The chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council is set to be appointed as the head of the new unitary authority next month.

Richard Flinton, who has held his current role since 2010, was today named as the preferred candidate to take the helm at North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Flinton, who lives in Ryedale, will be paid up to £197,000 for the role,

The recommendation comes from NYCC’s cross-party chief officer appointments committee, which conducted the selection process.

The final decision will be made by councillors at a full meeting of NYCC on Wednesday, August 17.

The committee chairman, Cllr Carl Les – who is also leader of NYCC and will become leader of the new authority next year – said:

“Our new council will be one of the largest authorities in the country but we are building it around the needs of people, communities and businesses; so it will also be one of the most local.

“The successful candidate for the role of chief executive will be in charge of ensuring that the county’s 600,000 residents, and tens of thousands of businesses, get the best possible service and value for money.

“The person will also manage a revenue budget of around £1.4 billion and an ongoing capital programme of around £350 million while driving the transformation programme to bring public services together in a way that is effective and practical. This programme is estimated to make significant financial savings, which will then be used to help finance frontline services.

“As you would expect for a job this important, the process to select a preferred candidate has been competitive and robust and involved all political parties. It is now for wider councillors to make the final decision when they meet in a few weeks’ time.”

Read more:

• County Council’s ambition for devolution deal on Yorkshire Day
• Councillors delay North Yorkshire climate change proposals

Mr Flinton, who was born in Scarborough, has worked for NYCC since 1987, initially in trading standards. He rose through the ranks to become corporate director of business and environmental services in 2008, before becoming chief executive two years later.

The county council said the recruitment process for his new role was open and promoted nationally.

He said:

“I am humbled to have been chosen as the preferred candidate for the role of chief executive officer of the new North Yorkshire Council. The move to the new authority represents huge challenges and opportunities, and to be able to play a part in that would be a huge honour.

“There are so many hugely talented people across all of the eight councils which will become one next year, and it would be a real privilege to work with them.”

He will take up the post on April 1, when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into effect.

At that point, the 90 councillors elected in May to NYCC will transfer to the new authority where they will serve the first four-year term before another election is held.

At the same time, North Yorkshire’s seven district councils – including Harrogate Borough Council – will be abolished.

Children are being invited to hunt around the centre of Harrogate this summer for classic children’s characters with a difference.

An Alice in Wonderland Lego trail is being launched tomorrow, with 15 large characters in locations around the town.

The event has been organised by Harrogate BID and the characters made by Yorkshire charity Fairybricks.

The six builders took six months and more than 514,000 Lego bricks to create the masterpieces, which will be in place until Saturday, August 20.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“Last year’s Lego trail, featuring a number of well-known Harrogate landmarks, was a huge success, hence its return this summer.

“This time we have gone for an Alice in Wonderland theme, and the models created by the Fairybricks team are simply stunning, and I can’t wait to see them in situ.

“These 15 models haven’t been displayed anywhere before, and after their Harrogate debut they will then be heading off to different events and venues all over the world.”

Read more:

• Displays aim to help Harrogate regain floral fame
• Mixed picture for Harrogate town centre as jubilee celebrations end

The three-week event is designed to bring people into town during the summer, supporting the BID’s levy payers and other businesses in the area.

Sculptures include Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and the Dormouse, and will be at locations including the Victoria Shopping Centre, the Everyman cinema, the Turkish Baths, and the Harrogate Town FC shop on Commercial Street.

The trail can be downloaded via the LoyalFree app, which is free to download from the App Store or Play Store.

Last year’s Lego trail attracted more than 5,500 people to take part using the app, with others enjoying seeing the sculptures while they were in the town centre.

Mr Chapman added:

“We are really excited to be bringing back the Harrogate Lego Trail. It was certainly one of our highlights of last year, and one that help take visitors into different parts the town.

“And with our ongoing Floral Summer of Celebration – featuring a stunning trail, colourful shop window displays and fascinating exhibition – coupled with brilliant shops, bars, restaurants and beautiful gardens and open parkland, Harrogate town centre really is this summer’s must-visit destination.

“I’d also like to thank all the businesses that are participating in the Alice in Brickland Harrogate Lego Trail, who have made room within their premises to display one of the sculptures.”

A “devastated” Harrogate mum was unable to attend her son’s wedding celebration because of a delay in receiving her passport.

Alison Johnson was due to fly to Sweden with husband David last Thursday ready for the event on Saturday, which would also have been the first time she met her daughter-in-law’s family.

She applied for a new passport in early May, as soon as the event was arranged – around the recommended 10-week window before travel – after realising she could not find her old one.

The Passport Office confirmed it had received it within two days and asked a friend to verify the photo.

However, with no sign of the new passport by early July, Mrs Johnson was beginning to worry.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Every time I tried to contact them, the phone went dead. When I did get through, I was promised call-backs that never materialised.

“I got a message earlier in July telling me not to keep contacting them because it slowed the process down, so I stopped.”

After sending off the passport, Mrs Johnson said she heard nothing until she was told the photograph she had sent had been rejected just 10 days before they were due to travel. She sent a new one immediately, then heard nothing more.

After paying to upgrade to a fast-track service, last Monday, July 18, she received a call from the Passport Office reassuring her that the new passport would arrive by special delivery before 9am on the Wednesday, July 20.

Mr and Mrs Johnson were due to travel to Manchester that afternoon, ready for their flight the next day.

Mrs Johnson said, with the promise of the passport’s arrival, she even baked a wedding cake for her son Matt and his new wife Linn. They were married at New Year, but decided to have a celebration for the whole family in the summer in her native Sweden.

“It was going to be in the most idyllic setting at a place called Osby. He’s allergic to nuts, so I made a traditional English wedding cake without the nuts, cooked with brandy.

“I iced it on the Tuesday on the morning of the awful heat.

“Then the passport didn’t turn up on Wednesday. The cake is now in a cake box in a case and it’s going to have to stay there.”

Read more:

• Harrogate blogger devastated after scammers blackmail her
• Councillors delay North Yorkshire climate change proposals

With no passport, Mr and Mrs Johnson were left with no option but to cancel their flights. She said they could have rearranged their travel plans, but the cost of doing so was too much for them to afford.

It was also made more complicated by the fact Ms Johnson has ME and requires a mobility scooter. Arranging for it to be taken on a plane can be complex even with a lot of notice.

She said:

“I am just devastated. He is our only child and we just wanted to be there.

“I’ve been there for every other milestone of my son’s life. This was a bit special – a highlight after a few awful years.

“We haven’t seen them since the beginning of January and they’re going away on honeymoon now, then they’re both working flat out when they get back so I don’t think we’ll see them until next year.

“There’s another celebration planned in London next year so we can go to that and take the cake, but that’s no compensation for what we’ve missed.”

A spokesperson for HM Passport Office said:

“Between March and May, we processed approximately three million applications, and 98.5% of applications were completed within 10 weeks. But we cannot compromise security checks and people should apply with plenty of time prior to travelling.”

Mrs Johnson said although she has missed out on the important family event, she hopes other people will learn from her experience and apply as early as possible or pay to receive their passport sooner.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A pay rise of 30% has helped a specialist care provider recruit 120 new members of staff.

Vida Healthcare is deploying the new team members across its three care homes in Harrogate in roles including care assistants, registered nurses and wellbeing staff.

The pay increase has seen qualified care assistants increase their hourly rates from £9.61 to £12.32, while nurses have gone from £18.50 to £22.50.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“Recent Skills for Care data found that filled posts in adult social care dropped for the first time ever and the number of vacant posts had increased by over 50%.

“It’s really important to us that we demonstrate to our team how much we appreciate and value them so that we can continue combating this crisis.

“Establishing various benefits including the pay increase and our bespoke training platform ‘Vida Academy’ also supports our colleagues in providing the best care to our residents. A role in social care isn’t just a job, but can be a very successful career.”

Vida Healthcare employs more than 470 staff to care for more than 200 residents living with dementia.

Its third care home, Vida Court on Beckwith Head Road, launched last year and features a cinema, sweet shop and hair salon.

Newly-employed team leader Jayne Christie said:

“It’s been a challenge to find a role in the sector which can provide the support that I need both in my job and out of work.

“Joining Vida was a no brainer thanks to the amazing things that are available to support myself and my colleagues like the pay increase and the amazing surroundings in the care homes.

“Social care is a really rewarding career, but it can be incredibly demanding both mentally and physically. Knowing that my employer cares about me and my wellbeing means a lot.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Newtons solicitors to move to new premises in Ripon
• Business Breakfast: Ripon company renews junior football sponsorship

New director for Harrogate-based Eye Airports

A new director has been appointed to the head of an airport advertising firm in Harrogate.

Rachel Davies joins Eye Airports as one of three new appointments for parent company CP Media.

The outdoor advertising specialist has also added Ed Armstrong and Richard Eccles to its board as head of marketing and group chief operating officer respectively.

It follows a year of growth for the firm, with a 40% increase in group revenues to £6.8m in the last financial year.

Mike Brennan, CEO at CP Media, said:

“Rachel is the most experienced and successful regional airport advertising manager in the UK. Her promotion to the main board will strengthen both the company and the management.

“Ed has been with us for many years and now runs one of the most successful marketing departments in our industry.

“Richard has done outstanding work for the entire group over the last 10 years and thoroughly deserves this promotion.

“He has been my successful number two almost since the beginning and we wouldn’t be here without him. He is a vital part of our future growth.”

CP Media was named one of the 50 fastest growing Yorkshire companies by Ward Hadaway and number 78 in the UK in the top founder-led private businesses of 2022, awarded by FEBE Growth 100.

It has offices in Halifax as well as six of its 40-strong team being based in Harrogate, where Eye Airport is based. CP Media acquired the brand in 2019, taking advantage of its advertising rights for 19 regional airports.

A village school with just 45 pupils has been praised for turning around its fortunes in the four years since its last Ofsted inspection.

Admiral Long Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘good’ after inspectors visited last month and found its leaders were “ambitious” and had put an “effective” curriculum in place.

The school in Burnt Yates was founded on the site of the former village primary school, which was closed in 2018 after Ofsted said it had inadequate safeguarding.

Bishop Thornton Primary School, which was rated ‘requires improvement’, then moved to the site. Its executive headteacher, Victoria Kirkman, took over in September 2021 and also oversees Birstwith Primary School, as well as being interim executive leader of the Ripley, Beckwithshaw and Kettlesing federation of schools.

In their latest report, Ofsted inspectors said:

“Admiral Long Church of England Primary School does not just focus on academic outcomes. Pupils experience a range of sporting and cultural events to enhance their learning.

“Leaders want their pupils to grow into well-rounded young people, ready to take their place in the world. The school curriculum, enrichment experiences and the wider opportunities on offer have been designed to achieve this.”

Read more:

• Harrogate independent school offers free places for Ukrainian refugees
• Spofforth after-school club praised by Ofsted

The report highlighted the overwhelmingly positive response of parents to the school, saying they were “full of praise” for staff and leaders and were proud to say their children attended the school.

Inspectors found reading was a high priority in the school, from pupils just beginning to learn letter sounds to those who had fallen behind receiving extra support.

They said the curriculum was well-planned overall, encouraging pupils to make links between different subject areas. While the maths curriculum was ambitious and “coherently sequenced”, inspectors said it could be broken down into smaller steps to help the youngest children in the early stages of number recall.

Executive headteacher Victoria Kirkman

Ms Kirkman said:

“Since September, the school has gone on an incredible journey of rapid school improvement and I am delighted this hard work has been recognised, especially with regards to the safeguarding of its pupils.

“Although our school was recognised for its achievements in relation to the curriculum and academic outcomes, I am most proud of the recognition, post-pandemic, for the pastoral care and enrichment experiences we give to our pupils.”

Early years

The report found the school’s early years provision required improvement, particularly in outdoor learning, saying:

“Children in the early years enjoy learning in a welcoming and attractive space indoors that prioritises all areas of learning, including physical development and communication and language.

“However, this is not the case outdoors. Consequently, children are unable to enjoy extending their play and learning outside. There is a lack of activities and resources for them to use.

“The space does not support the delivery of the early years curriculum. Leaders know this area requires development and have plans in place for this.”

Inspectors also recommended improvements to the SEND provision, giving more support to pupils to ensure they reached targets set for them.

Chair of governors Jane Connor said:

“The governors are immensely proud of the achievement of the leadership team and all staff and children at Admiral Long School…

“We are particularly proud of the school’s focus on developing well-rounded young people, through a curriculum developed in the best interests of pupils, enrichment experiences and wider opportunities.”

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

It may seem strange that an organisation dedicated to promoting Harrogate town centre is campaigning to increase its crime levels. 

However, Harrogate BID knows what it is doing and there is method behind its madness. 

BID manager Matthew Chapman said: 

“The statistics showed that the number of crimes is very low in the town centre. 

“While on the face of it this seems like good news, the stats just didn’t match up with what we were hearing from BID members. 

“Shop owners and staff were telling us they were regularly seeing relatively minor crime, but the police figures just didn’t reflect this.” 

Mr Chapman and the team at the BID decided to investigate further.  

The kind of crimes being seen by retailers included anti-social behaviour, often linked to drinking, and what’s termed ‘professional begging’ – people who are not truly homeless and who often don’t live in Harrogate coming into town to take advantage of what they see as a lucrative opportunity to collect money from the public. 

Often, said Mr Chapman, those people went on to use the money to buy drinks and, later in the day, they would commit crimes such as shoplifting. 

Yet the BID investigation found town centre workers often didn’t report the problems they witnessed. 

“People told us they were calling 101 to tell the police and were waiting on hold for half an hour or longer, before they eventually gave up. 

“After a few occasions like that, many said they no longer bothered to report the low-level cases because they just didn’t have the time.  

“Some of the bigger chain shops also let shoplifting go – they have instructions from head office that they don’t need to report every instance. 

“The police statistics aren’t reflecting the reality of the town centre because the control room just isn’t getting to hear about it.” 

As a result, the BID has launched a campaign to encourage people to report every instance of crime they see across the town centre. 

Recognising employees’ time is valuable, the BID has highlighted the fact that crime can be reported via the 101 page on the North Yorkshire Police website. 

It takes just five minutes, said Mr Chapman, and will generate a crime number and add the incident to the official police log. 

He said: 

“We’ve been told the best way to get the police to respond to things is to increase the numbers of crimes.  

“Officers say they can’t do anything if nobody has reported a problem. Every avenue we went down, it always came back to needing more reports. 

“They are an evidence-based organisation that works with data. The more crimes they see are being committed, the more resource they will put into an area. 

“So we’re asking everyone to report every crime they see, no matter how minor it may be. In six months’ time, we’ll go back to the police and see how the numbers are looking.” 

Mr Chapman said the BID hopes the result will be a significant increase in the crime statistics for the town centre – which in turn will encourage more police resources to be directed towards it. 

He added: 

“We recognise Harrogate is far from one of the worst places in the world, but it’s not immune from the problems every other town and city centre has.

“We want to make sure we stay on top of these relatively minor issues so they don’t become worse and they don’t detract from all the things that make Harrogate a great place to live, work and visit.”

To report a crime to North Yorkshire Police, visit the dedicated reporting section of its website.

Rachel Daly’s former football coach has said he’s never seen a better female footballer as the England international heads into tonight’s crunch Euro semi-final.

Daly, who went to Saltergate and Rossett schools in Harrogate, will be among the squad who will go head-to-head with Sweden for a place in the final at Wembley on Sunday.

She started at full-back in the Lionesses’ dramatic 2-1 quarter-final win over Spain last Wednesday to book the Linonesses in tonight’s game.

Mike Sweetman, who coached Daly at Rossett school, said he was not surprised at her success on the pitch.

He said:

“She was just head and shoulders above any other girl footballer at the time, she played with the boys and she wanted to play with the boys. The boys were very good with her and they just treated her as one of the lads, she was very popular and they basically just played football at any opportunity they had.

“I have so many memories and stories but I just always remember opposition players knowing how good she was and trying to mark her but she was just too good.

“We got to the north of England final at Turf Moor, she was outstanding, we played a team from Liverpool, they had three or four players who just followed her all around the pitch.”

Read more:

• ‘She’s just my daughter!’: Rachel Daly’s dad’s pride at Olympics star
• Local Lioness leads by example in the Women’s EUROs

Mr Sweetman, who has since retired from Rossett’s PE department after 27 years, has coached a number of students who have gone onto do well in the sport, including gaining scholarships to US universities.

But for him, Daly is among the best he has coached and it does not surprise him to see her doing well for the international side.

He said:

“I’m not surprised she has had more than 50 caps for England.

“In all my years teaching I had not seen a better female player, saying that, she struggled with a bad knee at school and you definitely need a lot of luck along with talent to cement your place in an England team.”

@Rossett @RachelDaly3 Fantastic to see this kid returning to school, 16 caps for England later. Saying I feel proud is the understatement of the year!!#Rachel Daly pic.twitter.com/0BUbmucFWC

— michael sweetman (@Mike_Sweetman) December 19, 2018

As for Daly’s and the Lionesses’ chances of reaching the final, Mr Sweetman feels England have a good chance tonight.

He added that the record crowd at Bramall Lane in Sheffield will help them get over the line.

“I think she is doing amazingly well in the tournament, she is playing in defence and she usually plays up front for Houston Dash but that really does illustrate well just how good she is when she can play left centre back or left back when she is predominantly a striker. 

“I think they could win tonight. Sweden are a very good team though, I think the crowd will really help England.”

Temporary lights have been put up on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road in Harrogate this evening after burst water mains were reported in both locations.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair both pipes and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The Wetherby Road lights are outside Harrogate Town’s Envirovent Stadium, while on Knaresborough Road the affected stretch is near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop.

The works are likely to cause some delays during this evening’s rush hour.  Yorkshire Water said it expected Knaresborough Road to re-open tomorrow morning.

A problem was first identified by the company earlier today, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Tonight Yorkshire Water issued this statement:

A suspected Asian hornet has been spotted in a garden in Harrogate today.

Andy Johnson believes he spotted one of the invasive insects on the fence outside his garden in the Hookstone area of town.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I didn’t manage to get a camera in time to take a photo, but I had a look online afterwards.

“I put two pictures up on Facebook and someone I know said one was a European hornet and the second was an Asian hornet.

“The one that’s more akin to what I saw is the Asian one, with slightly orangey wings. If it was an identity parade, I would say it’s the second one.”

https://twitter.com/andyj2859/status/1551539714989199360

The invasive species is a threat to native honey bees, which is why Defra asks sightings to be reported via its website – and even set up an app for reporting sightings in 2017.

Its website said the hornets pose “no greater risk to human health than a bee” but they were a threat to British honey bees, which was the reason any sightings needed to be reported.

Since 2016, there have been 22 confirmed sightings in the UK, including 12 nests which have been destroyed. One of the sightings in 2018 was in Hull, but the rest are mostly closer to the south coast and commonly in September and October.

Read more:

• Sensory garden with braille plaques opens in Harrogate
• Four dogs rescued from hot car in Harrogate given back to owner

Mr Johnson said he had reported his sighting to the Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association and was awaiting a call back. He added:

“My neighbour saw it first and said, ‘what’s that?’

“She is a retired doctor who has lived here for many years. She’s into gardening and she knows much more about identifying insects and things than I do, so if it’s not something she recognises then it must be unusual.”

He added he wanted people to be aware that the insects could have migrated to the Harrogate area so if they spotted one, they would know to take a photograph and report it.

A campaign has been launched to help a business organisation get a better picture of how crime affects Harrogate town centre.

Harrogate BID‘s Report a Crime campaign is calling on businesses, residents and visitors to report all crimes and anti-social behaviour via North Yorkshire Police’s website.

The organisation’s manager, Matthew Chapman, said:

“First and foremost I want to say Harrogate is a safe, welcoming and clean town. However, we hear regular stories from town centre traders of anti-social activity, including shoplifting, vandalism and drug abuse.

“In order to get a true picture, we are asking those who are either victims of a crime, or witness incidents, to report it online.

“Unlike calling 101 and then hanging up after several minutes, this means every incident is logged. This way, we can get a true picture of what is happening in the town.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe with Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman

The new campaign is being backed by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, whose chief executive David Simister said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town to live and work, but when it comes to crime it’s not immune.

“However, the fear of crime is often worse than perception, but it’s important we get a proper understanding of what is happening – or not happening – in our town centre, hence us giving our backing to this campaign.

“In the past I’ve called 101 and after waiting many minutes I’ve simply put the phone down. And by doing this, an incident has gone unreported. In future, report it online and that way it is logged and recorded.”

It follows a meeting between Mr Chapman and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, when he raised BID members’ concerns about a lack of visible policing.

Mr Chapman said the commissioner told him police chiefs rely on statistics in order to prioritise resources and, if crimes go unreported, police are unable to give the right resources to the affected areas.

She urged him to encourage all BID levy payers and others to use online reporting to ensure all incidents were being passed to police.

Read more:

• Map reveals areas which could be served by a Harrogate Town Council
• Displays aim to help Harrogate regain floral fame

Among the levy payers backing the campaign is Justin Sutter, business manager at John Atherton’s, which trades at McDonalds on Cambridge Street, who said:

“We are backing the report a crime campaign because the safety and security of our people and customers is of the utmost importance to us. We hope that we can continue to support North Yorkshire Police with this campaign and be a part of creating safer communities.”

The campaign not only runs during daytime hours, but extends to evening and night-time trading. Alan Huddart, secretary of Harrogate Pubwatch, said:

“Thanks to the BID’s support of Pubwatch and the introduction of the app, we are able to alert those in the scheme immediately to any issues.

“At the same time, I would also ask not just our members, but all licensed premises, to register any incident online, ensuring the police have a proper record of it.

“Harrogate is a great night out, and we want to make sure it stays that way by having adequate policing.”