Council’s 20mph review ‘kicking can down the road’

North Yorkshire Council‘s decision to refuse blanket 20mph zones across the county in favour of a speed limit review has been described as “kicking the can down the road” on road safety.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee requested default 20mph zones in November 2022.

However, rather than accept the request the council has now said it will draw up a speed management strategy to “guide a countywide review of speed limits across towns, villages and rural road”.

Council officials said they did not support area-wide or default speed zones on the grounds that “each area will be considered on its own merits”.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive councillor for highways, said the proposal would “deliver real improvements” across the county.

He said:

“The new council is taking an ambitious, proactive approach to setting speed limits, built on evidence and community empowerment.

“This will move away from setting limits in a piecemeal fashion, where we look at one road in one location at a single point in time.

“By taking a strategic view of a town or village we will ensure speed limits there are effective and be able to identify positive changes in partnership with local communities.

“We cannot review all locations immediately, and resources will need to be prioritised, but our approach will deliver real improvements across all parts of the county over time, addressing concerns, improving safety and saving lives.”

But Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat chair of the area constituency committee, said the move would only delay the implementation of 20mph streets further.

She added that a speed management strategy, which the council says will take six months to draw up, was not needed to implement zones immediately.

Cllr Marsh said:

“It is an issue that affects the whole of North Yorkshire, they have got to address it.

“Get the 20mph zones in first and then monitor them. It really is just kicking the can down the road.”

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The council intends to undertake a series of planned speed limit reviews which will be “underpinned” by the speed management strategy.

It added that the move would “generate a rolling pipeline of safety improvement schemes for delivery”.

However, Cllr Arnold Warneken, Green Party member for Ouseburn, said the proposal lacked ambition and described it as “another delaying tactic”.

He said:

“There is no real substance to the North Yorkshire Council proposals. Whilst I was told to be patient as there was a comprehensive review taking place and the report would reflect this I was, and it does not, so now we have yet another example that the executive know better and show shallow concern and fake listening to the people they represent.

“We cannot keep putting off taking action to make our roads safer for everyone, we cannot keep putting off taking action to protect our environment, we cannot keep putting off taking action that will prevent life changing injuries or worse still fatalities. If not now, when?”

Ian Conlan, of the 20s Plenty North Yorkshire campaign group, said:

“There is a far better evidence base to have a default 20mph to replace existing 30mph limits, and develop an exceptions process to decide where to have higher speed limits than 20mph in a few roads in towns and villages, but only where vulnerable road users are fully protected.”

Mr Conlan urged supporters to demonstrate outside County Hall in Northallerton on Tuesday next week, when North Yorkshire Council’s executive will discuss the matter.

Starbeck Baths to close at Christmas for £29,000 heating repair work

Starbeck Baths looks set to be closed over Christmas for heating repair work costing £29,000.

North Yorkshire Council has commissioned a contractor to upgrade the controls for heating both the pool and the building.

Leeds-based Westminster Controls Limited is set to carry out the work during a “planned shutdown” of the facility over Christmas this year.

Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director of community development, said:

“The contract is to upgrade the controls responsible for heating both the pool and the building.

“The replacement controls will provide significantly better automation and efficient control of the heating and ventilation systems.

“The work is due to be carried out during the planned shutdown of the pool over Christmas.”

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The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the specific dates when the pool is planned to be closed but has not yet had a response.

It is due to be the second time this year the baths will shut for maintenance work.

The facility was closed for a month in April due to an “unforeseen mechanical failure”, which coincided with the Easter school holidays.

Brimhams Active, which was set up by Harrogate Borough Council but is now run by North Yorkshire Council, manages leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.

At the time, it said an an air leak in the pool plant equipment caused poor water clarity led to the closure.

The pool reopened on May 11.

Harrogate girl, 14, charged with causing £1,300 damage to Grand Hotel in Scarborough

A 14-year-old girl from Harrogate has been charged with causing £1,366 worth of damage to the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before a youth court held at Harrogate Magistrates Court on June 23.

She was charged with causing damage to multiple rooms across multiple floors, including the reception area, of the Grand Hotel on December 30 last year.

The court listed the cost of the damage at £1,366.

She was also charged with damaging five towels at a cost of £75 belonging to the Royal Hotel in Scarborough on March 26.

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The girl was also accused of maliciously wounding with intent to do him grievous bodily harm on April 29 and stealing from a Co-op on Newlands Park Drive in Scarborough on the same day.

The 14-year-old pleaded guilty to all the offences.

The court remanded her on bail until July 14 when she will appear for another hearing.

She was also banned from entering any hotel in Scarborough as part of her bail conditions.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate entrepreneur wins Pride award

Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers.  At the next Stray Ferret Business Club  we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy. 

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate entrepreneur has won an award at the 2023 Attitude Pride Awards in London.

The event, which was held at the Langham Hotel, honours those who support the LGBTQ+ community across 11 categories.

Luke Christian, who founded fashion brand Deaf Identity in 2019, picked up the community hero award for his efforts in promoting equality and breaking down barriers for the deaf and LGBTQ+ communities.

Mr Christian, who is deaf and a former Comic Relief designer, said:

“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive the community hero award at the 2023 Attitude Pride Awards. This honour serves as both a monument to my work and the fortitude and resiliency of the deaf and LGBTQ+ communities.

“I dedicate this honour to everyone who has ever felt silenced or marginalised, and I intend to keep changing lives for the better. Standing side by side with other community heroes and trailblazers was an absolute honour.”

Lancashire financial firm acquires Harrogate company

A Harrogate financial firm has been acquired by a Lancashire company.

Chorley-based Perspective Financial Group has taken on clients from Brigham Wealth Management as part of an acquisition of four firms.

The company has also acquired Brighter Financial Services Ltd in Halifax, Airedale Personal Financial Solutions Ltd in Holmer Green, Buckinghamshire and Granite Coast Ltd in Cambridge.

Brigham, which is based on Hornbeam Park, will retain its current offices.

David Brigham, of Brigham Wealth Management, said:

“Perspective fully shares the ethos, ethics and client focused approach of Brigham Wealth Management and we are sure this move will be of benefit to all our clients and contacts going forward.”

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Harrogate cyclist forced to pause 1,000km charity ride

A Harrogate man who planned to cycle 1,000km in under 48 hours has been forced to put the journey on hold due to poor weather.

Simon Gregory was fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of his aunt, who died of cancer in 2019.

Reverend Ruth Scott was a well-known vicar who regularly broadcast on BBC Radio’s Pause for Thought programme.

Simon set off from West Scotland on Friday and aimed to reach Winchester Cathedral by Sunday.

However, due to harsh weather conditions, the decision was made to pause the challenge 500km in.

By this point, Simon had endured 200 miles of headwinds and eight hours of torrential rain.

In a statement posted on his Instagram, he explained the decision:

“It’s not ideal or what I want to do, but I had used around 40% more calories than I anticipated which is more than I can physically absorb.

“This obviously affected how my body functions and how my heart functions.”

The cyclist said that he had a choice between finishing the ride in Winchester or “finishing the ride in hospital”.

The aim of the ride was to raise £25,000 which is enough to fund 101 days of care from Macmillan nurses. So far Simon has raised over £10,000 after weeks of collecting donations.

Michaela Ryder,  from Macmillan said:

“We are immensely proud of Simon and whilst we are disappointed for him due to the bad weather, it was the right decision to pause his challenge at the midway point.

“Simon’s health and wellbeing is the utmost priority and we will remain right by him for when he resumes his challenge from the midway point in the near future.”

Simon plans to continue the cross-country journey after a few weeks’ rest and hopes to complete the next 500km of the ride from North Yorkshire in under 21 hours.

Find out more about the challenge or donate to his fundraising on his JustGiving page.

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Calls for urgent action to stop North Yorkshire children vaping

Calls have been made for urgent action to tackle children vaping across North Yorkshire amid an “explosion” in young people using e-cigarettes.

A meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s children and young people’s scrutiny committee heard the authority’s annual health and wellbeing survey concluded more than one in three of children aged 13 to 15 years old had at least tried vaping, while 9% said they used them regularly.

Smoking of traditional cigarettes was continuing to decrease and the use of illegal drugs remained low, the meeting was told, but some children were starting to vape while still at primary school.

The study found some 5% of 10 and 11-year-olds pupils responded that they had at least tried vaping.

However, councillors were warned the vaping statistics in its Growing Up In North Yorkshire study were “woefully out” and the actual prevalence of vaping was likely to be much higher.

Earlier this year Dr Mike McKean, of the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, said vaping was becoming “an epidemic” among teenagers.

He said if the growth of youngsters vaping continued at the same rate, almost all children would vape within five years.

Dr Tom Cavell-Taylor, who is a governor at Ripon Grammar School, told the scrutiny meeting: 

“I don’t think young people appreciate the dangers of vaping.

“Vaping was seen as a better alternative to smoking, but there is a bit of a health time bomb going on with vaping and I don’t think that message is fully appreciated with young people.”

Cllr Kirsty Poskitt, who is also a youth worker, added it was “not unusual for year five and six pupils to be vaping”.

She said: 

“What I’m really concerned with is how fast the public health is getting out. I have conversations daily with young people that vape that have no clue that it is in any way dangerous.

“The parents see it as a much better, they taste and smell nice, they’re trendy, you’re not going to have that first hacking  experience of cigarettes.

“It’s a huge explosion and it’s one of my biggest concerns with young people.”

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The meeting heard councillors call for the government to step up campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping in the way that it has highlighted the risks of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol or ban the sale of single-use vapes.

Councillors said by looking at the images in the windows of vaping shops alone, it was obvious children were being targeted.

The authority’s director of children and young people’s services, Stuart Carlton, said while he appreciated the immediate need to raise of the risks of vaping, it would be worse to launch a campaign that wasn’t accurate.

He said one of the issues with tackling vaping was that “the market moves really quickly”, so it was important to get messages precise.

Mr Carlton said: 

“I would just ban them. I think they should only be available on prescription as part of a smoking reduction programme to adults only. That’s how you get them out of the system.

“Some of the things that are giving us the most concern aren’t the ones sold in shops, it’s the illegal market. These are black market vapes with cannabinoid additions which are causing horrendous incidents to children who experiment. You can do something about vaping, but then miss the thing that’s doing to most damage.”

The scrutiny committee was told public health officials were teaming up with a range of bodies, including the NHS and Trading Standards, to tackle the issue in a coordinated way.

Former stables and cricket pavilion to be demolished in Harrogate 480-home plan

Several derelict buildings including a cricket pavilion are set to be demolished in fields off Otley Road in Harrogate to make way for the 480-home Bluecoat Wood development.

The government’s housing agency Homes England is behind the housing scheme, which would cover 28 hectares of largely green fields. The homes would wrap around horticultural charity Horticap.

A mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses are proposed for the site. Homes England says 40% of the houses will be allocated as “affordable”.

An outline planning application was submitted last year but is yet to receive final approval.

However the developer asked North Yorkshire Council if it could demolish several buildings on the site and the authority confirmed this month that it can.

It means that five timber buildings associated with a former stables will be demolished as well as a small shed and a stone barn on the site.

A cricket pavilion formerly used by Pannal Ash Cricket Club will also be demolished.

However, under plans submitted by Homes England, the development is set to include a new cricket pitch on the site and the club will return to using it.

Documents state:

“The wider proposals for the Bluecoat Park site include a new cricket pavilion and cricket field, which will provide a new home for Pannal Ash Cricket Club and will allow them to return to the site.

“Alongside the proposed residential development and cricket facilities, a football hub is also proposed. These sporting facilities will provide much higher quality sporting facilities in this area, which will help encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.”

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The section of Otley Road approaching Harlow Hill is set to be transformed by up to 1,500 homes over the next decade.

The Bluecoat Wood site has been mooted  for housing for many years and Homes England took it on after a previous plan fell through.

The former Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan, which is still binding, says that the Windmill Farm site on the other side of Otley Road can also be developed.

Plans for 770 homes and a new primary school were submitted last year by Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes. The site also includes space for self-build homes.

But there have been long-standing fears from residents that the services that people rely on will be put under further strain by the new developments.

The Western Arc Coordination Group is hopeful a council-led document called the West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy (WHIDS) will go some way to ensuring investment takes place into roads, schools and healthcare before much of the homes are constructed.

But it’s faced a series of delays which has frustrated residents in the group.

Four memorial benches vandalised in Harrogate woods

Four memorial benches in Harrogate’s Pinewoods have been vandalised.

The benches, some of which were paid for by families who lost loved ones, were damaged last night (June 25).

Of those which were vandalised, two were on the path between the war memorial and Harlow Moor Road.

Another two were damaged off the path.

Thanks for reporting & very disappointing.

We'll keep reporting such activity to @NYorksPolice & @northyorksc. #Harrogate https://t.co/5Wi2XVZG5x

— 🌳Pinewoods Harrogate🌳 (@PinewoodsHgt) June 26, 2023

Pinewoods Conservation Group, which helps to maintain the 96-acre woodland, said the incident highlights an increase in anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

It described the damage as “very disappointing”.

The group added that the vandalism has also been reported to North Yorkshire Police.

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Shadow chancellor joins local by-election campaign trail

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves joined Labour candidate Keir Mather on the by-election campaign trail in Selby on Saturday.

Selby and Ainsty will go to the polls on July 20 following the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams.

The constituency includes villages close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, including Spofforth, Follifoot, Ouseburn and Little Ribston.

The Conservatives hold a 20,137 majority but Ms Reeves’ visit indicates that Labour, which finished second last time with 25% of the vote, regards it as a winnable seat.

Ms Reeves joined Mr Mather to launch his five-point plan, which he said would deliver ‘a fresh start’ for the constituency.

Ms Reeves said:

“Across Britain, people are being hit hard by a Tory mortgage penalty, and here in Selby and Ainsty over 12,300 households will see their repayments go up by an average £2,700.

“Meanwhile, the Conservative MP abandoned his constituents in a cost of living crisis, leaving them without a voice and a Conservative government too distracted to deliver.”

Mr Mather’s five-point plan is to support residents through the cost of living crisis; tackle antisocial behaviour and rural crime; make the local NHS fit for the future; protect communities from flooding and sewage and restore frequent, reliable public transport.

He said:

“This brilliant constituency deserves a fresh start and a dedicated MP who will deliver on their promises to local people.”

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Man with ‘flagrant disregard for people’ jailed for crimes in Harrogate

A man has been jailed for a year for a string of offences in Harrogate, including threatening to kill a policeman.

Christopher Layton, 36, admitted carrying out the threat at Harrogate police station on June 7 this year.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for that offence when he appeared in front of magistrates in York on Tuesday.

Layton, of no fixed abode, received other consecutive custodial sentences for further crimes.

They included assaulting the same police officer and assaulting a man on Parliament Street in Harrogate on June 18. He also threatened police and paramedics.

Layton, who was subject to supervision requirements imposed after a previous jail sentence, also pleaded guilty to threatening a man on Queens Road in Harrogate on June 7, which court documents said “was motivated by hostility towards persons who are of a particular sexual orientation”.

The documents also said the offences were so serious because “the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property” and involved attacks on emergency workers.

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