Harrogate-born Rachel Daly scored the goal that sent Aston Villa Women into their first FA Cup semi-final last night.

Daly’s extra time winner helped Villa overcome last year’s beaten finalists Manchester City Women 2-1

It was her 19th goal of a remarkable first season since her summer move back to the UK from Houston Dash.

Manchester City Women are third in the Women’s Super League — two places above the West Midlands team.

The match hung in the balance until Daly popped up at the far post in the sixth minute of extra time to score the decisive goal.

Villa are now one match from Wembley and will enter Tuesday’s semi-final draw alongside Manchester United Women, Brighton Women and table-topping Chelsea Women.

Daly, who started playing at Killinghall Nomads and now has 319,000 followers on Instagram, has been in fine form all season not only for Villa but also England.

Read more:

• Killinghall Nomads opens cafe named after ex-player Rachel Daly
• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly scores twice as England beat Italy

Harrogate College has pledged to become net zero by 2035.

The college, which is based on Hornbeam Park, has made the commitment as part of Luminate Education Group’s drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

It aims to reduce its carbon footprint by building a new campus building in Harrogate, which will include energy-efficient, electric-based heating systems.

The college has also pledged to publish annual updates on its progress towards net zero.

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, said:

“Climate change and ecological destruction are some of the biggest challenges of our time and education providers, like all institutions, have a responsibility to play their part by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

“The government’s target for the UK to reach net zero is 2050, but here at Harrogate College we’re aiming to do so much sooner.”

He added:

“Key to achieving this will be the £20m project we have lined up to replace our campus building at Harrogate. This will allow us to build a sustainable, purpose-built facility, focused on technical and vocational education, that will incorporate energy-efficient, electric-based heating systems.

“We are also recycling materials as much as possible across every single one of our courses, while looking into ways of generating our own energy and introducing a sustainable travel plan.”

Read more:

• Harrogate College to undergo £16m transformation
• Harrogate Spring Water ‘reviewing plans’ to expand bottling plant ahead of new application

The pledge comes as the college was awarded £16 million from the government to replace its main building on Hornbeam Park.

It means the Harrogate district will get a new a purpose-built space for technical and vocational education.

The new energy-efficient building will include a workshop providing facilities aligned to industry needs. It will complement the college’s existing tech centre, which is home to its motor vehicle, electrical, joinery and welding workshops.

An existing £4 million budget will be used to pay for the demolition of the old college building.

A Harrogate district taxi driver has criticised new taxi fare and licence fees planned for North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council unveiled the new charges as part of its new licensing policy for cabs under the upcoming North Yorkshire Council.

It will see the fixed start fee for a district cabbie increase from £3.60 to £4.00.

However, the night time and Christmas tariffs would remain fixed at £5.40 and £7.20.

Meanwhile, the council is also proposing increasing licence fees for new drivers from the current Harrogate rate of £319 for one-year to £350.

It is also planning a renewal fee increase from £249 to £280 – a hike of 12.5%.

The proposed table of tariffs are due to go before a county council executive tomorrow.

Richard Fieldman, who runs a taxi firm in Ripon, said the new tariffs would not help those who work night shifts.

He criticised the policy and added that the licence fees increase of 12.5% was “far too much”.

Mr Fieldman said:

“They have put their hand in a lottery bag and thrown it in.”

Read more:

• No increase in wheelchair accessible taxis in Harrogate district
• Taxi licensing changes will cause ‘chaos’, says Ripon cabbie
• New council plans single taxi licensing for North Yorkshire

The move comes as North Yorkshire County Council will introduce a single hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy from the spring.

The existing seven district councils, including Harrogate, currently have their own hackney carriage and private hire licensing policies. However, under the new policy, drivers will be able to operate in any area of the county.

Cllr Derek Bastiman, executive councillor for open to business, said:

“The proposed licence fees ensure we can provide the administration of vehicle and operators’ licences, carry out essential inspections of vehicles so that passengers can continue to travel safely and maintain hackney carriage stands, as well as the enforcement of the licences, without creating an additional cost to the taxpayer.

“With the launch of a single local licensing authority for North Yorkshire, the proposed fees also ensures hackney carriage and private hire licence holders and taxi operators across the county are treated equally, and will hopefully encourage them to continue to invest in and maintain high-quality and safe vehicles.

“The setting of taxi fares is also a statutory duty for the licensing authority and our aim is to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver, and not create confusion by varied fares in the licensed area.

“The proposed fares are the maximum hackney carriage drivers can charge. They can of course charge a lower fare, should they wish to do so.”

Two bogus police officers mounted a pavement in an unmarked car before seizing a boy’s electric scooter in Bilton yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this evening it was investigating the “disturbing incident”, which happened at 7.20pm last night as the teenager was pushing the scooter.

The statement added”

“It has caused a great deal of distress and anger both to him and his family.

“Despite extensive enquiries including a trawl of CCTV in the area, the suspects have yet to be tracked down.

“Checks are being carried out with neighbouring police forces in case the offenders have travelled into North Yorkshire.”

Both suspects are described as white, medium build, with tattooed arms, and wearing black police-style clothing including combat trousers.

The are believed to have been driving either a black Ford Mondeo or Ford Focus.

Read more:

• Break-in forces closure of One Stop in Bilton
• What will be the legacy of Harrogate Borough Council?

Police said patrols in the area “have been stepped while the investigation continues”.

They appealed to anyone with information, dash-cam, doorbell or CCTV footage to report it urgently on the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101, option 1.

If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Cimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by making an online report.

Quote reference number 12230049556.

From the towns of Knaresborough, Masham and Pateley Bridge to the villages of North Rigton, Summerbridge and Kirkby Malzeard, life will continue without Harrogate Borough Council.

For anyone still not aware, the council will be abolished at the end of this month after 49 years of existence.

From April 1, a new council called North Yorkshire Council will be created for the whole county and HBC will eventually become a distant memory.

Harrogate Borough Council has played a role, small or large, in the life of every resident so the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked four different people in the Harrogate district the same question — what will be its ultimate legacy?

The view from residents

Rene Dziabas

For some residents, the council begins and ends with when their bins are collected.
Others are more engaged with the ins-and-outs of council business and how it spends public money.

Rene Dziabas is the chair of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, a group that covers an area from Harlow Hill to Rossett Green and Arthurs Avenue to Castle Hill.

Mr Dziabas has lived in Harrogate for 40 years. He said even though the town has seen major changes on the council’s watch he would still move here today if he could.

He said:

“The recycling set up and bin collection has been good. The Valley Gardens and the Pinewoods look good. Those elements are still nice features of Harrogate. The Mercer Art Gallery is an absolute jewel, it punches above its weight. Its exhibitions are really good and well-curated.”

But despite these uniquely Harrogate benefits that the council delivers, Mr Dziabas said over-subscribed schools, poor quality roads and pressure on Harrogate District Hospital have all been made worse by planning decisions taken by Harrogate Borough Council.

Over 4,000 homes could eventually be built in the west of Harrogate over the next decade, including over 1,000 homes in fields next to RHS Garden Harlow Carr on Otley Road.

As with elsewhere in the district, these new developments will change the face of Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash forever. However, residents were disappointed with a document drawn up Harrogate Borough Council last year that said how the homes will link up with local roads, schools and healthcare services.

Mr Dziabas said:

“In this neck of the woods, Harrogate Borough Council is not leaving it in a better state. I can’t think of any major piece of work that’s really had a significant mitigation effect on the problems at the west of Harrogate.”

The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, will mean thousands more people can enjoy living in the Harrogate district but Mr Dziabas said there are lessons to be learned when it comes to consulting with residents about development. He added:

“Harrogate Borough Council ought to have been more communicative with the public in general. Ultimately we live in a democratic society, we are funding those institutions and I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to communicate.”

The view from the staff

The Civic Centre in Harrogate

Local government union Unison estimates Harrogate Borough Council has employed around 10,000 people since it was created in 1974.

David Houlgate, who has been Harrogate branch secretary at Unison for the last 18 years, said it’s these people who will be the council’s “enduring and lasting legacy”. He said:

“They are the ones who have delivered services over the years, they are the ones who kept those services going during the pandemic, they are the real stars of Harrogate Borough Council.”

The vast majority of council staff will automatically transfer over to the new authority North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Mr Houlgate is hopeful these staff members will deliver quality services to residents despite the well-documented cost pressures the new council will face. He said:

“If it gets things right and works with its staff and the trade unions to deliver joined-up and effective services then it’s likely that Harrogate Borough Council will fade in the memory.  If the new council fails to deliver on what it has said it would then inevitably Harrogate council will no doubt be missed.”

Mr Houlgate has worked for the council for the last 26 years and is currently a local taxation team leader.

Since 2010, the government has slashed funding for the council, which he said has resulted in higher workloads and stress for staff. He added:

“It has changed an awful lot in my time at the council.  It delivers more with less which has been necessary as a result of drastic cuts to funding from a central government that only seems to pay lip service to public services.

“To do this it has, over the years, cut the terms and conditions of staff, pay has not kept pace with inflation and workloads and stress absences have increased.

“As it comes to an end, there are recruitment and retention issues like never before.  It probably does not offer the career paths it once did.  The new council will hopefully offer more opportunities. We will have to wait and see.”

The view from outside of Harrogate

Cllr Andrew Williams

Harrogate Borough Council was created in 1974 as an amalgamation of smaller councils including those in Knaresborough, Nidderdale, Ripon and Harrogate.

The council has been based in Harrogate for all that time, moving from Crescent Gardens to the Civic Centre in 2017.

But for some people living outside of the town, Harrogate Borough Council has focused too much on the district’s largest urban area.

Cllr Andrew Williams is a former councillor on Harrogate Borough Council. He currently sits on North Yorkshire County Council as an independent and is also leader of Ripon City Council.

There are hopes in Ripon that the new council will look at the city as an equal to similar-sized market towns in the county like Thirsk, Malton and Northallerton.

Cllr Williams has been an outspoken critic of Harrogate Borough Council as he believes the authority has not given Ripon a fair shake.

The council has invested heavily in the Harrogate Convention Centre, which he believes has resulted in few benefits for his city.

However, he praised the council’s staff for their work in delivering services to residents over the years. Cllr Williams said:

“It would be fair to say that some of the services provided are not unreasonable. The refuse collection service, parks and gardens and the housing department do their best.

“The staff have worked incredibly hard to deliver services for residents across the district.”

Harrogate Borough Council points to its investment in new state-of-the-art leisure facilities in Ripon and Knaresborough as examples of its commitment to towns outside of Harrogate.

Cllr Williams called the new pool in Ripon a “significant improvement” but added:

“One project in 50 years is hardly justification for its previous misdemeanours in my view.”

Cllr Williams said Harrogate Borough Council’s legacy in Ripon will not be positive:

“[Their legacy is] under-investment and a failure to recognise the Harrogate district encompasses more than Harrogate, the conference centre being the prime example.

“Money has been poured into Harrogate at the expense of everywhere else in the district.”

The view from charities

Jackie Snape

Harrogate Borough Council has been a staunch supporter of the district’s voluntary and community sector.

There are more than 700 charitable organisations in the Harrogate district and many have stepped up over the last 13 years as the council has been forced to cut services due to austerity.

The council organises the Local Fund, which was launched in 2018 by Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.

Last year the fund granted £85,000 to 29 different groups.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said she has enjoyed working with local councillors on various campaigns, including a recent push to improve accessbility at tourist venues. Ms Snape said:

“Harrogate Borough Council was an early adopter of our Think Access campaign, and one of the major factors that we, and other charities, will miss is the local knowledge with individual councillors, often showing a great interest in causes close to their heart and local area.”

Key to the council’s relationship with charities is the role of the mayor, which is a councillor that for 12 months has a packed diary full of meeting charities and attending events.

Current and final Harrogate borough mayor Victoria Oldham was seen getting stuck in with a shovel last year to break ground at Disability Action Yorkshire’s £7.5m supported living complex at Claro Road.

Ms Snape added:

“For many years we were blessed by regular visits by the mayor of the day, all of whom paid great interest in the work we do, both at Hornbeam Park and at Claro Road.

Ms Snape said the council’s legacy of supporting charities will be remembered. Many charities rely on funding from the council and she hopes the new authority will show the same level of support. She said:

“Its work in helping and supporting a raft of charities working with some of the most vulnerable people in society will certainly be remembered for many years to come.

“We hope that when April 1 arrives, and North Yorkshire Council takes over that the same level of local funding and support continues, which is vital to the survival of many charities in the district.”

Looking ahead

If four more people were asked their opinion on what Harrogate Borough Council has achieved and what its legacy will be — it would likely generate another four very different answers.

This perhaps shows the council has done more for the district than it is sometimes given credit for.

But most would probably agree that how fondly Harrogate Borough Council will be remembered is likely to depend on how successful the new council is at the delivering the nuts and bolts services that residents have always expected for the last 49 years.

Read more:

• Explained: What happens to Harrogate taxis after devolution?
• ‘Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate’, claims Ripon councillor

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

John Geddes makes interesting points in his recent letter to you about Yorbus. At first, I was an enthusiastic user of the service.

Although it was quite clearly uneconomic, it worked well for me: and apart from journeys during the lunch hour period which were next-to impossible to arrange, was usually responsive to my needs.

Since it became possible to book rides, the service has become clunky and sometimes worse than useless (it’s no use to me to be able to get somewhere if I can’t get back).

Even booked rides are no longer reliable. I understand the need to offer a 50 minute window in which the ride might come, but then to give 10 minutes notice of its leaving 10 minutes ahead of that offered window often makes the ride impossible to accept.

The drivers are unfailingly friendly and courteous. They, like many users, complain about the quality of the app.  But it feels as if suggestions for improvement are not listened to, let alone acted upon.

Perhaps John Geddes’ suggestion of having instead a YorTaxi service is a possible way forward?

Margaret Lawrenson, North Stainley

Victoria Avenue plan ‘utter madness’

First, we had the débâcle of phase 1 of the Otley Road cycleway which wasted time and money resulting in the loss of trees, damage to the environment and the eco systems. The cycling brigade refuse to use it because they consider it is dangerous and does not comply recommended standards.

Second, we had phase 2 of Otley Road cycleway along with Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood and all the other attempts to make it work. Fortunately for this area of the town these proposals have now been scrapped but again, what a waste of time and money.

Third, we have the meaningless Station Gateway project now leading nowhere.

Now we read NYCC has identified Victoria Avenue as its priority cycling scheme of three in the pipeline. This has raised a number of fundamental questions, including:

1. 1. What is this ongoing fetish with cycling schemes in Harrogate when the council has proved it does not understand the demographics of the town? Remember, there are people who cannot or do not wish to cycle.
   2. Why has Harrogate been specifically identified for plans to encourage active travel plans and not Northallerton, Skipton, Scarborough or other towns in North Yorkshire?
   3. How can you justify the loss of parking spaces along Victoria Avenue in Harrogate? This is yet another blow to town centre businesses, not just shops but particularly professional offices, dentists etc whose businesses are located along Victoria Avenue.
   4. How will it cut congestion?  The only way to deal with this issue in Harrogate is by building a proper bypass.

It is utter madness once again and will ruin Victoria Avenue. I hope public consultation will be far better than it has been on any of the various “elements” to date. Myself and a number of other local residents and business people consider it is utter madness once again.

We will strongly oppose this latest meaningless proposal. Why waste yet more money? There are more urgent requirements in Harrogate and also more cost effective ways of improving the appearance and feel of the town for everyone.

Barry Adams, Harrogate

Read more:

• Stray Views: Rossett Nature Reserve ‘has been slashed back’
• Stray Views: Otley Road cycleway a “scandalous waste of public money”
• Stray Views: North Yorkshire rural transport ‘desperately inefficient’

‘No bus service preferable to an unreliable one’

I live in Knaresborough (Eastfield) and I have done so for quite some time.

On Saturday 11th March I arranged to meet a friend in Ripon which entailed my being at the mercy of Transdev.

To my relief, the 1B arrived in Nidderdale Drive on time, and the first stage of my journey was completed to Harrogate without problems. Similarly, the 36 was on time, and I arrived in Ripon at the appointed time. So far so good.

After a convivial afternoon, I gratefully caught the (on-time) 18.11pm no. 22 back to Knaresborough. I couldn’t believe how swimmingly the afternoon was going.

I arrived back at Knaresborough bus station in time for the scheduled 19.15pm no. 1B in order to complete a flawless afternoon.

Of course, Transdev as usual had lulled me into a false sense of security, and of course the 1B didn’t turn up.

A fellow (would-be) passenger consulted the Transdev app and announced at 17.25pm to the waiting many (there were quite a few of us), that the only Transdev vehicle on the road between Harrogate and Knaresborough was a 1A returning from Aspin on its way to Harrogate.

I, in common with everyone else, then set off walking. Having mobility issues, this involved a 30 minute trudge in the cold before I managed to get home. I was also carrying a small amount of shopping which served to compound the problem.

My point is this: that no bus service at all is preferable to a completely unreliable one. I have seen the advertising on Transdev for bus drivers, and I realise that not everyone wants to be one, but either sort it out properly, or else just scrap the whole idea of providing a regular and reliable connective service, and concentrate on the big ticket items like the no. 36.

You would be doing us all a favour, believe me.

James Harrison, Knaresborough

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A world where everyone’s life must end at the age of 90 is the setting for a Harrogate author’s first novel, due to be published next month. 

The action in Deathday, by Colin Philpott, takes place in England in 2045, where euthanasia is not just legal but compulsory, and where severe economic depression in the wake of “the Great Pandemic” and Brexit, a collapse in the care system and inter-generational conflict have changed attitudes to death and old age.  

Those people who still accept the law, plan for “Deathday parties”, while “evaders” try to escape abroad and “remainders” – people already over 90 who were spared at the time the law came in – live in colonies in rundown seaside resorts.

Meanwhile, the young King plots with politicians opposed to the laws which are enforced by the sinister National Age Regulation Authority. 

The novel, which is published by Fisher King Publishing, is set in several different parts of England, including Yorkshire, Northumberland, Greater Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and London, and includes scenes in Harrogate locations such as Brimham Rocks, the Royal Hall, and the Army Foundation College. 

Colin Philpott, who lives in Bishop Monkton, said:

“I was inspired to write this novel after witnessing the differing end-of-life experiences of members of my own family, and also my experience as a volunteer with a food delivery and befriending charity.

“I am not advocating compulsory euthanasia, but I do believe society needs to create a higher quality of life in old age and radically rethink our approach to end-of-life care.”  

Deathday is Colin Philpott’s first work of fiction. He has previously written three books about 20th-century history: A Place in History, which includes the stories of places in Britain touched by news events; Relics of the Reich, which examines how Germany has dealt with the buildings left by the Nazis; and Secret Wartime Britain, about hidden places in Britain that helped the war effort in the Second World War.  

Colin worked for the BBC for 25 years as a journalist and senior executive. Later he was director of the National Media Museum in Bradford. 

Rick Armstrong, managing director of Fisher King Publishing, said:

“We’re delighted to be publishing Colin Philpott’s debut novel. When I first read the manuscript, it was clear that the basis of the narrative is highly thought-provoking, tackling very pressing contemporary issues in an interesting and clever way.” 

Deathday will be published on April 24 and will be available in print and digital versions worldwide.

Read more:

• All Creatures Great and Small author in the spotlight at Harrogate Library
• Harrogate’s crime writing festival names its novel of the year
• Debut novelist concocts a murder mystery in North Yorkshire

Harrogate Grammar School has appointed a new student leadership team.

Tess Eastaugh and Zach Southworth have been appointed head students of the Student Leadership Team, while Hannah Barclay, Sam Featherstone, Alice Lashua, Theo Levine, Adam Mir and Amy Robson have all been appointed as deputies.

The head students have a wide remit to represent over 2000 students, to chair the senate and report back to the senior leaders in the school. 

Meanwhile, the deputies run the school council across the year groups.

The whole team will support school events, whilst also promoting the recruitment of new students and meeting with other Head Students from across the Red Kite Learning Trust. 

Ben Twitchin, director of the school’s sixth form, said:

“Candidates wrote a letter of application and then recorded a short piece to camera, which was played to whole school for all students to cast their vote. 

“Successful students then presented to the school’s Senate, and from the final eight students were interviewed to become part of our Student Leadership Team, with Tess and Zach as our Head Students and the other six as a key team of Deputies.”

Zach Southworth, head student, said:

“Being appointed Head Student is the culmination of a dream for me as I was inspired by a previous Head Student when I joined year 7 in 2017. I now have the responsibility, with the rest of the team, to work with all the staff, and students to continue to enhance the experience of students at our school.”

Neil Renton, headteacher at the grammar school, added:

“We are fortunate to have such a strong group of student leaders at our school”

“This team will build on the fantastic work of our previous student leaders who have made such a positive contribution to school life.

“We know that they will be positive role models and fine ambassadors for our school within the wider community.”

Pictured above: Front left to right: Zach Southworth and Tess Eastaugh Middle left to right: Adam Mir, Amy Robson, Alice Lashua and Hannah Barclay Back left to right: Theo Levine and Sam Featherstone.

Read more:

• Ofsted rates Harrogate pre-school ‘outstanding’ for first time
• Ofsted praise for ‘warm and welcoming’ village pre-school near Harrogate

There is no shortage of concern about the state of the River Nidd, as a busy public meeting in Knaresborough demonstrated this week.

About 70 people turned up at Gracious Street Methodist Church on Tuesday to listen to academics, anglers, environmentalists and politicians and to find out how they could get involved in the attempt to achieve bathing water status.

Just two rivers in England — the Wharfe in Ilkley and Wolvercote Mill Stream in Oxfordshire — currently have bathing water status, which obliges the Environment Agency to put plans in place to monitor and protect the water.

Nidd Action Group has been set up to coordinate the initiative.

James McKay, a Knaresborough resident and manager of the Water-Wiser centre at the University of Leeds, told the Stray Ferret at last week’s meeting Nidd sampling had begun and the campaign had the funds and expertise to achieve its goal.

Mr McKay said the group needed to demonstrate enough people used the river recreationally for the campaign to be successful.

James McKay speaking at the meeting

He said the process of achieving bathing water status wasn’t easy but “it’s the only thing we can do to make a real difference to water companies”.

Mr McKay said water companies were obliged in 2023 to update their water resource management plans for the next five years and the goal was to achieve bathing water status by then. He added:

“If we succeed it won’t have an immediate effect. The first thing that would happen is Yorkshire Water would have to do its own sampling. But over the next couple of years it could start to make a big difference.”

Untreated sewage

Although Knaresborough Lido is the focus of the campaign, if bathing water status is achieved it would bring improvements to the upper reaches of the 56-mile Nidd, including around Pateley Bridge, which flow into the Lido.

Alan Paterson addressing the meeting 

Alan Paterson, of Nidd Action Group, told the meeting the three main causes of river pollution were sewage, agricultural contaminants and urban run-off. He said the first two were the main issues affecting the Nidd.

In 2021, Yorkshire Water pumped untreated sewage from 81 locations into the River Nidd 2,552 times – for 18,346 hours, or 764 days.

Mr Paterson said Yorkshire Water’s plans to clean-up the Nidd were “good but would take far too long” and bathing water status would oblige it to act sooner.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has led on the campaign to achieve bathing water status and has been looking for volunteers to undertake surveys before he can submit an application. He has also raised the matter in Parliament.

Mr Jones wasn’t at the meeting but Stephen Culpin, a member of his office, was. Mr Culpin said afterwards the intention was to finalise and submit the application by the end of October.

Mr Jones (left) with Frank Maguire, the owner of Knareborough Lido.

The government’s record on sewage discharge has been fiercely debated. Mr Paterson said declining funding to key regulators such as the Environment Agency suggested ministers did not take the issue that seriously but he added that although the action group was “entirely apolitical”, Mr Jones deserved praise for his efforts.

“If he gets some brownie points then fair play to him because we need that bathing water status to improve the quality of water Yorkshire Water is discharging. I’d be deliriously happy if my MP, Julian Smith (the Conservative for Skipton and Ripon) got involved but he hasn’t.”

Mr Paterson added “rivers should be safe and clean to play and bathe in — it’s a right, not a privilege” and people attending the meeting were encouraged to volunteer by undertaking roles such as counting river users.

Wild swimming

Numerous groups attended the meeting but some river users, such as wild swimmers and kayakers, weren’t and some felt the campaign still needed joining-up more.

But the turnout and enthusiasm generated widespread optimism that people might soon be able to swim in the Nidd without a high risk of falling ill, as happened last summer.

Tuesday’s meeting at Gracious Street Methodist Church

Shan Oakes, a Knaresborough town councillor and member of Harrogate and District Green Party said:

“It was a hugely successful event and I feel confident that more like it will follow, bringing the community together to try to stop the pollution and bring back life to our lovely river.”

Yorkshire Water ‘keen to work in partnership’

Two days after the meeting, councillors on North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee questioned a representative of Yorkshire Water as the issue of bathing water status was aired again.

Monika Slater, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange and New Park, told the meeting Leeds University researchers were now taking Nidd samples monthly and this would increase to fortnightly in May.

But she added the samples had so far discovered the harmful bacteria E. coli was at “concerningly high” levels.

Bilton Conservation Society is also sampling at Oak Beck, which empties in the Nidd at Bilton.

Sarah Robinson, from the corporate affairs team at Yorkshire Water, told the meeting:

“There are lots of influences on bathing water quality. It isn’t just about our assets — in some ways that would be easier because we could control that. “

The big issue for the Nidd, Ms Robinson added, was going to be agriculture, such as chemical run-off caused by farmers’ sprays. Dogs running in water also had “a massive impact”, she added. But she said the company was “very keen to work in partnership” to address problems.

The next six months will determine whether the good intentions, and the disparate interests, can be harnessed to achieve real change for the Nidd.

A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in three weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Under the new council, how taxi drivers operate and how they are licensed will change.

In this article, we will explain how taxis are currently licensed and what will change from April this year.

Who currently licences taxis?

Currently, Harrogate Borough Council licences taxi drivers within the district.

Those drivers who wish to operate a taxi in the borough must be licensed by the council.

Once they have a licence, they can drive their vehicle and operate anywhere in the district.

Similarly, the borough council is responsible for licensing wheelchair accessible cabs.

Who sets the fares?

As well as issuing licences, the borough council also sets the fares and fees for drivers.

The council reviews fares for taxis annually.

What will happen from April?

From April, the new North Yorkshire Council will implement a single taxi zone across the county.

The existing seven district councils, including Harrogate, currently have their own hackney carriage and private hire licensing policies. 

However, under the new policy, drivers will be able to operate in any area of North Yorkshire.

The plan has proved controversial with local cabbies, who described it as a “disaster”.

They argue that the move would lead to taxis crowding out busier areas and leave rural communities without a service.

What about fares?

The council is currently considering how to set fares for taxis under its single zone policy.

A proposal over fares for North Yorkshire cabs is expected to go before councillors on Tuesday (March 21).

Read more:

• Explained: Who will make planning decisions in Harrogate district after devolution?
• Explained: What happens to bin collections in Harrogate after devolution?