Harrogate Borough Council said today that it’s parking enforcement manager, Steve Rogers, has resigned with “immediate effect”.

It follows a Stray Ferret investigation that exposed Mr Rogers for being behind the abusive and obscene anonymous Twitter account @ChippyGlory.

Many victims of his abuse were Harrogate councillors and well known people in the town.

The Stray Ferret tracked the @ChippyGlory account for two years after being told from a source that it was run by a council manager.

Following our report on Tuesday, the council launched an investigation into Mr Rogers.

At the same time Liberal Democrat councillors called for Mr Rogers instant dismissal and Conservative councillor Nick Brown called for his immediate suspension during the investigation.

We will be publishing reaction to his resignation as we receive it.

The council has said it will not be making any further comment.

Read More:

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Harrogate Photographic Society‘s free centenary exhibition has started at St Peter’s Church.

The exhibition includes about 130 photographs taken by members, including some historic images of Harrogate.

The society was founded on October 23, 1922 and was originally based at a shop on King’s Road.

The exhibition will run until Thursday next week and is open from 10am to 4pm daily, except on Sunday when it is open from noon to 4pm.

The society meets weekly on Monday nights in Harrogate.

Some of the exhibits

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Craft beer lovers in Harrogate can rejoice as a new town centre bar is set to open today.

Husk Beer Emporium and Bar, which is situated on Station Square, will showcase local and UK wide beers.

Joint owners Danny Duckworth and Tom Gill opted for the venture as a natural progression from their shop on Kings Road.

Mr Duckworth told the Stray Ferret that the pair felt the time was right to move towards opening a bar.

He said:

“We have had the shop for three years and we like to think that has created the awareness of world beer in Harrogate.”

Food, drink and an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of beers

The bar will sell food and drink, including a draught line with everything from German lager to hazy pale ales.

For Mr Duckworth, part of the reason for setting up to bar was to create a place which will also offer affordable, interesting beers.

Three of the draughts on sale will be under £5, enabling people who may not normally opt for a craft beer to be able to try them.

Those who are enthusiastic about their beers will also be to try the “Aladdin’s cave” of unique brews downstairs.

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Customers will be able to design their own grilled cheese sandwiches, while cocktail lovers can sample a range of drinks.

Dogs and children will also be welcome in Husk.

In the long-term, there is also an ambition to put live music on for those who like songs to go with their craft beer.

Crucially for Danny, the aim of the new bar is to create a place for everyone to drink – not just beer enthusiasts.

He said:

“We wanted to create a place where we would want to drink.”

Husk Beer Emporium and Bar will be open from midday today.

People across the Harrogate district will be asked from today for their views on a historic £540 million devolution deal for North Yorkshire.

In August, county council leaders agreed the long-awaited deal with ministers to devolve more powers, including an elected mayor, to North Yorkshire and York.

The deal will see £18 million year worth of funding devolved to the county over 30 years.

Now, as part of the process to bring more powers to North Yorkshire, the public, businesses and charity organisations will be asked for their thoughts on the deal.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“We really need the public to come forward and give us their views on what is important to them and how devolution can benefit communities and businesses across York and North Yorkshire.

“The chance to secure these decision-making powers and millions of pounds in funding from the government is set to prove a life-changing opportunity for more than 800,000 people who live and work in York and North Yorkshire.

“Devolution will give local leaders the chance to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing people in York and North Yorkshire – whether that be providing more affordable housing, improving skills and education for better job opportunities, boosting transport infrastructure or tackling the climate crisis.”

Pictured: Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Greg Clark MP and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council sign the document.

Meanwhile, Helen Simpson, chair of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: 

“This is a historic moment for York and North Yorkshire and creates the opportunity to deliver long-term investment to support business growth.

“I’d like to invite business leaders across the region to contribute to this consultation.”

Consultation on the deal will run until Friday, December 16. People can have their say at the York and North Yorkshire Devolution website here.

What is in the deal?

As part of the devolution deal, a mayoral combined authority would be formed with a directly-elected mayor by May 2024.

It would mirror similar arrangements in the Tees Valley, where Conservative mayor Ben Houchen oversees the combined authority.

Read More:

• Have devolution fears that Harrogate will be voiceless come true?
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• North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?

While the planned North Yorkshire deal brings £540 million worth of investment funding, it is lower than the original £750 million requested by local leaders.

However, more power over skills and transport will be devolved.

It will see whoever is elected mayor and the new combined authority have control over the adult education budget and the ability to draw up its own transport strategy.

Control over bus franchising has also been granted to the county and the power to set up Mayoral Development Corporations, which have the power to buy land for housing or employment to regenerate a defined area.

Much of the deal echoes what was given to Tees Valley in 2015, where mayor Houchen has since exercised his economic development powers to buy Teesside International Airport and Redcar Steelworks.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Local businesses attended an event yesterday to find out how Harrogate College can help them fulfil their training and recruitment needs.

The college set up an employers’ network to allow employers from the Harrogate district to influence the college’s courses and training.

Yesterday’s annual event gave representatives from the businesses the opportunity to find out more about what has been achieved in the last year and say what more could be done.

Employers also got a first-look at the proposed pathway to employment programme, which would support the cost and challenges of recruitment and retainment.

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Raworths has been recognised as one of the leading law firms in the north of England.

The Harrogate law firm has been included in the new Chambers UK legal guide 2023, including Band 1 rankings for its Employment and Family teams.

Chambers UK is one of the leading legal professional guides; its rankings drawing on independent research carried out with clients and professional contacts.

Simon Morris, managing partner at Raworths said:

“This is a fantastic boost for the whole team who work so hard to ensure that we provide the best service for our clients across all practice areas.

“To have our teams recognised is a testament to the range and quality of our services and our genuinely integrated commercial and private client expertise, enabling our teams to work together on complex issues across our clients’ personal and business affairs.

“It’s fantastic that these rankings draw directly on client feedback – as cultivating trusted, longstanding relationships with our clients is at the very heart of our business.”

Organisers of this year’s Harrogate Christmas Fayre have said they won’t erect any seasonal attractions until wartime remembrance activities have concluded.

The decision to put up a helter-skelter next to the war memorial two days after Remembrance Sunday divided opinion last year.

Some claimed it was disrespectful to locate it so close to the memorial, so close to Remembrance Sunday; others said the war dead fought for freedom and would have liked the idea of children playing on the rides.

Ivan Nicholson van Ingen, a former soldier of 40 years’ service, contacted the Stray Ferret to seek clarification on this year’s arrangements.

Mr Nicholson van Ingen said many veterans were upset last year at seeing the helter-skelter alongside the memorial and urged the fayre organisers not to install it before Remembrance Sunday, which is on November 13.

A spokeswoman for Destination Harrogate, a tourism division of Harrogate Borough Council, which is one of the Christmas fayre organisers, confirmed this would not happen. She said:

“We would like to assure Mr Nicholson van Ingen and your readers that, as with last year, Harrogate Borough Council has been in contact with the Royal British Legion to advise of plans for the town centre festive attractions prior to any final decisions being taken.

“We can also confirm that as with last year, no festive installations will be put in place this year or in future years before remembrance activities have taken place.”

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• Harrogate council asked British Legion about helter skelter location
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The spokeswoman said the helter-skelter was put up on November 15 last year, increased footfall and and “provided a fun, safe, family-friendly experience that was particularly welcomed following the challenges of the pandemic”. She added:

“Our Christmas attractions will be in situ and open to the public between December 2 and January 8 and we look forward to a great opportunity for our residents and visitors to enjoy the festivities in Harrogate.”

A campaign group has claimed that improvements for cycling and walking in Harrogate are not a top priority for the county council which has revealed more delays for key projects.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said transport officials have found more time for infrastructure upgrades for cars than active travel.

His comments come after North Yorkshire County Council announced it is preparing to launch a consultation on plans for Oatlands Drive and phase two of the Otley Road cycle path which now won’t be built until at least next summer.

Mr Douglas said the latest delays were “incredibly frustrating” and that it is now “vital” that progress is made.

He said:

“Unfortunately we know the priorities tend to be on issues around car transport – and that can be seen in the time it has taken to get these active travel schemes moving.

“Some of the first consultations on these schemes were held in January 2019 and yet here we are still doing the same thing now.

“The most disappointing thing of course is the latest on the Otley Road cycle path. There are no firm dates and it just keeps flipping away from us.

“But I’m not surprised as vague deadlines seem to be the order of the day.”

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• New plans to promote cycling in Harrogate to be revealed on Monday
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This coming Monday will see the launch of the long-awaited consultation on new proposals for Oatlands Drive after original plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped after a backlash from residents.

This came after government funding for the scheme was awarded in November 2020.

But the delays for the Otley Road cycle path stretch back much further after the project first secured cash in 2017.

Five years on, the first phase of the route has yet to be completed as some sections need to be rebuilt, whilst final designs for phase two have not been revealed.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the county council, said three design options are being considered for the second phase and that the consultation results will be presented in November. He said:

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.

“There are pros and cons for all of the proposed designs which is why we need to engage with local residents and stakeholders.

“It’s important to consider the possibility of conflict between road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the impact on properties along the route and parking.”

Councillor Duncan added:

“Previous consultations about the Oatlands area have generated a lot of comments, so we have made a commitment to carry out a more detailed study to assess possible improvements there.

“Once completed, we will assess public responses along with the traffic data to develop potential options.”

The first phase of the Otley Road cycle path opened at the start of this year, but some sections are to be rebuilt following safety complaints. This includes the junction with Harlow Moor Road, although the county council has yet to purchase a plot of land to make the junction bigger.

Under other active travel projects, plans for a 7km cycleway in Knaresborough and other improvements in Ripon were shelved altogether in the summer when a bid for £1.5 million in government cash was rejected.

Consultations on final designs for cycling and walking improvements on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough have also been pushed back until at least the New Year.

And there have been further setbacks for Harroagte’s Gateway project which has been hit by a legal threat.

This sparked a third consultation on the £11.2 million project and over 2,000 responses were received in summer ahead of a pending decision from the county council on whether to submit a final business case for funding.

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63rd+1st was set up by TGI Fridays UK. Named after the street in New York that was home to the original TGI Fridays, its Harrogate venue joined the likes of Yo Sushi! and Estabulo on Albert Street last year.

The restaurant area

The company said at the time it would generate 30 part-time and full-time jobs. Those affected were told the news today.

The restaurant, lounge and bar was built to seat 101 people and to serve Manhattan street food.

The company said it wanted to attract customers ranging from early morning coffee drinkers to late evening drinkers.

Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister today after just 44 days in office.

See how the Harrogate district reacted to the news this afternoon.

5.01pm – Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems still searching for candidate

The lengthy process to find a prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough remains ongoing.

The local party called today for an election but as yet it doesn’t have anyone to take on Conservative Andrew Jones.

It said in June it had started the process but four months on the matter remains unresolved.

David Goode, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems, said

“We are moving at pace to select a parliamentary candidate. It is a rigorous process for a target seat but be in no doubt we are planning to fight Harrogate and Knaresborough to win at the next election, whenever that maybe. We need a MP who will work for us, not just trot along behind the government.”

Monika Slater, a Lib Dem who represents Bilton Grange and New Park on North Yorkshire County Council, said

“Boris Johnson failed our country and Liz Truss trashed our economy.

“People in Harrogate and Knaresborough deserve better than this incompetent and chaotic government, which has sent mortgages spiralling while our NHS services are stretched to breaking point.

“The Conservative party have proven time and time again they are not fit to lead our great country.

“This country needs a general election and Andrew Jones and other Conservative MP’s cannot prop up more chaotic Governments.

“At the next election people across Harrogate and Knaresborough will be backing the Liberal Democrats to get a fair deal on the NHS and the cost of living instead of more Conservative chaos.”

4.35pm – Andrew Jones MP: Truss departure ‘inevitable’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has published a statement on his Community News website.

Mr Jones said:

“As difficult as today is for her it has, I’m afraid, been inevitable and it is the national interest that matters.

“It was an enormous and unforced error to bring forward the mini-Budget without an assessment by the Office of Budget Responsibility and an accompanying statement on departmental spending.

“It was a mistake for her to surround herself with just supporters and not form a broader-based team.

“Ms Truss began to undo the damage with the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor who jettisoned a lot of the mistakes she had made, calmed the markets and emphasised the need for stability.

“But the personal damage to her was done and too severe for her to have any hope of recovery.  It has felt in parliament that over the last week her authority had been seeping away. That is why she had to go.”

Mr Jones, who said there was “plenty to be positive about here in Harrogate and Knaresborough” when the government announced its mini-budget last month, did not reveal who he supports as a successor.

But he said whoever it is “needs to bring on board all the talents available to them, adding:

“Our politics and our country need a period of calm stability and I look forward, at last, to that being delivered.”

4.17pm – Could North Yorkshire be home to the Prime Minister by next Friday?

Richmond MP Rishi Sunak is the clear bookies’ favourite to succeed Liz Truss as Prime Minister. Oddschecker currently has him at 10/11, with Penny Mordaunt second favourite at 11-4. But the odds against third favourite Boris Johnson have been slashed to 9-2.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith both supported Mr Sunak in the leadership contest against Liz Truss.

3.50pm – Nigel Adams ‘not doing any media at the moment’

Minutes after posting that none of the local Conservative MPs had replied to us, one of them responded. But it isn’t exactly hold-the-front-page stuff.

Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams’ senior parliamentary assistant emailed to say:

“Nigel is not doing any media at the moment.”

3.41pm – Silence from Harrogate district MPs

We asked the three Conservative MPs whose constituencies include parts of the Harrogate district whether Liz Truss was right to resign and who they supported to be her successor.

We asked Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams to reply by 3.30pm today. So far none has replied.

3.06pm – Are local opposition parties ready to fight an election?

Local Liberal Democrats and Harrogate supporters have been quick to call for an election but would they be ready to fight one?

Currently only the Green Party has a prospective parliamentary candidate to take on Andrew Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

We have asked the Liberal Democrats and Labour for details of their search to find PPCs and will report their responses.

2.50pm – Yorkshire Party calls for end to ‘London-centric’ politics

The Yorkshire Party says ‘Yorkshire has been left to fend for itself’.

https://twitter.com/Yorkshire_Party/status/1582825610136588288

2.33pm – Tories ‘have lost mandate to govern,’ says Green PPC.

Paul Ko Ferrigno, the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Harrogate and Knaresborough, has added his voice to calls for an election. He said:

“The Conservatives are unable to govern themselves and have lost any mandate to govern the country.

“People are worried about the cost of fuel and the cost of energy and rising mortgage rates and rising inflation and their dwindling quality of life.

“We don’t need another week of Tory navel gazing, we need a General Election and a government that puts people first.”

2.11pm – Ripon-based Lib Dem leader in House of Lords calls for election

Dick Newby, the Liberal Democrat peer and party leader in the House of Lords, has tweeted for an election.

The Conservatives no longer have any shred of credibility left. Their MPs should do their patriotic duty and call a general election. https://t.co/i7iTru5ReT

— Dick Newby (@RichardNewby3) October 20, 2022

2.05pm – Harrogate Labour campaigner calls for election

Chris Watt, local Harrogate Labour party campaigner, has also called for an election.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The Tory government are a shambles. They’ve trashed the economy and presided over 12 years of stagnation.

“They can keep changing their leader but we need a change of government.

“The choice is clear: more of this incompetent Tory government, which the MP here has consistently supported. Or a Labour Government led by Keir Starmer. We need a General Election now so the people can decide.”

He has also been tweeting:

The Tories can keep changing leader but we need a change of Government and a General Election now. @UKLabour stands ready to serve.

BBC News – Liz Truss resigns as prime minister after Tory revolthttps://t.co/CyaXUp9Lky

— Chris Watt (@ChrisWatt4) October 20, 2022

2pm – Call from Liberal Democrats for General Election

Skipton and Ripon Liberal Democrats have called for a General Election following the departure of Liz Truss.

https://twitter.com/SkiptonRiponLD/status/1583077632979062784?s=20&t=yOrqpSznmcwOkHCPUYvvNA

1.55pm – Harrogate politicians reaction

Following the announcement of the resignation of Liz Truss, the Stray Ferret has contacted the Harrogate district’s three Conservative MPs for their reaction.

We have also contacted opposition parties for their thoughts on this afternoon’s news.

Heavy rain has led to flooding on some Harrogate district roads today

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms this morning and warned some roads could be flooded.

It proved accurate as drivers across the district, which is still under drought, struggled in many of the usual highway trouble spots for flooding.

Pic: Lynne Hardcastle

Church Lane in Hampsthwaite, pictured here, remained open despite treacherous conditions.

Pot Bridge, where there is a sharp double bend, on the B6161 was also difficult due to the conditions.

The weather warning ended at 1pm but driving conditions are expected to remain difficult this afternoon due to spray and standing water.

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