The cost of garden waste collection in the Harrogate district looks set to rise to £43.50 next year.

The service currently costs £41 a year, which is £15 a year more than people in Richmondhsire pay and is also higher than charges in the other five districts. Selby’s is free.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is currently responsible for the service, will be abolished on April 1.

North Yorkshire county councillors, who will transfer to the new single unitary authority North Yorkshire Council on the same date, look set to agree a six per cent increase in the cost of the service.

It would mean Harrogate district households that choose to pay for the service will see the charge increase by £2.50. Hambleton households will pay the next highest at £40, followed by Scarborough and Ryedale at £38, Craven at £36 and Richmondshire at £25.

The service is currently free in Selby.

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Garden waste is a discretionary service, which councils are not legally required to provide.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for business and economic development, Cllr Derek Bastiman, whose portfolio includes the management of waste disposal, said the service would be fairer because currently households in some districts that didn’t use the service subsidised those who did.

He said:

“This is a service people choose to opt into and it is important that we are clear on the need for it to pay for itself, alongside our commitment to continue to provide it to those residents who would like to receive it.

“There are real benefits to the service, including the environmental benefits of recycling garden waste and the convenience of not having to take your own garden waste to a recycling centre. It may well be cheaper than paying the fuel to get there, too.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive members will be asked to agree the new rate when members meet on January 10.

Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital will go on strike next month as part of a national walkout.

The Royal College of Nursing today announced further industrial action on January 18 and 19.

It comes shortly after nurses walked out at hospitals across England for two days this month in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Locally, staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust took strike action on December 15 and 20 — but Harrogate did not take part.

This time, however, nurses at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust will walk out as the RCN looks to escalate industrial action.

Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said: 

“The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.

“I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the trust for a response to the announcement.

However, previously managers at Harrogate hospital pledged to minimise the disruption caused by the walkouts and urged patients to continue to come forward for care.

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said:

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering world class patient care to all those who need it.

“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.

“We are working to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that emergency services continue to operate as normal should any strike action take place, and have tried and tested plans in place to manage any disruption.

“We are committed to keeping disruption to services to a minimum, and any members of the public that need care should continue to come forward as normal.

“If you have an appointment or operation that is scheduled on a proposed strike day we would kindly ask you to be patient and we will notify you as soon as possible if strike action at HDFT is confirmed and your treatment will be affected.”

Read more:

• Ambulance workers in Harrogate district begin strike
• Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes

The walkouts are set to become the latest to hit the Harrogate district.

Rail and postal workers staged action this month, which has affected travel and deliveries over Christmas.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire Ambulance Service set up a picket line on Lancaster Park Road as staff staged a 24 hour strike yesterday.

A decision has still not been taken on the future use of the Woodfield Community Primary School site.

The school in Bilton will officially close on December 31 but has been empty for some time.

There has been no event to mark the closure, unlike Kell Bank Primary School near Masham, which organised several activities celebrating its history when its doors closed for the final time last year.

North Yorkshire County Council, the local education authority, said in a statement in October:

“The county council will be exploring whether there are alternative educational uses for the school buildings. There are controls around the reuse or redevelopment of school sites, and any alternative uses that are proposed will be the subject of consultation.”

The county council-owned site also houses Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton Children and Family Hub and Oak Beck House, which remain open.

After Woodfield school’s final term ended, the Stray Ferret asked the council for an update on its plans for the site.

A council spokeswoman said:

“There is no update from our last statements. We are still in discussions about the future use of the site.”

Read more:

• Woodfield school site ‘should remain for education’, says MP
• Harrogate street named second most expensive in region

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Dynamic Leader Award, which is sponsored by Succession Wealth.

This award is designed for those people in the Harrogate district who are driving progress, activity and change in their organisation.

These people have helped guide the business through tough years and are sure to make it thrive in the years to come.

Those looking to enter or nominate need to provide details of how this person leads, including an account of their skills. Also detail how this individual’s style has had a significant impact in the way the business now operates.

Does your boss deserve to win the Dynamic Leader Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 16. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, Vicky finds out what its team and supporters have been doing to ensure its customers can have a happy Christmas, even in difficult circumstances.

Our appeal runs for two more days. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help. 

The festive season may be upon us, but demand for help from Resurrected Bites has never been higher.

Sophia Clark, who runs the organisation’s community grocery in New Park, said:

“We’ve had a really busy two weeks. It’s going to be busy up to Christmas.

“We’re getting a lot of new people in – two just this morning.

“On Tuesday, I had a woman in pieces. She had three children on her own and had gone to do her food shopping. Her direct debit had changed for her gas and electric and they’d left her overdrawn.”

Along with the volunteers at New Park, Sophia was able to fill the woman’s freezer to see her through the festive period and ensure her children wouldn’t go hungry.

She later received a message thanking her for what she had done, concluding: “God bless you, you are a diamond and a special one at that.”

Sadly, the woman was just one of many who have been forced to call on Resurrected Bites for the first time this month alone.

Sophia said:

“We’re seeing lots of things like that at the moment – people in absolute dire straits.

“We’ve had a lot of pensioners in. One lady had gone to deliver a Christmas card to a friend and found her shaking and freezing. She couldn’t afford the heating.”

Read more:

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Sophia said some of the stories she hears are heart-breaking. Along with volunteer Karen Martin, who also speaks to people arriving at the community grocery to ensure it can meet their needs, Sophia said she often cries in the office behind closed doors once the visitor has left, before getting back to work.

But the very tough side of the job is balanced by the heart-warming elements.

Sophia knows she is making a difference at a time of crisis for many people – messages like the one from the mum whose bill had left her overdrawn provide some comfort amid all the challenges.

There is also fantastic generosity towards Resurrected Bites and its customers, especially at this time of year.

When I visited the New Park community grocery last week, there was a small Santa’s grotto in the corner, with a volunteer ensuring children could meet Father Christmas even if their parents couldn’t afford to buy tickets for a commercial event.

The shelves had been stacked that morning with toys and chocolates for those who wouldn’t be able to afford treats. Although they had been snapped up quickly, more were still coming in and being laid out for other customers.

Resurrected Bites founder Michelle Hayes said:

“A few people have expressed concern about not being able to buy presents for their families this year.

“The last thing we want is people taking out loans. So we’ve been able to give out presents to make sure they have something to unwrap on Christmas Day.”

Businesses and individuals have been generous with selection boxes, tubs of sweets and other small luxuries for Resurrected Bites to distribute to its customers.

There have also been deliveries of blankets, warm jumpers and festive decorations.

The Christmas tree in Santa’s grotto at New Park came from the festival at St Thomas the Apostle Church in Killinghall, donated by Mole Country Stores near Ripley. After being on display at the community grocery, the firm asked that it be given to a family who wouldn’t otherwise have a Christmas tree.

The amount of food and other treats available is a dramatic improvement from earlier this year, when demand was outstripping the volume of waste food arriving from supermarkets.

Sophia said the kind of generosity in evidence in the run-up to Christmas – and knowing how much difference she and the volunteers could make to people – is what has kept her going in challenging times.

“I look at those people and the feedback I get. That’s what I do this for: I get to help people and make a change.

“I had message after message last night from people asking if they could come down [to shop]. I’m just so grateful we’ve got the food to give them.

“A couple of months ago, it was so low, but now at least I know nobody has to go without for Christmas.”

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. 

Harrogate Borough Council has published details of changes to waste and recycling collection days over the festive period.

This year, there will only be changes on the week commencing Monday, December 26.

• Monday 26 December will be collected Tuesday 27 December
• Tuesday 27 December will be collected Wednesday 28 December
• Wednesday 28 December will be collected Thursday 29 December
• Thursday 29 December will be collected Friday 30 December
• Friday 30 December will be collected Saturday 31 December

Collections will return to normal on Monday 2 January.

Anyone who is unsure of their dates can check here on the council website.

Details of what can be recycled or reused, including wrapping paper, are available here.

Household waste recycling centres in the Harrogate district are open every day over the festive period except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

They are open every other day from 8.30am to 4pm except on Wednesdays, when they are closed.

Details of when the recycling centres and other services run by North Yorkshire County Council are open over the holidays are here.

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The Walker Galleries has closed its shop on Montpellier Parade in Harrogate and moved its operations online.

Established in 1972, the family-run contemporary gallery is one of Harrogate’s premier art destinations.

It has a large number of 19th and 20th century English and European paintings and watercolours.

Managing director Ian Walker said the property was due to be renovated and stressed the gallery would continue to operate online and at art fairs.

Mr Walker said:

“We are continuing as a business, we are merely shutting down as a retail site. We have written to all our clients explaining the situation.”

Read more:

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The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Rising Star under 30 Award, which is sponsored by Thompsons Chartered Accountants.

This award is designed to highlight some of the young talent from across the Harrogate district.

Those nominated or who enter for the Rising Star under 30 Award are sure to make waves and build a successful career in the years to come.

Entries for this category need to provide details of the person’s background and position they hold in the business. Provide examples of how the entrant’s work ethic has affected the business.

Do you know someone who deserves to win the Rising Star Under 30 Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 16. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

A new Mediterranean restaurant specialising in Turkish and Italian cuisine has opened in Harrogate.

Rubin’s is based in a large unit that used to be a bathroom shop on Cheltenham Parade. It is next door to the former Catch seafood restaurant.

The venue opens at 10am for all-day breakfasts and then serves lunch at noon and evening meals from 5pm to 9pm. It also offers afternoon teas and has its own pastry chef making all the sweet treats.

Named after one of the business partners’ sons, Rubin’s can seat up to 98 customers.

Rubin’s is situated on Cheltenham Parade.

The restaurant, which opened last week, is expecting new signs next week and currently does not have an alcohol licence.  Customers can bring their own alcohol until a licence is approved and there is no corkage charge.

Read more:

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• Ambulance workers in Harrogate district begin strike

Manager David Rogers said:

“We make everything fresh and have created a nice atmosphere. It’s a big, comfortable place and we look forward to welcoming customers.”

The evening menu includes burgers, pasta, Neapolitan sourdough pizzas and Turkish pide. Vegetarian options are available.

The extensive range of pastries and ice-creams.

A doctors’ practice that has been looking after patients in Harrogate for three-quarters of a century will be changing its name in the new year. 

Dr Moss & Partners was founded in 1947 – before the advent of the NHS – and has clinics opposite the convention centre on King’s Road, in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate, and in Killinghall.

From February 1 it will be known as Moss Healthcare Harrogate and have a new logo. 

Dr Moss & Partners on King’s Road in Harrogate.

In a letter sent today to to the firm’s 19,600 patients, senior partner Dr Nick Taylor said:

“Our decision to change our identity reflects the role of modern general practice and the different healthcare specialists patients can now access.

“Our practice now incorporates a much wider range of healthcare professionals and non-clinical staff.

“If you’re unwell, or living with a long-term condition, the best people to help aren’t necessarily doctors.”

In addition to its doctors, the practice now also provides services from nurses, healthcare assistants, advanced clinical practitioners, first-contact physiotherapists, pharmacists and social prescribers.