There have been reports of scammers claiming to be from the NHS Test and Trace scheme. The North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is advising patients to be aware and seek the correct guidance.

The NHS Test and Trace scheme aims to limit the spread of coronavirus by encouraging patients with positive test results to share the details about the people they have recently been in contact with.

Yorkshire CCG has advised the public that any telephone call or text will come from a verified NHS number and it will provide you with a unique ID number. If you receive a text message, the CCG is advising to not click on any links within the text but instead go direct to the Test and Trace website.

Dr Charles Parker, Clinical Chair of NHS North Yorkshire CCG, said:

“People will usually be contacted within 72 hours after a test with the result. If you have not taken a test in the last 72 hours then the call or text will not be genuine. Please also be reassured that a genuine contact tracer will not ask you to provide any passwords, bank account details or pin numbers.

“Please do not let this stop you from taking a test, it is important that we do as much as we can to halt the spread of the virus and then we can start returning to a normal life.”

The NHS Test and Trace scheme aims to protect the public, but caution must be taken to prevent scamming.

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NHS North Yorkshire CCG Lay Member for Patient and Public Involvement, Kate Kennady, said:

“The NHS Test and Trace scheme is an important part of the country’s strategy to suppress Covid-19 so we can move towards normality as soon as possible. It is important that people engage with the service because the better the uptake the more successful it will be. However there are some things to look out for to protect yourself from fraud.”

The Yorkshire CCG has warned the public to be aware and seek further guidance if they are concerned about a contact.

A volunteer group in Harrogate will be able to help community healthcare workers with a £5000 bost from the Freemasons.

Harrogate Scrubbers, led by teacher Fran Taylor, is a 750 strong team which has delivered more than 2000 scrubs to the hospital.

The group is now in its second phase. They now focus on community clinical settings like doctors’ surgeries, dentists, and hospices.

With a set of scrubs setting the team back by £25, the donations by the Freemasons should be able to help another 185 key workers.

Read more about the Harrogate Scrubbers

• Watch our video for the Harrogate Scrubbers hall of fame
• Why Fran Taylor set up the Harrogate Scrubbers
• When the Harrogate Scrubbers hit its 2000 target for the hospital

The Province of Yorkshire West Riding’s Provincial Grand Master’s Fund donated £2,500 and the Masonic Charitable Foundation matched it.

In addition, a number of Harrogate Masonic Lodges have already supported the Harrogate Scrubbers to the tune of £700.

David S Pratt, the Provincial Grandmaster of the Province of Yorkshire West Riding, said:

“At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we set up a special COVID-19 relief fund to help organisations responding to the crisis in their own communities. The Harrogate Scrubbers is a shining example of this.”

Fran Taylor, the leader of Harrogate Scrubbers, said:

“I’d like to thank the Freemasons for their incredible generosity, which means even more frontline care staff will receive the protective equipment they need and deserve. Since setting up this group just over two-months ago, the support I’ve had has been overwhelming.”

It may not be the traditional tea room experience, but Bettys will reopen its Harrogate and Harlow Carr shops later this month.

The flagship Bettys store in Harrogate will be one of the first to open on June 22, with the Harlow Carr shop following in its footsteps on June 29.

All of the Bettys cafes will remain closed until further notice.

Read more on this story 

• When Bettys closed all six of its cafes
• Masterchef finalist to open healthy cafe in Harrogate

Both will offer a range of wrapped cakes, chocolates, biscuits, teas, coffees, gift boxes, hampers, and takeaway hot drinks. Freshly baked products on sale will include the famous Yorkshire fat rascals, as well as a selection of breads and pastries.

The Bettys management team will limit the number of people in its shops, provide hand sanitiser by the entrance and floor markers to guide people.

Coronavirus may have delayed the plans but Masterchef Matt Healy will open his third healthy cafe in Harrogate next week.

Grön Kafé will open on Monday, June 15 at Cold Bath Clubhouse, 46 King’s Road with a pop up site to sell groceries.

The cafe will have a focus on “keeping it clean” by serving up vegan and allergy-friendly food and drinks as well as the regular favourites.

It will offer Buddha Bowls and ‘croissant-wiches’ along with coffee, freshly-baked pastries, and cakes.

The Grön Kafé will operate as takeaway only for the time being until the government lifts the restrictions on cafes and restaurants.

As well as the cafe, they will open up a pop-up greengrocer which they say was a huge hit at the Leeds site.

Some of the Grön Kafé Buddha Bowls.

The Grön Grocer will stock essentials like fruit and vegetable boxes, flour, milk, and bread.

Chef Patron Matt Healy and Masterchef finalist said he was looking forward to opening in Harrogate:

“We’ve been able to bring a little slice of normality with our Grön Grocer concept. Being able to grab a cracking flat white and a pastry has made people’s day, so we’re looking forward to bringing that to Harrogate. It’s been a tough but exciting journey adapting to the ‘new normal’. It’s been in the works for a long time, and whilst this isn’t how we expected to open, we can’t wait to get stuck in.”

More fines were issued for breaching coronavirus regulations by North Yorkshire Police than by any other force in England.

With 1,082 fines issued from the start of lockdown until Monday, June 8, the force handed out 19 more fines than the Metropolitan Police.

West Yorkshire Police issued 826 fines in the same period, South Yorkshire gave 377, and Lincolnshire 231.

The North Yorkshire force said more than half of its fines were issued to visitors to the county. Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said:

“The police’s overarching aim in the response to Covid-19 has been to keep people safe, to protect the NHS and save lives. We took that responsibility seriously.

“Although we planned for the worst case scenario, we have seen a much lower than expected absence rate among our officers and staff, enabling us to provide increased patrols in our communities.

“We are thankful that out of thousands of interactions with the public, we rarely had to enforce the regulations. The vast majority of people understood and supported the role of the police in this public health emergency and we are grateful for all of the support and positive engagement we have had from members of the public.

“There was a minority who didn’t understand or believed the rules did not apply to them. And where people have not responded to our engagement approach, when we have explained the regulations and encouraged them to follow them, but they have still refused, we have resorted to enforcement – as the public would expect us to.”

Read more:

• Police commissioner urges caution after weekend of breaches in Harrogate and Knaresborough
• Appeal after boys assaulted on Bilton viaduct

Mr Walker said the attractions of North Yorkshire had drawn people to the county even when regulations told them not to travel, resulting in the large number of fines and the high percentage issued to people from outside the area.

He said the fines issued have been scrutinised by the criminal records office and by a panel led by North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), Julia Mulligan. She said:

“I want to place on record my thanks to the officers and staff who have worked so hard to protect us, and thank the majority across North Yorkshire who have followed the law and stayed at home as much as possible.

“We may be over the peak, but this crisis is not over and as we move towards having to take more personal responsibility as we stay alert to the threat of the virus, I encourage everyone to continue to follow the restrictions and guidelines.”

A community group has vowed to step up and fight if to protect Starbeck Baths from any planned closure over the coming years.

It follows news this week that the council is preparing to invest in a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and improving the Hydro in Harrogate.

As part of a report to be considered by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet next week, officers said that with new facilities in nearby towns, “the future of Starbeck Baths would need to be considered”. Reacting to the news, Starbeck Residents’ Association Chairman Geoff Foxhall said:

“It would be a tragedy if the council decided to let go of it, especially as they have invested a quite considerable amount in it in the last few years.

“About ten years ago (when it was under threat), we had resident meetings and committees were formed. It was quite a struggle but we saved it then. Hopefully, we could mobilise the same support again if needed.”

Although the report for HBC’s cabinet looked at the money that could be saved by closing Starbeck Baths, the cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport told The Stray Ferret that closure was not an immediate plan. Cllr Stan Lumley said:

“We can’t commit to it forever and ever, but in the short term there are no intentions of closing Starbeck at all. Once we’ve got everything up and running, a much bigger Hydro and a new facility in Knaresborough – clearly that’s many years down the line – we would have to look at that and how we operate in the future.”

‘Best of both worlds’

The report to the cabinet forms part of a recommendation to transfer the running of leisure centres, along with community centres and the council’s day nursery, to a local authority controlled company (LACC). HBC says it can make significant savings on running costs by doing so, with additional money to be saved and made through investments in the facilities.

Cllr Lumley added:

“We thought it was the best way forward because it keeps us with control but it frees us up and allows us to do things more efficiently and gives us more flexibility with management.

“This is like a partial privatisation. It allows us to benefit from some things that a private company would, but by keeping control of the business. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Read:

• Leisure centres, community centres and day nursery could be run by a local authority controlled company
• Unions say concerns remain after meeting with council on LACC plans
• Which shops are reopening next week?

Meanwhile, as well as a major refurbishment of the Hydro, HBC is set to look at creating a new gym and swimming pool for Knaresborough. Although it is considering rebuilding on the existing site, the report to the cabinet indicates that a new facility could be built at Conyngham Hall, after considering a site at Hay-a-Park and the grounds of Knaresborough House.

Building at Conyngham Hall would allow both Knaresborough sites to remain open while the Hydro was refurbished, before the old pool on King James’s Road was closed. However, the report acknowledges that rebuilding on the same site would be less expensive than relocating, which it estimates would cost in the region of £13million.

The existing Knaresborough Pool could be replaced with a new leisure centre, either on the same site or somewhere else

Knaresborough Civic Society said it will be looking at any plans for relocation with interest. Secretary Ian Wright said:

“We would certainly be interested in where they are planning to put it. Conyngham Hall is one of our prominent public buildings – Harrogate were refurbishing some of that. We will be keeping a watching brief on it.

“The swimming pool isn’t a historic building. We wouldn’t be too concerned about doing something else with that site. Any concerns would be relating to the Conyngham Hall site and where it would go on there.”

Whichever location is chosen, work on Knaresborough’s new leisure centre would not begin until the completion of the new Ripon pool, replacing the old spa baths. After a short delay because of the coronavirus lockdown, Cllr Lumley said he expects it to open autumn 2021.

As the government lines up plans to overhaul the UK planning system, could we see less shops and more homes and offices in Harrogate town centre as a result of the changes?

The town centre already has around 10% of its retail units sitting empty and an impending economic downturn could see that number increase.

But proposals lined up by the government could change how developers react to the loss of shops and what to do with them.

Ministers are to press ahead with measures which would see permitted development rights extended to empty outlets. It means that developers could demolish empty stores and replace them with housing without the need for a planning application.

Read more:

• Can Harrogate compete with Leeds as shops reopen?
• Many in district still fearful of shopping for clothes
• Which shops across the district are opening next week?

Further measures would see change of use rules relaxed, meaning unused shops could be turned into offices or homes.

James Tyreman, of Nicholls Tyerman estate agents, said the move would fit with an already popular town centre area to live in and converting a building would depend on its location.

He said: “It would depend on the right building and the right address.

“The town centre area is popular to live in and Harrogate has a lot of very attractive buildings. But it is very much a case of the right address and right location.”

Meanwhile, James Hobson, managing director at JEH Planning, said the reuse of vacant units will be crucial in helping the local economy after the pandemic.

He said: “Serious consideration will need to be given to the potential re-use of vacant retail premises and other commercial space for other uses, something that can be a controversial topic in Harrogate.

“However, if planners do not grasp and act on this issue, we could be preventing economic stimulus at a time that we have never needed it more.

“As part of this, we need to be completely realistic as to how much business and commercial space can be viably re-provided on site, and indeed how much affordable housing can be funded as part of mix use redevelopment proposals.”

He added that greater flexibility in the planning system would be key for those changes and to help high streets flourish.

The town centre has a Masterplan drawn up by the borough council, that was published four years ago. Critics argue that times have changed with increased online shopping and now the impact of coronavirus lockdown on the town centre.

The masterplan suggests the pedestrianisation of James Street which is the source of real concern to some traders

The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate Borough Council leader, Richard Cooper, in advance of this article to request an interview on the vision for the town and traders concerns, but received no response.

Independent Harrogate have already made their voices heard and called for a rethink of the plan.

In its manifesto, the trade association said the town centre faces a crisis amid the pandemic and described the plan as “outdated”.

The publication of the manifesto was another example of the growing frustration among traders who feel the town’s future and its high-end shopping, which it is famous for, is at stake.

A spokesperson for the group said:

“We are terribly worried, there are various businesses that have already closed.

“The government have been supportive, but the local authority have got to be supportive too.”

At this critical juncture, there is a responsibility on policymakers to shape plans for the future. But there is also a responsibility on us to shop local if we want the stores we like to survive.

Harrogate District Hospital has now discharged 125 coronavirus patients but has reported another death.

It is an increase of seven recoveries compared to last week’s figures.

The hospital also recorded another death. The patient died yesterday and was reported with 83 deaths across England’s hospitals.

Read more:

• Which shops across the district are opening next week?

• How many care homes in Harrogate have reported coronavirus deaths

#teamHDFT pic.twitter.com/flcPqmiiTF

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) June 11, 2020

Patients were aged between 26 and 102 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

This latest death at Harrogate District Hospital takes its total number up to 73 deaths.

Ripon’s non-essential market traders returned to their stalls today after months of lockdown. But some traders believe they have been poorly treated by Harrogate Borough Council.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is planning to increase the rent for each stall by up to 32.4%, has offered the traders no rent holidays or reductions as they get back up and running.

The stallholders argue that due to the inability to trade over lockdown rental reductions should now be offered as they ease back into trading.

Nick Farnsworth, who has been selling women’s nightwear and underwear at Ripon for 25 years, said:

“It’s a disgrace that we are still being charged the full whack, when other areas are doing their best to help their market stallholders.”

Ripon market traders want more support from the council as they adjust to trading again.

Read more: 

• The council are offering discretionary grants to small businesses, including market traders and charities.
• Want to know what shops are reopening in the district? We’ve compiled a list for you. 

One market trader, Andrew Sutcliffe, who also trades in Knaresborough, agreed with other traders that more support from the council is necessary. He told The Stray Ferret that other markets he works on are currently offering rent holidays and reductions as they adjust to trading at full capacity.

In the week beginning 1st June, other local authorities including Barnsley and Leeds allowed stall holders selling goods classed as non-essential, to trade however the council decided to delay reopening to this week.

Harrogate Borough Council responded to the traders’ claims that they felt unsupported. They said:

“Throughout lockdown, the markets at Knaresborough and Ripon have continued to open in line with government guidance. We supported those essential goods traders to ensure they could continue to work. We’ve not charged for any trader who chose not to attend or wasn’t allowed to because of the coronavirus restrictions.

“Where we have charged, fees have been held at last year’s rates. It’s disappointing to hear that one or two traders feel we’ve not been supportive.  We’ve done all we can to ensure our markets can fully re-open safely and to enable traders to get back to business as usual.”

The UK competition watchdog has given a French food firm the green light for its proposed takeover of Harrogate Water.

Danone said it planned to acquire a majority stake in Harrogate Water back in February but it was subject to approval.

The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has now cleared the anticipated takeover for an undisclosed fee.

Harrogate Water’s current majority shareholders, the Cain family, will remain as minority shareholders under the deal.

Read more:

• Which shops across the district are opening next week?
• Can Harrogate compete with Leeds as shops reopen?

Last year Harrogate Water recorded sales of more than £21 million. It will now join Danone’s other water brand Evian and Volvic.

Harrogate Spring Water is the original British water brand, with a spa history dating back to 1571. It was first bottled in 1740.

James Pearson, Managing Director, Danone Waters UK & Ireland, said:

“I am thrilled to welcome Harrogate Water to the Danone family. This move will expand our offering in the UK and help to meet growing demand in sparkling water and on-the-go consumption.”

James Cain OBE, Harrogate Water CEO, said:

“We are delighted to have found the right partner to take Harrogate Water forward on its journey, while respecting and celebrating our history and heritage. Danone and Harrogate Water have a shared ethos and approach to community and sustainability.”