Half of the responses to a consultation over plans to make Oatlands Drive in Harrogate one-way were strongly against the proposal, according to a new report.

Of the 2,298 people who responded to North Yorkshire County Council’s consultation, 50% indicated they ‘strongly oppose’ the scheme, while 38% said they supported or strongly supported it.

The scheme proposes making the road one-way southbound, towards Hookstone Drive, to create more space for cycle paths and widened footpaths.

It has already proved controversial, with more than 1,600 people having signed a petition set up by resident Anna McIntee opposing the plans. Opponents have cited the impact on school buses and the increasing creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

However, Harrogate and District Cycling Action said roads including Oatlands Drive need to be made safer for cyclists in order to reduce traffic around Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chair of the HDCA, told the Stray Ferret:

“The main aim is to get people cycling for short journeys into the town centre. We hope to have segregate cycle lanes on all the arterial routes.

“Some think that we want the roads to be car free but we just want to be able to share the roads safely.

“Even the most experienced cyclists feel unsafe with big lorries passing them close by and would feel much safer with a segregated lane.”

Read more:

• Campaign against Oatlands one-way scheme ramps up
• Call for public to engage with Harrogate Station Gateway plans

In a report due to be considered by NYCC’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee next week, network strategy officer Louise Neale said:

“In total, we assessed over three hundred potential schemes to put forward as part of our bid for tranche two [funding from the Department for Transport] in August 2020.

“The criteria of the funding was particularly stringent and with a relatively small amount of funding available only a handful of schemes were deemed suitable for this round of funding. Three of the five schemes included in the bid were in Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

As well as the Oatlands Drive scheme, the consultation asked for people’s views on plans to introduce cycle lanes and crossings on the A59 near Harrogate Golf Club, and to improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure on Victoria Avenue near Harrogate Library.

Both of those schemes proved more popular in the consultation, with 44% and 43% respectively supporting or strongly supporting them.

Full details of the responses to the consultation have not yet been released, but NYCC said it will take the feedback into account. In her report for the area committee, Ms Neale added:

“The first round of consultation focussed on the corridors for the routes rather than detailed design. The feedback from the first round of consultation will be collated to inform more detailed consultation plans.

“The second round of consultation is planned to take place in late March.”

Families across the Harrogate district struggling to pay their bills could receive one-off support of £20 thanks to North Yorkshire County Council.

The money is in addition to the £15 per week food vouchers the authority will give to families entitled to free school meals.

It was revealed at a meeting of NYCC’s executive today that the government has provided additional funding to help families, and the authority agreed to let headteachers use their discretion about which families should receive the money.

NYCC’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, told the meeting:

“With the best will in the world, nine or ten of us sat round this virtual table do not know where those families are that are in real need.

“I would suggest that schools, headteachers, touch those families every day and would be better placed to help identify where it’s going to make the biggest difference: so just about managing, those who have perhaps have just lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic or whatever, that might need that bit more support…

“Quite often there are those that fall through the cracks – hard-working people that perhaps are just having a little bit of a bad time of it.”

The executive was originally going to vote on distribution of the food vouchers to families through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, funded by the government. However, an amendment was made when additional funding was released to local authorities, enabling NYCC to add the £20 vouchers to support families struggling as a result of the pandemic.

The nine members of the executive voted unanimously in favour of the measure. They also agreed to allow the corporate director for children and young people’s services, Stuart Carlton, to use his discretion to allocate future funding through the scheme in consultation with the relevant executive member, without having to bring each decision to the executive for approval.

Read more:

• Meditation at heart of Harrogate school’s mental health award
• 300 more Harrogate children receiving free school meals since pandemic

Meanwhile, a new Holiday Activities and Food scheme is set to be brought into effect to support families on benefits from the Easter holidays onwards.

The county council is working to develop a scheme of holiday clubs and activities, including providing healthy meals, for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Pilot schemes have been running elsewhere in the UK since 2018, but are only now being introduced in North Yorkshire. A report to the executive said:

“The rationale behind the scheme is that families may experience increased pressure points in holiday periods because of increased costs – such as food or childcare – and reduced incomes.

“This potentially leads to holiday experience gaps with children from disadvantaged families less likely to access organised out-of-school activities, more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health, and more likely to experience social isolation.”

The scheme proposes offering four weeks of activities in the summer and a week each at Easter and Christmas. However, the current situation with covid guidelines means the programme will be delivered virtually this Easter, using online resources as well as activity packs including sports equipment and healthy recipes.

NYCC has been awarded almost £1.2m of funding for the project for the coming financial year and will work with other organisations to deliver it, including North Yorkshire Police and community groups. Existing council resources, such as libraries and the early help service, will also be used.

The council could add to its funding through contributions from “philanthropists, businesses, supermarkets or other organisations”.

Any family in receipt of free school meals would be eligible for the holiday programme, though NYCC said it did not expect every family to apply.

A loan given by North Yorkshire County Council to tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire will be extended for another six months.

The £500,000 agreement was taken out in September 2019 to help cashflow and was originally due to be repaid by November last year.

However, the council agreed to extend the term by a year to November 2021, and has now added a further six months to the term. NYCC’s executive today voted unanimously to support the deadline of April 2022 for the loan to be repaid.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of NYCC, said:

“This is done for a technical reason – it’s not offering any more funding to Welcome to Yorkshire in any shape or form. It’s merely a technical extension to that loan repayment period in order for them to cover their accounting year.”

The loan was secured on a property owned by WtY on Tadcaster Road in York, and will continue at an interest rate of seven per cent. Cllr Dadd added:

“Financially, we do OK out of this loan to Welcome to Yorkshire, and that wants emphasising. And I would suggest, given the value of the property, it’s absolutely secure.”

Read more:

• Welcome to Yorkshire requests extension to £500,000 council loan
• Welcome to Yorkshire posts losses of £200,000

WtY posted losses of £198,997 in the last two years, according to its latest accounts. It published two sets of accounts last month, which covered the six months to March 31, 2020, and the 18 months to September 30, 2019.

The organisation, which is a limited company, was bailed out last year by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, plus other local authorities across the region.

Both authorities approved funding totalling more than £300,000 after WtY warned it faced a £1.4 million funding gap amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson for the organisation told the Stray Ferret previously that it had been a “difficult time” but added the organisation had undergone “significant operational, staffing, cultural and strategic changes” since the periods covered by the two sets of accounts.

The spokesperson said:

“The accounts were filed after an extended period as a result of issues relating to the coronavirus crisis, including subsequent uncertainty of funding which had previously been assigned from the North and West Yorkshire Business Rates Committee.

“The organisation is focusing on the future, moving forward and supporting the economic recovery of the tourism sector in Yorkshire through the coronavirus crisis and post-pandemic to reopen, recover and rebuild as part of Welcome to Yorkshire’s tourism recovery plan, working closely with the county’s businesses and local authorities.”

Pupils across the Harrogate district will be returning to classrooms this week after online learning since the start of term.

While teachers have remained on site to support children of key workers and provide virtual lessons, for many families it is the first time children have been in school since before Christmas.

As well as readjusting to classroom life, including wearing masks, secondary school students will be expected to begin a covid testing regime as the government aims to reduce the number of cases in schools. However, schools are keen to make the return to classroom teaching as normal and positive as possible.

For Harrogate Grammar School, one of the key aims over the remaining weeks of the school year is to ensure students do not become “the covid generation”. Headteacher Neil Renton said they had shown their resilience through all the challenges of the last 12 months:

“They have gone through so much in the last year, they have been used to adapting and changing. They have been at home, then brought back, then had periods of isolation – there have been lots of different scenarios.

“That’s why we should call them ‘generation remarkable’ because they’re more independent and they’re more resilient.”

Read more:

• Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms
• Harrogate covid testing site to become rapid test collection point

Mr Renton said the government’s announcement about the way exam grades will be awarded this summer had given reassurance to students, and the school had organised online sessions to give more information about how teacher assessments will be completed.

With all the grammar school’s students having access to an iPad for home learning, and now being back in the classroom, he said teachers had had regular contact throughout the year to inform their assessments. However, any further lockdown before the summer could pose new challenges.

“Year 11 and year 13 have got three weeks when they get back, then seven weeks after Easter, and in that time we have got to do some assessments so we can come up with teacher-assessed grades.

“If we have to close again, it means doing assessments remotely and that’s much more difficult to achieve. It’s a critical period for schools.”

At Ripon Grammar School, students will return to in-person lessons from Thursday. Sixth form student Hannah Burfield said she and her fellow pupils were nervous but excited about returning to the classroom.

“Despite my positive attitude throughout this lockdown, I admit there have been moments when my motivation has wavered.

“To help cope with stress I made a promise to myself that I would go outside at least once every day, and I feel that this has really helped to keep me grounded and improved my mental health.”

She said many students have enjoyed the additional time with their families, as well as having enough time to complete extra projects or begin planning their university applications. However, they know a more normal routine has to return and hope to adjust quickly to life in school again.

Ripon Grammar School sixth form student Hannah Burfield

Hannah added:

“Despite my initial anxiety about returning back to school I recognise that it is time for things to finally move back to normality and I hope our routines won’t be disrupted by any more lockdowns.

“It will be challenging for all students to return to school and many will find it difficult to motivate themselves and may feel overwhelmed by their work at first. That’s why it is so important, now more than ever, to check in with your friends and to make sure you speak up if you ever need any help.”

It is not only the students preparing for an adjustment this week. Jonathan Webb, headmaster of Ripon Grammar School, said the return to classrooms is important for everyone in schools:

“One thing is clear – that there is no substitute for school when it comes to the social and emotional benefits we all get from interacting and learning together. This applies, I am sure, as much for staff as it does for students.

“We all miss being be able to read on our students’ faces those expressions of joy and confusion, enlightenment and frustration, grumpiness and happiness; in essence, all the things that make us human.”

At St Aidan’s High School in Harrogate, staff are also looking forward to seeing all pupils in school again. A spokesperson said:

“Over the past few months we have been delighted with the way that students have adapted to learning at home and over the last year have been hugely impressed by their resilience and ability to manage the challenges that have been put in front of them.

“We very much look forward to the corridors being filled with happiness and laughter once again and, crucially, face to face personal interactions becoming an integral part of students’ everyday lives again.”

Another patient who had tested positive for coronavirus has died at Harrogate District Hospital, according to today’s figures from the NHS.

The death was registered yesterday, Saturday, March 6, and brings the total number of deaths at the hospital to 166 since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, just 10 new cases of covid have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today. The total number of confirmed cases in the district since the start of the outbreak now stands at 7,376.

However, the district’s seven-day rate of cases per 100,000 people is now the highest in North Yorkshire, at 59.7, just ahead of Richmondshire at 59.6. The lowest is Ryedale at 18.1, with the average across North Yorkshire now 46.8.

Read more:

• Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms
• Harrogate covid testing site to become rapid test collection point
• Nearly 60,000 receive covid vaccine in Harrogate district

From tomorrow, the Stray Ferret will be paying tribute to some of those from our district who have lost their lives to covid. if you would like us to include a loved one in our series of tributes, please get in touch.

A “cautious and vigilant” approach will be used to ensure indoor care home visits can take place across the Harrogate district from tomorrow.

North Yorkshire County Council has written to all care providers to emphasise the importance of allowing visits, but adapting guidance to suit each setting.

Under government guidance, each care home resident can have a nominated visitor, and the county council is encouraging care homes to make the visits “meaningful” – at least 30 minutes. Trips outside with relatives should be particularly supported, the letter said.

Richard Webb, NYCC’s director for health and adult services, said:

 “We must be cautious to keep everyone safe because past experience shows that the easing of restrictions can also lead to an increase in cases. We are still under national restrictions and so we need to be cautious and to avoid becoming complacent.

“The national covid-19 vaccination roll-out is also great news and the number of people who have received a vaccine so far is very encouraging.

“However, the vaccine’s main purpose is to prevent or reduce risk of death and serious illness. People who have been vaccinated can still catch or transmit Covid-19. New variants of Covid-19 may also be resistant to the vaccine and present new risks so we need to remain careful and vigilant.

“Everyone will need to co-operate to make indoor visiting a success. All visits will need to be planned and residents, families and friends are asked to be mindful that everyone will want their ‘fair turn’ for visits. This may initially limit the numbers of visits that are possible.”

Designated visitors will need to wear PPE and follow each home’s individual rules for safe visiting. Areas should be set aside with good ventilation and limiting the need for walking through other areas of the building.

Guidance suggests visitors can hold hands with their relative, recognising the increased risk of transmission, but discourages other close contact such as hugging. Care homes will still be able to allow “essential care givers” to offer personal and other care in some situations, where a resident’s illness or needs make it better for them to be supported by a family member.

Visiting will be cancelled in care homes which have outbreaks of covid cases, but essential care givers should still be able to visit, along with those seeing relatives nearing the end of their lives.

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The council said its approach will continue to be guided by care home residents and their families as well as staff. Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for adult services and health integration, said:

“We believe it is important that everyone who lives in a care setting should be able to see their loved ones and to take trips out into the community if they want to.

“Many providers have been working to support safe visits and this will step up a gear as indoor visits are allowed. Our job is to work with providers and give all the support we can to make sure this can be done safely to avoid any resurgence in Covid-19 infections.

“As before the lockdown, any arrangements for visits and trips must be consistent with national and local Covid-19 rules so that people are as safe as possible.”

A further 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district in today’s data from the Office for National Statistics.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases in the district to 7,366 since the pandemic began last year.

Meanwhile, the seven-day infection rate for the district remains at 59.7 cases per 100,000 people, having dropped this week to the lowest it has been since September.

It is above the average for North Yorkshire, which is 47.2. Only Richmondshire has a higher rate, at 63.3, with all other districts in the county having a lower rate.

Read more:

• Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms
• Nearly 60,000 receive covid vaccine in Harrogate district

At Harrogate District Hospital, no further deaths have been reported in patients who tested positive for coronavirus. The total number of people who have died at the hospital since the beginning of the pandemic remains 165.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed this week it had 42 in-patients who had tested positive for covid, a drop of three from the previous week. It had discharged 20 patients in the same time period, bringing the total number treated and discharged to 554.

The number of vaccinations administered in the district has risen this week to almost 60,000, according to data from the NHS. Across the UK, people aged 56 and above are now being invited to book appointments for the first dose of their vaccines.

The first pupils across the Harrogate district have been receiving covid tests as schools prepare for a return to classroom-only teaching.

Harrogate Grammar, Harrogate High, St John Fisher and St Aidan’s schools in Harrogate, as well as Outwood Academy in Ripon, have all begun offering tests to their students this week.

Each will complete the first round of testing of all pupils by the middle of next week, after which the second and third rounds will be offered.

Harrogate Grammar School began its testing programme with its 600 sixth formers today, before working its way down the year groups in the first half of next week. Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“The testing today is going really well. We’ve got 10 testing bays in action and we’re testing 100 students every hour.

“We’re starting with year 12 and 13 students because our sixth form is so large – about 600 students. We wanted to make sure things were working, because if we didn’t get this right we would have to re-think our testing for next week.”

Fortunately, Mr Renton said, the trial had run smoothly, with a high percentage of parents giving consent for testing to take place. He praised the efforts of 30 members of staff who had been trained up to help students to follow the right procedures, led by business operations manager Tom Stephens.

Read more:

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Asked about the impact of testing on schools’ ability to keep students in classrooms, Mr Renton said:

“The way I’m seeing it is it’s an additional measure we didn’t have before. I know there’s a huge debate about the efficacy of testing, but it’s what we’ve been asked to do and if it finds and breaks transmission of a couple of asymptomatic cases, it has been worth doing.”

At St Aidan’s, years 7, 11 and 13 have been tested yesterday and today, before returning to in-person lessons on Monday. Years 10 and 12 will be tested on Monday, year 8 on Tuesday and year 9 on Wednesday, each then coming back to the classroom the following day.

Like most of the district’s schools, St Aidan’s is also repurposing existing facilities to accommodate a temporary testing centre. A spokesperson for the school said:

“The 16 bay testing facility is situated in Constance Green Hall, usually the home to assemblies, theatrical productions, proms and fantastic musical performances all year round.

“The in-school arrangements for the return of students will be similar to the measures we had in place in the autumn term, with year group bubbles, staggered lesson times, lunches, arrival and departure times, but with the addition of further control measures including the wearing of face coverings in lessons.”

To ease any anxiety about the testing process, both St Aidan’s and Harrogate Grammar School have created virtual tours of their facilities for students.

Ripon Grammar School’s sports hall set up ready for covid testing from Monday

Meanwhile, St John Fisher tested its year 11 and 13 pupils yesterday ready for them to return to school on Monday, when years 10 and 12 will be tested, followed by lower year groups through the week.

Harrogate High School has offered tests to years 10 and 11 today, with the remaining students being tested on Monday.

At both Boroughbridge High School and Outwood Academy Ripon, testing is being carried out before students return to the classroom by the middle of next week. Similarly, Ripon Grammar School begins testing on Monday and all year groups will be back in school by the end of the week.

After three rounds of tests, students across the country will be given home tests to use twice a week. The aim is to identify asymptomatic cases of covid before it can be spread to more pupils, helping to reduce the need for isolating and to keep more students in schools.

Harrogate will have its name linked to the 150th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall in London – and aspiring artists are also being invited to get involved.

To mark the venue’s milestone, Harrogate Spring Water is planning to create limited-edition anniversary labels for its bottles, to be sold at the Royal Albert Hall and selected other outlets.

To come up with the perfect design to showcase the diverse culture of the venue, Harrogate Spring Water (HSW) is calling for creatives to help. An expert panel, including representatives from HSW and the Royal Albert Hall, will nominate a shortlist and choose the winning design, with a prize of a £4,000 creative bursary. Two finalists will receive a £1,000 bursary.

James Cain OBE, CEO of Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“We are so pleased to be able to offer talented creatives across the UK the opportunity to feature on our bottle; we understand just how important it is to support the Arts and Creative industry during this time.”

“The 150^th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall is such a special milestone and its fantastic to be able to celebrate our valued partnership with such an iconic and historic institution. We cannot wait to see the designs!”

During 2021 and 2022, the Royal Albert Hall celebrates its 150th birthday, with a special programme of events including major commissions from British artists, headline performances from musical legends, and a series of showcases promoting the next generation of talent.

In its long history, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted great works of art and design including an 800-feet-long mosaic frieze encircling the building, a Picasso-designed programme cover in 1937 and a 2014 mural by Sir Peter Blake celebrating the venue’s diverse history.

In 2021 and 2022, as it marks its 150th birthday, its programme of events will include major commissions from British artists, headline performances from musical legends and a series of showcases promoting the next generation of talent.

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Harrogate Spring Water is an official partner of the celebrations and its 500ml still and sparkling bottles will feature the commemorative labels this year and next. Artists are encouraged to use colour to reflect the diversity of culture at the Royal Albert Hall.

Craig Hassall, chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall, said:

“We’re delighted to launch this one-of-a-kind design competition as part of our 150th anniversary celebrations.

“The Hall has been a meeting place – and an inspiration – for artists of all kinds since we opened in 1871, and we can’t wait to see how contemporary creatives interpret our diverse history. We’d like to thank our friends at Harrogate Spring Water for helping us mark this milestone in such an inventive and unusual way.”

For more information about the competition, click here.