How City Plumbing is helping Harrogate to a greener future

 

This story is sponsored by City Plumbing.

A Harrogate plumbing store has recently celebrated its first anniversary – and recommitted to helping residents’ future-proof their homes with energy efficient alternatives.

City Plumbing operates a nationwide network of over 360 branches across the UK and Ireland, spanning the trade, home improvement and DIY markets.

Open to both trades companies and the general public, it stocks a wide product range of plumbing and heating essentials.

From boilers and copper tubing to a bathroom showroom and specific electrical parts from big-brand names, City Plumbing prides itself on supplying most products from its central distribution centre, cutting down on waiting times.

The Harrogate branch – based in Hookstone Park – first opened in 2023, and last month celebrated a successful year of trading.

City Plumbing’s Harrogate branch

‘Be bold, try new things, and create the future’

Not only has it made a name for itself locally as a one-stop shop for customers and tradespeople, but City Plumbing also strives to be at the forefront of greener forms of technology.

After all, a key ethos underpinning the business is ‘be bold, try new things, and create the future’ – and there are a number of services offered to deliver on this promise.

One such service is their in-house design and quote service for air source heat pumps and solar panels, which offers bespoke solutions tailored specifically to your household.

The team also lends their expertise to heat loss calculation – after consultation, they can work out on average how much a home is losing through energy inefficiency, and advise on ways to improve this.

City Plumbing’s bathroom showroom

There’s even a recently expanded range of renewable energy products on offer, including air source heat pumps, solar panels, and underfloor heating, further enhancing the business’ goal of being at the forefront of the latest innovations in the sector.

City Plumbing has previously worked with prominent local businesses such as Yorkshire Energy Systems and Tetley Renewables to supply the aforementioned technology to help them enhance their own renewable energy goals.

The friendly team at the Harrogate branch are always on-hand to answer any questions customers may have about how to start their greener energy journey, as well as tackling any other queries surrounding plumbing and heating.

Find out more:

City Plumbing Harrogate’s store is located at Unit 2B Hookstone Park, HG2 7DB. For more information, visit the website or call 01423 649808.

Trading Hell: Shocking rise in shoplifting in Harrogate town centre

Yesterday, we heard traders concerns that anti-social behaviour and shoplifting are getting worse, but do the official statistics back these experiences?

Our Trading Hell survey showed that traders feel that incidents of shoplifting, drug misuse and general anti-social behaviour are far too common.

Traders also expressed a deep sense of frustration that not enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they used to be.

The Stray Ferret has examined official statistics for the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey.

Shocking rise in shoplifting

Among the areas of most concern for traders has been shoplifting, which 78% say is an issue.

The Stray Ferret has found that statistics show a shocking rise in the number of reported incidents to police.

Our research of the force’s own data found that in 2022, 139 reports of shoplifting in the town centre were made.

In the same period last year, this increased by 66% to 232.

Concern over the problem have been heightened following incidents of thefts worth hundreds of pounds on Beulah Street and Commercial Street last year.

Another incident in November 2023 saw a “prolific shoplifter” threaten staff in Asda on Bower Road after staff tried to stop her stealing two bottles of alcohol.

One business owner told us:

“I’ve seen a group of five people coming out of the shop next door with armfuls of hangers, just walking off. Not even running. The security guard couldn’t do anything. They just told him to f*** off.”

Anti-social behaviour

Much of traders concerns centre around anti-social behaviour, a term which often can capture various different issues.

The police define anti-social behaviour as “someone acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not living in the same household”.

According to the force’s own data, in the 12 months to January 2024, a total of 285 reports were made to police in those hotspot areas.

This compares with 261 incidents in the same period in 2022.

While this is a slight increase, almost every business of the 50 which were surveyed (96%) told us that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t.

Organisations such as Harrogate BID feel not enough businesses are reporting what is really happening.

One reason is a lack of confidence among traders that the police will act.

One business owner told us:

“Ring for thefts – not interested. Ring for feeling unsafe out the back of our courtyard due to large group of kids smoking weed and intimidating staff, and drunks – nothing done after ringing several times for numerous incidents.”

It means that the true picture of just how much of an issue anti-social behaviour is in the town is unlikely to be reflected in the figures.

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Although shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are among the most concerning issues, there are other offences which crop up in the statistics such as violence and sexual offences.

Last year, a total of 99 reports of violent and sexual offences were reported to police in the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey. This compares to 98 in the previous year.

The most high profile of those incidents was a report of a serious sexual assault in the town centre which saw police cordon off areas of James Street, Petergate and Market Place on October 5, 2023.

Rough sleeping, street drinking and drugs

Among the other areas of concern raised in our survey was rough sleeping (70%), street drinking (74%) and drug taking (66%).

Traders feel that these three issues are part of a wider problems currently affecting the town.

According to police data, reports of drugs, which includes possession, consumption and supply, has fallen slightly from 44 in 2022 to 40 last year.

The force themselves said Harrogate has a “low level” of drug offences for a town of its size.

Paul Rawlinson, who owns Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersens on Oxford Street, told us that the issue of rough sleeping is most pronounced in the summer when it is a “more comfortable option”.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

According to a freedom of information request from North Yorkshire Council, last year three females and 27 males were counted as sleeping rough in the Harrogate town centre area.

The council said all except eight of those were provided with alternative accommodation. 

It added that the rough sleeping count for each year “could represent the same people where accommodation has been secured and then lost”.

There have been flashpoints over the last couple of years where businesses and residents have complained of people sleeping rough causing issues in their area.

In November 2022, concern was raised over rough sleeping, street begging and drinking at the back of Primark on Oxford Street.

At the time, Harrogate Borough Council said three “entrenched, long-term” rough sleepers had been sleeping overnight in the area.

The authority sought to assure residents and businesses that those gathering in the area had been offered accommodation, but was turned down. Those gathered there later accepted support.

Similarly, in November 2023, North Yorkshire Council erected fencing at a pavilion at Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens after rough sleepers occupied the area and returned twice after being dispersed.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely after nearby residents, who complained of anti-social behaviour during the group’s encampment. Many sympathised with the rough sleepers but wanted to know what long-term measures would be put in place on the site.

Why the stats matter? 

Whether the statistics reflect the true picture is a significant issue because police crime figures determine how much resource is given to tackling a problem. The figures mean Harrogate is still designated as a low crime area by the police, despite the trader’s experiences.

On Thursday, we will be asking the force whether they could do more to tackle Harrogate’s problems and give confidence to the traders to report crimes.

But there are other agencies who work with the police to support people who traders feel to a greater or lesser extent are involved in some of the town’s issues. Those who help support the homeless and have responsibilities for youth justice.

Tomorrow, we look at the agencies outside of police enforcement who are involved in supporting people considered to be part of Harrogate’s issues.

Another 135 homes off Harrogate’s Skipton Road set for approval

Plans to build up to 135 homes off Skipton Road in Harrogate look set to be approved next week.

Harrogate company Rowan Green Developments submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council for a development on 8.8 hectares of agricultural land at Cow Dyke Farm, between the New Park roundabout and the Curious Cow of Harrogate roundabout.

Up to 54 homes termed affordable would be included.

Council case officer Helen Goulden has recommended members of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee approve the application, subject to 33 conditions, when it meets on Tuesday, March 26. The meeting will be broadcast live online by the council here.

Ms Goulden said in her 34-page report:

“The proposed development will make a valuable contribution to meeting housing need, including the delivery of affordable housing.

“The proposal will have an acceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area and no issues are raised at this outline stage in terms of highway matters, trees, ecology, or amenity.”

The land allocated for the scheme.

Her report added, however, that an outstanding objection from the lead local flood authority still required resolving.

The application, described in the report as “a significant and sensitive development”, received 71 objections and no representations of support during the public consultation phase.

The key concerns include the adverse impact on the character of the area, the visual impact, the loss of agricultural land and the loss of trees, hedgerows and wildlife habitat.

The site, which is included for development in the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, has a long planning history.

A bid for 180 homes in 2018 was refused amid concerns for housing density and further plans were then submitted for 145 homes.

The site is located on two fields of agricultural grassland to the north of the A59 Skipton Road (A59) towards the northwestern edge of Harrogate.

A map showing the site north of Skipton Road.

Killinghall Parish Council said in its consultation response it “neither objects nor supports the scheme” but raised various concerns, including problematic site access during construction.

The council suggested the developer should contribute £1.2 million for funding school expansion and new school places at primary and secondary level in mitigation for the impact of the scheme.

It has also called for an additional £369,000 to be spent on enhancing “various off-site open spaces in the locality and Killinghall Village Hall”.

A design and access statement on behalf of the developer said:

“Cow Dyke Farm will be a special place in Harrogate; strongly rooted in its landscape setting, with a unique character, providing the best of town country living.

“The site presents a wonderful opportunity for the provision of new housing within the wider setting of Harrogate in a site which strongly benefits from its strategic connections to the town and surrounding areas.”

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Four fire crews tackle blaze at Pateley Bridge caravan site

Four fire crews were called to a blaze at a caravan site in Pateley Bridge in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Knaresborough, Grassington, Ripon and Harrogate rushed to the scene at 1.12am on Monday, March 18.

An investigation into the cause of the fire at the unnamed site is ongoing, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

A spokesperson added:

“The fire caused damage to a toilet block at the site with an attached workshop also suffering slight fire damage. Crews prevented the fire spreading any further.”

Fire crews extinguishing the flames in Pateley Bridge

Grassington Fire Station posted on social media:

“In the early hours we were sent to a building fire near Pateley Bridge alongside, Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough Fire Station.

Crews worked hard to prevent the fire taking the adjoining building before extinguishing the flames.”

The campsite engulfed in smoke

Grassington fire services at the scene last night

The wreckage at Pateley Bridge Caravan site

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WATCH: Spectacular drone footage of Knaresborough Tractor Run

A record 401 vehicles took part in the Knaresborough Tractor Run yesterday (March 17), organisers confirmed today.

The annual event saw the tractors depart the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and then complete a 25-mile route that takes in Pateley Bridge and Knaresborough and numerous villages in between.

The event has raised more than £100,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance since it was first held over a decade ago. You can donate online here.

Drone photographer Colin Corker captured the start and then drove to Nidderdale to capture the spectacular sight of the procession snaking around the countryside.

Here is some of his work from another memorable day.

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Harrogate brewery’s keg beer named best in Britain

A Harrogate brewery’s keg beer has been named the best in Britain at a national awards ceremony.

Harrogate Brewing Co‘s Nidd Mild won the champion keg beer UK category at the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates’ BeerX UK event in Liverpool.

It was one of four accolades won by the Hookstone Chase-based brewery.

The event, judged by brewers and industry experts, is the UK’s biggest independent beer competition.

Entrants must win regional competitions first to take part.

The 3.7% Nidd Mild took first place in the keg amber, brown and red ale category before being named overall keg champion.

Kursaal Imperial Stout took first place in the bottle and can imperial and strong ale category and Wavey Marms IPA collected a bronze medal in the session pale ale category.

Head brewer Liam McCarthy

Julie Joyce who runs Harrogate Brewing Co alongside husband Joe, son-in-law Liam, daughter Martha and son Matthew, said:

“These awards, together with the Regional Awards received earlier in the week for our 6.3% IPA Iris and our low alcohol version Baby Iris mean so much to everybody at the brewery, not just the brewing team Liam and Paul but the whole team that make things happen every day.

“We produce a growing range of traditional and contemporary styles and the number of awards received this week are a wonderful recognition of our dedication to offer what our customers want – across many different taste preferences”

SIBA competitions chair Anneli Baxter described winning a national award as “a massive achievement that these brewers should be hugely proud of”.

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Financial woes force Harrogate café to close

A café set up to reduce food waste, loneliness and food poverty in Harrogate has been forced to close due to financial pressures. 

Resurrected Bites’ Give As You Can café has been held at St Paul’s United Reformed Church in Harrogate on Wednesdays, but low footfall and high costs have made it unviable. 

Michelle Hayes, director and founder of Resurrected Bites, told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’re making such a loss that we’re getting to the point where we can’t cover staff wages. We can’t sustain it.” 

Resurrected Bites also runs a community groceries scheme with bases in Harrogate and Knaresborough for people in food poverty, as well as two other cafés, at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough on Fridays and at Killinghall Methodist Church on Thursdays, which she said are still doing well. 

Resurrected Bites’ expenditure for the first three months of this financial year varied between £15,000 and £17,000 per month, resulting in a shortfall of £8,000 to £10,000 to be made up from grants or fundraising. 

To help stabilise the organisation, Ms Hayes has split it, with the Resurrected Bites charity as the main fundraising body covering the community groceries and environmental aspects of preventing food waste. As a charity, any donations are eligible for Gift Aid, boosting them by 25%. 

But the cafés are not eligible for charitable status because there are no restrictions on who may provide custom. 

Ms Hayes said: 

“Charitable status would restrict us to only serving people who are lonely or in food poverty. We feel that our existing model of focusing on the environmental aspects of food waste enables us to support people who are in food poverty or are lonely without stigmatising them.

“Legally, the charity cannot support the shortfall in finances for the community interest company, and so we have to ensure the cafés raise enough revenue to cover their costs.

“That’s why we had to make the very difficult decision to close the Harrogate café whilst we consider how we can generate more income to cover its costs.

“We’re hoping that it’s temporary. We may be able to find a new venue with a bigger space so that we can get more people through, and attract a wider range of customers who can pay more.

“Once we get through this rough patch, I think we’ll be alright.”

Photo: The Killinghall Methodist Church cafe run by Resurrected Bites remains open.

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Labour and Reform UK by-election candidates reveal Harrogate priorities

Labour and Reform UK’s candidates in a forthcoming Harrogate by-election have spoken of their priorities if elected.

Voters in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone will go to the polls on April 11 to vote for a successor on North Yorkshire Council to Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who resigned after making anti-semitic posts on social media.

Labour and Reform UK were the last two parties to reveal who they had selected after the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens previously announced candidates.

In a press release, Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party described its candidate, Geoff Foxall, as “a tireless community campaigner in Harrogate, where he has lived all his life, working as a teacher at Harrogate High School then school governor at Harrogate High, Harrogate College, the grammar school, and Starbeck school in retirement”.

It added he was an advocate for public libraries, a community archaeologist, and keen walker.

Mr Foxall said:

“If elected, I will work passionately to deliver a fresh start for the area that I love and for the town where I was born and have lived in my entire life.

“My eight years as a Labour councillor on Harrogate District Council including four years as group leader, have given me the experience to hold the Conservative council to account for poor quality roads, unreliable public transport, and cuts to our public services. The North Yorkshire Labour Group is influential and growing and if elected I would join their ranks to advocate for a fairer and stronger North Yorkshire.

“As chair of Starbeck Residents Association I was active in opposing a relief road through the Nidd Gorge and creating a community woodland in the green belt between Harrogate and Knaresborough. I have also opposed overdevelopment in the Starbeck and Kingsley Road areas of Harrogate.

“My priorities if elected would be to bring together politicians and community groups from all walks of life to deliver improved roads, better and more reliable public transport, and investment in our care services and local schools.”

Reform candidate focused on station gateway

Harrogate-born Jonathan Swales, whose family were the original owners of Yorkshire Farmers Limited and Swales (Harrogate) Wholesale Fruit and Veg businesses, will attempt to become Reform UK’s second North Yorkshire councillor after Cllr Mike Jordan’s defected to the party.

A press release announcing his candidacy said he was married to fine artist Helen, with whom he has two children, and has “extensive management and business experience, having held a number of senior level management, and director roles in the construction industry”.

Mr Swales said:

“I am very proud of my Harrogate roots, and Yorkshire heritage.

“As a local resident I am well aware of the local issues that people are concerned about and how national issues feed into local issues. I share the frustration when people’s views are just ignored.”

Mr Swales cited the Harrogate Gateway Project as one of his priorities. He said:

“A failing of the process around that project was that local councillors didn’t engage with council cabinet members and council officers. There was an opportunity to influence, and get a better outcome, that opportunity was lost.

“Everyone wants a better town centre, and this project could have been part of that overall improvement, but we now have a scheme that doesn’t really deliver anything for anyone — and that includes the cyclists, people on foot or people arriving by bus or train.

“In the Stray,  Woodlands and Hookstone division, there are also planning matters, such as the racket courts near to Hookstone Woods. Then there are the ongoing concerns of potholes, roads being used for click-throughs, and the area being used for parking by the schools and the hospital.”

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Reform UK leader Richard Tice said the party was building a base in North Yorkshire and the by-election would give an indication of how people may vote in the general election, when Richard Brown will contest Harrogate and Knaresborough for Reform UK. Mr Tice added:

“No longer will Harrogate be a Conservative vs Lib Dem, it will be ‘vote Reform UK, get Reform UK’.”

The full list of by-election candidates is:

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Residents of the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division have until midnight on Friday, March 22, to register to vote and until 5pm on Monday, March 25, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post they have until 5pm on Wednesday, April 3, to apply for a proxy vote.

 

Harrogate Dog Show to return next month

Harrogate Dog Show will return next month.

Harrogate Business Improvement District announced today the event will be held on the piazza outside Victoria Shopping Centre on Saturday, April 13 at 10am.

Different classes will be judged throughout the day, from dog that the judge would most like to take home to best cross breed.

No pre-booking is required: to register to take part dog owners can simply turn-up on the day from 10am and join in. The event will include a new ‘have-a-go’ mini dog park and dog training workshops with Scott Adair will be held throughout the day.

Today’s announcement also said a star judge, whose identity will be revealed at a later date, will appear at this year’s show.

The dog show first took place during the four-day platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID Manager, said it would be a fun event that contributed to the vibrancy of the town centre. He added:

 “The worth of the UK pet care market was recently valued at £7.2 billon, so while this is a wonderful event that no doubt increases footfall, it also has a hugely positive impact on our local economy.”

Photo (from left): Bethany Allen, business and marketing executive at Harrogate BID with chair Andrea Thornborrow and joint vice chair Sara Ferguson.

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Trading Hell: A Stray Ferret investigation reveals how Harrogate shop workers routinely face threats, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

Shocking levels of anti-social behaviour, drug-dealing, shoplifting and even threats to staff are all routine occurrences faced by many shop workers in Harrogate town centre, a Stray Ferret investigation has revealed. 

Even though Harrogate is widely viewed as one of the finest shopping towns in the North, our investigation pieced together a picture of “scary” back alleys where shop workers fear to go, and high streets that shoppers have started to avoid. 

We surveyed 50 businesses in the town centre and spoke to many retailers at length. We found a deep sense of frustration among traders, most of whom feel not nearly enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they should be. 

What’s more, while some traders had shocking stories to tell, only a handful were willing to be quoted by name. Most preferred to remain anonymous for fear of becoming a target. 

In a series of articles running through this week, we’ll be examining the problems that make life difficult for town-centre businesses, finding out what’s being done to tackle them, looking at whether it’s working, and asking if there may be a better approach.

Our Trading Hell survey covered almost all the businesses on Oxford Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge Road, Market Place and the Victoria Shopping Centre, as well as parts of Beulah Street and James Street. 

The vast majority of businesses polled (96%) said that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t – and 52% said it’s a major problem. 

Graphic showing responses to the question 'How much of a problem for your business is anti-social behaviour?'. 'It's a major problem' - 52% 'It's a problem, but not major' - 26% 'It's a minor problem' - 18% 'It's not a problem' - 4%

Other behaviours considered to be a problem included shoplifting (78%), street-drinking (74%), threats to staff (70%), rough sleeping (70%), begging (68%) and drug misuse (66%). 

Shockingly, 20% of town-centre businesses face threats to staff at least once a week. 

One trader told the Stray Ferret: 

“I’ve been working here for 18 months and it’s been a shocker. This place has become lawless in the town centre.”

 Graphic showing that 20% of Harrogate town centre businesses see threats to staff as a major problem.

Hotspot 

Our survey showed that nowhere is immune to the problems, but there are hotspots, and the “hottest” spot is centred on the intersection of Oxford Street and Cambridge Road – the area between McDonalds, Wesley Chapel and the Halifax bank. 

One shop owner said: 

“There are often groups drinking around the doorway, which discourages customers, and hanging around under shelter, shouting and swearing in the street. It makes for an unpleasant environment.” 

Nearby, Ian Hall, store manager of Games Crusade on Oxford Street, recounted a disturbing incident when he had to physically keep two men apart. He said: 

“Two gentlemen came chasing through the street and the first one bolted through our door and ran to the back of the shop. He looked really scared. The second one was shouting and swearing at him, calling him all sorts of names, and wanted to knock seven bells out of him.

“I stood in the doorway and told him he couldn’t come in and eventually he calmed down and left. If he had come in, I think they’d probably have started fighting in the shop, knocking things over and destroying stock. Anything could have happened.”

But the problems are by no means confined to adults. One trader told us he had to be particularly vigilant against theft in the late afternoon, when school pupils “flooded” into the town centre.

Two years ago, two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) were seriously injured in an attack by three schoolgirls in McDonalds. One of the officers suffered a suspected broken nose and the other later left the service, partly as a result of the incident. One of the girls narrowly avoided a custodial sentence.

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses see street drinking as a problem.

Alcohol wasn’t a factor in that case, but it does appears to be a common feature of much of the town centre’s anti-social behaviour and is believed to have played a part in an incident on Oxford Street last May, when a man admitted to pulling the wing off a pigeon. 

A common view among traders is that the problems are showing no signs of getting any better. On the contrary, one said: 

“It’s got much worse in the last two to three years. You can smell weed on the street, there’s drug-dealing in front of our door, and I’ve even had to call an ambulance for somebody.” 

Lost business 

While these problems are not pleasant for shoppers and passers-by, for businesses they translate into lost trade and, for some smaller traders, damage to livelihoods.  

One Oxford Street retailer said: 

“My shop windows were smashed more than once, and it cost me a lot of money to replace them.” 

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses have lost revenue due to the problems they face trading.

Others complained of casual shoplifting. Games Crusade’s Ian Hall said: 

“We get drunk people coming into the shop and trying to walk out with stock. It’s not underhand – it’s in full view. I just take it off them and that tends to be the end of it. But you have to have your wits about you all the time.” 

Across the town centre, nearly three in every four businesses (74%) said they had lost trade as a result of some or all of these behaviours. Among Oxford Street retailers, the figure was 100%, and many are convinced that footfall is down as a result.

The manager of one shop said: 

“Anti-social behaviour and street-drinking discourage the general public from visiting this part of town.” 

Paul Rawlinson, who has two businesses on Oxford Street, Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersen, said: 

“Oxford Steet has become a much less desirable place to walk down as a result of these behaviours. It’s more pronounced during the summer, when rough sleeping is a more comfortable option than it is in winter.” 

Back streets 

Although the main streets of the town centre are where activities such as street drinking and anti-social behaviour are most visible, the back alleys are where other things happen for the most part unseen. 

Last year, a woman was seriously sexually assaulted in an alley to the rear of Clarks shoe shop in Market Place. That alley was finally closed off by a new gate after three years of lobbying, but other backstreets are still used for illegal activities. 

One shop worker on Cambridge Street told us: 

“Staff feel unsafe going out the back of the store because of large groups of kids smoking weed and shouting abuse to intimidate us. It’s quite scary. Also, drunks use our property and we find needles and glass bottles lying around.”

During our investigation, we discovered down one back alley abandoned prescription drugs, discarded clothing, clusters of clothes hangers – presumably dumped by shoplifters – and even a notebook containing obscene sexual content.

What’s being done…

One body that has tried to do something about the town centre’s problems is Harrogate BID (business improvement district). It would like to see a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) put in place banning certain behaviours, such as persistent begging and street drinking, from the town centre. But according to the national guidelines, these can only be applied if crime levels are above a certain benchmark, which Harrogate doesn’t reach.

BID manager Matthew Chapman said: 

“The statistics showed that the number of crimes is very low in the town centre. 

“While on the face of it this seems like good news, the stats just didn’t match up with what we were hearing from BID members.

“Shop owners and staff were telling us they were regularly seeing relatively minor crime, but the police figures just didn’t reflect this.” 

So two years ago, the BID launched a campaign to encourage town-centre businesses to report crime. For three months it promoted its Report a Crime initiative, telling traders to report every crime, no matter how minor. But bizarrely, crime figures over that period went down, so the PSPO is still a goal rather than a reality – and the BID is still lobbying for it. We’ll be speaking to Matthew Chapman about the PSPO and the BID’s efforts to tackle these issues in Friday’s feature.

…and what’s not 

Several traders told the Stray Ferret that they had stopped reporting low-value thefts because they did not believe the police would do anything about them. Worse still, we uncovered a widespread belief that the problems plaguing the town centre are simply not being adequately addressed. When asked how well the issues are being tackled by the authorities, 38% said ‘badly’ and 32% – almost one in three – thought the problems weren’t being tackled at all.

Graphic showing that town-centre businesses blame the police more than any other organisation for the problems they face.

Two in every five traders (40%) blamed the police for failing to tackle the issues, many of them complaining that the police response to reports of theft is slow and ineffective. A report released last week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services following its inspection of North Yorkshire Police only rated the force “adequate” at investigating crime and responding to the public, although this assessment was better than last year, when it received the notice “requires improvement” in both areas.

One town-centre jeweller said his shop had been burgled last summer when thieves stole £60,000 worth of stock, but claimed the police response was inept and late. He said:

“It took the police 12 hours to respond to my initial 999 call, and when they did, they said they’d pass my details on to the appropriate officer ‘a week on Friday’ because he was on a course.

“Very soon after the theft, someone told me they knew who had committed the crime and even where my stock was being held. I believed them because the details they gave were bang on. I told the police, but it took them eight months to arrest anybody, and by that time the evidence had all disappeared.

“They lost emails with my details in them and didn’t even have my telephone number. As far as I know, nobody’s yet been charged.”

The Stray Ferret has spoken to Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police about the force’s response to reports of crime, and you can read the interview here on Thursday.

In the meantime, traders are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in improving conditions in the centre of “one of the finest shopping towns in the North”. One shopkeeper said: 

“I see it all here. Every week there’s something going on. I speak to other business owners and there’s a general feeling on the street that there’s no-one in power who’s doing anything about it – and it just gets worse.”

Tomorrow – what exactly do the official stats show? We report on a huge rise in shop-lifting and examine the extent of drug taking and wider anti-social behaviour cases reported to police in Harrogate town centre.  

Have you got a story to tell about any of the issues covered in this article? Let us know by emailing us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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