American expats living in Harrogate are counting down the minutes to Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president today.

Mr Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States at 5pm UK time but due to covid the celebrations will be more subdued — not only in America but also Harrogate.

Harrogate has strong connections with the United States — many Americans have worked at nearby RAF Menwith Hill .

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said US armed forces and civil servants were apolitical and therefore no celebrations or marking of such occasions was conducted at military sites.

But some Americans will privately mark the moment when power passes from Donald Trump to Biden.

We spoke to two expats in Harrogate: one Democrat and one Republican, and both said they will be relieved to see the back of Mr Trump.

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Zahed Amanullah is a firm Democrat who proudly flies the flag for Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I am very hopeful. Being an expat, it’s hard to sit here and watch what is happening. But in 2021 there’s a lot that people can do to be involved.

“Democrats Abroad, which I am a member of, has had a huge surge in membership. It’s not just talking about politics but getting involved in phone banks and hosting conversations.

“Joe Biden has turned out to be the man of the moment. He turned out to be the kind of person to not just defeat Trump but to guide a steady ship throughout 2021 and beyond.”

Next stop: Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/oW0C4LQVBf

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 19, 2021

Harold Clemens is a Republican who could not bring himself to vote for Trump. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I hate to say this but it is embarrassing to be an American at the moment. I have been a Republican since university because of their stance on business but I did not vote for Trump.

“There are few times in your life when you remember where you are when an event happens. For me it is the Gulf War, 911 and the storming of the Capitol.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the right people for the job. They can mend bridges and heal the political divide in America right now.”

Two young men from Bilton have set up a Facebook group for local residents to encourage community spirit and conversation.

Tyler Reeton, 19, and Ben Rothery, 21, both live in Bilton. They set up the ‘Bilton Community Group’ Facebook group in December.

It already has 1,300 members posting daily messages about local issues.

The pair felt Bilton lacked a platform focused solely on the area and hope their initiative brings back some of the spirit they say has been lost since the cancellation of the annual Bilton Gala and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

Mr Reeton said he also hoped the group would encourage young people to come forward and play a more active part in the community.

The group’s plans include setting up a newsletter and arranging community events. Mr Reeton said:

“We wanted to bring the community together. We wanted to expand on the community spirit and give people somewhere to go during these dark times.”

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On Wednesdays and Fridays the page allows local businesses to advertise for free. The founders hope this will encourage people to support local enterprises.

Mr Reeton and Mr Rothery have also made contact with the borough and county councillors representing the Bilton ward. They hope the group can improve communications between residents and councillors.

Coronavirus conspiracy theorists are leaving their mark in Harrogate, much to the frustration of those leading the response to the pandemic.

Vandals have scrawled ‘The Great Reset’ on hoardings surrounding buildings on Beulah Street.

‘The great reset’ is a phrase used by conspiracy theorists who believe a global elite started the pandemic to take control.

Google saw a spike in searches for the term when Joe Biden won the US election despite the baseless nature of the claims.

Conspiracy theorists adopted the idea from the World Economic Forum, which urged nations to cooperate on building back better and in a more sustainable way after covid.

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This is not the first time coronavirus conspiracy theories have struck locally.

Last week, North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents organisations in the county leading the fight against covid, condemned vandals who sprayed ‘LIES’ in red graffiti on ‘stay local’ signs and ripped them down.

A statement by the forum said those responsible “show contempt for people’s lives” and warned their actions would not be tolerated.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, said:

“We would like to thank the majority of people who are sticking to the lockdown rules and respecting the measures we are putting in place to stop the spread.

“It’s very disappointing to hear such acts of vandalism are happening and that a minority of people aren’t taking seriously the great danger to life that the virus poses.”

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police’s lead on the coronavirus response, said:

“I realise a minority of people may be feeling tired of seeing coronavirus messages, or feeling frustrated about being asked to stay at home.

“It’s not the way any of us would choose to live our life under normal circumstances.

“However, that does not give anyone the right to deface a sign which warns the wider community of the risk of catching a virus.”

A series of overnight closures, beginning this month, will affect motorists using junction 47 of the A1 (M).

A £7.7m North Yorkshire County Council project to upgrade the junction, near Flaxby, began in September and is due to continue until autumn.

Slip roads from the A1 (M) will be closed for four weeks from 8pm to 6am Mondays to Fridays, beginning on January 25.

The council, which gave the update today, said not all slip roads will be affected at the same time.

The upgrade will ease congestion, improve road safety and support the development of local towns, such as Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The council said the number of housing developments in the area also increased the need for these works to improve connections across the county.

Three of the roundabout’s four slip roads will be widened to increase capacity and traffic lights will be installed.

Following completion of this work, the upgrading of the A59/A168 slip road will necessitate a full closure of the slip road.

This could be in place for up to 16 weeks, but the council said “every effort will be made to minimise the duration of the work”.

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County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access and member for Harrogate Saltergate, said:

“At busy times, congestion is an issue at this junction, particularly for traffic coming off the southbound carriageway of the A1.

“We understand that the closures will cause inconvenience and necessitate significant diversions for some drivers. Our contractor will do everything they can to ensure closures are as short as possible.

“We apologise for the disruption and thank drivers in advance for their patience during what will be short-term inconvenience for long-term improvement to traffic flow.”

The £7.7 million project has received £2.47 million of funding from the governments’s Local Growth Fund, plus contributions from the county council, Highways England and Harrogate-based developer Forward Investment LLP.

Police arrested two suspected drug dealers in Harrogate on Friday.

According to North Yorkshire Police, plain clothes officers became suspicious when they saw two men travelling through the town at 5.30pm and stopped their car.

A search of the vehicle discovered what the police believe to be cocaine and cash. The officers then arrested the two men, aged 22 and 38. It is not known where the men live.

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Police then searched the suspects’ homes and seized a “large amount” of what they believe to be cocaine and a “large amount” of cash.

Officers also seized small bags, scales and a mobile phone.

Both men have been released under investigation on suspicion of possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

The police also arrested the 22-year-old on suspicion of possessing criminal property.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is one of 10 NHS trusts in England consistently reporting critical care beds at full capacity, according to the latest figures.

NHS data from December 31 until January 10 shows Harrogate District Hospital’s critical care ward is full.

The hospital’s base critical care capacity is seven beds but this can ‘flex’ to 10 and beyond, trust chief executive Steve Russell told the Stray Ferret in November.

It utilised 11 beds on January 6 and January 9 and although the number has fluctuated it has not dropped below eight this year.

The number of critical care beds in Harrogate is nowhere near as high as it is for many hospitals in larger towns and cities.

Nevertheless, the analysis by the BBC names it as one of 10 trusts out of 140 with consistently full critical care beds.

An NHS spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“Critical care services in the NHS are under unprecedented pressure, which is why we’ve increased capacity significantly to continue to provide care.

“Hospitals continue to work to increase their capacity to help patients with covid and other conditions but ultimately it is essential the public continues to follow the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance to prevent the spread of coronavirus, reduce the number of people who need hospital care and ultimately save lives.”

The total number of available critical care beds in England on January 10 was 5,503, with 4,632 occupied.

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Harrogate District Hospital reported it had 47 coronavirus patients on January 14.

The increase in coronavirus patients prompted the hospital to announce last week it had decided to postpone some non-emergency surgeries to free up space and staff.

Tim Gold, the chief operating officer at the trust, said:

“Clearly, this past week has seen a very significant increase of people needing inpatient care.

“This is placing a significant strain on services at the trust.

“In response to rising numbers we are increasing the number of beds available for patients with covid on wards and in critical care.

“We will be continuing to provide urgent and cancer care during this time.”

A Harrogate Borough Council report published today has recommended conditionally approving Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial expansion plans.

The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday next week to discuss the company’s proposal to fell trees in the Pinewoods to expand its bottling plant.

Case officer Mark Williams’ report describes Harrogate Spring Water as a ‘global brand’ and ‘strategic employer’ that makes a significant contribution to the local economy.

The report acknowledges concerns about issues such as the loss of trees and increase in single use plastics but concludes:

The report recommends deferring and approving the application subject to a section 106 legal agreement being drawn up for biodiversity that confirms where the trees would be replanted.

The application, which would lead to 87 new jobs, has received 328 objections and 28 in support.

Many objections refer to an increase in single use plastics for bottling water but the report says this issue is covered by legislation and therefore “not a reason to refuse this application”.

A spokesperson from Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“This is unfortunately typical by Harrogate council where ecological and environmental impact of a decisions are often ignored.

“The report makes it clear that a significant number of trees will be lost and the proposed development would lead to a loss of public amenity.

“The recommendation is still to approve despite the 100s of objections and clear negative impacts. We can only hope that the councillors on the planning committee can take account of the bigger picture here.”

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Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning permission to expand in 2016 but now wants to extend this by 40 per cent, which would mean felling trees in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

Talks between Harrogate Spring Water’s parent company Danone and local green groups have so far failed to reach agreement on a solution that would compensate for the loss of biodiversity and community access.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Spring Water for a response to the report but has yet to receive a reply.

Harrogate Spring Water’s sales and marketing manager Rob Pickering told the Stray Ferret last week he wanted to ensure the people of Harrogate “have the facts”.

Mr Pickering said:

“We’ll continue to provide those facts to let the people of Harrogate of a more informed view of the work we plan to do. I genuinely believe the end result of the work will be something we’ll all be proud of.”

Homebuyers in Harrogate fear missing the stamp duty holiday over the delays for land searches at Harrogate Borough Council.

The stamp duty holiday which ends on March 31 and could save them up to £15,000.

With thousands of pounds on the line some are turning to private firms, even after paying the council to do the land search.

Local authority searches, which check there are no hidden surprises for buyers, are an essential part of the home-buying process.

The council told the Stray Ferret:

“Current approximate timescales are around seven weeks. A figure we are striving to improve.”

“We are also increasing staff to approximately nine full time.”

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While the council acknowledges that the land search delays are high, some homebuyers claim they are see in much longer delays.

Mr Costar put a land search request into the council on December 4 and has been told to expect it back by April 28.

He says the buyer of his home put in a search request in early September and has not received it back yet:

“If we do not get this completed before the end of March we will have to pay £3,000 in stamp duty. It is not going to stop us but it is a lot of money.

“It’s nuts really. York and Leeds have nowhere near the same amount of waiting time as we do in Harrogate.”

The Stray Ferret first reported the delays in October when homebuyers first complained to us about the issue.

Back then Harrogate Borough Council said the average search time was just over three weeks.

Just over a month later the council had increased the expected search delays to seven weeks, the council says that figure remains today.

A Harrogate charity has been described as “the club you never want to be a part of”.

Yet Our Angels offers vital support for many families across the district after the loss of a baby. It was set up by Emma Lofthouse in 2009, after she lost her son Charlie 35 weeks into her pregnancy the year before.

Losing Charlie came as a huge shock to Emma, who already had two children. She said she wanted something to put her energy into and a way to keep talking about her son.

Our Angels started as a support group for anyone affected by baby loss, whether that is an early miscarriage or a neonatal death.

Mrs Lofthouse said:

“I was astonished there was no support in Harrogate. I felt lost and alone.”

Every year the charity gets families together to send bubbles into the air in memory of their loss. Photograph: Our Angels

The charity now fundraises thousands of pounds for Harrogate District Hospital’s maternity ward and training for midwives across the county.

Mrs Lofthouse said she believes it’s important for midwives to be trained to support the family straight away, as the midwife is often the first person there when they lose their baby.

Along with the trustees, Mrs Lofthouse runs monthly meetings at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate where families can come to talk about their babies and get emotional support.

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Mrs Lofthouse said:

“We can’t stop this happening but we can offer support after it does.

“People don’t want to talk about baby loss because it is heart breaking, but it is also so much more common that people think. It shouldn’t be a taboo subject.”

In October 2020, work was completed on the newly renovated and renamed Bluebell Suite at Harrogate Hospital after the charity donated £45,000.

The suite is a place where parents go after losing their baby. The charity wanted to ensure parents had everything they needed as they spend precious time with their child.

The charity also provides memory boxes to the hospital which are given to every set of parents. The box was one of the first things Mrs Lofthouse began fundraising for.

She added:

“When I left hospital I had nothing tangible to hold in his memory. This was one of the first things I wanted to fundraise for.”

The memory box is a way for the charity to tell families they aren’t alone. Photograph: Our Angels

The box includes a blanket the family can wrap their baby in and then take photographs. This way they have as a keepsake when they leave hospital. It also contains a leaflet about the charity, giving parents and other family members the option to get in touch for extra support.

Mrs Lofthouse says she will always be grateful for Our Angels giving her the chance to keep talking about her son Charlie almost 12 years on. She says she is honoured to offer families support after losing someone so precious.

To learn more about Our Angels you can find their website here or get in touch with them on Facebook, just search ‘ Our Angels charity and support group’.

Northern is running a reduced rail service between Harrogate and Leeds due to faults with the signalling system caused by a fallen tree yesterday.

Several trains have already been cancelled this morning and from 10.45am, trains will leave Harrogate Station once an hour rather than the usual twice hourly service.

Trains will leave Leeds Station to Harrogate at 29 minutes past the hour, every hour.

All services, in both directions of travel, will pick up and drop off on platform 1 at Burley Park, Headingley and Horsforth stations.

The disruption is expected to continue until the end of today.

For an up to date timetable visit National Rail.

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