Covid infections in the Harrogate district have fallen to their lowest level since June last year.

Latest figures show the district’s weekly infection rate per 100,000 people currently stands at 47. The last time it was below this level was 15 months ago.

The rate is also well below its record of 1,906 in January when the Omicron variant fuelled a huge wave of infections at the peak of winter.

Adults aged 50 and over

• People aged five to 49 with health conditions that put them at higher risk,
• Pregnant women
• Care home staff
• Front line health and social care workers
• Carers aged 16 to 49
• Household contacts of people with weakened immune systems

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Royal Hall to broadcast Queen’s funeral live
• Work begins to create Harrogate’s first mosque

In Harrogate, some walk-in appointments are available at the Great Yorkshire Showground’s Event Centre, although booking is advised via the NHS website or by calling 119.

North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is running covid vaccinations at the site everyday between 9am and 5pm until Friday.

The CCG said those eligible must be aged 80 and over, or work in health and social care, or were previously shielding.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital currently has 28 covid-positive patients, although only two of these are primarily receiving treatment for the virus.

The hospital last reported the death of a patient who tested within 28 days on 19 August, with its toll since the pandemic began standing at 274.

Longstanding Harrogate butchers Addyman has come up with a creative window display tribute to the Queen.

Keith Addyman has traded on Commercial Street for 48 years and his grandfather previously had a pork butchers at New Park.

His wife, Sue, created a ‘cake’ for this year’s platinum jubilee made out of a crown and containers the shop uses to make pork pies for weddings.

Ms Addyman, who once met Princess Margaret, said:

“I did it for the jubilee and when it ended I removed the crown. When the Queen died I put it back on.”

The pork pie wedding cake

The pork pie wedding cake, as it’s known, now adorns the shop window alongside a photo of Her Late Majesty.

Ms Addyman added:

“A gentleman came in and said ‘you’re one of the only shops in Harrogate doing something to commemorate the queen.”

Addyman will be closed on Monday, when the state funeral takes place.

Read more:

• The Queen’s funeral: Harrogate district arrangements for Monday
• No requirement for staff day off on Queen’s funeral, says Harrogate solicitor

Senior Conservative councillors in Harrogate are set to call for a referendum on whether to create a town council.

Harrogate Borough Council will no longer exist from April 1 when the new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, is created.

If a new town council is created it could be given control over areas including parks, tourism and events.

Some think a town council would boost local decision-making while others regard it as an unnecessary extra layer of bureaucracy.

Next week, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of the council, and Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the authority, will table a motion calling on the county council to hold a referendum.

Cllr Richard Cooper (left) and Cllr Graham Swift.

North Yorkshire County Council has launched a review into whether to create a lower tier authority in the town. A consultation into the matter is currently being held.

The motion, which will go before a full borough council meeting on September 21, says:

“This council calls upon North Yorkshire County Council to hold a binding referendum of Harrogate town residents who would be constituents of a new Harrogate Town Council to determine whether such a council should be formed.

“Information should be made available before the vote on what duties the new town council will have and how much the additional council tax precept will be to pay for those duties.

“Such a referendum will give democratic legitimacy to the new town council in the eyes of those who fund it and are affected by its decisions.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have already called for Harrogate to have its own town council.

Read more:

• Harrogate town council: What is it and what would it cost taxpayers?
• Decision on Harrogate town council could take two years

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only major places in North Yorkshire not to be parished.

Earlier this year, Conservative leader of the county council, Cllr Carl Les, said he hoped the matter could be resolved “as soon as possible”.

When asked when the referendums could be held, Cllr Les told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that this was currently unclear. He said:

“We are getting a lot of requests about town councils made to us from people including local politicians, as well as the business community and groups like Harrogate Civic Society.

“There is clearly an appetite to do something about this.

“And of course the sooner we can do it, the sooner we can find out whether there is an appetite amongst the general population.

“They are the key people in all of this. They have to be asked for their opinion and will say yea or nay.”

A public consultation over setting up a town council for Harrogate is currently open. You can have your say here.

The consultation will close on September 30.

The team behind a steakhouse which was set to move into an empty Harrogate restaurant almost six months ago, have spoken of their frustration over the delay.

Last November, Tomahawk Steakhouse revealed it was planning to move into the former Solita Food Hall. 

It was set to open in April, but the unit on Parliament Street, which was also formerly Jamie’s Italian, has remained empty.

A spokesman for Tomahawk told the Stray Ferret:

“At the moment Tomahawk are tied up with legalities that have unfortunately been completely out of our control.

“We were all prepared and ready to go, but with liquidators from the previous owners comes a lot of red tape. We have had to sit on the sidelines whilst it gets thrashed out between the relevant parties.

“It is a shame because we would love to get going with everything and get open, but it’s completely out of our hands.

“So if the people of Harrogate are wondering what is going on with the venue, we are in exactly the same boat.

“We are, however, hoping this will draw to a close very soon and are waiting for information due to come our way anytime over the next few days.”

The steakhouse had initially planned to move into the empty Bistrot Pierre unit on Cheltenham Parade in January, before deciding to change its location to Solita Food Hall’s space.

Instead Samsons brasserie and bar moved into the Cheltenham Parade site in March. However it is currently shut “for essential works”, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant.

Tomahawk Steakhouse has restaurants in a number of locations, including Chester, York and Newcastle.

Read more:

• New restaurant to open at former Bistrot Pierre site in Harrogate
• Harrogate food hall to close after just six months

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Knaresborough businesses are to be quizzed about the impact of higher energy bills.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade & Commerce said at its latest meeting it would undertake a survey of local businesses in the coming weeks.

It will attempt to find out how much their bills are increasing by and how much difference recently announced government plans to support them will make.

Peter Lacey, executive member of the chamber, which has about 60 members, said the online survey was likely to go out in the middle of next week and it is hoped members and non-members will respond to provide a fuller picture of the situation confronting businesses in the town.

Harrogate law firm partners with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

LCF Law staff plant hundreds of trees at their first volunteering day.

Harrogate law firm, LCF Law has entered a partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

LCF Law will help the trust, which looks after the Yorkshire Dales, plant 1,000 trees over the next two years.

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said:

“We are hugely committed to working sustainably and offsetting our carbon footprint and we also want to leave a long-term legacy.”

Staff at the law firm, which employs 125 people at offices in Harrogate, Bradford, Leeds and Ilkley, will volunteer for the trust as part of the partnership.

In 2021, the trust planted 31,851 trees.

Read more:

• No requirement for staff day off on Queen’s funeral, says Harrogate solicitor
• Queen’s coffin drape supplied by royal flag makers in Knaresborough

Harrogate’s Royal Hall will be broadcasting the Queen’s funeral live on Monday.

The broadcast will start at 10am and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

A book of condolence will also be available for people to sign.

The state funeral at Westminster Abbey will also be broadcast live at Ripon Cathedral, with visitors asked to attend from 9.30am.

Monday has been declared a bank holiday and many businesses will be closed.

The Stray Ferret has published a live blog that covers cancellations and rearrangements across the district.

Read more:

• The Queen’s funeral: Harrogate district arrangements for Monday

• No requirement for staff day off on Queen’s funeral, says Harrogate solicitor

A Harrogate woman has received a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of assault.

Elaine Manaley, 55, of Dene Park, attacked the woman who was named in court on August 2 last year.

She denied the offence, which occurred at Dene Park, Bilton, but was found guilty at York Magistrates Court on Monday.

Court documents described it as an “appalling assault on a member of the public”.

Manaley was also found guilty of damaging a pair of glasses and a wrist watch worth £120 belonging to the same victim. She denied the charge.

Read more:

• Bilton garages set to be demolished for housing
• Woman denies attempted murder in Bilton

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Manaley when she failed to appear in court on Friday last week to answer the charges against her.

York Magistrates Court. Credit: Flickr.

She was subsequently arrested and appeared before magistrates on Monday where she admitted three instances of failing to submit to custody having been released on bail.

Manaley was sentenced to nine weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

She was also ordered to pay a total of £894. This consisted of £620 to the Crown Prosecution Service and £274 compensation.

Building work has begun to create Harrogate’s first mosque, which could be open in time for Ramadan next Spring.

The building on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road has stood derelict for several years but Harrogate Islamic Association is bringing it back into use.

Around 100 Muslim worshippers, from a diverse range of backgrounds, currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House in Harrogate and Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

Unique project

Converting a former hospital, masonic hall and home guard club into a mosque has to be one of the most interesting building projects in Harrogate.

After completing the sale in May, there have been some nasty surprises.

The roof was in a much worse state than previously thought and then partially collapsed, which could have thrown the whole project into doubt.

Interior image of the building

Thankfully, the collapse hasn’t damaged the integrity of the walls, leaving workers able to press on with repairing the roof.

HIA member Zahed Amanullah said:

“There was a concern that the roof was degraded so much that we’d have to replace it, which we hadn’t anticipated and would be prohibitively expensive. Even logistically, we weren’t sure replacing the roof would even be possible.

“But a roofer gave us another opinion that has meant it can be saved. We just needed to progress with removing the actual tiling of the roof, investigating which parts are damaged, then restoring it.”

Read more:

• ‘Over the moon’ as sale completes on planned Harrogate mosque
• Harrogate Islamic Association confident of mosque purchase as deadline looms

Getting it watertight

Scaffolding has now gone up around the building and will remain there for the next two or three months whilst roofers make sure the building is watertight ahead of winter.

Work will also take place to smarten up its exterior and will include adding a new render and restoring the windows.

Mr Amanullah hopes the ground floor will be safe and clean by the end of this year so it can open for some congressional prayers.

He said the HIA may need to fundraise again to complete the upper level of the building, but he is confident all the uncertainty and hard work will be worth it in the end.

He added:

“Developers wanted to demolish it and I don’t think the building would have survived another winter. The collapse was quite dramatic.

“Our main goal is always the next Ramadan in March and April. That would be our goal to open for worship.

“We’re confident. It was a big risk to take.”

Harrogate Islamic Association will be posting updates about the project on its Twitter account.

Luxury fashion retailer Jules B is set to open a new store in Harrogate tomorrow.

The boutique, which will be in the former Jaeger unit on Cambridge Crescent, will sell womenswear.

The retailer offers collections by designers including Oska, Holland Cooper, NU London, Rag and Bone and Barbour International.

Owners Julian Blades and his wife, Rhona, opened their first womenswear store in Jesmond in 1984.

Read more:

• Jules B to open in Harrogate in September
• Oliver Bonas to open in Harrogate in September

Mr Blades said its brands “will be perfect for the sophisticated customer demographic in Harrogate and surrounding areas”.

He added:

“After years of planning to find the perfect location, our newest and biggest store in Harrogate is an inspiring womenswear shopping destination that covers two fantastic floors.

“We knew the time was right when the old Jaeger unit became available as it perfectly suits the Jules B aesthetic.”

An official launch event will take place on September 22.

Second home owners in North Yorkshire look set to be the first in the country to pay double council tax.

It comes after an investigation into avoidance loopholes concluded there is potential for the charge to be avoided.

In an attempt to help improve access to housing for local people, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive will on Tuesday consider launching a 100% council tax premium on second homes and premises which have been left empty for a year or more from April 1, 2024.

The move follows last year’s North Yorkshire Rural Commission recommending a charge is levied on second homes and used to finance affordable housing, helping to reverse the ongoing exodus of young families from areas where house prices are many times above average wages.

Two months ago the authority’s leading members postponed a decision on the premium after numerous concerns were raised about whether it would encourage council tax avoidance, for instance by second home owners transferring properties transferring to business rates.

Some opposition councillors have claimed the premium will prove difficult to implement while people who have owned properties in the county for decades say the move will simply make second homes the preserve of the rich.

In a report to the executive, officers forecast more than £14 million a year could be raised from using the levy being introduced by the government in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Read more:

• Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge
• Second homes council tax premium plan gets mixed reception
• 793 Harrogate district second-home owners face double council tax charge

Research has shown Richmondshire could generate about £1.8 million through the premium, while the Craven, Harrogate and Ryedale areas could each provide about £1.5 million in extra revenue. Hambleton could provide £1 million and the Selby district a further £260,000.

Addressing the concerns over tax avoidance loopholes, the report states that because council tax rates for second homes mirror those of main residences there may be issues with the classification of properties and the application of a second homes premium “may prompt owners to reclassify properties for genuine reasons”.

The report highlights that properties only need to be available to let for more than 20 weeks in a year to be classed under business rates and that the only detail needed to support such a claim is evidence of an advertisement for let for the property.

From April second homeowners must also prove the property was let for short at least 70 days.

The report states the council would use “mechanisms available” to clamp down on couples who own second homes and falsely claim they are living separately and warns of financial penalties if bogus information is provided.

Officers added while the proportion of second homes in Wales paying the 100 per cent premium had fallen by up to nine per cent since being introduced there in 2017, it is unclear whether the downward trend has been caused by avoidance loopholes or by bringing second homes back into use as housing.

Ahead of the debate, the authority’s Green Party group coordinator, Cllr Andy Brown, who represents Aire Valley, said areas faced “being hollowed out of permanent residents” and there was a strong case for raising the council tax not just on second home owners, but “anyone who rents a property out using short term online letting companies”.

He added it would take skill to design a local property tax to impact on rarely used second homes rather than North Yorkshire’s expansive tourism industry.