

Expansion plans for busy Harrogate bar and cafe

A popular bar and cafe in central Harrogate is set to expand to offer more space for customers.

Starling on Oxford Street will close its doors on Sunday at 3pm to knock through to the neighbouring unit, tripling the ground floor space it currently has.

Owner Simon Midgley told the Stray Ferret that, despite the current economic uncertainty, he was confident the move was right for the business.

He said:

“We bounced back really strongly after the closures and lockdowns. We know what we do is well thought of and we’ve got a good team delivering it.

“It has been a slow burn to get to this point. We first looked next door at the start of the year and it has taken quite a long time to get to the point we are now.

“The world has changed a bit so it brings more challenges than there were 12 months ago. But I’ve done cash flow models working with our accountants, Wild and Co, and they’re doing a fantastic job to support us.

“We’re just really thrilled it has all come to fruition.”

Work has been taking place in the neighbouring building for around 12 weeks already, with the landlord also converting the upper floors into residential space.

Starling is expected to close for around three weeks while the ground floor is completed.

One of the key reasons for the expansion, as well as extending the ground floor space, is to give a better view of what Starling offers from the street to entice people inside. The bar will be turned around and there will be more seating for customers.

Once it re-opens, more jobs will be created, including full- and part-time front-of-house roles and positions in the kitchen.

Simon said, like many other hospitality businesses, recruiting chefs had proved tricky this year and he was still seeking the right people to deliver the menu of brunches and pizzas to complement the soft and alcoholic drinks on offer.

He said:

“We’re expecting to be significantly busier.

“We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. I’ve got every confidence in the team and the sort of food and drink we offer.

“We aren’t trying to recreate what we are so much as create a better ambience and a more comfortable space in which to do it.”

He added:

“There are always challenges. As long as you assess the risk and go at it in a calculated way, when times are hard you’re better showing a bit of spark and attacking that situation than sitting back and being cautious.

“Put your best foot forward.”

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