A major event in the Harrogate Convention Centre calendar has been called off for January 2021.

BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) has been taking place at the venue for more than 30 years.

However, with HCC’s future still unknown until the NHS confirms whether the Nightingale hospital is needed over winter, and with social distancing measures making the busy international event difficult, the organisers have cancelled it for the first time since 1989.

Instead, they will hold a “festival of turf” in the summer, which they hope will be outside. A spokesman for BIGGA (the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association) said:

“The Harrogate Convention Centre, home to BTME since its inauguration as the European Turf Management Exhibition (ETME) in 1989, has been utilised as an NHS Nightingale Hospital since the peak of the outbreak in April and BIGGA is incredibly proud to be associated with a venue that has been transformed to enable the treatment of covid 19 patients, should the need arise.

“However, the alteration of dates will require a new venue to be found and discussions are underway with potential event hosts. Details will be released in due course.

“It is anticipated that BTME will return to the Harrogate Convention Centre in January 2022.”

Read more:

• Council approves Harrogate Convention Centre £1m spend
• Two-week extension for Nightingale hospital as negotiations continue

The news will come as a blow to the hospitality industry, which benefits from delegates staying in local hotels and guesthouses, eating out at restaurants and visiting other venues in the town. Kimberly Wilson, chair of guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is an important event for Harrogate. After December 15, Harrogate is very quiet until the Christmas and Gift Fair, which is mostly day trippers, and BIGGA is the first big show of the year.

“It’s a big deal for the town. They take a lot of beds – there are three main days and they do a lot of life-long learning around it, so some people stay for five days. It’s a longer event and they spend a lot of money in restaurants and bars.”

The organisers said they would move their education programme, Continue to Learn, online in January next year. Organisers said they expected the event to return to Harrogate Convention Centre in 2022.

However, with other events also taking place online, fears have been raised about the future of the conference industry, especially if social distancing measures remain in place for many months or even years. Ms Wilson said she was concerned about the potential long-term impact if event organisers decided not to resume in person in future.

Harrogate Convention Centre is currently in use by the NHS as a Nightingale hospital

The announcement about BIGGA follows the news that the Flooring Show is moving from its usual home at Harrogate Convention Centre in September to the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground in late February. Its organisers are putting on shuttle buses to help attendees get to and from the town centre.

Meanwhile, the Bridal Show has also moved from HCC to the Yorkshire Event Centre and is set for early October this year.

No announcement has been made about whether the Nightingale hospital will remain in Harrogate. The NHS’s contract to use the site expired last Friday, but a two-week extension was announced to enable negotiations to continue.

The Prime Minister has announced £3 billion of funding to enable the Nightingale hospitals around the UK to be maintained if needed. However, the one housed at Birmingham NEC has since been scaled back and the venue is preparing to host events from October 1, when covid guidelines change.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with burglaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The offences took place in Westbourne Avenue, Harrogate, on Tuesday, July 28, and in Park Avenue, Knaresborough, on August 3, both in the early hours of the morning.

In both cases, keys were taken from inside the homes and cars stolen from the driveway. A black Toyota Hilux taken from the Harrogate burglary has not yet been recovered.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with both burglaries, along with a third which took place on Danum Road, York, overnight on August 3. The victims discovered the following morning that a handbag, wallet, two purses and bank cards had been stolen.

The boy has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in court in relation to a separate matter.

A 19-year-old man was also arrested in connection with the Knaresborough burglary and has been released on conditional bail.

Read more:

• Two cars stolen as Harrogate street targeted for second time
• Bogus police officer targets Harrogate residents

Police are still appealing for information, including CCTV, dash-cam or doorbell camera footage, to help with the investigation. Email dominic.holroyd@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote North Yorkshire Police reference numbers 12200128831 for the  Westbourne Avenue, Harrogate burglary, 12200132924 for the Park Avenue, Knaresborough burglary, and 12200133548 for the Danum Road, York burglary.

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has resigned from Harrogate BID.

Cllr Richard Cooper is still listed as a board member on the organisation’s website, but information on Companies House reveals he stepped down in June.

He was replaced on the same date by Trevor Watson, HBC’s director of economy and culture. Neither the council nor the BID has given a reason for the change.

Harrogate BID Acting Chair Sara Ferguson said:

“On behalf of Harrogate BID, its Board and members, I would like to thank Richard for his valuable contribution.

“Richard’s place on the BID board has been filled by Trevor Watson from Harrogate Borough Council’s economic development team, who has already attended a number of board meetings.

“Additionally, we have also co-opted two additional advisors, Lesley Wild, the former Chair of Bettys and Taylors Tea, and Jim Mossman, co-owner of Cold Bath Brewing Company.”

‘Strong influence’

Cllr Cooper’s resignation came six weeks after four board members – including the chairman – stepped down, citing the undue influence of the council in the organisation.

In their joint resignation letter, outgoing chairman Bob Kennedy and board members Chris Bentley, Robert Ogden and Rob Spencer said:

“Without a consensus view on the board of the dire state of the town’s economy, particularly its retail heart, and its causes, addressing the key issues cannot be achieved.

“The strong influence of Borough and County Council on the board of an organisation that according to government guidance is supposed to be a ‘business-led’ partnership means that any initiative that addresses the councils’ input is endlessly debated, and sensible options resisted. It has not even been possible to garner cross-board agreement that the current aesthetic state of Harrogate town centre is not adequate, something that is self-evident to business leaders and residents alike but is constantly denied or excused by councils.”

Mr Spencer, of Townhouse Design, told the Stray Ferret at the time that the council members on the board were “very defensive” about what others felt were problems in the town, such as the level of cleanliness and the overall appearance. The letter also said additional confidentiality restrictions imposed on board members were a threat to the organisation’s transparency and were incompatible with the function of a public body.

Read more:

• Council leader: ‘some Harrogate businesses will not survive’
• Ex-MP Phil Willis on how Harrogate can thrive again

Harrogate BID is funded by a compulsory rates levy on businesses in the centre of Harrogate. It was voted in at the end of 2018 and began operating the following year, with a five-year term before rate payers will have to vote on whether it should continue.

As lockdown was eased, the BID announced it would fund additional street cleaning in early June to make the town centre attractive to returning shoppers. It also offered small grants to businesses to fund social distancing measures to enable them to open safely, and sent out packs of signage for levy payers to use around their premises.

David Bowe, director of North Yorkshire County Council, remains on the BID board, along with representatives of local businesses across sectors including independent retailers, chain stores, hospitality and service companies.

Harrogate Borough Council did not respond to the Stray Ferret’s request for a comment.

Two cars were stolen from a driveway in Harrogate when thieves broke into the house and stole the keys.

The Audi Q7, registration YH66 MHR, has since been recovered, but the black Toyota Hilux, registration YF69 EYF, has still not been found.

The two-in-one burglary also saw a handbag containing a deep red Kate Spade purse and distinctive make-up bag taken from the home, on Westbourne Avenue. The handbag was found outside – minus the contents – following the theft, which took place on Tuesday, July 28 between 1am and 6am.

Police are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward. A spokesman said:

“Anyone who has any information about the stolen vehicles, who may have seen the vehicles driving in the area or who has information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.”

To contact police, call 101, select option two and ask for Liz Estensen, or email elizabeth.estensen@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200128831.

It is the second time in six weeks that a two-in-one burglary has been carried out in the same street. On June 20, a first-aid kit, a doctor’s bag and some handmade scrubs were taken from a home in Westbourne Avenue, and thieves took the keys for the BMW 220D on the driveway.

The car and most of the items were later recovered, but a personalised thermometer, child’s car seat, Ray-Ban sunglasses and a make-up bag were taken from the car.

Read more:

• BMW and handmade scrubs stolen in Harrogate burglary
• Police appeal for witnesses after fatal accident near Ripon

This article is written for the Stray Ferret by Harrogate employment lawyer Richard Port. Richard is Principal Solicitor and Founding Director at Boardside legal. In a series of articles, he explores the issues raised for employers and employees returning to work post furlough. This article is not legal advice – more a look at the complexities of the current situation. 

This week, he looks at where an employee stands if he is asked to return to his workplace, but does not want to do so.

My client, ABC Ltd is a food production business, meaning that as an essential service it has continued to operate in lockdown. Many, but not all, of its employees have continued to work, albeit paying due regard to health and safety measures in the workplace, in line with government guidelines.

‘Fred’ was one of a small number of employees who were furloughed in response to Covid-19, at least until ABC Ltd recently asked Fred, in particular, to return to the workplace. But he was not keen.

Employees may be reluctant to return to work for a variety of reasons, some of which may not be genuine, but many of which are likely to be so (often supported by various legal protections). Even if ABC Ltd believes that a reluctant returner is exaggerating his other concerns, it would still need to approach the problem with caution, dealing with those ‘concerns’ very carefully indeed.

As an adviser to ABC Ltd, I have had to discuss various scenarios with the client warning them about how easy it is to get things wrong and with it the very real risk of exposure to legal proceedings and the significant associated costs.

Like all employees, Fred has certain protections should he refuse to attend the workplace because of a reasonable fear of ‘serious and imminent danger’, a concept that will differ from one employee to another. For Fred, one major concern was the matter of travel to work on public transport, the risk of which he finds unacceptable.

Bearing in mind that the concept of ‘clinically vulnerable’ includes the over 70s and those with underlying health conditions, I also discussed with ABC Ltd Fred’s age and the fact he has no known health conditions. Fred is in his 60s, so does not trigger the age qualification for being clinically vulnerable, so potential age discrimination was not relevant.

It has been well documented that a number of employees have suffered with the consequences of Covid-19. My concern was that this could potentially be an issue for Fred, save that Fred’s own GP refuses to sign him off work.

Nonetheless, ABC Ltd should still listen to his concerns about returning to work, to understand how he is coping and what his real concerns about returning to his duties are. Remember, employers have an obligation to consider reasonable adjustments, including employees’ work patterns.

Finally, employees do have a right to request a reasonable amount of time off caring for dependants, albeit this would be unpaid. Fred’s wife does suffer from arthritis and I am aware that he does all of the shopping, for example. However, he has not raised this as an issue and in any event ABC Ltd has already offered him unpaid leave.

But of course, it is one thing thrashing this out with me, quite another to be discussing these types of matters with Fred directly. Effective communication is key to reducing the risk of employment related issues and even an adverse finding at an employment tribunal.

Next week, Richard looks at redundancies as businesses deal with the impact of the covid crisis.

Read more from Richard Port:

• Can you force an employee back to work?

For the 16th day running, there have been no further coronavirus deaths at Harrogate District Hospital. The total since the start of the outbreak remains at 82.

According to figures released today by NHS England, there were four deaths in the North East and Yorkshire, and nine in total across the country.

The patients were aged between 73 and 92 and all had known underlying health conditions.

Read more:

• No positive coronavirus patients at Harrogate hospital
• 12 cases of coronavirus in Harrogate district as rates remain low

Yesterday, Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it was not treating any patients with Covid-19. National statistics have also revealed there were only 12 confirmed cases across the Harrogate district in the last week.

For this reason, the Stray Ferret will pause its daily reporting of the statistics from NHS England after today. We will continue to monitor the information as it is released and to report any deaths as they are confirmed.

We will also report any other statistics released by the hospital, the ONS or other authorities, as they are announced.

Should the number of cases or deaths increase in the district in future, we will begin reporting daily again.

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There is still no confirmation from the NHS over the future of the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate with just hours to go until the contract expires.

NHS England had agreed to use Harrogate Convention Centre until the end of July for its temporary field hospital.

However, with the clock ticking to the end of the agreement today, there is still no confirmation of what will happen next. A spokesperson for the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber said:

“We are tremendously grateful to the people of Harrogate for their support and we continue to work closely with our colleagues at NHS England and Harrogate Borough Council to agree the next steps for our regional temporary hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Nightingale cost £15m – but still no news on its future
• Harrogate businesses back £47m conference centre renovation

The NHS has not confirmed what arrangement is in place after midnight tonight for the hospital to be removed, should it fail to agree a new contract with the centre’s owners, Harrogate Borough Council.

The Nightingale hospital cost £15m to build and was officially opened in April by Captain Tom Moore, who has since been knighted by the Queen.

It took three weeks to build but has never been used to treat Covid patients. Instead, since early June, it has provided CT scans to help the NHS catch up on tests delayed during the height of the crisis.

Last week, calls were made for the future of the Nightingale hospital to be confirmed in order to allow local businesses to plan for the coming months. If the hospital is decommissioned, Harrogate Convention Centre will be able to reopen for events, which bring significant money to the town’s hospitality businesses.

West Park Stray appears lush and green after the grass was mowed for the first time since work began in spring.

However, anyone hoping to take advantage of the warm weather this weekend and enjoy the newly-mown grass will have to look elsewhere.

Harrogate Borough Council said an announcement about the reopening of West Park Stray will be made in the coming days, but for now, it remains fenced off.

A drone image of West Park Stray taken today, July 31, by David Simister.

Work to restore the Stray began at the end of April, with Lancashire-based Glendale Services appointed to carry out the work under ‘urgent circumstances’. The organisers of the fan park for the UCI Road World Championships last September, when the damage was done, have agreed to pay £35,500 towards £130,000 of work.

Read more: 

• Consultation over Stray land exchange for cycle path
• Stray becomes new gym as personal trainers adapt

The council said that sum was not purely for repairs following the UCI event, but comprised repair to other long-standing issues:

• £38,105 for repairs to grassed areas of West Park Stray
• £65,385 for pavement, footpaths, Heras fencing, bedding and verge repairs, reinstatement of bins and benches plus any additional council work
• £20,156 to fix longstanding drainage issues
• £6,325 project management and delivery costs

When seeding began in late June, scarecrows created by local primary school children were put up across the Stray to protect the grass.

The Stray was still showing extensive damage in March

The high volume of roadworks around Harrogate is due to a backlog of work caused by lockdown, according to North Yorkshire County Council.

Many of the major routes into town, including Ripon Road, Skipton Road and Leeds Road, have been recently affected by road works this month.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for highways and transportation at the county council, told the Stray Ferret the authority had tried to provide “as close to a business as usual service as possible” during lockdown. But he added:

“Across the country utility companies and developers saw a temporary reduction in resources as a result of the pandemic, which caused delays.

“There was a temporary suspension of planned utilities and developer works while companies considered how staff could safely work on site and adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines for the benefit of the workforce as well as the public.

“Therefore, many of these planned programmes of works this year have inevitably been affected and delayed.”

Mr Mason added that more people were also using the roads since lockdown restrictions were eased. He added:

“We appreciate that all works cause an element of disruption but as always we ask drivers for their patience while they are being carried out.”

A trainee accountant has been jailed for dealing cocaine and an ecstasy-type drug in Harrogate.

Armaan Ahmad, 24, was arrested after his Audi A3 was stopped by police in April last year, York Crown Court heard.

Officers found 26 wraps of cocaine inside the car, along with six bags of MDMA in powder form, said prosecutor Rob Galley. They also seized £340 from his wallet and a mobile phone with incriminating text messages. Mr Galley added:

“(The messages) clearly show that this defendant was being directed to go to various post codes and addresses or directed to deal (drugs) to certain people.”

They showed that Ahmad’s drugs boss had ordered him to “count what was left” of the drugs and relay the amounts back to him using abbreviations and codes such as ‘P’ for ‘premium’ cocaine, “rather than standard cocaine”, said the prosecutor.

Armaan Ahmad has been sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment for dealing drugs in Harrogate

During the phone conversations, they also discussed his “wage” which on the day in question – April 18 – was £100 to deal “party drugs” in Harrogate and Leeds.

Ahmad – whose father runs a highly successful accountancy firm – sold £780 worth of drugs on that day, although he claimed he had only been dealing for two days. Mr Galley said:

“He had to hand matters over to somebody at a mosque in Leeds at the end of the day.”

‘Significant’ role

Ahmad had played a “significant” role as a drug runner or courier, added Mr Galley. The value of the cocaine seized from his car was about £380 but could have been worth a lot more if dealt on the street.

Ahmad, from Leeds, was said to have been very open with police and owned up straight away. He was charged with two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and admitted both charges.

He appeared for sentence on Thursday in an immaculate dark-blue suit and tie, but knowing that jail was all but certain.

Read more:

• Harrogate courts reopen to backlog in cases
• Harrogate police warn of increase in doorstep fraud

Defence barrister Andrew Dallas described his well-spoken client as a “naïve” young man who had come under the spell of others higher up the supply chain. He said:

“He was misled, not realising what he was getting into.

“He’s from an excellent background and his father… is a successful accountant.”

Ahmad had passed his exams at school and found work straight away, but then lost his job after a contract expired and “couldn’t get other work”, said Mr Dallas.

He said this led Ahmad into debt after he took out a pay-day loan. A friend told him he could make “easy money” by drug-dealing and he fell into “temptation”.

‘Working under direction’

Ahmad, of Church Lane, Adel, began driving around the streets at night in “very risky and serious situations, working absolutely under direction and he had to provide a prices account and face (pay) deductions if anything went wrong”, added Mr Dallas.

“He realised he’d got himself into something bad.”

Since his arrest, Ahmad had had a rapprochement with his father, moved back into the family home and started working full-time for his father’s business as a trainee accountant. Mr Dallas said:

“He’s looking to enrol in exams so that he can follow his father into the profession. He’s quite clearly intelligent in some ways and astonishingly naïve in others.”

Judge Sean Morris told Ahmad:

“People are mugging people in the streets for drugs, robbing their own grannies for drugs, and they have to get them from somebody, and (in this case) they were getting them from you.

“This was proper drug-dealing – fortunately nipped in the bud. You did it calmly and coolly and you took part in this filthy trade.”

Jailing Ahmad for 20 months, the judge said he was “ordinarily a decent young man”. He added:

“It beggars belief that you got into this (sort of crime) and I know that the shame you have brought upon your family you will feel acutely.”

Ahmad will serve half of the sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

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