No Monkeypox cases treated at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed that it has not treated any cases of Monkeypox.

The UK Health Security Agency has reported 172 cases of the virus in England so far.

The virus, which originated in Africa, causes a mild infection and is spread through contact with scabs on the skin, bedding and towels used by an infected person.

It can also be transmitted through coughs and sneezes from those who have been infected.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed yesterday it had not treated any patient with the disease.

However, they added that the trust had taken precautions to prevent the spread of Monkeypox within its hospitals.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“Monkeypox is quite difficult to pass on unless in close contact, and tends to happen through broken skin, although it can happen through a cough or sneeze if you are in close proximity.

“In this respect the same precautions that we introduced during the covid pandemic and that are still relevant for visitors to our hospital today are relevant for monkeypox — anyone visiting the hospital still wears a mask, washes/sanitises their hands frequently, and maintains social distancing where possible together with ensuring good ventilation.”

Read more:

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has not confirmed any cases of the virus within Yorkshire.

The public health body added on its website that the majority of cases confirmed had been found in gay and bisexual men. But it stressed that the disease is not sexually transmitted.

The UKHSA said:

“The risk to the UK population remains low, but we are asking people to be alert to any new rashes or lesions, which would appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on any part of their body.

“Although this advice applies to everyone, the majority of the cases identified to date have been among men who are gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men, so we are asking these people in particular to be aware of the symptoms, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner.”

Man arrested on suspected drug offence and assaulting police in Harrogate

A man has been arrested in Harrogate on suspicion of a drug offence and assaulting a police officer.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police arrested the man, who is in his 30s, after stopping a suspected drug deal in the town centre.

The man was charged with assaulting a police constable after allegedly kicking the officer during arrest.

He is expected to appear before magistrates court at a later date.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Officers on patrol saw the two men acting suspiciously and they were stopped.

“One of the men was detained after they found what is believed to be crack cocaine in his possession.

“He was arrested, taken into custody and later released under investigation so the substance can be sent off for laboratory analysis.

“He was also charged with assaulting an emergency services worker and is due to appear in court at a later date.”

Read more:

 

North Yorkshire Police among slowest in country responding to 999 calls

A government league table has revealed that North Yorkshire Police is the fourth slowest of 44 forces in the UK at responding to 999 calls.

The table, published by the Home Office today, shows North Yorkshire Police answered just 44% of 999 calls within the 10-second target in the last six months.

Police forces are required to answer 90% of emergency calls within 10 seconds.

The data, which covers from November 1, 2021, until April 30, 2022, shows that on average the force in North Yorkshire take 29.7 seconds to answer 999 calls.

A total of 43% of 999 calls are answered between 10 and 60 seconds.

Only Avon and Somerset police reached the 90% target, while Humberside Police was the worst with just 2% of calls answered on time.

Durham and South Yorkshire were the only other worse performing constabularies than North Yorkshire.

In response to the data, Lindsey Butterfield, North Yorkshire Police’s lead for contact management, said:

“Whilst there are a number of factors which impact on the speed at which 999 calls are answered, we recognise that we are not staffed to meet our current elevated levels of demand and we are investing in a number of measures to make improvements and get calls answered quicker.

“This includes putting in place enhanced recruitment plans for more staff within our force control room. We expect to have recruited 10% above our establishment by September 2022. The additional 10% allows for the levels of staff turnover that we experience.

“We have also established a pool of reserve staff to deal with administrative tasks on behalf of the call takers in the force control room. The additional costs for these interim arrangements have been funded by North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

“The dedicated team of staff who handle our calls within our force control room work incredibly hard, in a very challenging environment. We will be recruiting for our next intake very shortly so if you or someone you know is interested in joining the team, please keep an eye on the jobs section of our website or register your interest via our vacancies page.”

Read more:

The Home Office figures are the first time that performance for answering 999 calls from each police force has been published.

Priti Patel, Home Secretary, said:

“Calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death. The public deserve to know that their local police force will be at the end of the phone, ready to leap into action at seconds’ notice to protect them from harm.

“Fundamentally, publishing this data is about driving up standards in our incredible emergency services even further, so that the public can have every confidence in the police’s ability to save lives and keep our streets safe.

“We can now see where forces are excelling and where vital improvements need to be made and I thank the police for their commitment to ensuring we maintain the best emergency services in the world.”

Woman, 92, in critical condition after Harrogate district crash

A 92-year-old woman is in a critical condition in hospital following a serious crash in Netherby.

The collision happened at the crossroads of Spring Road, Moor Lane and Wharf Lane in the village, which is near Harewood, at 8pm on Saturday evening (May 28).

North Yorkshire Police said the crash involved a navy-coloured Jeep Cherokee and a Blue Volkswagen T-Cross.

The Jeep Cherokee was travelling down Moor Lane towards Spring Road and the Volkswagen was heading east to west on Spring Road.

A police statement added:

“Sadly, a 92-year-old woman passenger, sustained severe injuries and currently remains in hospital in a critical condition. The driver of one of the vehicles was also injured.

“Police are asking for witnesses to the collision and any members of the public who sighted either vehicle prior to the collision to come forward.

“Anyone with dash camera footage that was in the area at the time of the incident is asked to review their footage and pass this to police to assist the investigation.

“If you can help, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for, 917, Jon Moss, of the Major Collision Investigation Team. Alternatively, you can contact him via email on: Jon.Moss@northyorkshire.police.uk Please quote reference:12220091836.”

Read more:

 

Knaresborough couple’s Dower House wedding cancelled due to refurb

A couple from Knaresborough tried for months to contact their wedding venue only to be told their special day was no longer secure and they should look elsewhere.

Toni Kinder and Michael Shelton were due to get married at Dower House Hotel in Knaresborough this December after booking the venue in August 2021.

The hotel was bought by The Inn Collection Group (ICG) in December 2021 but the couple were assured it would not affect their wedding.

However, after months of not being able to get in touch with anyone the couple rang the St George, another ICG hotel in Harrogate. It was only then, eight months after they made the booking, they were told planned refurbishments meant their date was no longer secure.

Last week, the Stray Ferret revealed a multi-million pound expansion plan would lead to the closure of the gym and spa facilities and the hotel for some time as works got underway.

Ms Kinder said she had picked her food, booked entertainment and imagined her pictures at Knaresborough Castle but said this all had to be put on hold whilst they found an alternative venue.

Ms Kinder said:

“There was never much communication with the Dower House, I only found out because I got a number from a friend for someone at the St George.

“We were set on the Dower House but don’t want to wait any longer to be married, we just have to hope we like the St George.”

The couple, who have been together nearly five years, are due to visit the St George in Harrogate after it said it could offer them the same date and honour the price they paid.

Read more:

The couple have four children between them and were left feeling “disappointed and frustrated” by the lack of communication from Dower House.

The ICG has said:

“There is no date for closure of the hotel so they are correct in that there has been no formal cancellation as yet but guests have been advised of possible disruption. We have been offering guests the opportunity to move venues for certainty but at this stage we do not know when the hotel will close.”

Ms Kinder added:

“It’s a shame because we picked there, of course it’s not what we wanted but it’s not a disaster. We had friends who’s weddings were delayed loads over lockdown and we know we will get married on that day it just won’t be at Dower House.”

GPs back campaign for reform as Harrogate district practices ‘running on empty’

GPs across the Harrogate district have called for urgent public support to ensure the area’s practices can remain viable.

Local practices have publicly backed national campaign Rebuild General Practice, highlighting the need for urgent reform to keep doctors and patients safe.

Leeds Road Practice in Harrogate and Beech House Surgery in Knaresborough are among those to have shared a letter on their social media pages which highlights the pressures facing GPs.

The strongly-worded letter states that a quarter of GPs know a colleague who has taken their life because of work pressures, and almost 90% say they do not feel safe at work.

“General practice is in crisis. Not because of us, or the staff who work with us.

“It is because of decades of underfunding and neglect, broken government promises and political contempt for you – our patients – that the system is fractured.

“This crisis is putting you – and us – at an increased risk.”

In the Harrogate district, the statutory body representing and supporting GPs, YORLMC, is backing the campaign.

Dr Brian McGregor of YORLMCIts medical secretary, Dr Brian McGregor, told the Stray Ferret the district’s GPs are working extremely long hours, often unable to take holidays because there is no cover, and worried about burnout and making mistakes.

The national campaign for reform has been launched in association with Jeremy Hunt. As chairman of the health select committee, Dr McGregor said Mr Hunt believes general practice needs investment and support from the government.

Retention

In 2016, he said thousands of new GPs were needed and a recruitment campaign began. However, Dr McGregor said, they “completely took their eye off the ball” when it came to retention.

“We’re now in the position where we’re about 1,600 GPs down compared to 2016, but providing four times more appointments in a month.”

Some of that increase in appointments being provided is thanks to the rise of virtual and phone consultations during covid. They require less time than face-to-face appointments and are suitable for many patients’ needs, he said.

However, there are many cases where a face-to-face appointment is necessary, but he said demand for those is extremely high following the covid pandemic.

“Patients want good access to general practice but, as the numbers drop down and the demand has gone up, it’s not that the GPs aren’t working, it’s that the appointment you want has gone to your neighbour who called a bit quicker than you.”

Read more:

Dr McGregor said the situation in the Harrogate district has been exacerbated by house building, putting pressure on existing practices to accommodate more patients.

He said although housing developers have put money into pots for infrastructure including GP services, no new practices have been built or even planned across the district.

He added:

“Historically, Harrogate has been very attractive as a place to work compared to other areas in North Yorkshire which have struggled to recruit.

“Now, everywhere is struggling. Practices in Harrogate are advertising two, three, four times for places they can’t fill.

“In Scarborough, they were 1.5 GPs down per practice three or four years ago. Now Harrogate is getting to that position too.”

Backlog

While hospital waiting times have been in the headlines repeatedly since the beginning of the covid pandemic, Dr McGregor said the number of hospital doctors has actually risen by around 20% in that time – while GP numbers have dropped by up to 4%.

Hospitals and secondary care have been allocated £20bn of government money to deal with the backlog of work caused by covid, he said, but general practice has received nothing.

Now, through the Rebuild General Practice campaign, GPs are calling for the workplace plan, promised by the government in 2019, to be created.

It would set out how the problem of falling GP numbers would be tackled, focusing on retention as well as recruitment, and ensuring GPs can work in a way that is safe for both them and their patients.

“It’s really about recognising GPs are doing their best in very difficult circumstances. Just a simple ‘thank you’ rather than some of the aggression and abuse they are getting would help.

“Your GPs are working as hard as they can and providing as much access as they can and trying to keep everybody safe.

“We want to support patients in every way we can, but it’s about letting them know we are running on empty.”

Boroughbridge business leader wins Northern business mentor of the year award

Boroughbridge business leader Richard Doyle, the founder of Pabasso, has been awarded Northern mentor of the year at the Northern Leadership Awards. 

Pabasso is a peer advisory board, which connects business leaders across the UK to support the growth of their businesses. The company organises weekly meetings, 1 to 1 mentoring sessions and peer coaching events.

Richard Doyle said the award was “unexpected but gratefully received.”

He added:

“It’s always nice to be publicly recognised but it’s really about the business leaders that we are working with and helping to grow and develop their businesses.”

The awards ceremony took place last week at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, and it was attended by around 300 people.

The event was hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com and included a leadership conference before the awards were announced.

Harrogate florist awarded silver-gilt medal at Chelsea flower show

Harrogate florist, Helen James Flowers, has been awarded a silver-gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea flower show.  

The floristry exhibit ‘Nature’s Table’, was praised by the judges and members of the public who attended the show.  

The ‘Roots for Life’ brief was to design and create a tablescape that took inspiration from the beauty of the natural world, and included a horticultural message. 

Sustainable techniques and materials were used in the installation, as oil based floral foams & plastics are now banned from RHS Shows. 

Helen James said:  

“Chelsea was amazing and although we have competed at Chelsea before, the competition format was completely different this year.

The exhibit was much bigger and took three days to install but preparations have been ongoing since January.” 

She added:  

“We even had a few visitors from Harrogate who made a point of coming to say hello and offer their congratulations.” 

The silver-gilt medal at the Chelsea flower show comes between silver and gold. This year, it was awarded to three other tablescape installations alongside Helen James Flowers. 

Ms James has previously won RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year in 2019.  

Read more: 

 

Harrogate Spring Water to submit new plans to expand bottling plant soon

Harrogate Spring Water is to revert back to its original 2017 plan to expand its bottling plant — and will submit a new application soon that proposes how felled trees at Rotary Wood will be compensated for.

The company won outline planning permission to expand its premises on Harlow Moor Road by 5,500 sqm five years ago. It means the principle of development has been established but the finer details have not been agreed.

The approved 2017 plans involve the felling of some trees at Rotary Wood, a woodland behind its current site that was planted by The Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren in the 2000s.

In January 2021 a high-profile reserved matters application that was 40% larger and looked to chop down more trees than had been agreed was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee.

The application provoked a public backlash and generated a debate about how a large, successful businesses should operate in the era of climate change.

Compensation

To compensate for the loss of trees, the company offered to plant new ones, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind RHS Harlow Carr.

But this was an offer that dismayed some councillors on the planning committee and local groups including Pinewoods Conservation Group.

Piers Forster, a professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds who lives in Harrogate published a co-authored report that said about five times more new woodland was needed to properly compensate for the loss of trees.

Read more:

Next steps

The company said in July 2021 that it was working on a brand new application and the old plan would be disregarded.

However, the company has now decided to go back to its original plan rather than going through the torturous process of starting from scratch.

But, as in 2021, it still will need councillors on the planning committee to approve a reserved matters application that deals with its appearance and crucially, how the destroyed trees at Rotary Wood will be compensated for.

The company is yet to publish exact details on how it will do this.

Consultation events

Harrogate Spring Water said in a statement that it is looking to achieve “net biodiversity gain” for the site, carry out a compensatory tree planting scheme and it will make the remaining part of Rotary Wood more accessible to the public.

A series of public consultation events will take place in June where people will get to have their say and shape the proposals.

The company said the plans would create 30 new jobs.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“The town of Harrogate and the local community are at the heart of our business. So it is important for us to ensure that, as we look to grow, create further job opportunities and continue to support the local and regional economy, we also listen to them.

“That’s why we are now encouraging people to engage with us on this process, to give us the benefit of their views and to help shape the future of the company.

“We have a shared interest in driving prosperity for the town and creating a sustainable future for a key business that takes the Harrogate name around the UK and the world, and we hope that this process will allow us to come to a resolution which addresses people’s concerns and the town’s aspirations.”

A spokesperson for the Pinewoods Conversation Group said:

“Whilst we are pleased that the plans for the larger site have now been dropped we are disappointed that the company still plan to progress with the original development first proposed 5 years ago. Since then, the public’s concerns around single use plastics and views on supporting the environment have strengthened substantially. This original development still has a large footprint of almost 2 acres that will see the removal of many trees and the loss of public accessible green space.

“However, we are encouraged by this new consultation and a commitment to work with us and other key stakeholders to achieve a net biodiversity gain for the site and to create more shared areas. Any replacement for land lost is a must for the local community. We would encourage all those with an interest to attend the planned events and make their views known.”

Nazi symbol outside Harrogate home leads to police visit

A Harrogate man’s efforts to commemorate the sinking of a ship in the Second World War led to a social media outcry and a visit from police.

He put up a German naval flag for “less than six hours” on Friday afternoon to remember those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Bismarck on May 27, 1941.

However, the flag includes a swastika symbol, which was spotted by a passer-by who posted a photograph on Twitter that evening.

The home owner – who we are not naming because police said they are concerned about putting him at risk – said he was taken aback by the reaction.

“It’s what’s called a kriegsmarine flag. It’s not the first time it has flown – I’ve flown it twice a year, to mark the sinking of the Bismarck and the Battle of the River Plate [the first naval battle of the Second World War].

“I spoke to my neighbours and they know it’s not a racist or anti-Jewish or pro-Nazi thing. It’s just a commemoration.”

‘Naval tradition’

The man said he regularly displays flags to mark significant days in the calendar and has been doing so for almost three years.

He often puts a sign in his window explaining the significance of that day’s flag, which he said also did on Friday. It outlined the loss of the battleship along with 2,200 sailors, as well as more than 100 captured by the British Navy.

The homeowner said:

“They died for their country as much as our naval crew did for ours. It’s a naval tradition to respect your foe as well as your own men.

“My father was in the Navy and my uncle was in the air force. I’m more of a pacifist – I wouldn’t ever do anything to offend anyone.”

He said the photograph was not close enough to show the information about the Bismarck so, when it was shared on social media, it lacked the context of his explanation.

Read more:

After being posted on Twitter, the photograph was shared in local Facebook groups, attracting dozens of responses. One called the owner “vermin” while others described flying the flag as “inexcusable”, “disgusting” and “sickening”.

A handful of responses on social media identified the flag and made reference to the anniversary of the sinking of the Bismarck, as well as pointing out it was adjacent to a British naval flag and one displaying poppies.

The homeowner added:

“I did try and get a modern kriegsmarine flag but the only one that was available was a Second World War one.”

‘Repercussions’

He took down the flag on Friday evening but, on Sunday, had a visit from North Yorkshire Police officers who had been contacted by members of the public who had seen the photo.

“They were very nice – they were more concerned about whether there would be repercussions for me.

“I told them I will try and find a modern Kriegsmarine flag for next time, or I’ll put a piece of white fabric over the middle.”

We have not identified the man or given the location of his house because police said they are concerned about potential risk to the resident.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Police visited an address in Harrogate after concerns were reported by a member of the public about a flag in a garden. On arrival, the flag in question wasn’t on display.

“An officer talked to the resident, who confirmed he flies many different flags throughout the year and it was a naval flag flown alongside other flags to commemorate a battle.

“No further action was necessary as no crime had been committed.”

Harrogate guest house owner plans to appeal cannabis racket conviction

A Harrogate guest house owner who played the role of “facilitator” in a half-a-million-pound cannabis racket has sacked her legal team as she pursues plans to appeal her conviction.

Yoko Banks, 74, rented out her properties to an Albanian drug gang for “industrial” cannabis production “in the expectation of significant profit”, Leeds Crown Court heard.

The pensioner, of Scargill Road, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in August last year after she admitted three counts of being concerned in the production of cannabis. 

Her six co-conspirators, Visar Sellaj, 33, Kujtim Brahaj, 50, Indrit Brahaj, 27, Bledar Elezaj, 36, Andi Kokaj, 23, and 31-year-old Erblin Elezaj, an illegal immigrant, were jailed for a combined 22 years for various offences including drug supply and production of skunk cannabis.

Banks, who owns properties across Harrogate, was back in court today to face financial confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

But they were postponed once again after the court heard she was still intent on appealing her conviction and wanted to leave her legal team in favour of another firm of solicitors.

Prosecutor Michael Bosomworth said there was also an issue with a statement provided by one of Banks’s co-defendants, the gang’s ringleader Sellaj, who claimed that some of the money in his bank account had been transferred to him by relatives in Albania. 

Read More:

He added, however, that the major sticking point involved Banks and her “complicated accounts and property empire”.

Mr Bosomworth said Banks was now claiming “she only understands Japanese” – although she spoke in English in the dock and appeared to understand everything that was put to her. 

Matters have been further complicated by Banks initially telling her legal team she didn’t wish to appeal, but then changing her mind.

She had pursued the appeal “notwithstanding she told (her solicitors) she wasn’t pursuing it” and was now in the process of transferring legal aid to a new team of solicitors.

If her legal aid application is granted, it would mean her costs being covered at least partly by public money.

Banks has “messed everyone around” for 18 months

Mr Bosomworth said there had been an issue between Banks and her present solicitors and she was “awaiting legal aid to be transferred”.

He said it was the Crown’s case that Banks had “messed everyone around for the last 18 months” and that the prosecution would “invite the court to consider the matter on the basis she is just not co-operating”. 

He added that any order made today in terms of benefit and confiscation amount would “inevitably” be challenged by Banks who, as things stood, did not have any legal representation.

Mr Bosomworth said it was incumbent on Banks to submit a statement to the court showing her assets and “what the issues are”, but she had not yet served one.

When Recorder Mr Baird asked Banks if she understood what had been said and that she must submit a statement, she said she did and that she had “messed up quite a lot” during the legal case.

At the previous hearing in January, the Crown said it was not yet in a position to make a financial confiscation ruling because Banks’s defence team needed more time to delve into her “complicated” accounts and extensive “property empire”.

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Banks’s then defence counsel said that a forensic accountant had been instructed to scrutinise her accounts and the “considerable amount” of properties and other assets she owned. 

Mr Recorder Baird adjourned the confiscation proceedings until July 29. 

He said: 

“These are important matters for Mrs Banks. There’s a lot of money at stake here and I take the view that she should be legally represented.”

Banks was ‘facilitator’ in cannabis racket

At the sentence hearing in August 2021, the court heard that the “professional”, London-based gang had invested tens of thousands of pounds into three cannabis factories at Banks’s properties on Alexandra Road, Woodlands Road and Somerset Road near Harrogate town centre.

The criminals had even dug a trench outside the three-storey Edwardian villa on Alexandra Road through which they fed electricity cables to the house to power the “highly sophisticated” cultivation system and bypass the electricity grid.

Read More:

Their plot finally unravelled when police were called to the five-bedroom villa on September 26, 2020, after reports of a “disturbance” in the street involving what appeared to be two rival gangs vying for the cannabis farm.

Banks had rented her properties to the Albanians through an “unidentified individual who goes by the name of Francesco”, who sub-let the houses to the gang’s ringleader Sellaj.

The total potential yield of the cannabis factories was valued at up to £456,000, not including previous harvests.

Although Banks was not involved in the cultivation, she had played a “facilitating” or advisory role in the plot and was constantly “pressing (the gang) be paid by them”.

Banks – who had previous convictions for health-and-safety offences through her work – was due to be paid at least £12,000 a month in rent for the three properties and was also receiving “high” deposits.