Police say a woman from Harrogate who was reported missing yesterday has been found.

Monica Webber, aged 66, was last seen in the Dragon Parade area of Harrogate. North Yorkshire Police says Ms Webber has since been found safe in Berwick.

Police thanked those who helped in the public appeal.

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This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Peter Banks, the Managing Director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa and Chairman of Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association

“I opened my eyes and realised it was all a dream….”

How many of us wrote a story that finished like that when we were at primary school? I know I did and I still remember with toe curling embarrassment how proud I was…..

When I look back on the last three months it does feel “otherworldly”, the first half of March when we weren’t affected at all, but we could feel the menace creeping  towards us, China, Italy, France, London, then us. Even the weather behaved itself, a beautiful spring. It almost felt like the Golden Summer of 1914 – the last hurrah before the world we knew was changed forever.

Sadly, this isn’t a dream, it is, to quote that dreadful new cliché, the new normal. This is now reality and we need to understand and manage it as well as possible.

Every day brings new challenges. If I can review a few of the most recent it will give you a feeling of a worms eye view from the sharp end of hospitality:

1.Track and Trace. The government has failed to create a system which tracks peoples movement. Therefore they have abdicated this responsibility to hospitality operators. We have to record everyone who comes into a pub or restaurant, contact details and time of arrival. I have had to introduce a “no track and trace, no beer” rule at our pub on the Holiday Park. Guests are very disgruntled at this invasion of their liberty, argue with us, abuse us and two guests even walked out as they “felt their rights were being threatened”. Please, it’s not our fault, we’re not being nosy, we are merely following the governments instructions and trying to help limit the spread of covid.

2. VAT reduction to 5% on accommodation and food in restaurants, cafes and pubs. On the surface a fantastic boost to the Hospitality industry as we will no longer be paying 20% tax on these items, just 5%. Why did Rishi take this sector specific action. The Government guidance states:

These changes are being brought in as an urgent response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to support businesses severely affected by forced closures and social distancing measures.

I believe that he wanted to throw a lifeline to the Hospitality industry, however – how many of you, dear readers, are going to expect to have the discount passed on to you? From a straw poll I have taken – the vast majority of my guests will want a discount. Therefore this 15% VAT reduction does not help the Hospitality industry at all, we will have the same level of demand (just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean that nervous people will go to the Pub), and we will merely pass 5% of a lower price onto the government. We will make exactly the same profit (or loss more likely!). So, a plea from me – if your local chippy has not dropped their price by £1.00, or your Hotel has not decreased your room rate by 15%, please don’t give the owner or manager a hard time.

Rishi deliberately made it sector specific to help that sector, not to put money in everyone’s pockets. If he’d wanted to do that he could merely have cut income tax or national insurance. I cannot state clearly enough, there will be many hospitality businesses that will not survive this winter, (today I heard that the iconic Yorke Arms is closing as a destination Restaurant). Please help them to keep as many staff employed as possible. Every time you ask for a discount you will be increasing the number of redundancies in that business.

You will still be paying the same price as before, It actually makes no difference to you. The government is just trying to ensure that the pub will still be open in April by allowing us to keep some more VAT.

3. £1000 for every furloughed worker still in employment on January 31 2021. This is a wonderful gift for many Hospitality operators who will need every scrap of financial help they can get next winter. However, what Rishi is asking us to do is continue employing a member of staff for the next six months rather than making redundancies and receive £1000 for taking that risk.

For a seriously damaged industry like hospitality that equation doesn’t stack up. Right now every operator that I know is making “clear, reasoned decisions to save as many jobs as possible”. That is a euphemism for having to make redundancies otherwise the business will not survive. Some sectors have increased profitability in this crisis, supermarkets, logistics, some manufacturing, yet they will also receive this boon. A sector specific extension to the Furlough scheme would have been better, the money could then have gone towards helping Hospitality through to next Spring when the good times will return (I hope!).

These examples are not dreams, they look fantastical, but they are reality. Six months ago 5% VAT on accommodation was laughable.  These keep me and my fellow Hospitality leaders awake at night, trying to unscramble meanings and the future from our very cloudy crystal balls. We reopen Rudding Park Hotel (Accommodation and Restaurant only) on Monday 13^th July and I pray that I have made the right decisions and chosen the correct path.

The great news is that we are open, we have taken advantage of all of the government schemes, I have a fantastic team who have supported me through every challenge and we will be up, fighting and winning next spring when the good times come back.

We have to accept that the rules and mores that we used to work to have changed absolutely, and only those businesses that change will survive. It doesn’t matter how big and powerful you are, If you do not change you will become extinct.

The past three months has undoubtedly been the biggest leadership challenge of my  35 year career. The world has been fundamentally changed, and in my darker moments I wonder if I will ever be the same leader as I was before. That innocence of early March feels like it happened to a different person.

To quote LP Hartley in “The Go-Between” – “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there…”

We all look forward to welcoming you back to Rudding Park, and do what we enjoy, caring and looking after our guests. See you soon!

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Despite being allowed to move plays and performances outside as of Monday, theatres across the district have said it isn’t possible right now.

Yesterday the government announced that outdoor performances can take place with socially distanced audiences from July 11. However, theatre groups across the district have said it would not be possible due to cost and rehearsal time.

The Ripon Amateur Operatic Society is hoping to start rehearsals for its upcoming production of Chicago but says that an outdoor production wouldn’t be feasible.

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Phill Ruddy, director and choreographer for the society said:

“I think it’s a bit wider than the time needed and cost, we don’t have places in Harrogate where we could do open air performances. We are charities and we can’t spend twenty grand on an outdoor venue.”

The Ripon Amateur Operatic Society was due to perform Oliver at Harrogate Theatre back in April.

Similarly, the Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society has suspended all its performances with no set date to reopen. However, the president of the society Ruth Dodsworth said it is considering doing a ghost walk but everything is up in the air.

She said:

“We would like to do something if possible in order to keep everyone interested and aware that things are still going ahead. We would like to do outdoor productions but it is such a long process.”

Bettys will open its Harrogate tea rooms on Monday, July 27 and you won’t need to book in advance to get a table.

It will be a slightly different experience for visitors in order to maintain social distancing. The cafe will also be offering a reduced menu.

Bettys said it will still aim to make sure the experience is “just as lovely as people remember”.

Bettys has announced its reopening date for later this month.

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Harlow Carr will follow, with a re-opening date set for Monday, August 3.

“I was thrilled to hear the announcement, our club has been actively involved in the Swim England Open Our Pools campaign so we are delighted. Our club has been doing all we can to ensure that our divers can return to training safely.

“All of our club members are competitive divers and were training for competitions pre-covid. Some of them have trained every week for years in preparation for these competitions, it’s a huge part of their life. Understandably it has been hard for a lot of our divers for this to suddenly stop. Like the rest of the country we are embracing a new normal.”

Swimming classes will look a little different as safety measures are implemented.

“We will be starting to make plans but we still have a lot of work to do including following all the guidelines. We’ll be starting very small to get confident, for example we’ll have to reduce the class sizes to 1-2-1s and 1-2-2s just to make it safe. Those that can swim 25m and be left alone can return to their lessons. We are all very excited to get back to teaching.”

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Harrogate Borough Council, who operate the majority of swimming pools in the district, said:

“We’re delighted the government has advised it is safe for leisure facilities to open from 25 July. Customer safety comes first. So we’re busy working on new guidance as well as staff training and cleaning procedures. We’ll have more news in the coming days of what facilities will open and when.”

Beauty salons, tattooists and tanning salons now have the green light to reopen from Monday 13 July but some types of beauty work are still banned.

Treatments that involve work directly in front of the face such as facial waxing, eyelashes, make-up application and facial treatments are not allowed due to the much greater risk of transmission.

The Stray Ferret has been speaking to some local beauty businesses who still won’t be able to re-open on Monday.

Anna Jones, Owner of Harrogate Electrolysis

Anna Jones who is the proprietor of Harrogate electrolysis said she feels “very hard done too.”

“I specialise in permanent hair removal and 95% of my work is facial so there’s just no way I can re-open. I felt totally deflated yesterday and  I think it’s very unfair, as medical procedures such as facial aesthetic work can resume as they deem that as a ‘sterile and clinical environment’ but what I do is no different. I have always worn PPE and I work in a totally hygenic way but yet I am still in the beauty bracket rather than medical… I just feel left in the lurch.

“I’m hoping that by august we will get open, but to totally rule out facial treatments is just ridiculous. If they actually knew the figures, the bread and butter of the industry is facial- more needs to be done to help the beauty industry.”

Charlotte Wilson, Owner of CW Artistry

Charlotte Wilson who owns CW Artistry in Harrogate also feels ‘furious and upset’ by the restrictions.

“I am a makeup artist and lash technician so 100% of my work is facial… I feel annoyed as people are able to get on a flight and go to a pub, yet I can’t open even though I have a medical level of PPE and know it’s a safe environment. I initially thought I would be able to open at the same time as hairdressers so I had provisionally booked my clients in and I had a full diary for three weeks, but then when beauty was given the green light and i still can’t open its pretty devastating.”

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Charlotte who is 25 started her beauty business in January 2019:

“Financially its been terrible. I have had no help as I’ve not been self-employed long enough and I still live with my parents.  I am hoping my clients will come back, but I can’t see the makeup side of my business being very busy as a lot of my work is weddings and there just isn’t any going ahead and also people aren’t going out to events every weekend so they have no reason to get party makeup.”

Harrogate’s Odeon cinema will not open on July 16 as previously announced – but the Everyman will open later today.

Because summer blockbusters including Wonder Woman 2 and Mulan have been delayed, Odeon said its Harrogate cinema will instead open at some point later this summer.

Cinema-goers in Harrogate had hoped to be able to visit the Odeon from next Thursday and it had announced it would be showing a selection of classic films including The Empire Strikes Back.

An Odeon spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“Our next phase of reopening will continue to take place from this Friday. However, in light of changes in the timing of this summer’s big blockbusters, the reopening dates scheduled for the rest of our cinemas across July, including Odeon Harrogate, will now be phased over July and August.

“We are pleased to be welcoming guests back to selected cinemas across the UK, and we continue to receive positive feedback from cinemagoers on their experience and the additional safety measures we have put in place.”

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• Drive-In Cinema comes to Harrogate and Ripon

• Harrogate ODEON gives date to reopen

Odeon said when customers are allowed back into its Harrogate cinema, family groups and social bubbles will be allowed to sit next together, but between separate customers there will be an unoccupied seat. Staggered show times will also limit the chance of long queues.

In related news, Everyman cinema in Westgate House, Harrogate, will open later today for the first time since March. A mix of classic films and recent releases are available to watch including Parasite, the Wolf of Wall Street and Fantastic Mr Fox.

The news that nail salons and beauticians can reopen from Monday came as a huge relief to Harrogate based salon owners.

Salon owners in Harrogate said they were “thrilled” to be able to reopen. Following the reopening of hairdressers on July 4, nail technicians and beauticians were confused when their salons had to remain closed.

When culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, made the announcements yesterday evening Harrogate salons received calls from their clients immediately as they rushed to book an appointment.

Louis Pedro owns Skin Sanctuary in Harrogate, said:

“I am ringing round clients already. I’m thrilled but slightly panicked that we haven’t got much time. I’m excited but nervous, we were ready to open on the 4th so when we weren’t allowed I was devastated. We had everything in place but without having a date we couldn’t plan much. I’m just frantically calling round to book people in. We can’t wait to get back in, I’ve never not worked so its been strange but I’m raring to get to it.”

Clients were eager to get booked in as the government announced nail salons and beauticians could reopen.

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Some restrictions will still be in place, Mr Dowden said “”Of course that will be subject to some restrictions on particularly high-risk services”.

Danielle Currie from Nail Envy, in Harrogate is another salon owner who was pleased by the announcement:

“I feel relieved and so excited for some normality. I’ve already got people ringing to book in which makes me more excited to get back to it. It’s all going to be new with the PPE and visors but we’ve been ready for this day for the past month. I was devastated when our re-opening was delayed but now I can look forward.”

The scale of Harrogate Borough Council’s coronavirus shortfall remains unclear as authority officials say there is “a number of unknowns” in estimating the impact of lockdown.

Paul Foster, the council’s head of finance, told a full council meeting that the council’s deficit could be anywhere between £9 million and £14.5 million.

But, in May, council officers said the shortfall could be as high as £15 million due to a loss of income on leisure, homelessness and car parking.

It comes as the authority revealed a £327,000 overspend last year, with £270,000 of that figure put down to the coronavirus pandemic.

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However, the cost is just the tip of the iceberg in what is expected to be a much larger deficit come the end of the next financial year. Other authority leaders have warned of impending bankruptcy notices at councils across the UK due to mounting deficits.

Some councils may have to look to their reserves to bail them out. Harrogate council had £27 million held over for a rainy day as of April 2019, but it remains unclear how it intends to tackle its estimated shortfall and whether or not it will use its reserves.

Mr Foster told councillors that the authority would not be issuing a section 114 notice – a drastic measure used in times of dire financial circumstances – which would ban any further spending.

He said the shortfall remains unclear at this time because of a number of factors.

“There will be a significant financial detriment due to covid-19, but it is challenging to estimate with certainty as you will appreciate there are still a number of unknowns.

“There are additional costs in responding to the pandemic, for example in the areas of homelessness and waste collection.

“However, more significant will be the irrevocable loss of income in relation to leisure, the convention centre, parking and planning. But also in relation to funding on both council tax and business rates.

“The estimated deficit ranges from £9.3 million to £14.5 million in 2020/21 depending on the assumptions that you make. 

“As I’ve said, there are still a number of unknowns around when certain facilities can open, how long social distancing measures will be in place and how our customers will behave.”

Mr Foster added that the council’s deficit position will be kept under review, along with budget plans and its reserves. The outcome of the reviews are expected to be brought before senior councillors at future cabinet meetings.

A further £500 million package of funding was announced by the government last week to help with spending pressures.

Funding allocations have yet to be revealed, but the scheme is expected to reimburse authorities for lost income and allow council tax and business rates deficits to be paid over three years instead of one.

St Aidan’s high school has put forward new proposals to build an artificial 3G football pitch with controversial 15-metre floodlights.

In 2016 the school submitted similar plans to Harrogate Borough Council — but withdrew them in 2019 after objections were raised around light pollution and traffic.

Objectors said the floodlights would have a negative impact on residents as well as on the Stray Rein section of The Stray.

For the school to receive grant funding from Sports England to help pay for the new facility, it must be open for community use outside of school hours.

The 2016 application stated the facility would close at 10pm Monday to Friday, which has been reduced to 8pm.

The floodlights in the new application are also telescopic which manufacturers say emit less light pollution.

Resident David Bell who lives adjacent to St Aidan’s told the Stray Ferret the floodlights will have a “dramatic” effect on his property.

He said:

“This mad rush to install 3G pitches throughout the area is having a dramatically negative impact on those living closest to the pitches due to the extended opening hours. It seems the march of the plastic pitch is unstoppable.”

The new pitch, which would be built on existing playing fields at the school, would put St Aidan’s on par with nearby St John Fisher which built its own 3G facility in 2017.

As well as being able to be hired by local football teams in evenings and weekends, the pitch would also be used by local C of E primary schools within the School’s Multi Academy Trust who St Aidan’s said have an “acute shortage” of external playing fields.

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St Aidan’s borders the Stray Rein section of the Stray and Judy D’Arcy Thompson from the Stray Defence Association told the Stray Ferret that the floodlights would “impinge upon the tranquillity the Stray affords people”

She said:

“Such widespread, obtrusive light pollution is undesirable, with the distinct possibility of damaging the Stray in many ways.”

The formal consultation period for the development ends on July 27.

The Stray Ferret has asked the agent MHB Partnership, who is working on behalf of St Aidan’s for the development, for a response which they had not provided at the time of publication.