Wetherby Road newsagent to be converted to hairdressers

The closure of another newsagent during the pandemic has raised concern about the loss of these local community stores.

A planning application has been lodged to change the use of Wilkinson’s newsagent, at 137 Wetherby Road, near Woodlands junction. The newsagent, which closed last year when the owner Alan Wilkinson retired, will become a hairdresser and beauty salon with five treatment rooms.

Councillor Pat Marsh, whose ward the newsagents is located in, recalls that the building was used as a sweet shop as far back as 1956, when she moved to the area. It has been a newsagents since at least 1977.

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Cllr Marsh said that the shop had been a “wonderful asset to the community”:

“There is a problem in Harrogate about a lack of small community shops – but where does the blame lie? It lies with us, we do our shopping in the supermarkets, it’s just the way life has turned.”

Last year also saw the closure of the newsagent at Harrogate railway station, run by Brian Moses. This reflects a national trend of declining numbers of newsagents, driven by lower tobacco and newspaper sales.

The application also includes the demolition of a garage on the premises and an increase in the number of parking spaces, from three to five.

The planning officer will make a decision on the application by 27th May.

‘We feel like prisoners’: Harrogate care home resident on isolation rule

A Harrogate man who lives in a care home has spoken out against rules telling residents not to go outside and to self isolate for two weeks if they do.

Nick Moxon, 32, has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road. He was shocked, like others in the home, to learn of the new guidance.

Residents like Mr Moxon have the backing of Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, and Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council. All three have spoken out against the guidance.

While the debate continues, care home residents like Mr Moxon see others enjoying the more relaxed lockdown rules and are left feeling bewildered.

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Mr Moxon, like all residents at his care home, has had both doses of the coronavirus vaccine. He told the Stray Ferret:

“When I first found out what the rules were I shared it with my family and friends, they cannot understand it either.

“If you fly to the UK you just have to isolate for 10 days. If you live in supported living these rules don’t apply. It is crazy. We just want to be treated like everyone else.

“But we are being treated like lesser beings. We are trapped in here like prisoners. Better than most, we understand the risks of coronavirus.

“Before the pandemic we were all extremely sociable. We understood over the last year but now we have had the vaccine and lockdown is easing, we just want to get our lives back.”

The more restrictive guidance for care homes was issued shortly after restrictions eased on the hospitality sector last week and non-essential shops were allowed to reopen.

Ms Snape, who has written to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones about the issue, previously said:

“For the people that live at 34 Claro Road this is devastating. They are young people who just want to have the same freedoms as everyone else.

“They are seeing pictures of groups enjoying a beer outside the pub and they are being told they can’t even go for a walk around the block.”

Andrew Jones MP supports bid to reduce VAT on hospitality sector

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has said a bid to extend the reduction on VAT for the hospitality and tourist sector would help a “huge number” of companies in his constituency.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in this year’s Budget the 5% reduction on VAT for the sector would be extended until September.

Now a clause in the Finance Bill proposes further extending it until March next year.

Speaking in a Commons debate yesterday, Mr Jones said the move would cost £5 billion a year but would help organisations that were “running on empty”.

He said the sector employed 9,464 people in Harrogate and Knaresborough before the pandemic, which “puts us in the top 10% of constituencies across the country”.

He added:

“The industry needs a period of stability where it can rebuild.

“One challenge will be when businesses have been through the summer and they face the standard seasonal reduction but may not have built up the cash flow in reserve to see them through the leaner months.

“This initiative recognises that risk, so the continuity of support through the winter is welcome.”

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Mr Jones said the sector’s supply chain had been particularly badly affected, adding:

“I know that, in my own constituency, some businesses in the supply sector will not be reopening, and businesses that have served the industry well for many years are at a crisis point.”

Extending the 12.5% rate of VAT would, he said, stimulate demand, especially in the quieter winter season, and that demand would generate the cash flow that businesses need. 

He quoted Ian Fozard, who runs Roosters brewery in Knaresborough, saying “most businesses like ours need a sustained period of good trading to build back some reserves”.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, told the Stray Ferret in March the reduction in VAT meant “that my team will still be able to pay their mortgages”. He added:

“We are lucky that we as a business have more fat on our back, but there are lots who live hand to mouth.”

Car chase and five arrests in driving crackdown in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Police said today a recent crackdown on dangerous driving had achieved “strong results” after just two weeks.

Operation Boundary involves high numbers of traffic officers targeting accident hotspots on key routes.

It began over the Easter bank holiday weekend when police targeted the Dales and Craven.

So far 163 traffic offence reports have been issued for offences ranging from using handheld mobiles while driving, dangerous overtaking and speeding.

When police blitzed the Harrogate district on Tuesday last week, they arrested five people, seized two vehicles and set off on a car chase after a driver failed to stop.

Operation Boundary ‘will continue to run at various locations throughout the summer’, according to a police statement.

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Traffic sergeant Pete Stringer, who is leading the operation, said:

“The strong results we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks show how our roads are being used, and occasionally abused, as lockdown restrictions ease.

“We’re seeing much more traffic, particularly in scenic rural areas and a small minority of road users who seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.”

Harrogate artist sells paintings to help Yemen

Local painter Clive Wilson is selling 10 of his paintings to raise money to help children affected by the civil war in Yemen.

Mr Wilson paints impressionistic and dreamy landscapes. Most of his paintings show the Northumberland coast, where he has a holiday cottage. Although he was born and grew up in Leeds, he has lived in Harrogate for 32 years.

He began painting as a teenager, when he would make pocket money by painting shop signs. Now he works as a life coach and environmental consultant.

He has written two books on business performance and sustainable development, and is also chair of the Harrogate branch of the United Nations Association, an organisation dedicated to promoting the work of the UN.

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The Yemen conflict has become the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world, leaving more than 12.4 million children in need of assistance. All proceeds from sales of Mr Wilson’s paintings, which cost from £40 to £110, will go towards Save the Children’s Yemen Appeal.

The paintings can be seen in the cafe of the garden rooms at auctioneers Tennants in Leyburn, which is open for takeaway. Alternatively paintings can be viewed and bought on the auctioneer’s website.

Mr Wilson also has a JustGiving page for those who wish to make a donation to the Save the Children appeal.

Hospitality has lost ‘sexiness’ due to covid, says Harrogate hotel boss

Hospitality has “lost a bit of its sexiness” due to covid but reopening has given a sense of hope for normality, says a Harrogate hotel boss.

Anthony Blundell, commercial manager at Provenance Inns and Hotels, which runs the West Park Hotel, said the rule of six and asking people how to behave made staff feel “a little bit like the police”.

However, he added that 2,000 guests had booked in with the hotel since reopening last week and that the hotel had kept staff engaged with things like online training while it was closed to keep spirits up.

Speaking at a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing, Mr Blundell said he hoped bars and restaurants could return to some form of normality after June 21.

He said:

“Over the past kind of 12 months, hospitality has lost a bit of its sexiness. Quite often, hospitality is usually about ‘yes’ and what we can do for our guests.

“We have almost had to become a little bit like the police ourselves. Telling people how to behave and that you’ve got to sit down in your rule of six, things like that. We need to maintain that to keep everybody safe.

“But, hopefully, as things are easing and reopening now and hopefully we’re on track for June 21, things will start to get back to some form of normality.”

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Legal limits on social contact are due to be lifted on June 21.

Mr Blundell added that although the last 12 months had been “a bit weird”, he felt the lockdown had gained the sector a newfound respect from people.

“During these periods of closure, I feel our industry has gained more respect from our guests and they realise just how much they miss us.”

As part of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, bars and restaurants reopened on April 12.

Until May 17, people can only sit outside in groups of six to have a meal or a drink.

Bishop of Ripon has ‘grave concerns’ over care home isolation

The Bishop of Ripon has written to five MPs asking for the removal of a requirement for care home residents to isolate for 14 days if they leave their homes.

The Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley’s intervention comes after Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, also expressed concerns about the issue.

The more restrictive guidance for care homes was issued shortly after restrictions eased on the hospitality sector last week and non-essential shops were allowed to reopen.

The five MPs who received the letter included local Conservatives Andrew Jones, Nigel Adams and Julian Smith. It says:

“I am very concerned indeed about the impact on the physical and mental well-being, and indeed the human rights of individuals of diverse ages and vulnerabilities.

“I note that John’s Campaign for example focuses on principles and attitudes rather than procedures and protocols.

“With that in mind, I ask what sort of society we wish to be as we emerge from the pandemic crisis?

“Given that it is further likely we will be living with covid for a long time, it is of grave concern that our most vulnerable citizens will be treated in such a restrictive way.

“That has, in my opinion, a corrosive impact on our society and has implications that far outlast our own lives.”

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Last week a care home run by Disability Action Yorkshire on Claro Road, Harrogate, said it would defy the guidance because it was a “clear breach” of human rights.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of the charity, has written to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, warning he will receive furious e-mails as a result of the guidance.

She said:

“For the people that live at 34 Claro Road this is devastating. They are young people who just want to have the same freedoms as everyone else.

“They are seeing pictures of groups enjoying a beer outside the pub and they are being told they can’t even go for a walk around the block.”

Does this story affect you or your loved ones? Write to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk to tell us about your experience.

Ex-teachers from Knaresborough support calls for children to start school aged 7

Two former teachers who live in Knaresborough are supporting calls for children to start formal education aged seven.

Husband and wife Shan Oakes and Bill Rigby said starting at seven, as opposed to four or five, would improve wellbeing and attainment in later years.

The couple, who taught at secondary schools in East Yorkshire, said they had seen children burnt out from learning by the time they were teenagers and believe the UK should adopt an approach inspired by countries like Norway and Finland.

In these Scandinavian countries, children learn through play at kindergartens or nurseries until they are seven.

The proposal is part of the Scottish Green Party manifesto for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election. Education philosophies such as Montessori and Steiner also advocate starting school at a later age.

The couple are both members of the Harrogate & District Green Party and Shan said she knew parents of young children in the Harrogate district who had decided to adopt home schooling to prevent stress.

She said:

“Starting school later puts an emphasis on the child instead of being forced into the template of state schools.”

Bill added:

“We start far too young here. Lots of countries who start later perform much better than ours.”

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In the Harrogate district last week, parents of three and four-year-olds were informed which primary school their children will be starting in September.

But Shan and Bill believe children should spend longer outside of formal classrooms and learn more about nature.

Shan was full of praise for Harrogate schools but said the system often let children down by focusing too much on learning facts and excessive testing.

She added:

“Harrogate schools do wonderful things often in spite of the system.

“But all the testing of children is ludicrous. You can put children off learning.

“Our system is focused on what we think children need to learn rather than drawing out a child’s unique perspective.”

Harrogate smart parking scheme could cost £144,000 over four years

Senior councillors look set to extend a smart parking scheme in Harrogate, which could cost up to £144,000.

The scheme, which is run by London-based AppyWay, was launched in 2019 on an 18-month trial basis.

It uses sensors to give app users a real-time map of available spaces.

The app, which allows motorists to pay for the exact minutes they are parked, now looks set to be extended. Council figures showed there is support for it to be made a permanent solution, with 93% of users saying they found it easier than pay and display.

Now senior councillors from both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council look set to extend the scheme for an initial two years at a cost of £18,000 a year to each authority.

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A report due before the borough council’s cabinet said the agreement with AppyWay would also have two optional 12-month extensions at the same price, meaning the contract could cost up to £144,000 in total for both councils.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said:

“We committed to the smart parking trial, in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council, as part of our continuing efforts to use innovative ways to improve traffic flow in Harrogate for the benefit of residents and visitors.

“Analysis of the trial shows a high level of satisfaction, with the smart parking option proving less stressful and encouraging people to stay longer.

“Providing visitors and shoppers with this more convenient and enjoyable experience will be a huge benefit to the town’s retailers and other businesses as they recover from the impact of the covid pandemic.”

The county council’s business and environmental services executive members will consider the extension on Friday and the borough council’s cabinet will consider it next week.

If approved by both authorities, the company will be appointed and start from the end of July.

Cllr Phil Ireland, the borough council’s cabinet member for sustainable travel, said: 

“When we first implemented this comprehensive smart parking solution, we were the first local authorities in the county to do so. It is clear we have led from example as this award winning app is now being adopted by other authorities across the country.

“The data from the trial period has shown it not only can make parking easier and more convenient for people, it can also save people money and encourage them to visit the town centre and stay longer.

“What we weren’t aware of at the time, was that the contactless payment element would also prove beneficial during the covid pandemic.

“The app will play a role in the recovery of the high street and I will be recommending the approval for a further two years.”

‘We’re not giving up on our Harrogate B&B dream’

It’s been a difficult year for the many bed and breakfasts that depend on Harrogate’s Convention Centre, which has been an NHS Nightingale for the last year.

But the owners of Scotia House on King’s Road are now excited about better times ahead.

In the months before covid, South African couple Mark and Gill Church travelled the length and breadth of the UK looking for their perfect location before buying Scotia House, opposite the convention centre.

The couple left careers in marketing and event management to take over the business in December 2019 — but little did they know what would be around the corner.

Instead of a busy conference and tourist season, the convention centre was swiftly turned into a Nightingale hospital in March last year, with the two large oxygen tanks by the Royal Hall a grim reminder of what might have been.

Mr Church said it was a “blessing in disguise” that the Nightingale was never used to treat covid patients.

Not going to run away

Some longstanding hotels nearby shut their doors for good during the pandemic, including The Kimberley Hotel and Alexa House.

But Mr Church said they never thought about selling up and were determined to get to the other side. The hotel will reopen on May 17.

He said:

“These times were sent to test us but we were not going to run away.

“We’re incredibly blessed to still be here.”

He called the last 12 months “horrendous” but said they had used the time to find different ways to help the business, including going on courses to better equip them for life as hoteliers.

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Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the convention centre, is working on a £50m plan to upgrade the ageing facility.

The council hopes the investment will help Harrogate better compete with other conference venues across the country.

Mr Church is looking forward to conferences and events finally returning to the town.

“More money spent on the convention centre is a fantastic thing. We’re also hoping to get tourists in too who will use Harrogate as a base.

“Friends always wonder why would you leave sunny South Africa, but it’s fantastic here in Harrogate. We absolutely love it.”