A 25-metre telecommunications tower could be installed at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground to improve WiFi.

The showground attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year but many often struggle to get online.

A planning application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by telecommunications company EE to erect a lattice tower that will host three antennae, two dishes and several cabinets.

A design and access statement submitted by telecommunications technology company Harlequin Group on behalf of EE to the council said the proposal would not only boost WiFi at the showground but also provide “much improved and upgraded coverage to surrounding businesses and residents who currently see limited indoor coverage”. It added:

“It should be noted there is no 5G coverage within the immediate or surrounding area whatsoever.

“The area, in particular the Great Yorkshire Showground, has been subject to coverage supplied by way of a temporary emergency solution during events.

“The proposal will be tucked within a building corner, meaning that the equipment will be obscured on two of the four sides.”

The proposed location, according to planning documents.

EE claimed the enhanced network “should be considered critical infrastructure within the UK to support the local community in perpetuity”. It said:

“At present, a temporary mast is brought out during events such as the Great Yorkshire Show that take place within the showground. Whilst this has been a solution that has worked adequately in the past, currently there is an ever-growing demand to find a more permanent solution.

“Local residents and businesses who currently experience little to no coverage, as well as visitors to the showground, have been pushing for a fixed solution that would consistently meet the demands of the surrounding area.”

‘Vital to ensure latest connectivity’

Allister Nixon

Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Great Yorkshire Showground told the Stray Ferret:

“The Great Yorkshire Showground is an intrinsic part of the local community that hosts numerous events throughout the year and brings significant employment and money to the area.

“To ensure that we can continue to develop and evolve with the changing demands of customers and business, it is vital to ensure that the latest connectivity is present; the proposed lattice tower is centrally located and has been designed to allow multiple operators to host on the same infrastructure.

“The public benefit goes beyond the Great Yorkshire Showground, with the proposal able to provide upgraded coverage and capacity to the surrounding residential properties, commercial properties, visitors and businesses in the locale. It is therefore believed that this proposal enables the provision of future connectivity for numerous individuals and companies.”

Councillors will decide whether to approve the planning application.

A leading Harrogate district arts festival has launched a nationwide search to find and reward talented young classical singers.

The Northern Aldborough Festival’s New Voices Singing Competition offers a prize fund of £7,000.

The winners will also receive performance opportunities at leading UK music festivals, including Leeds Lieder, Newbury Spring Festival, Ryedale Festival and Music@Malling, as well as the Northern Aldborough Festival itself.

The judging panel includes Dame Felicity Lott, one of Britain’s leading sopranos,

Robert Ogden, the festival’s artistic director, said:

“Hundreds of young singers graduate every year with dreams and aspirations to become professionals, but the majority have to seek temporary work while they build their careers.

“A competition success can be a turning point for a young artist. Our festival has, from its inception, strived to support and nurture young talent.”

The winner will receive The Seastock Trust Prize of £5,000, with a second prize of £1,500 from The Yorkshire Music Future Fund, and a third, audience prize of £500.

St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough hosts many of the festival events.

The competition is open to solo singers and ensembles of up to eight performers, and celebrates classical vocalism in all its forms. It is open to vocalists aged 21-32 years-old. Deadline for entries is Friday 14 April, 2023.

Mr Ogden, who is also an opera singer, said:

“At a time when the arts sector — particularly opera — has faced funding cuts, we feel a competition to help launch singing careers is of its time. What’s more, there are very few significant open vocal competitions north of London.”

The judging panel also includes the artistic director of The Early Opera Company, Christian Curnyn, director of Leeds Lieder, Joseph Middleton, and artistic director of the Northern Aldborough Festival, Robert Ogden. The panel is chaired by Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred, chairman of the Northern Aldborough Festival.

Read more:

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• Professional musician from Harrogate returns to give recital

The semi-final and grand-final will be performed live to audiences at the end of this year’s Northern Aldborough Festival, which is hosted in the North Yorkshire village from Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 June 2023.

It will be the 29th festival and highlights include trumpet star and winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year, 26-year-old Matilda Lloyd and the youngest winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition for 40 years, Sunwook Kim.

Volunteers have donated life-saving equipment to Harrogate hospital’s baby unit.

The Friends of Harrogate Hospital raised £11,000 to purchase a new video laryngoscope for the special care baby unit to help babies who require ventilation.

The new equipment will make it easier for staff to see inside the mouth and throat to intubate babies, allowing for an inspection of a patient’s airways before a breathing tube is inserted.

Vicky Lister, head matron at the special care baby unit, said: 

“We would like to give heartfelt thanks for the amazing video laryngoscope which was donated to the special care baby unit by the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.

“This piece of equipment will help support doctors when intubating newborns and very young babies whose airways can be difficult to manage due to their small size.

“We looking forward to making use of this equipment when the need arises.”

John Fox, chair of the Friends of Harrogate Hospital, said: 

“The Friends are highly delighted that after three years, we are back in action supporting Harrogate hospital and its patients.

“We know the video laryngoscope will be extremely useful to the special care baby unit in a range of clinical circumstances involving premature birth babies.

“I would like to thank those who have helped to fund this vital equipment on behalf of the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.”

Read more:

• Union predicts some Harrogate district schools will close due to strike
• First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital

Police are appealing for information about the theft of an antique safe from Harrogate.

The safe was stolen from a property on Sussex Avenue between 6.30pm and 8pm on Monday, 10 January. Its value has not been revealed.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“Three people are believed to have been involved and we are appealing to anyone who either saw something suspicious in the area around the time of the burglary or who has seen it since.”

It urged anyone with information to get in touch by emailing sam.clarke2@northyorkshire.police.uk or by calling 101, selecting option 2, and asking for PC Sam Clarke

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference 12230006025 when providing information.

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• Harrogate school to recruit fourth headteacher in two years
• Harrogate’s former Kimberley Hotel being used for drugs and crime, say police

A Harrogate secondary school has begun the search for its fourth headteacher in two years.

St Aidan’s Church of England High School has set up a website outlining its vision for the next post holder after facing a number of challenges since late 2021.

The website says:

“The school has had challenges in the last 18 months, including a 2021 Ofsted inspection that highlighted concerns regarding safeguarding processes.

“But the school and the trust responded to this quickly and decisively, and we were delighted that the subsequent inspection in early summer 2022 both acknowledged this, and confirmed the many strengths of the school.

“Our commitment is that we will build on these strengths to re-establish the school’s judgement as an outstanding school.”

St Aidan’s was rated inadequate in an Ofsted report published last January, following a visit by inspectors more than three months earlier. The report found four out of five areas to be ‘good’ but because the leadership and management were ‘inadequate’, the overall rating was also brought down.

However, a monitoring visit in May led Ofsted to return for a full inspection just two days later. The report, published in June, concluded the school was ‘good’, with pupil behaviour and its sixth form both rated ‘outstanding’.

At the time, the school was being led by acting headteacher Chris Ives, who had replaced Chris Burt when he left through ill health in December 2021 after two years in the post.

Read more:

• Union predicts some Harrogate district schools will close due to strike
• Ofsted paves way for new Harrogate school offering additional support

Since last summer, headteacher David Thornton has been in post on an interim basis, but has said throughout that he does not want to be considered for the permanent role.

The recruitment website said:

“The school will look to its new headteacher not solely to manage and maintain its strengths, but to build on them.

“An exceptional leader who can challenge, support, and stretch an already strong team, you’ll understand how to nourish an organisational culture founded on continuous professional development and learning.

“It’s important not only that your own values resonate with the Christian ethos of the school, but that you can also embed these personal values into daily school life.

“You will nurture a learning environment that is welcoming and inclusive, where students feel safe and cared for, and where they have the opportunity to develop as individuals, as well as achieving their academic potential.

“This is a fantastic career opportunity – to take on a leadership role in a school where high expectations are shared by staff and students alike and where all feel they have a stake in the school’s success.

“Harnessing and fully realising the potential of such a school requires sophisticated and assured leadership skills, founded on the highest aspirations for every pupil who passes through the school’s doors.”

Potential candidates have until Monday, February 13 to apply, with interviews expected to take place in early March.

St Aidan’s has almost 2,000 students on role, including in its associated sixth form with St John Fisher Catholic High School.

The school became an academy in 2011. It then formed the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust, which now includes eight primary schools across Harrogate and Skipton.

A spokesperson for St Aidan’s High School said:

“To suggest that the school is looking for the fourth headteacher in two years is slightly misleading.

“After our last permanent headteacher stepped back from the role, two interim heads have helped lead the school. The decision to appoint interim heads was a pragmatic response based on the changes to our Ofsted grading and headteacher recruitment cycles.

“Now that our Ofsted grading is clear and we are Good with Outstanding features, we have reached the right point in the school year to start a leadership recruitment process, and a national search to find our new permanent headteacher is underway.

“Initial feedback has been very positive, and we look forward at keeping our community updated as we go through the process.”

Eight senior managers at North Yorkshire Council are set to receive a salary of more than £100,000 a year.

The authority will replace Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council in April.

As part of the move, a new management has been appointed to oversee the authority.

A report due before the council tomorrow (January 24) will also recommend a pay structure for the management and council as a whole.

Among them includes Richard Flinton, the new chief executive, who will receive a salary of £198,935.

Meanwhile, Stuart Carlton, Richard Webb, Gary Fielding and Karl Battersby — all of whom are directors under the county council — will receive £150,044.

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An unnamed director of community development is due to receive a salary of £139,125.

Elsewhere Rachel Joyce and Trudy Forster are due to be paid £111,500 and Barry Khan, currently assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services at the county council, will receive £120,000.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council how it had arrived at the salaries, but had not receive a response by the time of publication.

A report due before senior councillors on Tuesday said:

“The grading structure has been amended this year following a review of all eight councils structures to consider the differences and the changing nature of the council resulting from local government reorganisation.

“Whilst North Yorkshire County Council is the continuing authority, changes in pay terms and conditions have been made as a result of this review, to address the changing nature of the council and also the market pressures causing ongoing staff attraction and retention difficulties.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“The pay which we offer is designed to attract and retain the most talented staff that we can, as we want the best people on board to drive forward the vision of the new North Yorkshire Council for the benefit of everybody who lives and works in the county.

“The new pay structure also highlights some significant savings on roles for chief executives and chief officers of £3.7 million compared to the costs across the previous eight councils.

“We are one of the largest local authorities in the country, managing large and complex operations. 

“In establishing the grades for the new management structure, senior managers’ salaries were analysed against other comparable authorities with the use of independent data.

“We are proud of the ability of our senior managers, and we believe it’s important to be open and transparent about our pay structure.” 

The Stray Ferret Business Awards will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will be a celebratory night with prize draw and afterparty. Richard Flinton, the chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council is the guest speaker. Early bird ticket prices are available until February 9 and available to buy here. Bring your team, network and have fun. 

Harrogate law firm, Berwins, has announced a string of appointments in its commercial property team.

Parminder Matharu has been appointed Team Leader, Khal Shahjahan joins the unit as a Senior Associate, and Jonny Noble has started as a trainee solicitor with the unit.

Parminder has experience of working on a broad spectrum of commercial property work, including secured lending and acquisition finance.

Khal, who has almost 20 years’ experience as a property lawyer, focuses on development and agricultural work.  Jonny will work as a Legal Assistant in Berwins’ Residential and Commercial Property departments.

The team is supported by Gayle Waring, who celebrated 23 years with Berwins in the summer.

CEO, Paul Berwin said:

“Berwins has a strong track record with supporting businesses, landlords, tenants and landowners in a range of commercial property matters. That record has been built both on the deep expertise within the unit and the levels of care it seeks to employ when delivering legal services.

“I’m excited to see the drive Parminder and her team have to build on those core ways of working, continuing to service not only existing clients, aided by Berwins’ growth as a rapidly growing regional presence, extend that into new and emerging markets.”

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• Business breakfast: Finalists revealed for first Stray Ferret Business Awards
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The owner of Harrogate’s gastropub, Three’s a Crowd is set to open a second venue in Leeds.

John Quinlan has bought The Reliance on North Street. It’s understood the venue will change its name to Threes a Crowd and is currently closed for refurbishment. All current staff have been retained and ten new jobs have been created.

Three’s a Crowd opened on West Park in 2019.  The venue is to open in February.

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.

Nurses pay

18 January 2023  -today I have just come out of Harrogate District Hospital after a stay of 6 days.

Every single member of staff deserve better treatment from Government by receiving wages for the hard work, long hours, caring and patience they have for all patients.

The additional hours the majority of members of staff work deserve to be paid in the correct manner and not by someone fiddling figures because of the departments budget.

Additional time off to cover any overtime does not put food on the table or pay the bills.

Margaret Beckingham, Harrogate

Councillor’s pay

What sort of message does a pay hike of 50% for councillors send to public sector workers who are struggling to live on their present wages and being told that 10% is too much to ask for?

Many councillors still have jobs or businesses. Those who don’t are by and large comfortably retired.

As most of the premises and staff of Harrogate Council are apparently being kept on after North Yorkshire take over, where are the savings we were promised coming from?

Diane Stokes, Harrogate

Station Gateway consultation

You have now reported on two Station Gateway consultations. Who are these people who have been consulted? Apparently 2,044 people this time, and about half that number last time, chosen (how?) from over 150,000 residents of Harrogate District.

I am one of those never invited to give an opinion. Had I been asked I would have strongly supported the proposal which would give a much more welcoming appearance to those arriving by train or bus, and would enhance the east end of James Street.

Incidentally, why is no “Welcome to Harrogate” sign together with relevant information displayed in either the train or bus station?

Emeritus Professor Tony Wren, MA, DSc, DEng, Harrogate

Read More:

• First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital
• North Yorkshire councillors set for 50% pay rise from April

A former Harrogate Chinese restaurant is to be converted into a house.

The proposal submitted by John Tang will see the former Kwun Wah on Strawberry Dale changed into a four-bedroom home.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved the plans.

The Kwun Wah restaurant has been closed since 2006.

Planning permission was granted back in 2011 to convert the former restaurant into a home, but has since expired.

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Senior North Yorkshire councillors have admitted many of the authority’s climate change goals will only be achieved if the government funds them.

Approving a public consultation over its long-awaited carbon-cutting masterplan, several executive members of North Yorkshire County Council emphasised the authority would steer clear of over-promising what it could achieve given funding and powers at its disposal.

Cllr Greg White, the authority’s climate change executive member, said six months after declaring a climate emergency the authority had formed a plan about how it would get its own emissions to net zero.

He said in addition, the North Yorkshire and York Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had developed its own plan or roadmap for the area, featuring what he described as the “extremely ambitious” target of net zero carbon emissions by 2034 and becoming carbon negative by 2040.

He told executive members they were being asked to endorse, rather than adopt the LEP’s plan, whilst “recognising many of the actions and ambitions are actually the responsibilities of others and not in control of this council” and approve a draft carbon cutting plan for the new unitary authority.

When questioned by Liberal Democrat Cllr Steve Mason over whether the authority would pursue area-wide ambitions, Cllr White replied the authority would be reliant on residents, traders and the government for the latter.

He said the authority was set to endorse the LEP’s roadmap, but would stop short of adopting it as it could not fulfil many of the targets.

Cllr White said: 

“What we are today doing is widening what we do as a council beyond a focus on what we actually do ourselves, in terms of our vans and our buildings, to how we can help across the whole of the council and help with things like homelessness.

“However, we have to be constantly aware we can only do what we can do within the funding that we have available and the powers we have available to us. We want to take a leadership role and that is the most you can hope for.”

Read more:

• Calls for council to go ‘further and faster’ on climate change in North Yorkshire
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Cllr Mason said the carbon-cutting plans had already taken several years to be drawn up. He added: 

“We are now three years down the line and are still talking about endorsing the plan. To be honest, we need to be taking action.”

Executive member for transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, appeared to question whether some ambitions in the LEP’s plan, such as reducing private car use by 48% and a 900% increase in cycling miles by 2030, were realistic.

He said: 

“It’s very easy for us to agree to a pledge that sounds nice on paper, but when you look at the deliverability of what’s going to be involved in making that happen in reality it becomes much more difficult.”

Cllr Duncan added the public would thank the authority for setting realistic goals.

In order to get the reductions in levels of car use, said Cllr White, there would need to be a huge injection of funds from central government.

He concluded: 

“All we can do is help people move in the right direction.”

Cllr Gareth Dadd revealed following the launch of the unitary authority “an accelerated programme of property rationalisation” would be brought forward to tackle climate change.

He said: 

“Everybody agrees with climate change until it affects them. It’s like housebuilding. Everybody agrees we need more homes until they’re next door to them.”