MPs warned energy bills are pushing Harrogate district businesses to ‘tipping point’

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has warned the area’s MPs that many businesses will soon reach a “tipping point” and have to close as soaring energy bills hit the high street.

Chamber chief executive David Simister said in letters to Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams that he had “grave” concerns for the outlook of high streets with the worst of the energy crisis yet to come ahead of the looming recession.

Mr Simister urged the MPs to put pressure on the government to “act now” and provide support for firms “before it is too late”.

He said:

“Whilst the focus seems very much to be on the cost of living crisis for homeowners, there is little being said about industry and commerce, and what, if any support, will be given to prevent businesses being forced to shut.

“Very soon, the 12-month, 50% business rates discounts is to end.

“This again is going to heap more financial woes on those who pay this tax to central government.

“Coupled with the rising costs of raw materials, fuel, the living wage, and National Insurance, many businesses will soon reach a tipping point, and unfortunately for some the only option will be to shut.”

Unlike households, small businesses’ bills are not covered by the energy price cap, which is set to go up in October when annual bills will average £3,554.

The Labour Party has proposed freezing the cap at the current level of £1,971 a year for households until April when it is hoped prices may start to ease.

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The party argues this would ease pressure on households and potentially give a boost to businesses as shoppers would have more money to spend.

However, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the two Conservative candidates competing to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister – have both rejected the plan.

The massive bill increases are already being felt by Harrogate district businesses and with further rises on the horizon, Mr Simister said many will simply not be able to cope with the double impact of shoppers cutting back spending.

He added these impacts were being felt even harder off the back of the covid pandemic which brought “two years of extreme difficulties for businesses”.

He said in his letter to MPs:

“For some, I fear the looming energy crisis, which is yet to bite, will be one storm too many to weather,”

“I urge you as our constituency MP to put pressure on your government colleagues to act now, not in two or three weeks’ time, to bring certainty, and hopefully some comfort, to business owners, including myself, who are incredibly worried.”

The three MPs have been contacted for comment.

TV presenters join Harrogate mayor at jurassic golf

The Mayor of Harrogate borough and former presenters from ITV Calendar took part in jurassic golf in Harrogate town centre last weekend.

Duncan Wood and Christine Talbot joined Cllr Victoria Oldham to take on the nine-hole course.

The course has been set up outside the Victoria Shopping Centre until Saturday, August 28.

Alongside the course, a Dino Trail has been set up in the town centre.

As people complete the trail, they will also be collecting letters that form a simple, themed anagram. Users can then submit the anagram/answer via the LoyalFree app for an additional chance to win a prize draw.

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Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has led on the initiative, said:

“In addition to coming into town to shop, eat and drink, visitors can now add mini-crazy golf to the list. The crazy golf in the Valley Gardens is incredibly popular, and we are confident our jurassic golf will be a roaring success.

“And once you have completed the challenging nine-hole course, there’s a dinosaur-themed themed trail to follow around town. A great way to spend an hour or two before or after visiting Harrogate’s great shops, bars and restaurants.”

Those wishing to play a round of golf can turn up on the day or book on the jurassic golf website here.

The cost is adults £3, children £2.50, family of four (two adults and two children) £10 and one adult and one child £5.

Consultation into Harrogate town council starts today

A consultation has started today into plans to set up a Harrogate town council.

North Yorkshire County Council is to launch a review into whether to create a lower tier authority in the town.

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

It will leave both Harrogate and Scarborough as the only areas of the county with no parish authority.

The unparished areas of Harrogate include these current county council divisions:

Bilton and Nidd Gorge

Bilton Grange and New Park

Coppice Valley and Duchy (part)

Fairfax and Starbeck

Harlow and St Georges

High Harrogate and Kingsley

Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate (part)

Oatlands and Pannal (part)

The Stray and Hookstone

Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate

Residents can give their views in the consultation online. It will close on September 30.

Cllr David Chance, executive member for corporate services, said: 

“Parish and town councils have always had a key role in representing the needs of their communities, and will have even greater opportunity to do so – as well as to take on greater responsibilities if they so wish – with the formation of the new North Yorkshire Council in April.

“As two of the county’s major centres of population, it’s vital that Harrogate and Scarborough have this opportunity and I would urge people to look at the consultation and have their say.

“At this stage, no firm proposals are being put forward. Depending on the response to this consultation, a further consultation on detailed proposals could follow.”

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The county council is due to send letters to residents in Harrogate informing them of the consultation.

Copies of the consultation will also be available from:

You can fill in the consultation online here.

What is a town council?

Town and parish councils run services such as community centres and play areas, as well as maintaining bus shelters. Councillors are elected to serve on them but they are not paid.

The councils can also charge a precept as part of council tax bills to fund the services provided, meaning there is a cost to the people they serve.

In the Harrogate district, there are town councils in areas such as Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Kirby Hill.

Because Harrogate does not currently have a lower tier council, it also raises questions over what its boundaries would be.

£49m Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment plans move to final design stage

The redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre has moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the £49 million plans is still a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The convention centre is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council which will hand over ownership of the venue after warning it “may fail to survive” without investment.

It said the convention centre – which is a key driver of business to the district’s hospitality and tourism trades – could lose up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

That warning was put to members of the borough council’s cabinet on Wednesday when they approved spending £3.3 million to progress final designs.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at the borough council, told a meeting that the redevelopment would enhance the appearance of the 40-year-old building and improve access to its auditorium.

He said:

“But absolutely critically, it would replace the ageing and failing mechanical and electrical facilities which we will have to do regardless of whether this scheme goes ahead.”

“The reality is we can’t do nothing as we would still require many millions of pounds of investment just to keep the venue ticking over”.

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The convention centre competes with venues in Manchester, Birmingham, London and other major cities for events. And now there is a new threat much closer to home after plans for a Leeds conference venue were revealed.

Those proposals for the site of the former Yorkshire Bank HQ were set for approval by Leeds City Council last week until a wave of objections from Harrogate Convention Centre and the town’s business leaders delayed the decision.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, criticised the city council for an “absence of dialogue” on the plans which she fears will have a big impact on Harrogate’s place in the “very competitive” events industry.

She also told Wednesday’s meeting:

“The convention centre’s role is to protect and create jobs for Harrogate, and to ensure it does not become a seasonal town and shut in the winter.

“Although the venue has retained many loyal clients over the years, increasing competition and growing operating costs have resulted in us having a major rethink of what our offer actually is.

“We need to innovate to recapture our position in the market and I very much believe this is achievable.”

The next stages of the proposed development will see designs produced by next May, before final costs are revealed the following month.

If approved, construction works would start later in the year with completion in November 2024.

Kex Gill realignment cost increases to £68m

The cost of a county council project to realign the A59 at Kex Gill has increased to £68.8 million.

A North Yorkshire County Council report said the authority faces a £7.2 million shortfall on the cost due to a rise in inflation.

The project will see a diversion built west of Blubberhouses on the stretch of road, which has been blighted by a history of landslips. The A59 is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton.

County council officials originally estimated that the scheme would cost £61.6 million.

Of that figure, £56.1 million worth of funding has been granted by the Department for Transport and the remaining cost will be covered by the authority.

However, in a report due before an executive meeting on Tuesday, the council has now said it faces a further shortfall of £7.2 million in funding for the scheme.

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It means the council has had to increase the funding it is allocating to the scheme to £12.7 million.

As a result, the council intends to use £7.2 million from its Brexit reserve account in order to fund the scheme.

It said:

“Should alternative funding resources be secured, whether in part or in full, the reserve provision will be relinquished.”

Council officials expect work to start on the scheme next year and continue until 2025.

North Yorkshire County Council previously said it hoped the reroute would start in autumn last year and take 15 months.

Ahead of appointing a contractor for the scheme, a full business case will be submitted to the Department for Transport.

Harrogate estate agent records £15m turnover

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Company accounts show Linley & Simpson recorded a turnover of £15m in the year ending 31 December 2021, up from £11.7m in 2020.

Pre-tax profit was £2.81m, compared to £2.86m the previous year, while operating profit before depreciation and amortisation was £4.67m, up from £3.95m.

The group completed seven acquisitions during the period, with five share purchases and two trade and asset purchases.

The group’s residential portfolio increased from 11,477 to 12,515 during the year, primarily driven by its acquisitions.

The company is planning to expand its land and new homes department to cover the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber from its 23 offices.

David Waddington, the agency’s director of land and new homes, said:

“Having grown into the largest land and new homes agent in the area, we now have a strong launch pad for taking our services to house builders in new territories.”

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Digital marketing graduate scheme announced

Harrogate digital agency group IDHL has welcomed 14 new starters to its biggest ever graduate training programme, which will be run from its Harrogate, Leeds and Manchester offices.

The 12-month specialist digital development programme for graduates has a goal of attracting new talent and investing in the training and development of entry level candidates.

The graduates will undergo training and get first-hand agency experience in other digital marketing service specialisms such as 6technical SEO, copywriting and digital PR as well as web development and design.

Graduate training manager Giacomo Palmieri said:

“I am proud to see this graduate scheme grow, with our successes and learnings in Paid laying solid foundation for the wider teams.

“When we started this programme, we had just one graduate candidate in place at a time, but this year we’ll have four people in Paid Media alone, and a further ten across other areas of the business. It’s so great to see.

“Our six alumni have become key to the day-to-day running of our team, and one has recently been promoted to senior executive.”

Nidderdale campsite owner calls for more regulation of ‘pop-up campsites’

The owner of a Nidderdale campsite has called for more regulation of “pop-up campsites” which she claims are impacting established businesses.

Louise Pullan co-owns the Breaks Fold Farm camping and glamping site in the Washburn Valley, next to Thruscross Reservoir, in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

She said the pop-up campsite trend was having a big impact on established sites and needed regulating by local authorities.

A change in regulations to allow landowners to establish pop-up campsites for up to 56 days was introduced in July 2020, to help the rural economy recover from the covid pandemic.

Previously, they were able to operate for only 28 days a year without applying for planning permission.

This 28-day rule is now back in place.

Ms Pullan said:

“It should be being enforced by local authorities, as many are operating well over and above this. It is time for the rules to stop being bent to suit now.”

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“Should anyone believe an area of land is being used as a campsite for more than the allocated number of days per year they are advised to get in touch with us by emailing planningenforcement@harrogate.gov.uk.”

Ms Pullan said outdoor accommodation search and booking platform Pitchup.com had a lot to answer for in relation to the issue.

Encouraging people to support the #bookdirect movement, which encourages customers to book direct with businesses to avoid fees, she said:

“People are setting up sites thinking they can make a massive profit. They are encouraging this trend of unregulated sites and pushing for the 56-day rule to be made permanent.

“We feel these sites are a risk to public health, in the same way an unregulated food business is, and they are ruining places like the national parks and AONB areas.

“If people want to support small accommodation businesses book direct, not through booking agents. They should support their favourite established sites to help them get through and recover from the impact of covid, when we only had a very limited window to open our businesses.”

She said that she was grateful to her client base for their continued support, but added:

“At the moment it is a fight to keep going, especially after we lost a huge part of our business in the form of our bistro Flock to the Fold. But everyday we feel lucky to still be here, because many haven’t made it through.”

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Pitchup.com founder and managing director Dan Yates said booking platform currently lists more than 3,100 sites and aims to be the most “comprehensive and user-friendly” online resource for outdoor accommodation in the UK.

He said that as a result, it includes detailed listings for sites that take bookings through the platform, as well as basic listings for sites that don’t.

He said:

“Pop-ups are a recent innovation and represent only a small part of Pitchup’s business (less than 10 per cent).

“In the past two years, pop-up campsites have brought desperately-needed revenue to farms and rural businesses across the UK as they negotiate the double whammy of a farming crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic.

“Following the reduction in the permitted development rights (PDR) allowance for pop-up sites to open from 56 to 28 days in England and Wales, a quarter fewer popups are using Pitchup this year and our popup bookings so far this year are down 27 per cent on last year.

“Although camping searches in the UK for 2022 are slightly down (-6 per cent) on the record volumes of 2021, double the number of Pitchup bookings by Brits have been made compared to 2019, equating to 720,000 additional customers – the vast majority of those are for established sites.

“From our side it’s great to see more and more people enjoying the beautiful UK countryside, ensuring the camping and caravan sector is best placed of any accommodation type to enjoy a bright future.”

Stray Views: Starbeck should support KFC expansion

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.

Starbeck should support KFC expansion

Thank you for your recent coverage of the KFC expansion. I’m saddened by the responses of Starbeck residents to the expansion of a successful business, and the demonisation of the industry as a whole.

Starbeck has rightly or wrongly become a refuge for the care system, the homeless, and people needing supported and sheltered accommodation. These people don’t have the incomes to support lovely deli’s and independent retail units that some residents loudly protest we should have. The businesses in Starbeck need to survive in a tough local environment. However, they can use the strategic location between Harrogate and Knaresborough to reach a massive local market and we should support them in doing so.

Empty shops bring disasters like McColl’s burnt out shell and feed a vicious cycle of crime and poverty. On an evening, our high street is a hive of activity and there is a real hustle and bustle thanks to our takeaways and food outlets. We should be leaning into this to create a real foodie destination to bring more jobs and improve Starbeck’s reputation.

Any one of us could take over these empty shops and start a business. If they believe there is a genuine demand for smaller retail shops, then I would challenge them to put their money where their mouth is.

William Powell, Starbeck

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Stonefall Cemetery deserves more care

Stonefall Cemetery has traditionally been kept beautifully and was always cared for. However it seems this year the grass cutting is rough, careless and damaging. 

I have noted now that the last five cuts have been made with heavy machines which aren’t really suitable for delicate areas. The cut grass is being left and is now preventing new growth, leaving the plots looking awful. I’m sure the council realises this is a graveyard and not a roadside verge. Our families deserve more care and respect.

I contacted Stonefall and they were sorry to hear my complaint but told me that the council had changed the garden team before Christmas.

I also frequent Harrogate Valley Gardens in Harrogate, which is beautifully cared for. Shouldn’t we provide the same care for our dearly departed?

Mark Anthony Taylor, Harrogate

Gateway correspondence response

In response to last week’s Stray Views letter regarding Station Gateway being “long overdue”, I note that the correspondent lives in Knaresborough.

Gillian Long, Harrogate

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.

County council home care service in Starbeck ‘requires improvement’

A home care service provided by North Yorkshire County Council in Harrogate has been rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the industry regulator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found Harrogate Home Support only met the standards for a ‘good’ rating in one of the five areas of judgement during its inspection in June.

The report, published this month, said the service – based at NYCC’s premises at 68a High Street – did not always give people enough choice over their lives and that record-keeping was not always thorough enough.

The report said:

“We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

“Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

“The service was not able to demonstrate how they were meeting some of the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

“Records were not always up to date and decisions made on behalf of people under the Mental Health Act 2005 were inconsistently applied or reviewed to ensure they continued to be the least restrictive option and in the persons [sic] best interest.

“The registered manager was responsive to our feedback and acted immediately. Associated health professionals were contacted to review all outstanding decision making and review records to ensure they included up to date person centred information.”

The report said staff followed infection control procedures with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE). It said they also issued medication safely, which was acknowledged by service users and their families.

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However, the assessments of whether the service was well-led, effective, responsive and safe all concluded it ‘requires improvement’. The report highlighted areas of concern such as:

“Information including risk assessments had not been completed to keep people and staff safe when navigating in and around people’s homes.

“An incident was recorded where staff had been attacked by a domestic animal owned by a person in receipt of a service. There was no evidence to demonstrate the actions taken to ensure everyone was aware of the risks and to keep others safe as part of lessons learnt.”

Inspectors found service users were encouraged in their hobbies and supported to take part in activities relating to these.

They were also given help to keep in touch with friends and family, such as learning to use video calling.

The service supports 15 people, of whom 11 receive care which is regulated by the CQC, and employs 32 staff.

‘Very happy’

Assessing whether the service was caring, the CQC report rated this area ‘good’ and said:

“People and their relatives told us they were actively involved in the planning of their care and were supported to express their views.

“One person said, “I have a care plan and I had a review a few weeks back. I was very happy. Everything went smoothly so I feel very happy.'”

The CQC said it had highlighted the areas of concern to North Yorkshire County Council and requested a report back about the action to be taken.

Those areas will then be checked by the CQC to ensure progress has been made.

Cllr Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for health and adult services, said:

“We accept the findings of the Care Quality Commission inspection and although we are disappointed with the performance of Harrogate Home Support in some areas we are pleased the service was recognised as caring.

“Work has already started to address issues raised in the report and we believe those measures will help Harrogate Home Support receive a good CQC rating in future.

“In addition, we have also been in contact with families to make them aware of the outcome of this inspection and to invite any questions or concerns they may have about relatives in the care of Harrogate Home Support.”

‘Everybody matters’: Marie Curie’s UK medical director on why she has the ‘best job in the world’

When Dr Sarah Holmes was on a hospital ward round and it became clear a long-term patient was dying, a consultant said they didn’t need to see her anymore.

“Outraged” at this, Dr Holmes, who had only recently qualified, snuck away and went to see her.

It was at this moment she realised she wanted to pursue a career in palliative medicine.

Now, just over 20 years later, she is a consultant in this field and is the medical director of Marie Curie Hospice Bradford, where she has worked since 2007.

In July 2020, she became UK medical director for Marie Curie, and combines this role with her ongoing clinical work in the hospice.

‘There is loads we can do to make life better’

Dr Holmes, who is set to move to Harrogate in the coming weeks, told the Stray Ferret:

“I just really wanted to make sure that people are looked after right until the end of their lives, not just if an illness is fixable.

“Even if the illness can’t be cured, there is loads that we can do to make life better. From working at Marie Curie for so many years, I see that every day.”

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. It provides frontline nursing and hospice care, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.

Marie Curie Bradford Hospice.

Describing the work of Marie Curie, Dr Holmes explained that the team looked after anyone with a life-limiting illness.

She explained:

“A lot of people think we just look after people with cancer, but it can be any life-limiting illness. So I see lots of people with motor neurone disease or Parkinson’s disease or lung conditions. All sorts of conditions really.

“When you tell people you work with people who have got life-limiting illnesses, they say ‘oh gosh that must be really depressing’. But actually, it’s just an amazing job. It’s the best job in the world.

“It’s all about life and living and getting the most out of life.”

Dr Holmes said there were obviously sad moments, as they were looking after people who were dying.

However, she said there was an enormous sense of satisfaction to know that you had supported a person to die peacefully and comfortably.

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She added:

“You also make a difference to the family afterwards as well. We are here to look after them and make sure they get all the support that they need.

“People are amazing. They let us into their lives at points that are really difficult. It’s just an incredible privilege what they share with us.

“I feel really lucky to be doing this job.”

Nursing service

Dr Holmes said while the Bradford hospice supported that particular population, there was a nursing service in North Yorkshire made up of qualified nurses and healthcare assistants.

She said:

“In the Harrogate area, if someone was at home and dying, one of our healthcare assistants or nurses would go and be with them overnight.

“It gives the family a chance to get some rest because sometimes it can be quite hard work looking after someone all the time at home. So it allows the family members to get some sleep and be confident that their loved one is being looked after.”

Dr Holmes said the work of Marie Curie was vital.

She said:

“I think it is really important actually. Just looking after people at the end of life is really important.

“Whatever advances we have in medical science, we are all going to die at some point. We get care from before we are born, but actually I think sometimes not everybody gets the care at the end of their life that they should get.

“We feel at Marie Curie that we have got a really important role to raise awareness of the importance of that.

“Everybody matters and everybody should be able to get the care and support that they need right up until the end.”

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner. The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book a table, click here.