Harrogate rough sleepers are being offered support, says council leader

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has assured people that support is being offered to rough sleepers on Oxford Street.

In a statement to last night’s council cabinet meeting, Cllr Richard Cooper said he was aware of concern regarding drinking, street begging and rough sleeping at the back of Primark.

Cllr Cooper said that “to the best of the council’s knowledge” three “entrenched, long-term” rough sleepers have been sleeping in the area.

He said they had been offered various accommodation options, including Fern House in Starbeck, which is the council’s move-on accommodation for rough sleepers, a bed and breakfast in Knaresborough and a two-bedroom council house, but all were turned down.

Cllr Cooper added that temporary accommodation was later accepted, but the occupants left.

He said:

“Unfortunately, that accommodation was extensively damaged by the occupants who had to leave it and are now sleeping rough again.

“I know that caring members of the public are leaving food and coffees behind Primark for the group that are gathered there.

“Now, that is often a much larger number than the three rough sleepers I mentioned earlier.”

Cllr Cooper added: 

“I can assure people that many of those gathered there and on Bower Street, where we have seen similar issues, have their own accommodation provided by housing associations or the council, which they can use.

“I can’t fault and would never fault people for demonstrating their compassion. I would just say that extensive support with healthcare, washing, cooked meals and medical support is available a few yards away in the Springboard facility in the Wesley Chapel.

“If people have spare cash to support Springboard, which is run by Harrogate Homeless Project, or Harrogate Street Aid through the various terminals around town, then this may be a more long-term way to provide the help that is required.”

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Cllr Cooper, who is a trustee of Harrogate Homeless Project, said the council, along with businesses and other organisations, would continue to support rough sleepers.

He added the help will include drawing up a plan as “a town centre community rather than individual organisations” to identify how to get support to those people.

Concern over homelessness 

In August, council bosses raised concern over a “perfect storm” of homelessness in Harrogate due to the cost of living crisis and lack of accommodation.

The authority revealed a “huge” 60% increase in requests for housing help, which has led to more homeless people staying in bed and breakfasts for longer.

The council also said it has had difficulties in moving hostel tenants into permanent housing as cases have been “more complex than normal”.

Speaking at the time, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said these issues combined with a lack of private rental properties in the district were creating a “perfect storm”.

Harrogate BID manager to remain in post

Harrogate Business Improvement District has confirmed that manager Matthew Chapman will remain at the organisation.

Mr Chapman announced in September that he was due to leave the BID to take up a position at North Yorkshire Council.

However, the organisation has now confirmed that Mr Chapman will no longer be leaving.

Sara Ferguson, Harrogate BID chair said: 

“Following a change of heart, Matthew Chapman will now not be leaving Harrogate BID.

“This is extremely good news for us and Harrogate town centre businesses, and we look forward to continuing the relationship developed over the last 18 months.”

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Mr Chapman, who took up the role in May last year, was previously Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.

Businesses within Harrogate’s town centre pay the BID 1.5% of their rateable value a year on top of their usual business rates.

Harrogate BID brings in around £500,000 from local firms, which it spends on projects to improve the town centre and increase the number of visitors.

During Mr Chapman’s 18 months in Harrogate, BID campaigns include power washing 80,000 square metres of the town centre, painting drab walls with colourful murals and buying more than 500 pieces of outdoor furniture for businesses to use.

Yorkshire hedgelaying competition coming to Ripley

Ancient country skills will be on display in Ripley when hedgelayers from across the region battle it out for cash prizes and the chance to be named the best in Yorkshire. 

The annual competition, organised by the Yorkshire Hedgelaying Association, gives competitors six hours to hack, chop, saw and prune seven yards of unkempt hedge into a neat, stockproof barrier that even a lamb can’t get through. 

There are three classes – novice, intermediate and expert – and newcomers are welcome. Entry for competitors is £10 (lunch provided), and spectators will be asked to make a contribution to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity.

There will also be a display of heavy horses and a chance to visit the old dairy museum.

Food for spectators will be available from a van on site.

The Yorkshire Hedgelaying Association competition will take place at Birchwood Farm in Ripley, on Saturday from 8.30am to 3pm. The farm entrance is between the two roundabouts on the A61 at Ripley (postcode: HG3 3AX). 

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Business Breakfast: Knaresborough marketing agency makes three new appointments

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Knaresborough marketing and PR agency has announced three new appointments amid continued growth.

Allott and Associates, which has offices at Claro Chambers, has made the recruitment after securing new accounts from both UK and international companies.

Emily Evans has joined as an account manager, Beth Hamby as a PR executive and Josie Bridson as a marketing assistant.

Emily said:

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Allotts team. 

“Despite these challenging times the company is going from strength to strength. I love the can-do philosophy that helps clients get the best results.”

Director Carol Rees said: 

“I’m so pleased to be welcoming Emily, Beth and Josie to Allotts and I’m confident that they will make valuable contributions to the continuing success of the agency.

“Despite the challenges both at home and abroad, we continue to invest in all aspects of the business to deliver effective and fully integrated PR and marketing campaigns, which are enabling our clients to continue winning new work in multiple market sectors.”

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Harrogate Bus Company to mark remembrance

Harrogate Bus Company has announced that its buses will adorn commemorative poppies to mark this year’s Remembrance Day.

The poppies will be prominently displayed on the front of buses on routes covering hundreds of miles every day across the Harrogate district and into West Yorkshire.

ictured from left are: Terry Wood, President, Royal British Legion; veterans Brian Whittaker and John Mainland; and Transdev engineers Patrick Mclaughlin and Stephen Buckley.

Pictured from left are: Terry Wood, President, Royal British Legion; veterans Brian Whittaker and John Mainland; and Transdev engineers Patrick Mclaughlin and Stephen Buckley.

The company will also provide free travel on Remembrance Day this Friday (November 11) and Remembrance Sunday (November 13) to all current service personnel with forces ID, and to veterans in uniform or with their medal.

CEO of parent firm Transdev, Alex Hornby said:

“With financial challenges currently affecting many veterans and their families in the communities we serve, it’s more important than ever that we continue our support for the excellent work done by the Royal British Legion.

“We hope that by prominently showing our support for the Poppy Appeal on our buses, many of our customers will join us in contributing to this excellent cause.

“We want to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, and to support those living with the impact of conflict today. All our teams at our depots across the North are fully behind this.”

Harrogate district nurses vote to strike

Nursing staff in the Harrogate district have voted to go on strike over pay and patient safety concerns.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust nurses were among those from many trusts in England that voted to strike, the Royal College of Nursing said today.

A spokesman for the trust said it would be for the union to decide when a strike will take place.

Many of the biggest hospitals in England will see strikes by RCN members but others narrowly missed the legal turnout thresholds to qualify for action.

This is the first statutory ballot on industrial action across the UK in the 106-year history of the RCN.

Industrial action is expected to begin before the end of this year and the RCN’s mandate to organise strikes runs until early May 2023, six months after members finished voting.

Nursing staff were balloted following NHS Agenda for Change pay announcements this year. The RCN said in a statement this left experienced nurses 20 per cent worse off in real-terms compared to ten years earlier.

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RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said:

“Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough. The voice of nursing in the UK is strong and I will make sure it is heard. Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.

“Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this. While we plan our strike action, next week’s Budget is the UK government’s opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point.”

England Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he “deeply regretted” some union members had voted for action and said the government’s priority was “keeping patients safe during any strikes”. He added:

“The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”

 

Goldsborough gridlock brings ongoing misery to motorists

Queues of more than an hour have been reported once again this week due to temporary traffic lights on the edge of Knaresborough.

Three-way lights have been in place to allow Yorkshire Water to carry out work on the A59 near the junction with the A658, near Goldsborough.

The roadworks began affecting the busy commuter route at the beginning of October and have been regularly causing long tailbacks.

And while there has been some relief, with the lights being turned off at different periods throughout the day, it has inevitably caused traffic chaos.

This week drivers have reported queues all the way back to junction 47 of the A1(M) and beyond.

It has also had a major impact on pupils and teachers getting to and from Goldsborough CE Primary School.

With the roadworks due to last until November 27, many people have expressed frustration on social media.

@northyorkscc Could you ask your Highways Department what the point of the temporary traffic lights are at the Goldsborough/Knaresborough A59 roundabout please? The traffic is currently backed up to the A1 at Allerton Park yet there are no roadworks on the A59!!

— Alan Huddart (@alanhuddart) November 8, 2022

One woman wrote on a Facebook group:

“Not helpful when it’s a guessing game every morning to see if they are on or not going to work in York daily.”

Another added:

“50 minutes it’s just taken me to get from Boroughbridge to King James School!”

The Stray Ferret contacted Yorkshire Water for comment but has not had a response.

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Kingsley developers open safe route for walkers and cyclists

A safe route is to be kept open for walkers and cyclists during work to build 133 houses in Harrogate.

Kingsley Road closed on Monday beyond the junction with Kingsley Drive up to the bridge leading to Bogs Lane for up to six months.

It means people travelling along Kingsley Road will be unable to get to Bogs Lane without a lengthy 1.4-mile detour on to the main A59 Knaresborough Road.

Although most people understood the need to close the road to traffic, some residents questioned the need to also close the route to pedestrians and cyclists, who use it to get to the bridge going down to the shared off-road walking and cycling route to Bilton.

Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire County Council, said last month he would ask developer Redrow to maintain access for cyclists and walkers.

Cllr Aldred said today:

“I am delighted to be able to inform residents that Redrow have agreed to maintain a safe route at the side of the works specifically for pedestrians and cyclists.

He said people on bike or foot could follow the footpath on the side of the Barratt estate and then use a passageway to avoid a lengthy detour.

Cllr Aldred added:

“The very amenable Redrow contracts manager has assured me they will try to preserve this walkway, whenever possible during the works.

“Obviously there will be certain days when they will need to dig across the entire road and this walkway will then not be available for the public to use, for safety reasons, but I have an assurance that Redrow will try to keep this to a minimum.

“I do believe this is a very sensible and more importantly, workable solution to this issue, whilst the work is going on and thank Redrow very much indeed for their efforts to enable this to happen.”

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New 80-seat restaurant to open in Harrogate on Friday

A new 80-seat independent restaurant with a cocktail bar and terrace will open in Harrogate on Friday.

The Stray Ferret revealed last week HG1 Grill and World Bar was to open in the building formerly occupied by Samsons and Le Bistrot Pierre on Cheltenham Crescent.

New owner Jas Gill has confirmed the venue will open in two days time.

Ms Gill, who is from a property background, has assembled a team including head chef Javier Oitana, general manager Jerome Lacheure and bar manager Joe Oliver.

Customers are able to visit for drinks or to sample the menu.

The grill will provide a wide range of international options and the bar will offer live music and DJ sets as well as cocktails.

Ms Gill said:

“We’ve assembled a team that is passionate about food and what we are trying to achieve.”

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New tree avenue to be planted on Harrogate’s Stray

An avenue of apple and maple trees will be planted on Harrogate’s Stray this month.

They will be among 800 trees planted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of National Tree Week.

The council will also be planting native trees, including oak, lime and sycamore, at Hay a Park in Knaresborough and at Paddies Park and Gallows Hill in Ripon.

About 500 of the trees have been nurtured at the council’s Harlow Hill nursery.

National Tree Week, which begins on November 26, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Planting more trees is a priority for us and this project supports a number of schemes – the White Rose Forest, for example – that will help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.

“We couldn’t do it without the help of volunteers so I’d like to thank everyone who has either provided a sapling or will be planting a tree.”

More information about National Tree Week is available on the Tree Council website.

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Call for council to oppose fracking in North Yorkshire

Calls have been made for North Yorkshire County Council to oppose fracking in the county.

Two motions will be submitted to the authority’s full council next week urging officials to recognise the practice is “inappropriate” for the area.

North Yorkshire is regarded as a potential rich source of shale gas.

But councillors have claimed that supporting fracking would contradict the council’s own carbon reduction policies as well the council’s declaration of a climate emergency in July.

A motion submitted by Green Party Cllr Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, calls on the local authority to oppose fracking across the county.

The motion will say:

“This council believes that there is firm scientific evidence that fracking for oil and gas is incompatible with the need to achieve net zero carbon emissions sufficiently rapidly to avoid climate breakdown.

“Furthermore it is in direct conflict with the council’s carbon reduction plan and the emerging climate change strategy, therefore North Yorkshire County Council in line with the current government’s policy is opposed to fracking in North Yorkshire.”

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A separate Liberal Democrat motion will also call on the council to make Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ministers “fully aware” that it will not support fracking in the county.

The government recently declared that it would only support the practice in areas where there is support for it.

However, Mr Sunak has pledged that a ban on fracking would be reinstated after it was lifted by former Prime Minister Liz Truss.