The president of Harrogate in Bloom has said she is confident the town will maintain its floral reputation after spring’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department has played a major role in maintaining the district’s green spaces over the last 50 years.

It has worked closely with Harrogate in Bloom and other volunteer groups on landscaping and creating attractive flower displays that are a major part of the town’s tourist appeal.

But the council will be abolished on April 1, triggering fears the new North Yorkshire Council, which will be based in Northallerton, might not value Harrogate’s appearance as highly and might not collaborate with local groups.

Harrogate Borough Council maintaining summer flower beds.

Pam Grant, president of Harrogate in Bloom, said she was “reassured” after talks with a representative of the new local authority about future plans. She said:

“The new council wants Harrogate in Bloom to continue and it wants Harrogate to maintain its floral reputation.

“I’m assured nothing will change overnight on April 1 and no drastic changes are planned.

“Nobody likes uncertainty but I feel reassured.”

Harrogate in Bloom is a volunteer-run group, which works with other community groups on town centre schemes.

It has also forged close relationships with Harrogate Borough Council and, more recently, Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has funded barrier baskets, hanging baskets and shop planters.

One of the BID’s floral schemes.

Harrogate was awarded a gold medal and named a winner in the small city category at this month’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards.

Ms Grant said:

“Harrogate doesn’t have a cathedral to attract visitors but it does have a reputation for being a nice town with lots of flowers and clean, fresh air.”

Read more:

• Harrogate and Ripon gardens win gold at Yorkshire in Bloom awards
• Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

Harrogate Borough Council has said staffing is a “significant challenge” for food hygiene inspections, which face long backlogs after covid.

During the pandemic, the Food Standards Agency advised all councils to prioritise “high risk” food businesses as inspections resumed last July.

Since then the council said it has visited all establishments in this category during the first year of its food service recovery plan.

But there are now almost 1,100 “low risk” businesses which are due an inspection from officers – and that figure is more than double the 415 pending inspections in 2019.

The council said in a report that staffing has become a “significant challenge” in the last year as it deals with difficulties in recruiting and also prepares to hand over services to the new North Yorkshire Council.

It also said that another wave of covid infections this winter could mean staff once again have to shift their focus to other enforcement work.

The council said.

“There is a risk that the winter period may see an increase in covid.

“Should further local or national controls be put in place, team resource may need to be dedicated to advice, enforcement and infection control again.”

Read more:

• Harrogate council sees increase in complaints in last five years, says study
• ‘Badly let down’ Woodfield school closure confirmed
• Food safety standards in Harrogate district ‘deteriorated significantly’ during pandemic

Food businesses are given ratings between zero and five, and there are currently 549 pending inspections due at businesses in the lowest risk category E, while 531 are due in category D.

The council said in a statement that inspections at these firms would be carried out “when resources allow”.

It comes after the authority warned that food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses had “deteriorated significantly” during the covid lockdowns when full inspections were postponed.

And since restrictions were lifted last year, the council said large events have increased “in number and complexity every year” with extra pressure on staff.

These events have included the Great Yorkshire Show, Knaresborough Bed Race, Deer Shed Festival near Ripon, Harrogate’s Autumn Flower Show and new regular food markets, the council said.

It added:

“Events are attracting traders from out of district with a huge variance in compliance.”

Around 200 new food businesses register in the Harrogate district each year and the council is currently responsible for enforcement at 2,073 establishments – roughly the same amount as York.

Traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 in Knaresborough, which have been causing delays this month, are due to remain in place until November 11.

Yorkshire Water has installed four-way traffic lights as it lays a new water main for a housing development.

In Harrogate, roadworks on the notorious Wetherby Road in Harrogate have been causing delays all week.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, maintenance work will be carried out by Northern Gas Networks until Friday.

The map also indicates a slew of traffic lights this week on nearby Skipton Road, between the Empress roundabout and King’s Road.

In Harrogate town centre, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Roadworks on the notorious Wetherby Road in Harrogate have been causing delays all week.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, maintenance work will be carried out by Northern Gas Networks until Friday.

In Harrogate town centre, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Work to reconstruct the landslip-hit B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, is ongoing.

The road is closed and a diversion is in place via Pateley Bridge; the B6451 Dacre; Menwith Hill Road; Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.

Trains and buses

Rail operator Northern is not reporting any problems on the line passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough this morning. The live departure and arrival board for Harrogate doesn’t currently show any delays.

The Harrogate Bus Company is not reporting any problems. You can get updates here.

Read more:

• Otley Road cycle path could be re-routed with new traffic restrictions
• New plans to tackle traffic on Harrogate’s A61

Autumn covid booster vaccination clinics are only available at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground for less than a month.

Tim Yarrow, operations manager at Yorkshire Health Network, which is overseeing the vaccination programme, today urged anyone eligible to book now.

Those showground site, which is currently seeing 1,400 patients a day, is due to close on November 23 and there are currently no plans to re-open it.

It means people will have to seek appointments at local pharmacies when the showground site closes.

People aged 50 and over, pregnant women, carers, frontline health and care workers, care home residents and people of all ages who are vulnerable are eligible for a covid booster jab now.

Those who are able to book their vaccinations can do so via the NHS website.

The showground is not accepting walk-in appointments. Access to the site is available by car from the road alongside Sainsbury’s.

The NHS is ramping up its winter vaccination campaign.

Health bosses in Harrogate previously said that they expect to see more covid patients in hospitals in the coming weeks.

Dr Bruce Willoughby, Harrogate GP and part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, said:

“Health and care services in North Yorkshire and York, like everywhere, are already extremely busy. We do expect to see more cases of covid in the coming weeks as people mix freely again and spend more time indoors as the weather gets colder. The risk of catching covid is highest indoors and in crowded places.

“More people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the pandemic. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before it starts spreading.”

Health officials are also urging people to book a flu vaccine this winter. People can book their jab via their GP surgery.

Read more:

• Harrogate care costs climb to £54,000 a year as ‘colossal’ price rises bite
• Hospital ‘not anticipating’ service cuts due to energy price surge
• ‘Get jabbed’ plea as ‘wave of covid’ predicted in North Yorkshire

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate-based law firm McCormicks Solicitors has appointed a new practice manager and accounts manager to its team.

Sonia Jones has been promoted to practice manager to reflect her work in supporting all activities across the firm, including management, human resources and the running of day-to-day activities.

Senior partner Peter McCormick said:

“Sonia joined us in 2007 and has become more and more involved in the management of the firm so it was a logical step to reward her for all her hard work with this promotion.”

Hayley Firth has been appointed accounts manager at McCormicks.

Ms Jones also assists with the practice’s charitable work. She became a trustee of the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation in 2012, having previously supported the charity as secretary to the trustees, and continues to fulfil both duties.

Hayley Firth has been appointed accounts manager. She will work with accounts assistant Hollie Jackson to ensure the smooth running of the accounts department.

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Raworths renews Harrogate Literature Festival sponsorship
• Business Breakfast: Swinton Estate partners with carbon measurement firm

Harrogate funeral directors hold webinar to help bereaved workers

Harrogate funeral directors, Full Circle, is to hold a webinar with Jo Tindall, and an employment partner at Gunnercooke, to support colleagues after a bereavement.

According to research carries out by Funeral Guide 77% of employees in the UK have experienced a bereavement during their working lives. 54% of bereaved employees would have preferred more time off work or a phased return to the workplace after taking time off.

Ms Tindall will explain the obligations on employers in supporting employees suffering a bereavement and will share the benefits of going beyond those obligations and becoming an employer of choice.

The event entitled Supporting employees after bereavement will be held on November 17.  For information on the webinar click here.

Harrogate’s joint cadet centre has officially reopened following a £750,000 refurbishment of the drill hall.

The centre, on Strawberry Dale, is home to both the town’s army and air cadets and also houses the region’s first virtual reality aviation centre for cadets.

The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Yorkshire and the Humber hosted the official opening by Jo Ropner, the lord-lieutenant of North Yorkshire.

Ms Ropner unveiled the commemorative plaque with representatives of the town’s army and air cadets looking on.

Thursday’s opening was also attended by Harrogate borough mayor Victoria Oldham.

Mayor of Harrogate Victoria Oldham with the RFCA chairman and chief executive.

The funding was provided predominantly by the RAF, with support from the Yorkshire Cadet Trust and the Royal Flying Corps.

RFCA chief executive Jason Wright said:

“The refurbishment of Harrogate joint cadet centre has transformed the experience of the 100 or so local cadets who parade here every week.

“It’s created bright, attractive classrooms, offices for our adult volunteers, a wonderful drill hall and has even made room for Yorkshire’s first virtual reality training centre.

Mr Wright said 28 other cadet squadrons also used the virtual reality training centre.

Mr Wright added:

“We couldn’t be more delighted that the benefits this new development is already bringing to young people in the town and we are delighted that His Majesty’s lord-lieutenant in addition to Harrogate’s mayor have been able to join us for its official opening.”

Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber David Steca has won another national title.

Mr Steca, 63, finished first in the over-60s category at the IBFA British Championships in Gateshead last weekend.

It is the latest success in a remarkable career that has seen him become one of the most successful bodybuilders in the north of England.

Mr Steca, who owns Steca No6 in Harrogate, is now focusing on the NAC British Championships in Middleton, Greater Manchester on November 13. Success there would earn him a place at next year’s World Championships.

He weighed a peeled 84kg in his latest appearance on stage, and insists he is too young to quit.

David Steca (centre) takes first place.

He said:

“It’s never unachievable and you’re never too old!”

Besides being a competitor, Mr Steca is also a personal trainer who has helped numerous aspiring physique competitors in the Harrogate district.

Read more:

• Harrogate chef aims to become Ms Universe
• Knitted poppies start to be put up around Harrogate’s war memorial

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has denied voting in favour of fracking in the House of Commons last week.

An opposition Labour motion was put to the house which would have forced a vote on a bill to ban the controversial practice in the UK.

Mr Jones voted with the government on the night against the motion.

In his latest ‘Fact Check Friday’ video on Instagram, Mr Jones denied he voted in favour of fracking.

He said:

“Contrary to what some people would have you believe, I didn’t vote in favour of fracking during the debate in parliament this week.

“In fact, the vote wasn’t even directly about fracking at all. The vote was about changing the scheduled timetable of parliamentary business to allow the Labour Party to bring in a bill about fracking.

“A bill that hasn’t even been published.”

Read more:

• Andrew Jones MP launches ‘non-political’ fact-checking service
• Harrogate district MPs back government amid chaotic fracking vote

The government won by 319 votes to 228 – however the night descended into chaos amid allegations Tory MPs were “bullied and manhandled” into supporting former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Mr Jones goes on to say in the video he is “relaxed” about the government’s position on fracking as there is “little possibility of any successful applications to frack”.

He adds that he has “always been skeptical about fracking” and that the UK’s future energy should be in renewables.

The video, which Mr Jones says includes “no politics”, goes onto show a clip of the then Liberal Democrat energy secretary, Sir Ed Davey, saying that the government had to find a “commercially viable way” to get shale gas out of the ground.

The clip then cuts to an image of Mr Jones and the hashtag ‘awks’, suggesting it reveals an awkward truth for the Lib Dems.

This article is sponsored by The Hearing Suite.

Hearing aid technology has improved drastically over the last few decades.

Many of the devices now boast Bluetooth technology, come with mobile apps or compatible gadgets and some are even invisible to the naked eye.

Emily Balmer, founder and lead audiologist of The Hearing Suite, Harrogate, explained why the modern hearing aid is “out of this world”.

She said:

“A comfortable, clear listening experience is always our top priority. But today’s hearing aids are designed to fit in with your life, rather than you fitting in with them.”

Ms Balmer said hearing aid programs are now able to adapt to your surroundings.

She said:

“Instead of hearing all around you or pressing a button to hear in front of you, hearing aid programs blend seamlessly all by themselves. If you are in the car, they even detect and reduce road noise. Or if you have an echoey kitchen, they compensate for that too.”

However, Ms Balmer said some people still wanted to change the volume, program or even create their own bespoke program for a specific environment.

She added:

“That’s easy too, with the use of an app – and the bluetooth features don’t end there.

“You can track the location of a missing hearing aid and stream music and phone calls directly into your ears. You can even track your steps and heart rate and alert people if you have had a fall.

“And gone are the days of worrying about a spot of rain if you are wearing one, as there are even hearing aids you can swim in.”

Ms Balmer said rechargibility had made the use of hearing aids much easier, with handy charging points and battery lives of up to 24 hours.

She continued:

“Then there’s the gadgets that work with hearing aids, taking them to even greater heights.

“For example the remote microphone that cuts out background noise in a restaurant,  or the TV streamer; a tiny box behind your TV that takes the sound instantly and wirelessly into your ears.”

Ms Balmer also praised the benefits of modern extended-wear hearing aids.

She said:

“These are fitted 4mm away from your ear drum every eight weeks and are invisible to the naked eye. These allow you to forget you even have a hearing loss.”

To book a consultation and hearing aid assessment at The Hearing Suite, click here. You can also call 01423 429 222 or email enquiries@thehearingsuite.co.uk

The 56-year history of Harrogate’s Woodfield Community Primary School is set to come to an end after councillors confirmed its closure today.

The school in Bilton will shut on December 31 despite complaints that pupils and parents have been “badly let down” by education bosses at North Yorkshire County Council.

But the council claims it has “exhausted all options” to try to keep the school open after years of falling pupil numbers and an inadequate rating by Ofsted.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s executive today, ward councillor and school governor Paul Haslam repeated his objections to the closure which he blamed on an “unfounded allegation” about the school that was posted on social media several years ago. Cllr Haslam said”

“Today is a sad day. We have allowed social media and its consequent impact to close a perfectly good school.

“This cannot be allowed to happen to another school and it is only a failure if we do not learn from this sad event.”

Read more:

• Fears more Harrogate schools could follow in footsteps of closure-threatened Woodfield primary
• Fate of Woodfield primary school to be confirmed next week

Cllr Haslam, who represents the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, added that the closure will “rip a large hole in this community” as he also called for a review into how it happened.

Paul Haslam

Stuart Carlton, the council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, responded to say he “could not compel” other education bodies to discuss the issues around social media, but that he would meet with Cllr Haslam. He said:

“These are always very difficult decisions, but we have followed all the processes.

“The problem nationally of social media is one that isn’t unique to ourselves or particular schools here – it is something that plagues out across the country at times.

“I’m more than happy that I commit with my assistant director of education to meet with councillor Haslam and the chair of governors to talk through that point.”

Conservative councillor Annabel Wilkinson, the executive member for education and skills, also said the decision to close the school was made with a “heavy heart”.

Today’s decision comes after pupil numbers at the school dwindled from 155 in 2018 to just one earlier this month.

The inadequate rating by Ofsted inspectors came in 2020 and meant the school had to become part of an academy, however, it failed to one to secure its future.

Woodfield Community Primary School, which opened around 1964, then held merger talks with the nearby Grove Road Community Primary School, but these fell through.

Financial troubles have also hit the school, with debts forecast to reach almost £100,000 by the end of 2022/23 set to be absorbed by the county council.

The closure will also mean the Woodfield catchment area will be shared with both Bilton Grange Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School.