Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 551 of 1147

North Yorkshire Police needs £12m to meet rising costs, says commissioner

North Yorkshire Police needs £12 million extra funding to tackle rising costs, says the county’s crime commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is currently consulting on her budget plans for police and fire services for 2023.

The commissioner’s office says the force has a budget of £191 million — 45% of which comes from council tax payers.

However, amid soaring inflation, the force requires an additional £12 million to meet salary increases and the rising cost of fuel and utilities.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government to allow her to increase the police’s share of council tax by £10 a year — a 3.6% rise for a band D property.

But she warned that this would only raise £3.1 million and “would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery unless savings could be delivered”.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“One of my roles is to set the precepts for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, something every commissioner has to do every year.

“It is never easy asking for more money, and I know that many individuals and families are facing financial pressures, but our emergency services are also dealing with rising costs as they continue their vital work to keep us all safe.

“This year is particularly challenging as I have to balance the burden on taxpayers and the growing demands for services from our police and fire and rescue services, so it’s vital that I hear your views.

“Please go online, take just a few minutes to have your say and I will ensure your views are reflected when decisions are made.”

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would require an additional £2 million for next year, the commissioner’s office estimates.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government will allow her to raise the fire precept by 3% – which would raise £700,000.

However, the commissioner’s office said this would be “significantly below inflation and would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery”.

Ms Metcalfe is expected to outline her budget plans for fire and police services in February 2023.

The consultation into police and fire precepts closes on January 16, 2023. You can take part in the survey here.

Business Breakfast: Growing Harrogate property company moves to refurbished office space

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal

Harrogate-based Moda Living, which develops and operates rental properties in the UK, has taken up 4,000 sq ft at Central House on Harlow Hill.

Leeds property investment and development company CEG has agreed a five-year lease with Moda Living for the workspace.

Dan Brooks, director of Moda Living, said:

“As a fast-growing company, we needed space which provides an inspiring, contemporary environment. Central House provides great facilities and a fantastic productive and healthy environment for the team.”

CEG, which also looks after The Exchange on Harrogate’s Station Parade, has managed a £4m investment into Central House, creating a new reception, common areas, café and courtyard.

Succession Wealth in Harrogate is to sponsor the Dynamic Leader category of the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards, which are sponsored by Prosperis, will take place at the Pavilions of Harrogate on March 9.

The Dynamic Leader category is one of ten prestigious awards to be won on the night. It recognises those leaders who make a difference, drive change and take their staff with them.

A spokesperson for Succession Wealth said:

“Succession Wealth are delighted to sponsor the ‘Dynamic Leader’ award.

“Within our teams we see the outstanding impact that an exceptional leader can have on their team, the wider business and ultimately our clients, so it’s a pleasure to be able to recognise such talent from across Harrogate.”

The four person panel of judges comprises some of the most influential business leaders in the Harrogate district.

Entries are open – so now is the time to give your team, business or boss the recognition they deserve.

Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘It’s our privilege to care for each other’

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, community grocery manager Carolyn Aitken tells us why working with people who rely on the groceries has been such an uplifting experience. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help.

When I took on the role of community grocery manager a year ago, I had never imagined what a privilege it would be.

That I would meet some of the most amazing people I’ve ever known, that this would be a role in which I would see such a broad spectrum of life and experience such a wide range of emotions, often all in one day.

From the heart-breaking revelation of a recently widowed wife or a bereaved parent, to the overwhelming kindness and generosity of a young couple who have given up their weekly takeaway to buy food to help others.

From the dad with a family to support, who lost everything including his home and business during the pandemic, or the beautiful young mother fighting long covid whilst caring for a newborn, to a group of elderly residents in shared accommodation giving a jar or packet or tin each week to help us to fill our shelves.

Volunteers who daily go above and beyond, collecting food from supermarkets late at night in all weathers or early mornings before most of us are awake, or who give up mornings or afternoons week after week to restock shelves and ensure everything’s displayed beautifully or to run the stores or cafes, always with a caring smile and a kind word for each customer.

We all wish we weren’t needed – everyone who plays a part in the life of Resurrected Bites agrees that there shouldn’t be the food waste that we collect each week – that we are a society that wilfully throws away perfectly good produce, because it’s not quite the right shape or size or has just passed its best, or there’s just been too much produced, and that such waste is wrong.

We agree that community groceries and foodbanks shouldn’t be needed in the UK in 2022, but we are moved by the needs of so many and so we try to make life just a little better for those in our community who are struggling.

Every day we wish we could do more – we can signpost our customers to other agencies and organisations who may also be able to help, with needs such as debt management, fuel vouchers, benefits advice or simply where to access clothes or furniture, but our hope is that one day, it won’t be like this.

That is the hope of our founder and director Michelle, who tirelessly works long hours, securing grants, arranging fundraisers, co-ordinating a plethora of supporters and volunteers, juggling a small team running the cafes, the community groceries, the pay-as-you-can tables and the warehouse. Resurrected Bites was her vision, one that was so inspirational that it has been caught by the communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough and grown into the amazing work it is today.

And it’s that word ‘community’ that shines out of all that we do and all that we’re a part of. Our tiny, beautiful corner of Yorkshire is incredibly community focused, people have told me that’s why they moved here to live.

As a community they care for one another, and as a community, it will be our privilege to continue to care for them, while we can.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas.

It costs £300 to run the community grocery for one day. Please help to keep it open for everyone who relies on it.

Click here to contribute now. Thank you.

Weather warning for Harrogate district as icy snap looms

A weather warning for ice has been issued for the Harrogate district as sub-zero temperatures loom.

The warning is in force from 6pm tomorrow until noon on Thursday.

The Met Office has warned “some disruption is likely due to icy surfaces” on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

The district has had remarkably little ice so far this winter.

Temperatures are expected to fall slightly below freezing tonight and then plunge to minus three degrees centigrade on the next few nights. They will struggle to rise much above freezing even during the day and light snow could fall on Friday and Saturday.

Temperatures could fall even lower in more rural areas, such as Greenhow Hill, which is the highest place in the Harrogate district.

Gritters, which operated last night, will be back out on key routes again tonight.

Luxury new-build bungalows go on the market in picturesque village of Rainton

This article is sponsored by Linley & Simpson.

An exclusive new development of luxury four-bedroom bungalows has gone on the market in the picturesque village of Rainton.

Boasting a cricket club, green and pub, the idyllic rural setting provides the perfect location for Grange Farm.

As village locations remain in huge demand, one property has already been sold.

However, there are two spacious detached homes with double garages remaining, with prices starting from £630,000.

They have been built by Harrogate-based independent developers JWK Developments Ltd.

Plot 1 at Grange Farm Barns, Rainton.

Lucy Collinge, new homes marketing executive at Linley & Simpson, the agent selling the properties, said:

“It is unusual for a development of bungalows to come to the market – particularly as new builds.

“These properties are around 1,800 sq ft. However, they are really energy efficient as they are fitted with air source heat pumps and underfloor heating.

“The specification is high quality with stunning contemporary open-plan fitted kitchens, french doors opening to a private garden and patio and tiled bathrooms and ensuites. There is also a feature oak handrail in the hallway.”

The homes boast a carefully considered layout, with living and sleeping accommodation shared on the ground floor, as well as featuring a principal bedroom to the first floor in a dormer bungalow style.

A bathroom at a similar development in Alne, near Easingwold, by JWK Developments.

A separate sitting room and optional study or snug allows for a second reception room, ensuring that these homes provide for versatile living accommodation.

The ground floor also provides a utility room, cloakroom WC, house bathroom, two further double bedrooms and a single fourth bedroom/study.

Ms Collinge said:

“They also feature large landscaped gardens, which have been planted with crabapple trees and are really pretty. They are very much in-keeping with the village landscape.”

Rainton is a quintessentially English village, nestled between Ripon and Thirsk.

It is close to the junction of the A1 and A168, providing the commuter with options when travelling by car. Central Harrogate and York are 16 and 25 miles to the south respectively and Leeds is 38 miles away.

A kitchen at a similar development in Alne, near Easingwold, by JWK Developments.

For longer journeys, the nearest train station is Thirsk which is just seven miles away. From here, it is possible to catch direct trains to Leeds, London, Manchester Airport, Sunderland and York.

Ms Collinge added:

“Rainton has got a lovely village green and a maypole and it certainly looks the part.

“You’ve also got great transport links on the doorstop giving seclusion without remoteness.

“Rainton really is a stunning village in a fabulous location – the perfect place to buy a new home.”

James Knight, director of JWK Developments, said:

“Grange Farm is a truly unique development and the importance of an energy efficient and sustainable home has been recognised.

“From Mitsubishi air source heat pumps, underfloor heating to the ground floor and electric vehicle charging points, this offers buyers luxury eco-friendly living.”

To enquire about plots 1 and 2 at Grange Farm Barns, call Linley & Simpson on 01423 540054

New housing plan to be created for Harrogate district

A new Local Plan guiding where land can be used for housing and employment for decades to come is to be drawn up for North Yorkshire.

Harrogate Borough Council currently has its own Local Plan which outlines where development can take place across the district until 2035.

It is due to be reviewed by 2025 but this looks set to be scrapped because of the creation of a new unitary authority North Yorkshire Council and the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council on April 1.

North Yorkshire County Council will be recommended to approve creating a new county-wide strategy at a meeting of its executive next week.

However, a report to councillors who will decide whether to accept the recommendation says a review of the proposed Maltkiln development, which could see up to 4,000 homes built near Cattal, will continue as planned.

The new Local Plan would look ahead for a minimum of 15 years, and at least 30 years in relation to any larger scale developments, such as new settlements or significant urban extensions. It would encompass all areas of the county outside the national parks.

Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the authority, said:

“A robust Local Plan that sets out an ambitious vision and a clear framework for growth will ensure that we keep control of how and where development takes place.

“By ensuring a local focus, we can protect and enhance the quality of the places in which we live, creating sustainable economic growth and prosperous communities while safeguarding the natural and heritage assets that are such an important aspect of our county.”

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for growth and housing, said

“The plan will be vital to the new North Yorkshire Council’s ambitions to deliver sustainable economic growth, through good homes and jobs, as well as the best facilities and infrastructure for everyone who lives or works in the county.

“Planning guidance will also play a key role in meeting our ambitious targets to tackle climate change. In addition, it can support other services in meeting the needs of our many communities at a local level, taking into account everything from transport and education to housing, health and social care.”

Hosepipe ban lifted after wet autumn across Harrogate district

The hosepipe ban covering the Harrogate district has been lifted with immediate effect.

Yorkshire Water said the public’s efforts to save water, combined with more wet weather than average during the autumn, meant the restrictions imposed on August 26 were no longer needed.

The company said an average of 28 million litres of water had been saved each day under the restrictions, taking pressure off its reservoirs. However, Yorkshire is still classified by the Environment Agency as being in drought conditions.

Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We’re really grateful to our customers for their efforts to save water whilst the weather was drier than usual.

“Thanks to a number of emergency drought schemes, drought permits, increased leakage activity, rainfall, and everyone’s efforts to save water, reservoirs are now looking much healthier – with the average level across the region now at 75%.”

Yorkshire Water said it had hired more technicians to deal with leaks and working seven days a week to carry out repairs. It said leakage had reduced by more than 9% this year, as it works towards a goal of a 15% reduction by 2025.

Mr Dewis added:

“As we’ve seen this year, climate change is making weather patterns more extreme.

We recently submitted our latest draft water resource management plan to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The document predicts future water use, weather patterns, and sets out our action plan to reduce the likelihood of future restrictions and ensure we can continue to meet demand over the next 60 years.

“We’d welcome feedback from customers and other stakeholders on our draft plan, which can be viewed on our website.

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is no longer in place, it’s really important that we all continue to save water where we can. Adopting small habits like reusing grey water or installing a water butt will save water and energy, helping to reduce bills and protect the environment.”

To view the draft water resource management plan, click here.

More misery for motorists on Ripon Road in Killinghall today

Motorists are set for another day of delays on the A61 Ripon Road in Killinghall today, with long queues already forming.

Traffic in both directions was horrendous yesterday due to traffic lights caused by workers digging up the grass verge near Ripley.

After some respite later in the day, another set of roadworks appeared in the middle of Killinghall at 8.30pm as workers began digging up the road despite the late hour.

Late night roadworks in the middle of the village.

Four-way lights were installed at the junction of Ripon Road and Otley Road.

This morning, queues are again in place, with Yorkshire Water due to carry out work on Ripon Road all week traffic lights back.

Rossett sixth formers turn orange in global campaign to end violence against women and girls

Sixth form students and teachers at Rossett School in Harrogate turned orange as part of a global campaign to end violence against women and girls.

The students partnered with the Harrogate & District Soroptimists for 16 days of activism to end gender-based violence as part of the Orange the World Campaign.

The students developed a short presentation which focussed on three issues: female genital mutilation; violence against disabled women and a national day of remembrance.

Over each of the 16 days Harrogate & District Soroptimists have joined soroptimists worldwide in in promoting gender equality and calling for an end discrimination and the violation of human rights.

President Val Hills said:

“We are delighted to be working with Rossett School on the Sharing our Skills project. Younger people are our future. This is a fantastic example of how we educate, empower, and enable young women to find their voice.

“The students have embraced the challenge of their first project by spreading the word about important global issues that are around us in our communities every day.”

Head of Rossett sixth form Mr Keyworth said:

“I am incredibly proud of all of the students for supporting Harrogate and District Soroptimists.

“The Orange the World Campaign with the 16 days of activism has given our students the opportunity to discuss, share and campaign in relation to these important issues. Students have had both assemblies and Personal Development lessons focussed solely on these issues.

“Educating students in these real world issues is vital for both the students’ education and development, and also for the future and ending gender based violence”.

Plan for community networks in North Yorkshire labelled ‘crackers’

Plans to create about 30 unelected community networks in North Yorkshire following the abolition of district councils have been criticised as “crackers” and “an academic exercise”.

Councillors from across the political spectrum have voiced a plethora of concerns about North Yorkshire County Council’s proposals to form forums based around market town areas.

The authority has pledged its successor unitary council would be committed to keeping services local and give communities a bigger say in services from April 1, 2023.

Under the proposals, local priorities will be decided by around 30 community networks, based around market town areas.

Made up of community and business groups, town and parish councils and representatives from other local groups and public services, including local councillors, the council claims community networks will act as local agents for economic and social change.

A meeting of the Tory-run council’s corporate scrutiny committee heard councillors brand the proposed forums as unnecessary, while others have said they would be toothless or poorly attended as they could not make financial decisions.

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who represents Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, said while elected members would be obliged to attend networks in the division to which they were elected, as the proposed 30 networks did not follow division boundaries, they would need to attend networks outside their division too.

He said elected community representatives needed more consideration in the proposals, which he described as “unpractical” and an “academic exercise”.

Cllr Brown said:

“We have a job to do and we’re not really mentioned. If I’m having to go to meetings in somebody else’s division it seems a nonsense to me.

“It’s bad enough with 16 parish councils in my division, but if you are having to go to further meetings in someone else’s area because it’s a community hub covering the whole of several divisions, it’s crackers.”

Hunmanby Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, an independent member, told the meeting there was a consensus among parish councils in her area that community networks would undermine their role in the community.

She added:

“They feel they allow individuals who don’t have or are not honestly representative of the wider community to pursue their own projects.

“One thing that really has annoyed people, and it annoys me as a parish councillor, is that we are expected to do all the work and take responsibility, yet someone can now waltz onto the community network and have more influence than the average parish councillor.”

After the meeting, the authority’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said he recognised there were a range of concerns being raised about the community network proposals, but they remained “very much a work in progress” and were being shaped by a range of views.

He said the idea was to bring people together to discuss services and priorities in their areas and would not downgrade parish councils’ influence.

Cllr Les said:

“In that respect I think it’s a worthy ambition to talk to people. In no way are they meant to negate the work or replace parish or town councils, or of the elected member. I appreciate the value of parish councils. I was a parish councillor for well over a decade.

“This is about working in clusters and the network might cover areas that are not covered by a parish council, but by a parish meeting, which only meet as and when they need to.”

He said such community networks had been in place across North Yorkshire for some time, with Community Engagement Forums in Selby district and Area Partnerships in Richmondshire.

Cllr Les added:

“I have got great hope for these networks.”

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To enquire about plots 1 and 2 at Grange Farm Barns, call Linley & Simpson on 01423 540054

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