Call for ban on trail hunting on North Yorkshire Council land

Councillors are to call on North Yorkshire Council to ban trail hunting on land owned by the local authority.

At a meeting next week, Labour councillor Rich Maw, who represents Weaponness and Ramshill, and Green councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, will table a motion calling for the practice to be prohibited.

Trail hunting involves laying an animal scent, usually urine, for hounds to track and is followed by a group on foot or horseback.

The practice is legal, but organisations such as animal welfare charity the RSPCA and the League Against Cruel Sports have called for it to be banned.

At a meeting in May, Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council, said the council “can’t confirm” whether or not trail hunts take place on its land.

He added that the authority was “not aware” of any formalised hunts taking place on its property.

However, in their motion, Cllr Maw and Warneken said the hunts had been used as a “loophole to carry on hunting foxes and other animals”. 

It adds:

“Across the country, hunts are using trail hunts as a loophole to carry on hunting foxes and other animals. 

“So called terrier men are frequently present with shovels and terriers, while scent trails are often not present.”

The motion adds that the Hunting Act 2004, which bans fox hunting, is unworkable and calls on the council to ban any trail hunts on council owned land.

It says:

“This council resolves to ban trail hunting, exempt hunting, hound exercise and hunt meets outright across all council land where legally possible, including any new tenancies where there are positive covenants attached to the land that currently require the council as owner to allow trail hunting events and formal gatherings.”

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council will debate the motion on July 19.

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The move comes as organisations have called on the government to change the law on trail hunting.

A pressure group called Time For Change, which is led by the League Against Cruel Sports, was set up last month to lobby ministers to strengthen the Hunting Act.

It includes 32 animal welfare charity groups such as the RSPCA, Human Society International UK, Cats Protection and PETA.

Andy Knott, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said:

“We’ve known since very soon after the Hunting Act 2004 was introduced that hunts were using its many exemptions – and something they call trail hunting – to carry on chasing and killing wildlife with hounds. 

“We and other like-minded organisations have been calling out for the law to be strengthened, for its many exemptions to be removed, and for trail hunting to be outlawed.”

Business Breakfast: Knaresborough financial advisors appoint new board members

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, 27 July at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Knaresborough financial firm has announced a number of changes to its board.

Prosperis Ltd, which is based at St James’ Business Park, said it wanted to appoint experienced professionals to the company as part of its growth strategy.

Among the changes include Dave McLaughlin, who has been appointed as managing director of Prosperis Wealth and David Carrington joins as managing director of Prosperis Corporate Services.

David Carrington and Dawn Cockson.

David Carrington and Dawn Cockson.

Dawn Cockson also joins the board as operations director.

Niall Gunn, chief executive of Prosperis Ltd, said:

“These are exciting times for Prosperis. We are concluding our seventh acquisition with the next one due to complete in the autumn and our management team is stepping up to drive our service proposition to our clients. 

“Both Davids and Dawn will be a great addition to our board, bringing a wide range and skills and talents.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service among top 100 apprentice employers

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has been named in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2023.

The service, which operates ambulances in the Harrogate district and wider Yorkshire region, was ranked 36 in the list and was the highest ranked NHS organisation.

More than 500 of the service’s 7,200 staff are apprentices, including ambulance support workers, associate ambulance practitioners and paramedic degree apprentices.

It also employs apprentices in corporate services like finance, operational support, learning and development.

Kim Walsh, apprenticeships manager for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: 

“We are delighted to have ranked so highly; this establishes Yorkshire Ambulance Service as one of the leading apprenticeship employers in the country.”

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GALLERY: Conservation, cheese and cattle take centre stage at Great Yorkshire Show

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This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Successes in agriculture and champion cattle, cheese, pigeons and forestry were recognised on day two of the Great Yorkshire Show.

Spectators were treated to the stunt riding of Lorenzo in the main ring and Adam Henson’s chat show returned to the GYS stage.

The day also saw the supreme pigeon award presented to a Chinese Owl from Huworth.

The third national cattle championship at the show, the British Charolais, went to a two-year-old heifer, Marne Sweetpea, owned by Robert Tremayne and Nicola Osgood of Kent.

Day two also saw the inaugural farmland curlew award developed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and Nidderdale AONB to reward famers who make a significant contribution to curlew conservation — won by two Cumbrian beef and sheep farmers.

Future Farmers also had their flagship annual get-together and held a panel-led discussion.

York Community Woodland, owned by City of York Council and tenanted by Forestry England, took home the John Broddy trophy for the best new woodland in Yorkshire awarded by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Royal Forestry Society and Forestry Commission.

Tickets for the show have now sold out and will not be available on the gate. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. To see what is happening on which day, visit here.

Take a look at the gallery below to catch up on today’s highlights.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Mill Hill School pupils celebrating their success

Horticap’s award-winning garden

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance team

A hound class

Artist: Jonny Sunter

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Biscuit of Farlavale Gun Dogs

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

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By-election could give Harrogate district its first ever Labour MP

The Harrogate district could be set to get its first ever Labour MP when voters turn out for the Selby and Ainsty by-election next week, according to an opinion poll. 

The survey by JL Partners reveals Labour could win a landslide victory on July 20 in the traditionally Tory constituency, with 41% of the vote – up 16 points on the last election.

No Labour MP has ever represented any of the Harrogate district constituencies: Harrogate and Knaresborough, Skipton and Ripon, and Selby and Ainsty.

The poll has the Conservatives on 29% (down 31 percentage points on last general election), Reform UK on 8% (+8), the Lib Dems on 6% (-3), the Greens on 6% (+3), the Yorkshire Party on 4% (+1), and the others on 6% (+6). 

A Labour victory – which political analysts Electoral Calculus sees as a 66% probability – would be a remarkable upset in a constituency it has never before won.

Selby and Ainsty has been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 2010, with MP Nigel Adams increasing his share of the vote at successive elections from 49% in 2010 to 60% at 2019. 

Labour candidate Keir Mather, 25, would become the youngest current MP if he wins.

A Labour spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:  

“It will be a mammoth task to overturn a 20,000 Conservative majority, and the biggest Labour has achieved since the end of the Second World War.  

“Labour’s Keir Mather is speaking to hundreds of voters on the doorstep who want change, and for him to be their MP and a strong voice fighting on their behalf in Westminster.” 

A Conservative Party spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the party never comments on opinion polls.

Cabinet minister Nigel Adams was a Boris Johnson loyalist and stepped down last month after his name did not appear on Mr Johnson’s retirement honours list. The constituency has been unrepresented at Westminster since then. 

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The Harrogate district is mainly represented by the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, but large areas fall within other constituencies.

The vast Selby and Ainsty constituency includes Huby, Follifoot and Spofforth, as well as several villages in the Vale of York, including Great Ouseburn, Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Tockwith. Its main towns are Selby, Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet, and at its southern end it includes Drax power station and reaches nearly as far as Goole and Doncaster.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency has only ever been held by the Tories and Liberal Democrats, and Skipton and Ripon has only ever been held by the Conservatives. The Selby and Ainsty constituency was formed from the Vale of York constituency – which was perennially Conservative – and the Selby constituency, which swung from Conservative to Labour. 

Harrogate town council creation could be delayed by another consultation

Residents are set to be asked for a third time about their views on a potential Harrogate town council — but another consultation could mean its formation is put back from April 2024.

Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which are based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward in the town council with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.

But councillors at a meeting last week raised concerns that this arrangement would be “unwieldy” and they would instead prefer to create one-member wards based around the 19 old Harrogate Borough Council ward boundaries. 

If the council decides to proceed with the original plans it is hoped the new council could be formed by next spring with elections taking place in May 2024.

This could now change with a report that will go before a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council next Wednesday in Northallerton recommending that councillors ask residents for their views on the new proposals that were suggested last week.

The report says as the public were not asked for their opinion on the revised warding pattern, there is a legal risk in proceeding without another consultation exercise.

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Councillors who backed the changes included Conservative member for Easingwold Nigel Knapton who said last week it was important for residents that the new council is set up correctly, even though another consultation risked putting back the process by another year.

But Liberal Democrat member for Bilton Grange and New Park, Monika Slater, said another consultation would confuse residents who had already been asked for their views twice before.

There has also been concerns about engagement in the previous consultations with just 4.7% of eligible households responding to the latest round that ran for nine weeks from March to May this year.

Of these, 65% said they backed the creation of the new council.

How much would the new council cost?

Despite it not being confirmed what services the council would run, Harrogate households would be asked to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year if a Harrogate Town Council was created.

North Yorkshire Council has said the town council’s council tax precept would allow for an annual budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.

The budget would be spent on accommodation, employment costs, office and IT equipment, insurance, professional fees, the mayor and delivering services.

It anticipates there would be a surplus in the first year of the town council, which would go to reserves for use in future years and “enable the parish to begin on a secure financial footing”.

The precept would be lower than Ripon City Council, which charges £70.77 for band D properties, but higher than Knaresborough Town Council, which charges £25.27.

Yorkshire Water pays £235,000 for illegal Harrogate sewage discharge

Yorkshire Water has agreed to pay £235,000 to charity for illegally pumping sewage into Hookstone Beck in Harrogate.

The Environment Agency said today the company breached its environmental permit by discharging sewage from its Stray Road combined sewer overflow into the beck, which flows between Hookstone Road and Crimple Beck.

Following an Environment Agency investigation, Yorkshire Water volunteered to make amends for its offence.

It agreed to pay the sum to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which will use the donation on environmental improvements in North Yorkshire including native crayfish conservation and reed bed management at Ripon City Wetlands.

The Environment Agency said the Stray Road combined sewer overflow, near Tewit Well, has an environmental permit which allows a discharge into the beck when the storm sewage facility is fully utilised due to rainfall or snow melt.

On 27 August 2015, it discharged illegally during dry weather and sewage fungus was evident on the bed of Hookstone Beck.

Yorkshire Water has now upgraded its telemetry to allow continuous monitoring of the storm overflow.

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The company agreed to an enforcement undertaking, which is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for their offending, and usually includes a donation to a wildlife charity to carry out environmental

Claire Barrow, Environment Agency area environment manager, said:

“Sewage pollution can be devastating to human health, local biodiversity and out environment. Storm overflows must only be used under strict permitted conditions that control their environmental impact.

“We are holding the water industry to account like never before and while we will always take forward prosecutions in the most serious cases, enforcement undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements.

“They allow polluters to correct and restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents by improving their procedures, helping ensure future compliance with environmental requirements.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said it had made “significant improvements in our operations since this incident in 2015″, adding:

“When things go wrong, we understand we have a responsibility to make it right.”

A Yorkshire Wildlife Trust statement said:

“Nature is in crisis and we firmly believe polluters causing damage to the environment must make amends, including through clean-up operations and fines.”

Harrogate caterer who serves monarchs at Great Yorkshire Show celebrates 60th birthday

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This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A Harrogate caterer who has served a number of royals celebrated his 60th birthday and 21 years of catering at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday.

Ian King, owner of King’s Catering, founded the company with his wife 27 years ago and, for 21 of those, has served thousands of people every day when the annual show takes place.

The traditional royal visit means Mr King has prepared meals for King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He said the current monarch “loves smoked salmon sandwiches and loose Earl Grey tea”, while his sister “always asks for ginger beer”.

Monarchs are provided with a checklist to indicate their likes and dislikes ahead of the show and, said Mr King, only request “the use of local produce”.

The company initially served canapes at the agricultural show but took on the challenge of catering for the entire show in 2012.

That same year, the show was rained off after just the first day. With heaps of leftover stock and a heavy heart, it’s fair to say Mr King described this as his least favourite memory of the show…

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The Great Yorkshire Show generates “10% of the company’s annual turnover”, according to Mr King, and is “the busiest and biggest week of the year.”

He said covid was a “very cruel” time for the company but added:

“We’re back and we’re bigger and stronger than ever. This show is what we work towards all year.

“Providing breakfast on the first day goes well the rest of the show is plain sailing!”

Mr King arrives at the showground at 4am each day during show week to prepare and said “the camaraderie of it all makes it so enjoyable”.

This year, the caterer spent his milestone 60th birthday cooking up a storm for the Duke of Gloucester – and thousands of other show attendees.

Find more information on King’s Catering here.

Inquests open into two road deaths in Harrogate district

Inquests have opened into the deaths of two men killed in separate road collisions in the Harrogate district last month.

Taxi driver Mohammed Masum Miah, 45, died when his car “was struck by another vehicle”, said North Yorkshire coroner Catherine Cundall in an inquest yesterday.

She said the collision, on June 18, caused his black Peugeot to leave the A61 near Harewood, adding:

“He died at the scene as a result of injuries sustained.”

The inquest, held at the coroner’s court in Northallerton yesterday, was suspended to allow for completion of the police investigation into the collision.

Mohammed Masum Miah

A second inquest was opened into the death of James Paul Gomersall.

He was the front seat passenger in a collision on the B6265 near Score Ray Lane, between Whixley and Thorpe Underwood on June 24.

Mr Gomersall, who lived in Green Hammerton and was just 18, died at the scene.

His inquest was also adjourned to a later date while the police investigation continues.

North Yorkshire Police yesterday said nobody has been arrested in connection with either collision.

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Harrogate and District Climate Change Coalition dissolves

The trustees of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition have agreed to dissolve the organisation and continue its work through Zero Carbon Harrogate.

The coalition was set up by Harrogate Borough Council in 2019 to bring together businesses, local government and the voluntary sector and become an independent charity in 2021.

A statement today announcing the news said it would “help take the district closer to achieving a carbon net zero future”.

Several coalition trustees, including chair Danny Wild, the principal of Harrogate College, have become trustees of Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Jemima Parker, founder and chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, said:

“This is a really exciting development for both charities and for the future of Harrogate. By coming together we can make a bigger impact in everything we do and help take the district closer to a net zero future.

“The scientific evidence is clear; we must act now to prevent the worst effects of climate change.”

Mr Wild said the move would “create a stronger voice on climate change for Harrogate”, adding:

“All trustees believe that through collaboration we can achieve more thorough local activity and be a stronger voice in North Yorkshire.

“I’m looking forward to working with ZCH over the next 12 months, as we look deliver activities that lead to a more sustainable future.”

Coalition’s short existence

The coalition had a short but rocky existence.

Set up by Harrogate Borough Council, it was rocked by the resignation in 2021 of Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, who claimed the group had been ‘plagued by inaction’.

The organisation said its acquisition of charitable status later that year put it in a strong position to “accelerate action and increase its local impact”.

This was borne out when it organised Harrogate’s first climate action festival, which included a business conference at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The coalition had 12 trustees, including representatives of Harrogate Borough Council, which ceased to exist on April 1 this year.

 

Missing girl from Knaresborough found

North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that a missing girl from Knaresborough has been found.

Officers said she was reported missing on Monday this week.

However, the force confirmed this afternoon that she has since been found.

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