Harrogate district single bus fares to be capped at £2

Bus tickets in the Harrogate district are set to be capped at £2 for three months as part of a government scheme.

The Get Around initiative is funded by the Department for Transport and will run from January 1 to March 31 next year.

It will see single tickets on services capped for 130 bus companies across England.

Both Harrogate Bus Company and Connexions Buses will be taking part in the scheme.

⬇️ ⬇️ PRICE DROP! NOW EVERYWHERE!

🗓From 1st Jan until 31 Mar

💸 Never pay more than £2 a ride. Anywhere to anywhere on all our buses

📲 Buy on board and on the #TransdevGO app!

🙌 See you on board. pic.twitter.com/qPY3hp83dl

— The Harrogate Bus Company (@harrogatebus) December 19, 2022

 

Buses Minister Richard Holden said:

“Brits love buses. They’re the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys. So we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to help families, students and commuters and help get people back on the bus.

“The scheme will also take two million car journeys off the road and it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up.”

The scheme forms part of the government’s Help for Households campaign, which provides help with the cost of living increase.

Ministers said the move will help the bus industry continue to recover from the covid pandemic.

North Yorkshire bus services face ‘grave situation’

It comes as concern has been raised over the future of bus services in the Harrogate district.

Last month, Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said the county’s bus network was “facing a really grave situation”.

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Cllr Duncan said bus services in the county were facing unprecedented pressure due to higher costs and passenger numbers.

He added:

“The message across the county is use it or lose it. We need people to support these services.”

Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge, Andrew Murday, said residents of his division faced having just two services a day to Harrogate.

He said:

“We just have to do something about bus services, and encourage more people onto buses. We need to know how we are going to go about discouraging people from driving and encouraging people on to buses, so bus services can thrive.”

North Yorkshire Police urged to explain 20mph zones enforcement

Police and North Yorkshire crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, are facing mounting pressure over claims that 20mph zones in the county are never enforced.

Councillors from across the political spectrum in North Yorkshire have said residents deserve answers from both the force and Ms Metcalfe after they declined to answer questions over why 20mph zones are not even enforced in areas such as outside schools.

Recent meetings of North Yorkshire County Council’s constituency committees have heard that although many residents want the number of 20mph zones increased or introduced across all built-up areas, zones which have been in place for 15 years had never been policed.

Councillors have said while the force’s safety camera vans enforce 30mph restrictions, irresponsible motorists appear to be able to drive with impunity in the 20mph zones.

In responses to questions over why North Yorkshire Police did not enforce 20mph zones, neither the force nor the commissioner denied 20mph zones were not policed, and the police appeared to suggest it would largely be up to trained volunteer residents to do so.

A police spokesperson said: 

“When concerns are raised by a local community about a 20mph zone, this may result in a Community Speed Watch outcome via our speed management protocol process. This process is speed and collision data-led and determines the most appropriate outcome for each complaint received.

“Anyone exceeding the speed limit whilst CSW are on deployment can be dealt with. Our roads policing officers may also be requested to conduct speed enforcement as part of their daily duties wherever it is determined necessary – again based on data.”

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When asked why 20mph zones were not being enforced, Ms Metcalfe said operational policing, such as deciding where and when to enforce the law, was the chief constable’s responsibility.

She said: 

“I am hearing that road safety is becoming more of an issue for some communities and next year I will be holding a public accountability meeting to look, in depth, at how North Yorkshire Police are keeping our roads and communities safe.

“Speeding motorists and anti-social behaviour on our roads has always been a major concern with communities and I will continue to raise this with the chief constable to ensure that the force are taking the most appropriate action necessary.”

Speed review

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive county councillor for highways, said the authority was reviewing the most effective approach to speed limits following a request by elected community representatives for a default 20mph zone throughout their area.

He said: 

“We must ensure that all of our efforts, particularly when resources are tight, are focussed on saving lives and avoiding injuries.

“As part of this review, we will be formally asking the police about their approach to speed enforcement inside 20mph limits so that councillors can consider this.”

Richmond Independent councillor Stuart Parsons said when a large 20mph zone was introduced in the town police stated there would be no enforcement, which made the zone “totally pointless”.

He said: 

“The police should be explaining why they are not enforcing the law in its entirety. 

“If they’re not there enforcing the 20mph, then they’re not going to be out there enforcing it when the cars are driving at 40mph, 60mph or 80mph. The boy racers know they risk nothing.”

While Cllr Parsons described the Community Speed Watch scheme as a farce as residents faced indefinite waits to be trained,  Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said volunteers had to give motorists advanced warning of speed radar guns, which undermined the deterrent.

Cllr Marsh said she had double checked the force did not enforce 20mph zones, adding: 

“They do monitor 30mph areas, but they don’t even do that very often, they want this Community Speed Watch, which isn’t accurate and what surprises everybody is there is an allowance for people to drive at up to 37mph without incurring a fine.

“If the police and the commissioner know how people are feeling why aren’t they addressing that?”

North Yorkshire Police strip searched 90 children in three years, figures show

North Yorkshire Police carried out strip searches on 90 children over the last three years, figures show.

Figures obtained by the Stray Ferret through a Freedom of Information request show 34 children were searched in custody in 2019 alone. Twenty-seven were searched in 2020 and 29 last year.

The force said the searches involved removing jacket, overcoat and gloves and carrying out a procedure known as a “more thorough search”.

None of them involved an “exposing intimate parts” search, which the force said has not been conducted on a child under 18 in the last three years.

While the figures show the number of individuals who have been strip searched by officers following an arrest, they do not reflect whether the child had been searched on multiple occasions. 

North Yorkshire Police also revealed it had conducted a total of 43 strip searches as a result of stop and search on children since 2019.

Table showing strip searches carried out by North Yorkshire Police. Data: NYP.

Officers have the power to order an individual to remove clothing as part of stop search, if they have reasonable grounds to suspect they have a dangerous or prohibited item.

The figures come as the Children’s Commissioner for England criticised the Metropolitan Police in August this year after it was revealed the force strip searched 650 children over two years – the majority of which were found to be innocent of the suspicions against them.

Iryna Pona, policy manager at The Children’s Society, said the Home Office and police forces should investigate the practice.

She said:

“Strip searches are intrusive and traumatic for children, and we are urging the Home Office and police leaders to investigate the concerning scale of this practice.

“Guidance and training for officers needs to be reviewed to ensure strip searches only happen when absolutely necessary, and that children and young people are treated with dignity and respect. Nationally, we’ve heard examples where safeguards like an appropriate adult being present, are not followed, and we see an over-representation of black children in strip search figures.

“When police officers arrest or stop and search children this should be a golden opportunity to identify risks like exploitation to courier drugs and work with other services to offer protection and help.”

Police response

In response to the figures, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“Alongside our partners, we work hard to engage with and educate children and young people about the consequences of crime.

“Our dedicated anti-knife crime operation, Operation Divan looks to reduce the number of young people carrying weapons by challenging misconceptions and educating them on the consequences of doing so. Working in partnership with education, social care and youth justice any young person identified as potentially carrying a weapon or being involved in county lines, drug or child exploitation is invited to take part in the scheme, which has recently been recognised by the Howard League for Penal Reform in their community awards.

“Thanks to our preventative approach and our close partnership working, the number of children arrested has also fallen year-on-year since 2018, as reported by the Howard League – The Howard League | Child arrests in England and Wales reduced by 74 per cent in a decade

“Sadly though there are some children who do become involved in criminal activity and in order to safeguard them and keep the public safe, at times it is necessary to conduct searches. Stop and search is a valuable tool in preventing and detecting crime and we recognise it is essential that its use is legitimate and proportionate, in order to maintain public trust.

“We follow guidance from the College of Policing regarding the use of stop and search and we have a number of measures in place to ensure that decisions around its use are recorded and scrutinised. We believe transparency is important to maintaining public trust, so our stop and search figures are published to our website on a monthly basis. Stop and search | North Yorkshire Police”

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A spokesperson for the children’s charity the NSPCC said:

“Like all forces, North Yorkshire Police must fully acknowledge that safeguarding should be at the heart of their policies and procedures when it comes to searching children.

“National guidance on the use of these searches would provide clarity and help to ensure young people’s rights and needs are paramount in these situations.”

Council considers North Yorkshire knowledge test for taxi drivers

Harrogate taxi drivers may be required to have knowledge of Skipton and Ryedale, under proposals being considered by county council bosses.

The local knowledge test licensed drivers must pass to carry passengers looks likely to be adapted, a meeting examining a move to create the country’s largest single taxi zone has heard.

Under proposals already put forward, the new North Yorkshire Council would create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It would mean drivers in Harrogate could operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

Councillors examining issues over harmonising taxi services heard the Department for Transport believed abolishing the seven zones would cut dead mileage for drivers and boost customer choice.

At the moment, the district and borough councils all have a knowledge test restricted to their areas, and it is unclear how much knowledge a taxi driver based in Selby would need to have of villages in the Yorkshire Dales.

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To ensure customers get good service, taxi drivers wanting to trade in Hambleton district must pick the right multiple choice answer to questions such as: 

“You are on the rank situated on Northallerton High Street when a customer asks you to take him to Darlington. Which road would you take out of Northallerton?”

Officers leading the proposals said they were examining how the knowledge test could be applied across North Yorkshire.

However, the proposals have been criticised by some local drivers.

Councillors were told taxi drivers in Harrogate in particular had formed “very vociferous” views over the proposals, which also include not setting a limit for the amount of taxis that can be licensed.

‘Straw that breaks the camel’s back’

Since North Yorkshire County Council launched a consultation over the proposed changes in October, many taxi drivers have criticised the plans, saying they could be the straw that break’s the camel’s back after suffering a loss of trade due to covid and high fuel costs.

Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for 28 years, told the Stray Ferret previously that the planned changes would see drivers “swamp” areas during the busiest times of day.

Mr Fieldman said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

He said:

“It will mean that any taxi can work in any area.

“You are going to have swamps of taxis in busy areas at busy times. That in itself brings chaos.”

A consultation into the policy changes is open until January 19, 2023. You can have your say here.

Harrogate to host Comic Con Yorkshire 2023

Harrogate is set to host Comic Con Yorkshire in 2023 after details have been announced.

The convention, which is organised by Monopoly Events, will be held on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, at the Yorkshire Events Centre.

The two-day event will run from 9am until 6pm each day.

Monopoly Events, which is hosting a similar event in Liverpool and Manchester, said it was aiming for a sell out convention.

Andy Kleek, CEO of Monopoly Events, said: 

“We want to build a solid sell out show over the next two years and make this into another one of our flagship Monopoly shows, for all our fans in the Yorkshire area. 

“We are very excited to be working with the Yorkshire Event Centre who have the same passion we do about building this event. 

“As with all our shows we have a three- year roadmap which we will be looking to extend for many years afterwards. Expect big guests, amazing set and prop builds, major attractions, cosplay, anime, traders, gaming and more.”

Heather Parry, managing director of the Yorkshire Event Centre, added: 

“We are delighted to be hosting this exciting new event and we look forward to working with Monopoly on its amazing debut in Yorkshire.”

Tickets for Comic Con Yorkshire 2023 are on sale now. For more information visit the convention website here.

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Further tributes paid to ‘stalwart’ Harrogate councillor who has died

Further tributes have been paid to a long-serving Harrogate councillor, who died just over a week ago.

Jim Clark, who was born in Arbroath and later moved to North Yorkshire, represented residents on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

He represented the Harlow division on the county council for 20 years before stepping down in May.

Local politicians and residents have paid tribute to Mr Clark, who was well known in Harrogate, since his death.

Jane Blayney, a friend and former council colleague, described him as “very supportive” and dedicated to his local area.

She said:

“I knew him very well and he was very much a family man.

“He was very supportive of the Pinewoods and Friends of Valley Gardens. He was very supportive of the tree book, which would never have happened without his donation.

“Even though we were from different parties, we always worked in unison.”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“We are very sad to hear about the recent death of Jim Clark. As well as representing the Pinewoods area for both Harrogate council and North Yorkshire council, Jim was a dedicated committee member of Pinewoods Conservation Group for 15 years before standing down in 2018 as part of his retirement plans.

“Many will remember Cllr Clark’s passionate debate as part of the council’s refusal to grant a larger extension of Harrogate Spring Water into Rotary Woods. Jim was also a regular attendee at our various litter picks, planting events and balsam bashing, often seen in his Pinewoods fleece.

“We were also honoured that in 2014 when Mayor, Jim also opened our new picnic area and wildflower meadows in our Irongate Field area.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Meanwhile, Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate described Mr Clark as a “stalwart” of the council.

He said in a tweet:

“He was a stalwart of North Yorkshire council and Harrogate Borough Council and an effective and hard working representative who provided selfless public service for years.

“Lady Kirkhope joins these remarks and sympathy to his family.”

As well as a councillor, Mr Clark was a keen supporter of the arts and served as chairman of Harrogate Theatre for 10 years.

After standing down from the county council, Mr Clark had moved back to Scotland to be closer to family.

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Stray Views: Knaresborough gyms should provide ‘human-powered energy’

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.

As Knaresborough is now to have the Pure Gym, as well as the existing gym in the old town hall, and the new leisure centre on Fysche Field, isn’t it time that the machines in these gyms were attached to electricity generators to provide human-powered energy for the town?

Shan Oakes, Knaresborough

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Nidderdale ‘poorly served’ by buses

This letter was submitted prior to leak fix

Nidderdale is poorly served by buses as it is, they are every two hours. But now, until the burst pipe is fixed there’s no bus running through Darley.

It’s not good enough just to cut out a huge chunk of the bus route and provide no alternative. It’s a four mile walk from Darley to Birstwith to pick up the bus there before and after it’s diversion. 

I have been quoted £30 for a taxi on Saturday morning at 7.30 am to get to Harrogate from Darley. The same to return is £60. They are having a laugh.

Helen Staniforth, Birstwith

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.

Harrogate homeless charity re-homes its 100th resident

A Harrogate homeless charity has celebrated rehousing its 100th resident in nearly 10 years.

Lifeline, which is based on East Parade, works in partnership with the Harrogate Homeless Project to help those who used to be homeless.

The charity was founded in 2013 and has since gone on to rehouse 100 people as part of its supported housing programme.

Speaking after the achievement, Carl Good, CEO of Lifeline Harrogate, said:

“This is such a special moment.”

“We have seen so many amazing changes in people’s lives and have supported many people into their own accommodation, many leaving Lifeline with jobs and hence a sustainable lifestyle.”

Lifeline residents out on a day trip

Lifeline residents out on a day trip

Mr. Good started the company with his wife Georgie because they wanted to help the homeless.

They recall meeting a man in the winter of 2011 who was sleeping in a tunnel on Bower Road.

He said:

“It really moved us both to think that we were going to a nice warm house and here was a man sat out in the cold.”

“It made us think much more deeply about the issue of homelessness.”

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Lifeline has six three-bedroom houses where they re-home their residents.

The houses are owned by Green Pastures, a national Christian housing social enterprise, and leased to the charity.

Residents will usually stay in the three-bedroom houses provided by Lifeline for up to a year.

However, Mr. Good told The Stray Ferret:

“There is no fixed time, we want to support them for independent living.”

 

Photo of the Week: Harrogate Ferris Wheel

This week’s photograph was taken by Nick Payne, capturing the lights and movement on the Ferris Wheel during this year’s Christmas Fraye.

 

Nick Payne

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Harrogate council error sees Pinewoods conservation miss out on over £30,000

Pinewoods Conservation Group has criticised Harrogate Borough Council after an administrative error meant £32,400 that should have been spent improving the woodland over the last 10 years was not allocated.

The council-owned Pinewoods is a 96-acre woodland close to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens popular with walkers. Although the area is managed by the council, the Pinewoods Conservation Group charity promotes its maintenance and conservation.

A flurry of new housing developments has occurred near to the Pinewoods in recent years. After being granted planning permission, developers agree to pay money to the council through section 106 agreements to improve local infrastructure.

Since 2019, Pinewoods Conservation Group has pressed the council to allocate some of this section 106 money to the Pinewoods to improve things like footpaths and signage.

After a council report in January revealed the authority had £3.7m in unspent section 106 money, the charity again asked it if any of this money could be spent on the Pinewoods before the council is abolished in 2023.

But in an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Tim Myatt, Conservative cabinet member for planning, told the charity this money had already been committed to other sites.

The charity responded by saying it was “very surprised” section 106 money would not be spent on the Pinewoods, “especially with the amount of building work underway and planned within the area”.

Pinewoods Harrogate

The Pinewoods

Cllr Myatt responded to the charity again this week to say that following an investigation by officers, the council found three instances when money, worth a combined valued of £32,400, should have gone to the Pinewoods but didn’t due to “administrative and processing” errors.

In the email, Cllr Myatt apologised and said the funds could have been “put to good use” by either Pinewoods Conservation Group or the council. He said:

“I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for this error, as it was an opportunity to bring external money to enhance the Pinewoods. I know that you will find this frustrating and I share this frustration.

“Whilst the monies would have been allocated to the space, not awarded directly to the conservation group, it could still have been put to good use by either the council or conservation group (were an enhancement scheme available for fund allocation).”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said it was “very disappointed” the Pinewoods had missed out on the money due to the error. They added:

“These monies could have supported much needed improvement and conservation efforts for the benefit of visitors and residents.

“We are also disappointed that it took over three years from the charity first raising concerns with the council for the errors to acknowledged, and hopefully now corrected. However, we thank and acknowledge the efforts of Cllr Myatt in finally bringing this matter to a close.”

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A council spokesperson said:

“Due to an administrative processing error, monies were not collected from three developments via section 106 legal agreements that could have been spent on the Pinewoods.

“We have put measures in place to help prevent this from happening in the future.

“The monies do not go directly to the charity, but are earmarked for enhancements to Pinewoods. And as landowner, we continue to undertake woodland management and enhance the Pinewoods, in partnership with the charity.”