Beginner’s guide to whisky from a Harrogate expertNew deli to open in Harlow Hill next weekSummer DalesBus service begins in Harrogate district this weekend

Another summer DalesBus service will begin operating in the Harrogate district this weekend.

The 825 service, which operates on Sundays and bank holidays over the summer period, will serve people in Harrogate, Knaresborough and villages near Ripon.

The route departs at 9.02am from Wigginton, in York, before stopping at Knaresborough bus station, Harrogate bus station, Ripley Cross, Burnt Yates, Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey.

It then proceeds to Galphay, Kirkby Malzeard, Grewelthorpe, Hackfall Woods and Masham.

It continues as far as Richmond, where it arrives at 12.30pm.

The return service departs from Richmond at 3.15pm and will reach the first Harrogate district stop (Masham Market Place) at 4.10pm.

The 825 will run every Sunday and on bank holidays from May 26 to October 6.

Single fares are capped at £2 in line with the national initiative.

People can also use the 820 and 821 DalesBus services, which run throughout Nidderdale over the summer.

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Are these the worst pothole roads in the Harrogate district?

They are the bane of drivers’ lives and the Harrogate district is not immune to them.

Potholes can damage cars, buckle wheels on bikes and make some roads intolerable to drive down.

This past week, we asked readers to share what they feel are some of the worst roads for potholes in the Harrogate district.

In response, we received pictures from streets across Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Among them were Pannal Ash Road, Coppice Drive, York Place, Victoria Avenue and St Andrew’s Avenue in Harrogate.

Pictures of Kirkby Road and Firby Lane in Ripon, as well as Stockwell Road in Knaresborough were also sent to us.

Sharow Lane also made an appearance, which one resident described as in need of “long overdue maintenance” despite the council earmarking it for repairs.

You can take a look at the roads in our video below.

The Stray Ferret sent the list of roads to North Yorkshire Council and asked for a response to the concerns that they are in need of repair.

A spokesperson sent us the authority’s highways capital programme, which includes some of the roads, such as Sharow Lane.

They added that residents should report any potholes or road repairs directly to the council.

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The council had also previously earmarked Pannal Ash Road for a £300,000 resurfacing scheme in September 2023, which is due to be carried out in the summer this year.

In April, the authority announced that its annual roads repair programme would total £25.3 million and include 142 miles of roads across North Yorkshire.

At the time, Karl Battersby, corporate director of environment at the authority, said:

“Keeping our roads in the best condition for the money we have available is one of our key priorities.

“The annual surface dressing programme is a proactive measure that is vital to maintaining a safe network and preventing potholes arising.

“We carefully choose the routes and work closely with our contractors to ensure we deliver a cost-effective scheme despite ongoing inflationary pressures. The schedule will benefit residents in all areas of the county.”

Do you have a road which is riddled with potholes? Share your pictures with us via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook.

Harrogate to get new ceremonial mayor next week

Chris Aldred is set to be appointed the new Harrogate charter mayor at a meeting next week.

Mr Aldred is a Liberal Democrat councillor and represents the High Harrogate & Kingsley division on North Yorkshire Council.

The non-political role involves promoting the historic and ceremonial traditions of the Harrogate area during events and occasions.

It differs from the former Harrogate Borough Council mayor who covered the whole of the former borough and undertook a much wider range of engagements.

His fellow Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank is set to be his deputy.

The charter mayor will be elected by the Harrogate charter trustees after Mr Aldred was nominated at a meeting last year. These are 10 councillors representing divisions that cover the unparished parts of Harrogate town.

Mr Aldred said he was “honoured and humbled” to be nominated for the role.

It has been held by Conservative councillor Michael Harrison for the last 12 months when Mr Aldred served as his deputy.

Mr Aldred said:

“Whilst the role of Charter Mayor is very much ‘mayor-lite’ compared to the role played by the mayor of the former Harrogate district, there is a significant part to play as first citizen of the unparished area of Harrogate town.

“I am looking forward to representing the town at civic events and maintaining the traditions of the mayoralty at ceremonial events such as Remembrance Sunday, which I know are very important to many Harrogate residents.”

If, as expected, a Harrogate Town Council is created following elections in May next year, the new council will have the power to usher in a more wide-ranging mayoralty.

Mr Aldred added:

“I very much hope that I will be the last charter mayor and be able to hand over the chains of office next May to a newly elected chair of Harrogate Town Council. The charter trustees basically exist to babysit the mayoralty and its traditions until a town council is created, elected and fully functioning.

“Until then I will endeavour to carry out the role of charter mayor to the best of my abilities and represent our great & historic town as best as I can”.

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Mr Aldred worked in local government across Yorkshire for 23 years in the tourism and arts sectors. He has also worked at Bradford Cathedral, the Army Foundation College and Harrogate Convention Centre.

He was first elected as a councillor in 2018 to Harrogate Borough Council.

He’s been married to Sue for 35 years and is a keen runner, having completed more than 400 park runs. He also likes to cycle, look after his pet cat Zelda and explore old churches. He follows the trials and tribulations of Leeds United.

The meeting will take place at Harrogate Civic Centre at 9.15am on Thursday (May 30).

Harrogate and Knaresborough Reform candidate replaced after internal ‘bust-up’

Reform UK replaced its candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough after an internal row over some of his social media comments.

Richard Brown was named as the party’s parliamentary candidate in August last year.

But he was one of eight nationwide candidates described as ‘unsavoury rogues’  in a Mail on Sunday investigation in March.

The article claimed Mr Brown “made misogynistic remarks about Labour MP Jess Phillips” and shared false claims that doctors refused to treat Boris Johnson on the basis that he didn’t have covid.

Reform UK initially stood by Mr Brown but he was eventually replaced by John Swales, who stood for the party in last month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election.

The two men were friends but speaking to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Brown said they had a “big bust-up two or three weeks ago” and he “didn’t want to see the bugger again”.

He claimed he was “sacked without justification” and described the Reform UK leadership as “incompetent”, adding:

“I’ve had to cope with it for last 18 months.”

Mr Brown said he and some other former Reform candidates and supporters had formed a movement called Restore GB, which had similar policies to Reform but “without the baggage”. He added:

“We want Reform policies but can’t work with the Reform hierarchy.”

Mr Brown said he was trying to register the organisation in time to stand as a candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election on July 4.

He said he founded Reform’s party in Harrogate in February last year and had built it up to have hundreds of supporters, adding:

“Reform Harrogate would be nothing without me.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Swales about Mr Brown’s comments.

He replied:

“Richard Brown was appointed to set up Reform UK in Harrogate and Knaresborough and was part of the team that established their presence over the last 18 months.

“With a new prospective parliamentary candidate now in post and a superb team of activists being developed, Reform UK now have the opportunity to significantly enhance their profile and expand local awareness of their detailed policies.”

He added:

“The appointment and management of prospective parliamentary candidates is dealt with centrally by the senior leadership team at Reform UK headquarters.”

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Fun in the Park comes to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A family-friendly event is set to take over Harrogate’s Valley Gardens tomorrow.

Fun in the Park at Valley Gardens will include fair rides, entertainers, street food and dinosaurs hiding in the garden.

The event will take place daily over the bank holiday and during next week’s school half-term holiday. It will be on from 11am until the evening.

The event, put on by Northallerton-based events company Crow Leisure Group Ltd,is free to enter but the rides are paid for.

The tea cups ride will be at Fun in the Park at Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

There will also be a land train taking visitors between the Valley Gardens entrance and the fun fair via a scenic route.

The Land Train will take visitors on a tour of Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

Crow Leisure Group is an events and experiences company that provides entertainment ranging from pop-up ice rinks to music festivals.

Founder and chief executive Alex Crow told the Stray Ferret this is the first time the company has come to Harrogate.

He said:

“It is really exciting, this is our first time in Valley Gardens and it is a privilege to be able to work in there and present everything we do to people in Harrogate.

“It is a beautiful garden and a perfect opportunity for us to use the land train so that people can explore the park.”

Dinosaurs and a bubbleologist are set to appear in Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

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Council backs down from legal battle with housebuilder over 53 homes in Harrogate

A long-running campaign to prevent 53 homes being built off a quiet cul-de-sac in Harrogate has suffered a severe setback.

Teesside developer Jomast applied to build the homes off Knox Lane in Bilton.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee overruled a council officer’s recommendation when they voted to reject the scheme in September last year.

The campaign group Keep Knox Natural hailed the the outcome, which it said had “strengthened local community spirit and resolve”.

Jomast subsequently appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate and indicated it intended to seek costs. It said the plans had been recommended for approval by council officers four times and councillors were wrong not to approve them.

Trevor Watson, the council’s assistant director of planning, said today it had “agreed not to contest” the appeal.

Mr Watson said:

“In October 2023 we refused planning permission for 53 houses at Knox Lane, Harrogate on grounds relating to highway matters, landscape impact and biodiversity issues. The developer Jomast appealed the decision with the Planning Inspectorate.

“The public inquiry to consider the appeal will take place from July 23, 2024 where all interested parties will be able to put their views forward to the independent planning inspector who will make a final decision.

“However, following external legal advice, members of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee have decided not to contest the appeal.”

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Harrogate College taking ‘massive gamble’ with parking space reduction, councillor saysHarrogate and Knaresborough MP pledges to ‘work hard’ to win voters’ trust

The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has greeted the news of the impending general election with a combative statement and a pledge that he will be “working hard” to win voters’ trust again.

Andrew Jones was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and has won the constituency at four general elections. Unlike 65 of his parliamentary party colleagues, such as Theresa May, Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Ben Wallace, he intends to stand again and win a fifth on July 4.

In a statement, Mr Jones contrasted his strong links to the area with those of his opponents. He said:

“I am standing again to be Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP. I have never stood anywhere else but here. I have lived here since the last century. I have been a local councillor here. I worked in business here before becoming an MP. I have a long-term track record of action and delivery in our community.

“My principal opponents cannot match that local record. One [Liberal Democrat candidate Tom Gordon] has been a councillor in Newcastle, was a councillor In Wakefield as recently as last year and has stood for Parliament twice already in other seats. The other [Labour candidate Conrad Whitcroft] is a councillor in York.”

The constituency, and the previous Harrogate constituency that included Knaresborough, has been held by Conservatives continuously since 1950, except when the Liberal Democrat Phil Willis was MP from 1997 to 2010. He now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Willis of Knaresborough.

Before 1950, Harrogate and Knaresborough were part of the Ripon constituency, which was held by the Tories continuously from 1910.

Nevertheless, speaking to the Stray Ferret last year, Mr Jones said he’d never regarded the constituency as “anything other than a marginal”, and in his latest statement cautioned against change. He said:

“Nationally, the choice has become clearer as the economy has turned a corner. We embed that progress and build on it or we risk it all on a Labour party with no plan for our future and no policies.

“On 5 July we will wake up with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister or Keir Starmer. No other outcome is possible. And there has only ever been a Labour Prime Minister when this constituency has elected anyone other than a Conservative.

“Choosing that local champion combined with choosing our next Prime Minister is the responsibility that lies with us all on 4 July. I hope that Harrogate and Knaresborough residents will choose me again and I will be working hard win that trust once more.”

Other than Mr Jones, four candidates have so far declared their intention to stand for election as MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough: Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrats; Shan Oakes, Green Party; John Swales, Reform UK; and Conrad Whitcroft, Labour.

The general election was called yesterday (Wednesday, May 22) by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and will take place on July 4.

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