Audi driver pleads guilty after 140mph police pursuit in Harrogate

A man has admitted dangerous driving in Harrogate after leading police on a 140mph pursuit.

Jason Ryder, 45, of Wellgarth, Bishop Auckland, appeared before York Magistrates Court yesterday.

Ryder was charged with dangerous driving on York Place in Harrogate, on Wetherby Road, on the A658 John Metcalf Way, on the A1(M) and on the A6055 on Monday (March 20).

He was also charged with driving his Audi A3 while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Ryder, who was eventually halted by a police stinger, pleaded guilty to all the offences.

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He appeared in court just a day after being disqualified from driving for 12 months for drug driving at junction 47 of the A1(M) near Knaresborough.

He was pursued by North Yorkshire Police immediately after leaving Harrogate Magistrates Court on March 20.

Officers described him as “weaving dangerously in and out of traffic” while reaching speeds of 140mph.

Paul Cording, a roads policing sergeant for the force, said he had shown “a complete disregard for road safety and the judicial system”.

Ryder will appear before York Crown Court to be sentenced on April 11.

Residents frustrated after Harrogate district planning portal goes down

Residents have raised frustration over Harrogate Borough Council’s planning portal being down for more than a week.

The portal allows people to check and comment on pending planning applications in the district.

The council advertised planned maintenance would be carried out on the site from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15 and then from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, March 22.

However, residents have reported the portal has been inaccessible since March 13.

Graham Bowland, from Staveley, told the Stray Ferret the matter had been frustrating for locals in the village.

Some have been trying to comment on a pending proposal for 73 homes on land off Minskip Road near Staveley Nature Reserve.

Mr Bowland said:

“How are we expected to view documents relating to the application?

“This issue has galvanised the residents into submitting letters of objection which we are batching up and delivering by hand.”

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Other residents raised concern they may miss the deadline for comments on applications due to the portal being down.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the maintenance was needed.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“Our online register of planning applications (public access) is currently unavailable due to essential maintenance.

“Comments on planning applications will be accepted after the end of any formal consultation periods. Applications will also be considered on a case-by-case basis when they are ready for determination and, where they may have been affected by the downtime, we will make individual assessments as to whether members of the public have been given sufficient time to comment.

“We anticipate the system returning later today, but anyone with any concerns or has an urgent need to view plans and/or make comments can email dmst@harrogate.gov.uk.”

Harrogate Town appoints women’s director of football

Harrogate Town has appointed Jason Barker as women’s director of football.

Mr Barker will be the first full-time member of staff dedicated to the women’s team.

He will be tasked with overseeing the development of women’s and girls’ football at Harrogate Town from the player development centre to the first team.

Mr Barker, who has 10 years coaching experience and was formerly at Liverpool FC’s academy, said:

“I am looking forward to starting work with Harrogate Town and continuing the hard work the club has already done to build the foundations of the women’s/girls section.

“The next steps for us at Harrogate are to expand the women’s/girls’ section of this already very successful club and promote more playing opportunities for girls and women in the Harrogate district.”

Club operations director Dave Riley added:

“I am delighted that Jason has been appointed as our girls’ and women’s director of football. This is a real positive step and another major milestone within the football club for the women and girls’ game.

“Everyone at Harrogate Town AFC is looking forward to seeing their progression being taken to the next level.”

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Advertise your Coronation event on the Stray Ferret for free

Events or street parties being held over the bank holiday weekend can be advertised on our What’s On page for free, using the code King. 

Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey, in London. He will be crowned alongside the Queen Consort.

In February 2023, North Yorkshire County Council confirmed fees for street parties held in the Harrogate district to celebrate the coronation will be waived.

The standard street closure fee of £300 is being waived from Saturday 6 May to Monday 8 May for residential streets.

Various events will be held around the Harrogate district to celebrate the royally momentous occasion.

Submissions to the Stray Ferret What’s On can be made until Friday 5 May using the discount code.

The code can only be used on Standard Listings and only for events in aid of the coronation.

Submissions will be approved before posting.

Harrogate council’s Tory leaders take parting swipe at Gary Lineker and BBC

Harrogate Borough Council‘s Conservative leaders took a parting swipe at the BBC, Gary Lineker and local media at the final cabinet meeting last night.

The council will be abolished in just over a week’s time to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

The cabinet met to accept a £2.5 million grant from central government to help buy 21 homes for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, as reported last week.

Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said:

“One of the frustrating things about being a councillor in Harrogate is the amazing good things that are done by the Conservative government.

“This is another example, £100 million putting into the aid of people who really need it most and yet is ignored by the Gary Linekers of the world, the BBC of the world and media organisations in Harrogate who aspire to operate under the same principles of the BBC.”

Cllr Swift, who lost to Liberal Democrat Peter Lacey in his bid to represent Coppice Valley and Duchy division on North Yorkshire Council, added:

“I think it’s just fantastic that these sort of things are carried out. “

Council leader Richard Cooper, who did not stand for election to the new council, nodded in support of Cllr Swift’s comments and replied by saying what the government does “dun’t fit with the narrative sometime”.

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Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, added:

“It’s well known that Harrogate Borough Council over the years has always stood by those people who are in greater need than many of us.”

The money will come from the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund, which is a £500 million grant fund launched enabling English councils to provide housing for those unable to find accommodation.

In the Harrogate district, just over £2 million will go towards buying 19 homes for Ukrainians and just under £500,000 will help buy two larger four-bedroom homes for Afghan families currently in temporary accommodation.

200-home Pannal Ash scheme ‘fails to address infrastructure’, say residents

A plan for 200 homes at Harrogate’s former police training centre “fails to address” increased pressure on infrastructure in the area, say residents.

The plans from Homes England and Countryside Properties include the conversion of several former training centre buildings into 16 homes and building 184 new properties.

Homes England, which is the government’s housing agency, already had permission to build 161 homes on the site but wanted to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on three planned football pitches and one cricket field.

Harrogate Borough Council granted outline permission for the scheme to go ahead in December 2021.

But Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association has criticised the plan.

In a letter to the council, the group raised concern over the “over-intensification” of affordable housing, the impact on carbon emissions and disruption caused by construction traffic.

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Hapara added the proposal did not address how the increased pressure on infrastructure will be addressed.

It said:

“Disappointingly, this application, like many others, fails to specifically address the increased pressure that will be placed on infrastructure. Where do children go to be educated when schools in the vicinity are already at capacity? 

“Where will people receive primary medical care when there are no doctors’ surgeries in the area?

“Will people really catch a bus into town rather than take their cars when the nearest stop is 1km away?”

Homes England appointed Countryside Properties in a £63 million contract to build the homes and a reserved matters application has now been submitted for the scheme. 

This includes details such as landscaping, how the homes will look, and the site layout.

The developers said in a planning statement that the scheme will be of “high quality”.

It said:

“Careful consideration has been given to the detailed design of the proposal to ensure that it creates a high-quality and distinctive development that establishes a strong sense of place and provides an attractive and comfortable place to live.”

New town centre venture for Harrogate coffee shop owner

A Harrogate coffee shop owner is set to open a new business in the centre of town.

Simon Somerville-Frost, who opened Brew Bar on St Winifred’s Avenue in May 2018, has just picked up the keys for 3 Royal Parade.

He plans to turn it into a coffee, brunch and evening venue, under the name &… Harrogate.

Brew Bar has been teasing the new development on its social media accounts over the last week before finally revealing more details last night. In a post on its Instagram account, it said:

“We’ve got keys! Introducing @ampersand_harrogate, our new coffee, brunch and evening venue situated at 3 Royal Parade, Harrogate.

“We’re looking forward to sharing our progress prior to our launch.”

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The business is recruiting kitchen and front-of-house staff, as well as managers and supervisors, ready for the new venue’s launch. The date has yet to be confirmed.

The premises was previously home to Gron, a small chain of Leeds-based cafes serving vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian dishes. It closed its doors in Harrogate late last year, having first arrived in the town in December 2020.

Brew Bar was opened by Simon opposite his own home, when he realised he didn’t know any of his neighbours and wanted to build more of a sense of community.

Last year, it set up a ‘community table’ where people could sit if they wanted someone to chat to. It also enabled customers to gift a coffee to others who couldn’t afford to buy one.

Fully Charged LIVE, making its debut up North at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate

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Call for review into ‘grossly unfair’ fuel price disparities in North Yorkshire

A councillor has called on the government to intervene on fuel prices because some motorists in North Yorkshire are paying 10p per litre more on petrol or diesel than others.

The Competition and Markets Authority found last summer there were “significant differences in price” between forecourts across the UK.

The issue was raised during a recent meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee.

Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, said he was surprised to recently pay £1.359p for a litre of fuel at Bishop Auckland in County Durham whereas in Boroughbridge the price was 10p more expensive.

Cllr Brown asked Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, if he could lobby the government to launch a review into the issue. 

He said:

“There is effectively a rip-off for customers of petrol and diesel. Could you press for an urgent review by government into fuel prices?

“I can’t believe that a 10p difference is justifiable for 40 minutes down the road. The RAC have been banging on about this for quite a while but nothing has been done. There needs to be a proper review.”

Mr Smith said:

“I do agree there’s huge inconsistencies in rural areas. We can lose out. I’m happy to write to the business department about that.”

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The main factor for petrol prices is whether there is much competition nearby, including from supermarkets who offer cheaper fuel.

Companies that run petrol stations in remote locations also argue they sell less fuel so have to charge higher prices to cover their overheads.

Fuel prices have remained high since the Russian invasion of Ukraine although they have fallen since last year when petrol and diesel could be bought for over £2 a litre for the first time ever.

Asda petrol station on Dragon Road during the fuel supply crisis in September 2021.

Asda petrol station on Dragon Road during the fuel supply crisis in September 2021.

In last week’s budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended a 5p cut in fuel duty for another 12 months.

Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minister and Moorside, said “there’s no competition” for fuel in Ripon, which has meant motorists at the pump have suffered. 

He said:

“The fuel price in Ripon is usually 3p higher than in Boroughbridge and there’s a difference of 8p between Ripon and York. It seems grossly unfair.”

Harrogate Grammar crowned national under-18s rugby champions

Harrogate Grammar School‘s boys’ first team has been crowned under-18s national rugby union champions.

The team beat St Peter’s High School, Gloucestershire 31-20 to win the Continental Tyres Schools Bowl at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium in London. A total of 125 schools entered.

It was the first time in the school’s recent history that the under-18s reached a national final.

Coached by former Scotland International Tom Ryder, director of sport at the school and Stuart Vincent, former captain of Ilkley RFC, six of the team the team have represented Yorkshire Academy this season.

Mr Ryder said:

“This was a fantastic performance from the boys, they’ve worked very hard all year so I’m really pleased for them that it was such a great game.

Harrogate Grammar School rugby

Try time for HGS

Captained by Matthew Leatham, who plays for Yorkshire Academy under-18 team and vice-captained by Sam Parsons-Bastiman, who was selected for the North of England under-18 squad, the team scored five tries in the final, which was live-streamed on England Rugby’s YouTube channel.

Matthew said:

“The squad would like to thank Mr Ryder and Mr Vincent for their coaching, mentoring and encouragement throughout the season; not forgetting Michelle Farnhill, our strength and conditioning coach, who helped us keep the intensity throughout the game.

“The players would also like to thank all the travelling supporters, it certainly made a difference hearing the singing, drumming and trumpet playing.”

Harrogate Grammar School rugby

Kicking for glory

Harrogate Grammar’s sixth form sports academy is only in its second year, with 30 boys currently in the rugby programme.

This, along with twice-weekly gym sessions and weekly fixtures, has cultivated a more professional approach to school sport.

Harrogate Grammar School rugby

Evading a tackle

Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“This is an outstanding achievement to be very proud of and a reflection of their dedication, commitment and unity as a team. We are delighted to be crowned national champions.

“The academy is a unique asset to our school, championing success in netball and rugby, and we want to continue attracting students from across the county to our sixth form.”

Photographs by Leo Wilkinson Photography