Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 1053 of 1102

Police appeal after Mini crashes in Harrogate

Police are appealing for witnesses after a car collided with a telecommunications box in Harrogate, causing significant damage.

A Mini Cooper Estate S collided with the green box near the junction with Tewit Well Avenue at 1.20am on Friday, June 26. The driver left the scene without reporting the incident.

A 19-year-old man has since been arrested and released under investigation while enquiries continue. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and also help to identify the driver of the vehicle at the time of the collision.”

Anyone with information should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 587, or email matthew.bulmer@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200107118.

Stray becomes new gym as personal trainers adapt

Personal trainers in Harrogate have had to adapt to new ways of training to continue earning an income during lockdown.

The pandemic has left many of them with fewer clients and needing to adapt to outdoor and online classes.

But with many people currently making their health a top priority, trainers are hoping this could encourage more people to seek their help following lockdown.

The current rules allow for five people to attend an outdoor class with one trainer meaning many are using the Stray as their new workout space. As well as this Harrogate’s trainers are finding their online classes to be popular, with some deciding to continue them after gyms reopen due to public demand.

Gabby Glasby is a personal trainer in Harrogate, she said:

“I started sessions for five people doing three a week in park areas and I’m doing 1-2-1’s in gardens and its just starting to get busier. Its working well, I’ve had to buy some new equipment to make sure its still a full body workout without the gym equipment. I’ve had a few new people start on zoom, some I worked with before and others from elsewhere such as London.”

“I’d hope that many people will realise that your general health can improve your body’s immunity so you need to look after it, that could be a positive for us as PTs.”

Outdoor gym workout for five people run by Harrogate personal trainer.

Outdoor workouts are allowing trainers to continue earning over lockdown.

In the coming weeks a further easing of lockdown could mean personal trainers have more freedom to increase their groups or slowly return to indoor training.

Craig Heard another personal trainer in Harrogate is hopeful, he said:

“It has really pushed me to grow my business in a very quick and reactive manner, it is something I always wanted to do but was forced into a corner and with all the time at home and loss of some clients I had the time and urgency to be able to work on things I had only ever planned for in my head before.

“Currently I am delivering one to one online PT, zoom fitness classes and my Train 8 programme. I will remain hopeful, it’s the best way to be. If PTs don’t adapt in this time they will struggle.”

Cyclists groups must “remain realistic”, says NYCC

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways Don Mackenzie says cycling groups must “remain realistic” around improvements to cycling routes in Harrogate.

His words come as the council received just half of the £266,000 that was allocated to them by government to spend on temporary cycling and walking measures. These include coning off some on-street parking bays to widen footpaths.

NYCC will be able to bid for a further £1.1m for larger cycling schemes later this summer but they have been criticised by cycling groups in Harrogate for showing a “lack of ambition” with its initial bid. They also said North Yorkshire did not consult them about the bid.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Cllr Mackenzie said the council is taking a long-term approach to cycle lanes.

He said:

“I’m sure we’ll get more cycle schemes in there. People will have to remain realistic. It costs a million pounds to build 1km of off-road cycle path. We’re only bidding £1.1m for the whole of the county.”

He also said that more road space in Harrogate could be allocated to cycling and walking through the positioning of bollards, which has proved controversial for businesses operating on James Street and West Park.

Whilst Cllr Mackenzie suggested that North Yorkshire received less funding for cycling because of its largely rural geography, other councils such as Suffolk, which also has a large rural population, received 100%. However, Cllr Mackenzie said this type of comparison is unfair.

He said:

“The nearest county to us is Lincolnshire and they got 50%. Suffolk got 100% but I don’t know what their bid was like.

“We’ve made many bids for cycling. We’re building an off-road cycle path on Otley Road, we’ve applied for the Transforming Cities Funding which involves a lot of improvements for cycling. Sometimes you get 100% and sometimes you don’t.

Yesterday, the Stray Ferret reported that 26 cyclists are injured in collisions in Harrogate a year.

Cllr Mackenzie added:

“Harrogate is very, very safe for cyclists but if you saw some of the comments on social media you’d think it was an absolute deathtrap.

Harrogate International Festivals’ virtual “word-class” line-up

Harrogate International Festivals has released the line-up for its virtual arts weekender taking place from 23-26 July.

Having cancelled this years Summer Season due to coronavirus, HIF were determined to still celebrate the arts and have instead taken their weekend festival online.

The weekend begins by crowning the winner of Harrogate’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in a virtual ceremony. This will be followed by interviews from crime writing royalty including Ian Ranking and Val McDermid.

The free virtual festival will also feature the world premier of Eclipse. The new piece of music, commissioned by Harrogate International Festivals, features celebrated trumpeter Mike Lovatt.

Val Mcdermid, crime fiction writer

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals said the arts had the ability to transform lives:

“Out of crisis comes creativity, and Harrogate International Festivals is delighted to present a world class line-up for our first virtual HIF Weekender…we are extremely proud to be presenting this rich selection to our audience world-wide for free, ensuring the arts remain accessible to all at a time when we need it the most.”

Granny’s Attic will be one of many bands featured this weekend.

Harrogate International Festivals hopes to welcome people back to the festival this year despite the circumstances and is determined to make it a year to remember.

For more information and to see the full line-up for the HIF Weekender visit – www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

Council takes down pavement widening cones on West Park

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.

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 plan more patrols as Harrogate pubs reopen

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.

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.”

11 days without a coronavirus death at Harrogate Hospital

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.

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.

Council misses debt recovery target by more than half

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.

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.

Demand for humanist weddings in Harrogate rises

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.

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.”

Harrogate district has second-highest coronavirus death rate in county

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.

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.

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Coronavirus in care homes