North Yorkshire County Council has taken down its pavement widening cones on West Park after pressure from businesses.

The cones have moved back and forth in recent days but they will be removed permanently by the end of the week.

One of the reasons why the council put up the cones was because of the outcry surrounding pubs reopening for takeaway drinks. It led to customers spilling out into the road.

But it did not go down well with most businesses on the street. One retailer even threatened to rip them up.

Read more:

• Why a retailer threatened to rip up pavement widening cones
• When the council introduced pavement widening
• Why the county council wants pavement widening

Many others on the street also said that the road was wide enough already and that the council did not consult with them.

The pavement widening measures on West Park.

A council spokesperson told The Stray Ferret that the cones are not needed:

“Our highways team visited a number of businesses along West Park yesterday and it was established that the parking bay suspensions are no longer required. The cones are piled up on the footway in a safe place and will be removed before the end of the week.”

This is a u-turn that most retailers on West Park will welcome but it may not go down as well with the pubs which are reopening this weekend.

Police are planning more patrols this weekend as pubs in Harrogate reopen for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown.

Some venues may not reopen this weekend and others will have booking systems in place but many will come back from July 4.

Not only will there be an increased police presence on the streets but there will also be more drink and drug driving patrols.

Read more:

• Harrogate pub owners said they followed government guidelines
• Why did the council serve The Coach and Horses with a prohibition notice?

North Yorkshire Police is urging everyone to play their part and “celebrate respectfully and peacefully.”

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said:

“As we see our high streets, communities and now licenced venues open up again, we urge people to drink responsibly and respect local residents and their peace and quiet. Licensees have had a very difficult few months, please don’t make things worse for your favourite pub or bar by risking their licence through antisocial behaviour or worse.”

Richard Flinton, Chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum and Chief executive of NYCC, added:

“It is very positive to see how carefully the lifting of the lockdown measures are being considered by the many pubs, restaurants and hotels which will start to trade again. If we get this right we will manage the risks and be able to enjoy some semblance of normality with our friends and family again – while not spreading the virus.”

No deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital for 11 days, according to NHS figures today.

It means that the death toll at the district hospital remains at 80.

The news comes as it was revealed Harrogate has the second-highest coronavirus death rate in North Yorkshire despite the fact that it is the least deprived district.

Read more:

• Harrogate has second-highest coronavirus death rate in county
• County council needs more funding to tackle future coronavirus costs

Meanwhile, nationally, a further 50 people who tested positive for covid-19 have died in hospital. Of that number, four were in North East and Yorkshire.

NHS England said the patients were aged between 52 and 97 years old.   Two patients, aged 52 and 63, had no known underlying health conditions.

It means the death toll in England has increased to 28,759.

Harrogate Borough Council failed to meet targets for council tax collection, business rates and debt recovery this past year – which included one invoice worth £180,000.

According to a performance report due before the authority’s cabinet, the council missed its debt recovery target by more than half as just 18% was recovered against a target of 60%.

The authority said the performance was “significantly below” target. A total of £296,000 was referred to legal services to be recovered, of which £180,000 came from one invoice.

Officials said in the report that payment terms have been negotiated on the invoice and that they expect to recover the sum.

Read more:

• Harrogate Council faces £15 million coronavirus shortfall
• New budget amid coronavirus costs ‘not necessary’, says council
• County council needs more funding to tackle future coronavirus costs

Meanwhile, the borough council collected 97.9% of council tax against a target of 98.3%.

The authority also missed its business rates collection target by 1%.

Council bosses put part of the performance down to a slowing of collection in March when the country was put into lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Further support for those struggling to pay their council tax was revealed last week when the council offered to cut bills for vulnerable rate payers by £150.

It comes as the council has been hit with a deficit of £15 million amid the pandemic, part of which is down to a loss of income due to lockdown.

Senior councillors are set to discuss recovery plans tonight, which will include reviewing the authority’s budget and reserves.

Humanist celebrants across the district have given their support to the six couples who are challenging the government to change the law to legally recognise humanist marriages.

The current laws in England and Wales force couples who want a humanist wedding to have a separate civil ceremony for their marriage to be legally recognised.

The couples are going to the High Court July 7-8 and will argue that the current law discriminates against them because of their humanitarian belief.

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Rachael Meyer, a Harrogate based humanist celebrant, was fully booked for humanist weddings in 2020 and continues to be busy next year.

She said:

““It’s no surprise that the demand for humanist wedding ceremonies is rising rapidly. It is frustrating and completely unfair that non-religious couples in England and Wales who want a beautiful, bespoke, meaningful humanist ceremony that reflects their values have to go through a completely separate legal ceremony with a registrar, whereas religious couples do not.

Marriage laws need to be updated now so that we are in line with Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Lisa and Matthew Taylor signing a certificate rather than a register.

In England and Wales, over 1,000 couples a year already have a humanist wedding without legal recognition. The government was given the power to give legal recognition to humanist marriages in 2013 but has failed to act on it.

Humanists UK Chief Executive, Andrew Copson said:

“Couples who have humanist weddings see that day as the epitome of their love and commitment to each other, and all they want is the same legal recognition for that as is given to every religious person in our country.

Government has dragged its heels and that’s why it’s been left to these couples to bring this case.”

The Harrogate district has the second-highest coronavirus death rate in North Yorkshire despite the fact that it is the least deprived area.

This new information seems to defy the national picture where the virus death rate in poorer and BAME communities tends to be much higher.

The director of public health for North Yorkshire’s report revealed that only Craven has a marginally higher death rate than the Harrogate district.

Read more:

• Ten days without coronavirus deaths but care home deaths rising
• County council needs more funding to tackle future coronavirus costs

The Harrogate district has a crude mortality rate of 108.4 compared to 112.6 in Craven. The lowest mortality rate in the county is in Selby with 48.3.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant’s report points to the high number of care homes and the high proportion of elderly residents in Harrogate to explain the high death rate.

Coronavirus in care homes

All parts of North Yorkshire have care homes and have reported outbreaks but that number continues to grow. Of those outbreaks, 37% occurred in the Harrogate district back in May.

At that time 555 residents had either been in self-isolation or suffering with coronavirus. North Yorkshire County Council has purchased 200 additional beds to provide resilience.

The report also described the testing time in care home settings as a “critical issue.” It added that it is too long to support effective public health actions.

Meanwhile, more recent figures from care homes revealed that there have now been 94 deaths in the Harrogate district.

Some travel agents in Harrogate are refusing to take bookings for July and August until the government clears up its “vague” guidance around travel.

The current guidance advises British nationals against all but essential international travel but booking ahead is permitted. Travel agents are expecting an announcement around “travel bubbles” to countries such as Spain and France this week.

However, one Harrogate travel agent who didn’t wish to be named said even if the government says it’s safe to travel he won’t be accepting bookings for July and August. He said he does not believe travellers will be properly covered by insurance because travel rules could change again.

Read more:

• Harrogate district to go ‘staycation crazy’ from July 4

• Harrogate hotels bring back furloughed staff to train them for new rules

Ben Poole launched his first own travel agency, The Travel Journal, in January. He missed out on the government’s support grant for businesses and spent March and April dealing with refunds and re-bookings. He’s now having to turn customers away at what should be the most profitable time of the year.

He told the Stray Ferret that the government’s expected announcement for “travel bubbles” should give insurance companies the confidence to offer protection. But he doesn’t expect there to be a rush of bookings and said most holidaymakers are looking ahead to Christmas and the new year.

He said:

“Morally, people are asking if it’s right to go now with what’s going on in the world. A customer is going to Greece in September. He says he feels crazy for wanting to go.”

Keith Butterfield owns Number One Travel in Harrogate and also has concerns about travel insurance. He told the Stray Ferret he won’t be taking any immediate bookings until the situation is cleared up.

He said:

“We’ve been advising people against booking for July until we know what the situation is.

“If we book a holiday now and it’s subsequently cancelled then we have the problem of getting the refund to them. We’d be out of pocket but people would have looked forward to their holiday and then they can’t have it.”

“We’re eager to book holidays but we don’t want our customers travelling abroad then finding they’re not covered by insurance. If flights are cancelled then there’ll be disappointed.”

On average 26 cyclists a year are injured in collisions in Harrogate, analysis by the Stray Ferret has found.

As bicycle shops report record sales and commuters return to work after lockdown, the numbers give an indication of how safe it is to cycle in the town.

The UK-wide data goes back to 2005 and was published by not-for-profit organisation Cycle Streets. It includes details of every collision involving a cyclist where a police report was filed.

From 2014 to 2018, there were 128 reports of cyclists being injured with the majority involving a car. No cyclists were killed during the time period.

Skipton Road was the worst road in Harrogate for collisions involving cyclists, with 13 injuries over five years.

All the incidents in Harrogate from 2014-2018.

Caroline Linford from green group Sustainably Harrogate called the figures “alarming”.

She told the Stray Ferret that cycling in the town can feel dangerous.

She said:

“It’s easy to see why people are reluctant to cycle on Harrogate roads. Safety is a key concern.”

“Personally since Lockdown my whole family have been using bicycles as a form of exercise and to do doorstop visits with family across Harrogate. It’s become clear to me that there are some good pathways to cycle on and some very dangerous roads.

“When I’m on my bicycle I feel that pedestrians get irritated with cyclists on pavements as we travel faster than walkers and equally, car drivers often become irritated behind cyclists while on shared roads, particularly as we go a little slower as we have children with us.”

Read more

• Extinction Rebellion plans cycling protest in Harrogate town centre

• County council reveals £1.3m plans to encourage walking and cycling

North Yorkshire County Council has responsibility for transport in Harrogate and Ms Linford called on the council to introduce so-called “Low Traffic Neighbourhoods” in Harrogate to protect cyclists from cars.

The concept is currently being trialled in Lambeth, London where cars are discouraged from entering certain roads with bollards.

North Yorkshire County Council said they have recently won a £31m bid for the government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which will be partly spent upgrading cycling and walking facilities in Harrogate.

Don Mackenzie, executive member for road safety at North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that the safety of cyclists is one of the council’s top road safety priorities.

He said:

“Contrary to some recent sensationalist contributions on social media, there have been no fatalities involving cyclists in Harrogate town in the last 14 years. Furthermore, in spite of substantial increases in the numbers of residents choosing to cycle, the overall number of accidents involving cyclists in the county has been reducing steadily.”

A drugs advisor has told the Stray Ferret said coronavirus has had a huge impact on the rise of recreational drug use in Harrogate.

As lockdown has eased crowds of people have met on the stray leaving behind drug paraphernalia. Nitrous oxide canisters, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular with young people in the area as they can be easily bought online with no age restrictions in place.

Ruth Watson, a safeguarding and county lines drug trainer, said:

“Covid has played a massive part in the rise of recreational drug use in the area.”

Traditionally used within the catering sector, the canisters are often presumed to less dangerous than other drugs. But side effects can include loss of blood pressure and fainting and in extreme cases nerve damage, heart attacks and death.

Ruth continued:

“People think its safe but it could lead them on to try harder drugs. Nitrous oxide is a growing issue with young people, since lockdown they’ve been cooped up and not allowed out now they have been out they are overcompensating for it.

“It appears to be a bigger issue since lockdown because it’s more visible. The pandemic has been horrendous in so many respects, it’s now making a social issue with young people getting whatever they can I don’t think it would be like this if things were normal.”

There’s been a visible increase in ‘laughing gas’ canisters in Harrogate.

Read more:

• Harrogate parents said “you can get drugs during your school lunch break”. 
• The police report an increase in gan canisters found on the Stray. 

Harrogate has had a long-standing problem with county lines drugs. It has been dubbed the ‘drugs capital of Yorkshire’ and the new issue of recreational drugs over lockdown will only enhance this title.

The Harrogate and District Soroptimists found a new way to handover presidency last week.

Social distancing has made it impossible for new president Sandra Frier to receive the chain of office given to her back in April. However, being able to meet in small groups in gardens has meant that the handover has finally taken place.

Immediate past presidents Sylvia Purser and Sue Williams passed the chain of office over to new president via a broom handle.

Read more: 

• Furloughed staff from Rudding Park pick up 400 kilos of rubbish 
• The Great Yorkshire Show goes online 

Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District work with other Soroptimist clubs and organisations globally to make a difference to the lives of women and girls.

Sandra Frier the new Club President has chosen the theme of people, partnership and the planet, with her chosen charity being ‘Just B’ and Saint Michaels Hospice.

President Sandra Frier wearing chain in foreground with Sylvia Purse (Left) & Sue Williams (Right)

She said:

“Harrogate and District Soroptimists have a reputation for combining fun and friendship with hard work. Whilst some members have continued to work, others have worked together virtually to assist the community during these very difficult times.”

Some of their voluntary activities have included making scrubs with the Harrogate Scrubbers, providing pamper bags for NHS front-line staff and making laundry bags for Ripon Hospital.