Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 608 of 1042

Bilton has ‘sufficient primary places’ if Woodfield school closes

Education officials have said there should be “sufficient primary places” in Bilton if Woodfield Community Primary School closes, even though most nearby schools are full.

A report to councillors today will recommend they approve beginning a consultation on closing Woodfield by December 31 this year at the earliest.

The report recommends the consultation is shortened from the usual six weeks to four weeks because of “the urgency of the position and the need to provide as much clarity as possible to parents before the summer holidays”.

It says parents and carers of the 37 pupils remaining at Woodfield will be asked to apply for the preferred school that they would like their child to transfer to in the event of closure, adding:

“Once the full picture of all preferences is known, the local authority would liaise with the schools regarding potential allocations, and seek to meet the highest stated preferences wherever possible.”

Woodfield has a capacity of 150 pupils — 113 more than it currently caters for. Many parents have moved their children amid the ongoing uncertainty.

Nearby schools full

Nearby Bilton Grange Primary School, Grove Road Community Primary School and Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School are all currently operating beyond capacity, the report says, while St Robert’s Catholic Primary School is one pupil below capacity.

Woodfield’s closure would therefore put pressure on nearby schools but the report to councillors at tomorrow’s North Yorkshire County Council children and young people’s service committee says:

“There are no significant housing permissions within the Woodfield school catchment area, although there are several housing developments underway or planned in neighbouring school catchment areas.

“If the closure proposal went ahead, there would be a reduction of 150 primary school places available in the local area.

“Given current forecasts, including the likely demand from new housing, and current patterns of parental preference, there would appear to be sufficient primary places available in the local area, should the closure of Woodfield school be approved, as overall birth rates are falling in Harrogate district, and pupils living in the Woodfield school catchment area already attend a wide variety of primary schools.”

The report says pupil numbers determine school funding and Woodfield is forecast to have a budget deficit of £97,000 this year and a cumulative deficit of £229,000 by 2023/24.

Future of site unclear

A decision on the future of the school site has yet to be made. The report says:

“The county council owns the school site, which also accommodates Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton children and family hub, and Oak Beck House.

“Decisions about the future use of the school premises will be taken after the closure proposal has been determined.”

Woodfield was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020. It subsequently failed to find an academy sponsor and a proposed merger with Grove Road fell through this year.

Businesses stage sleepout to campaign against homelessness

Eight local businesses completed a sleepout with CEO Sleepout UK to raise awareness of hidden homelessness in the district.

The group of business leaders spent the night sleeping outdoors at Harrogate Rugby Club, and have raised almost £15,000 for CEO Sleepout UK, Ripon YMCA, Harrogate District Foodbank and Harrogate RUFC.

The North Yorkshire based companies that took part were Nicholls Tyreman Estate Agents, Hudgell Solicitors, Ripon YMCA, Pavilions of Harrogate, Jorvik Design Group, Stratstone BMW, Carson Homes and Harrogate Borough Council.

The participants included CEO of Hudgell Solicitors Rachel Di Clemente, Nicholls Tyreman director James Tyreman, and director of Jorvik Design Group Ady Rhodes.

The business leaders at Harrogate’s sleepout

Chief executive of CEO Sleepout Bianca Robinson said:

“I was thrilled to see some of North Yorkshire’s biggest-hearted business people turn out for this event. Just because Harrogate is not a place where you might see many rough sleepers, it doesn’t mean homelessness doesn’t exist.

“Hidden homelessness is increasing across North Yorkshire – families who can no longer afford private rental, young people, and single mothers living in insecure temporary accommodation.”

She added:

“It was a tough night and surprisingly cold, but by bringing those with lived experience to share their stories, and hearing about the vital work of charities on the frontline, we unlock understanding, compassion and inspire our business leaders to use their power to create greater social value.”

CEO Sleepout stages fundraising events across the UK, and has raised £3 million for more than 100 charities.

Student from Knaresborough achieves unprecedented full marks in hairdressing exam

A hairdressing student from Knaresborough has achieved full marks in her practical exam.

Penny Ledgeway, who is 20, completed her level two exam at Intuitions hairdressing college in Harrogate, with a perfect score of 700 marks.

During the exam, she was asked to do a number of hairdressing treatments, including half a head of highlights, a restyle and cut, and a curly blow dry.

When asked why she chose to pursue hairdressing, Ms Ledgeway said:

“I’ve always wanted to do it really, I like to do a bit of everything but I am quite social anyway.

“I wouldn’t be able to just sit at a computer all day.”

Michelle Oliver, director of Intuitions college, said it was “unusual” for someone to get full marks in the exam, adding:

“Both me and her educator are really proud, she’s worked really hard.

“It’s good for us at Intuitions, but also for the employer to have someone with that skillset from the apprenticeship programme”.

After completing her level two exams, Ms Ledgeway is now a fully qualified hairdresser, and currently works at Kelly Teggin Hair & Beauty in Knaresborough.

She is now hoping to move on to a further stage of qualifications, which she said are more advanced and creative.

Harrogate set to have just one fire engine at night

Harrogate fire station’s overnight capacity looks set to be halved under new proposals.

The station, on Skipton Road, currently operates two fire engines 24 hours a day. But under plans put forward today, it would have just one appliance from 10pm to 9am when fewer incidents usually occur.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has suggested the move as part of a three-month consultation on proposed changes to fire and rescue services, which she launched today.

Ms Metcalfe wants to get rid of the station’s tactical response vehicle and have two emergency appliances instead. But only one emergency appliance would operate at non-peak hours overnight.

If approved, the move could result in some Harrogate firefighters facing redeployment elsewhere in the county.

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Ms Metcalfe’s new Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025, which sets out how the fire service would deploy its people, equipment and resource, comes against a worrying financial backdrop.

‘Struggling to buy the basics’

Three months ago the Fire Brigades Union warned North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was “struggling to buy the basics” and in need of a £25 million loan.

Ms Metcalfe, who will discuss her proposals at her monthly public accountability meeting tomorrow, said in a statement:

“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place. We are confident these proposals would do that.

“Inevitably, there are some areas where the setup of the service would change but I’m confident the right people, right equipment and the right support would continue to be available to everyone.”

The proposed change in Harrogate.

Ms Metcalfe’s office said in a statement today that there was a higher demand for services during daytime hours than at night, and the proposed change in Harrogate would offer “increased ability to respond during daytime hours, as well as boost resilience more widely”.

However, it declined to answer questions from the Stray Ferret about how many firefighters faced redeployment, saying Ms Metcalfe would address questions in tomorrow’s meeting.

Ms Metcalfe will hold 12 events in North Yorkshire to discuss the proposals, including one in Harrogate, as well as running an online questionnaire.

Chief fire officer Jon Foster said:

“The risk and resource model would support the transformation of our fire and rescue service and enable a greater focus on prevention that is underlined by our assessment of community risk. It would also facilitate increased investment in our on-call service.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the Fire Brigades Union for comment.

Jennyfields has Harrogate’s noisiest neighbours

The Jennyfields area of Harrogate had the most noisy neighbour complaints across the Harrogate district last year, figures reveal.

Calling the council might be the last resort when a noise is driving you to distraction, but a freedom of information request shows residents in the district made more than 500 complaints during 2021.

Nine of the complaints were in the Saltergate council ward, higher than any other area.

The three most common objections across the district were about neighbours making a racket, barking dogs, and noise from construction sites.

The early months of last year were spent in lockdown and 84 complaints were made about annoying noises from next door such as babies crying, DIY or loud dance music.

Yapping dogs

An explosion in dog ownership since the pandemic has also tested the patience of Harrogate district residents, with 104 complaints made about yapping dogs.

Those complaints were spread evenly across the area, with reports in almost every corner of the district, including Starbeck, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Construction misery

With new housing developments going up across the district at a ferocious pace, it’s no surprise that noise from building machinery has been getting on people’s nerves.

There were 79 complaints about noise from construction sites, including three in the Granby area.

Last year, the Stray Ferret reported how a piledriver at a housing development on Granby Farm was ruining people’s day.

Other complaints included a summer fireworks display in Grantley and a bird scarer in Langthorpe.

Harrogate Borough Council has powers to take action against nuisance noise but a spokesperson recommends a more informal approach before the authority gets involved.

He said:

“We encourage people to try to resolve the matter in an appropriate informal manner before we get involved, as experience shows that, if done well, it will often lead to better and more permanent solutions.

“If this does not work, the environmental protection team can investigate your complaint.”

Harrogate youngster watches Leeds drama from bench…before sitting GCSEs today

Sixteen-year-old St John Fisher Catholic High School student and talented footballer Archie Gray enjoyed jubilant scenes in the Leeds United dressing room yesterday after the club secured their Premier League status.

But the celebrations didn’t last long as he had to be at school for 9am this morning to sit a geography GCSE.

Archie was an unused substitute in Leeds United‘s dramatic win over Brentford yesterday.

He’s in year 11 at the Harrogate secondary school and is still two years from legally being able to have a celebratory alcoholic drink with teammates.

Less than 24 hours after celebrating survival in Brentford with star internationals like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips he was back in Harrogate to sit in a silent exam hall for his GCSEs.

St John Fisher deputy head Matthew Flanagan said Archie’s quick progress in his football career has been a “fantastic achievement”.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“From the school’s perspective, what impresses us about Archie is not just his sporting aptitude. He is polite, engaging and has a real humility about him.”

The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the first team but scored a wonder goal for the under-23 team against rivals Manchester United earlier in the season.

In April he also captained England under-16s at a tournament in France.

Mr Flanagan called him a “wonderful ambassador” for St John Fisher.

“There is no sense of arrogance, he is popular with his peers. He’s a nice young man who deserves all the accolades and success that will come his way.”

Archie is highly rated by the club and was just 15 when former manager Marcelo Bielsa put him on the bench for a Premier League game.

He’s the great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.

Spofforth puts up 130 hand-made plaques to mark Queen’s jubilee

A chance encounter in a charity shop has led to more than 100 commemorative plaques being put up in Spofforth.

June Geddes, vice chairman of Spofforth with Stockeld Parish Council, was drafted onto the village committee to plan celebrations to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

As well as the events during the bank holiday weekend, she was hoping to put decorations around the village to mark the occasion. She said:

“Our high street is quite difficult: because of the three roads into Spofforth, it’s hard to put bunting up.

“Last November I thought, ‘what about plaques?’ There were none online, and when I went to see a local carpenter, he said it was impossible.”

Ms Geddes thought she would have to abandon the idea and focus on the celebrations instead.

However, while she was working in a charity shop in Wetherby, she got chatting to a customer, Terry Wilcox, and discovered he was a hobbyist carpenter with a workshop in his shed at home near Rotherham. After seeing some of his creations, she asked whether he might be able to create a plaque.

Terry Wilcox’s Queen’s platinum jubilee plaque.

Within a week, he had sent a prototype. Ms Geddes promptly placed an order.

“We started with 70, because I thought that’s fairly optimistic and fits in with the platinum theme and so on.”

Subsidised by the parish council, the plaques were sold for £10 each, to be put on lampposts around the village until after the jubilee, when the owners will be allowed to keep them as a souvenir.

Once they began appearing around the village, demand soared, and Ms Geddes went back to Mr Wilcox to ask for another 20.

They soon sold out too, so a final order was placed, bringing the total number of plaques made by Mr Wilcox in his workshop to 130. Ms Geddes added:

“I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s completely individual, you won’t see them anywhere else.”

Spofforth has four days of jubilee events planned. To find out more about them, and others taking place across the Harrogate district, visit our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee What’s On Guide.

Calls to speed up council tax discount to help most vulnerable in Harrogate district

Thousands of Harrogate households still waiting for their £150 council tax rebates should be able to apply before the end of this month, the borough council has said.

Around 34,000 households have received the payouts to help with soaring energy bills, but an estimated 15,000 are still unable to apply.

This is because they do not pay council tax by direct debit – and there are warnings that some of the poorest homes are having to wait the longest.

Campaign group National Energy Action said it is typically the poorest households that do not pay by direct debit – either because they do not have a bank account or because they manage their finances on an ad hoc basis.

Its chief executive Adam Scorer said:

“There are serious concerns that those with the greatest need will be least able to access the money.”

The government announced the support in February and said councils were expected to start paying the £150 rebates from April.

But many councils have struggled to administer the payments at short notice, including Harrogate Borough Council which said setting up applications for non-direct debit households has been a “complex” process.

A council spokesperson said:

“To date, we have paid more than 34,000 households across the Harrogate district the £150 energy rebate.

“The process for launching an application form for non-direct debit payers is complex and also involves pre-payment checks to prevent fraud, as well as a system to ensure payment can be made to eligible residents promptly after making a successful application.

“We anticipate this form being published via our website at the end of the month.”

The payments are available to homes in council tax bands A to D, and those which pay by direct debit will receive the money automatically.

The different process for households who don’t pay council tax by direct debit has attracted criticism from the local Liberal Democrats, who said some residents are being “disadvantaged”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“There should be no excuses for delaying this process or making it overly complicated.

“The application form should have been on the council website immediately.

“In fact, the best way to have done all this would have been to just take the £150 off the council tax bills for this year.

“When I raised this issue at council, I was told it was too late as the bills had already been printed, but they could have put an application form in the council tax bill envelope.

“Why insist on people jumping through unnecessary hoops?”

As well as the £150 council tax rebate, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills for all domestic electricity customers from October.

However, unlike the council tax rebate, this discount will be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over a five year period from 2023, when it is hoped global wholesale gas prices will have come down.

For more information on the council tax rebate, go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/council-tax.

Bilton community centre to offer free meals as cost of living hits hard

A new group has been set up in Harrogate to help people hit hard by the rising cost of living.

Harrogate Free Meals is offering nutritious two-course meals at Bilton Community Centre on Thursday this week.

The organisation, which is backed by Presence Church, will provide free meals to anyone who turns up. It has promised a relaxed environment and a ‘no questions asked’ policy.

The initiative will continue until the middle of July, with the aim of taking some of the pressure off for those struggling amid the cost of living crisis.

Three free meal events are planned in June and two are planned in July.

Organiser David Vaux said:

“We see rising fuel/food bills as a significant issue along with loneliness in Harrogate, so it’s a way of trying to help both of these. It’s important to start local when it comes to global issues.

“No person should go to bed hungry, and people should be able to have friends and be a part of a community.”

Mr Vaux added the evening is not just for people struggling financially, but for anyone feeling lonely post-lockdown who may want to meet people from the local area.

The meals will range from curry, bolognese and soup, and they are also hoping to provide a vegetarian option.

Mr Vaux asks that anyone with an allergy should get in contact beforehand at david@free-meal.co.uk so they can cater for this.

The centre will be open from 7-8pm.

Gay man says Harrogate police take women victims of stalking more seriously

A man who was stalked and harassed by his former partner has accused police of failing to take the case seriously because he was a gay man.

Jack* and his partner of five years, Paul*, who both live in Harrogate, broke up in early 2021.

Although the split was instigated by his partner, and was initially amicable, Jack said Paul soon began to turn up at his house and at places he would usually visit.

Jack said:

“Though there was no physical altercation, he often targeted my home. He tried to gain entry and would often appear in the garden – on one occasion my dog was nearly killed.

“He’d shout at people visiting my home from his car, monitor my friends and families activities. He used to set up dating profiles attempting to send abuse. There were occasions where he used my credit card details for online purchases, turned up at my place of work, approach me in restaurants…

“There were numerous situations like that over the course of five months. He started locating me and rev his car next to me if I was out walking.

“It meant I couldn’t operate a normal life without some kind of obstruction and feeling very unsafe and frightened.”

Eventually, after realising how much Paul’s actions were affecting his social and work life, Jack decided to contact the police last June.

He was initially uncertain whether the situation was something the police would deal with, but was reassured by the call handler.

“Immediately, they said it was stalking and harassment. They said they would send someone out, and he called later that day to organise a visit. He came to take a statement within a couple of days.

“He repeated to me that it was serious and said my ex would be brought in and arrested and they would impose bail conditions to keep him away from me.”

Relieved

Jack said he felt relieved he was being taken seriously and waited to receive an update from the officer.

However, he never received a call.

“A month went by and nothing had happened. I tried to get in contact and had no response.

“Another month went by of the same thing. I heard there was a warrant out for his arrest, but after that a lot of time went by with nothing, no arrest, no feedback.”

Meanwhile, Paul’s behaviour continued to make Jack feel uncomfortable. Jack reported further instances of stalking and harassment, but never heard anything back.

He received a call from a specialist police officer who advised getting new locks, increasing home security and changing his routine. While Jack appreciated the advice, it also served as a reminder that he could be in danger.

Jack was advised by specialist police to change his locks and increase his home security

By mid-September, Jack said he felt frustrated that he had still heard nothing and submitted a complaint to the police by email. It took six weeks for them to respond.

The answer from an inspector in early November was that the PC assigned to his case was inexperienced, and had been given advice about his work.

Paul had now been interviewed, he said, and a file would be submitted to the CPS for advice about charging him.

In an email seen by the Stray Ferret, the inspector added:

“I am sorry that you didn’t receive the service you expected, but this was purely down to [the officer’s] relative inexperience, managing competing pressures of his workload and his thought process in not thinking it appropriate to ring [Paul] or visit his work premises.”

Yet more time passed with no information from the police. Jack emailed again asking for updates, and for a copy of his original statement, but received no response.

He heard no further until February this year, when IDAS – the domestic abuse charity which he had been put in touch with by police after he first called them – told him the case had been dropped five weeks earlier.

The reason was nothing to do with evidence or proof. Rather, Jack said, it was because the officer dealing with the case had only passed the file to the CPS a week before charges had to be made or the case had to be dropped.

Effectively, there was not enough time for the CPS to process it before the six-month deadline for dealing with the case had passed.

While he accepts there is nothing he can do in his case, Jack said he hopes raising the issue publicly will help other victims who might face similar problems.

He believes complaints of stalking and harassment are taken more seriously when made by women about men, but said that shouldn’t be the case.

Jack said:

“I have spoken to women in Harrogate who have been in the same situation and that’s not what happened for them. I have no doubt, if I had been a woman, it would have been very different.

“It’s not about being homophobic. But when it’s a man complaining about a man, it’s treated differently.”

Jack has now taken his complaint to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe. He is awaiting a response from her.

He said:

“If I had read a story about this situation six or eight months ago, I would have done something sooner. I would have known it was not normal procedure – a lot of people would just assume you can’t complain [about the police] and what they say goes, but it’s not always the case.”

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police, but we were told they could not respond while the case was being investigated by the PFCC.

The PFCC’s office said it could not comment on an individual case because of data protection. A spokesperson declined to comment on the issue of whether gender or sexuality could play a part in officers’ handling of cases, but added:

“If somebody is not happy with anything that the police do, they should contact our office and make a complaint and we will investigate it.

“Let us know about it, because people should be happy. We don’t like it when people are unhappy with the service that’s provided by the police.”

*names changed to protect identities

Plan to convert Harrogate office block into flats

Plans have been lodged to convert a Harrogate office block into seven flats.

Artium Group has submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to create the flats at Simpson House, off Clarence Drive.

It would see the vacant offices turned into one one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats.

The developer also plans to use the current 14 car parking spaces and create storage for seven bicycles.

In documents submitted to the council, Artium Group said the proposal would help to make efficient use of the building.

It said:

“The conversion of the building is considered to be entirely appropriate give the lack of any viable interest in retaining the existing employment use.

“The property is in a highly sustainable location and surrounded by existing buildings which have also been converted in recent years.

“The provision of additional residential units within a highly sustainable location should therefore be welcomed.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Read more:

Nearby schools full

Future of site unclear

Student from Knaresborough achieves unprecedented full marks in hairdressing exam

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‘Struggling to buy the basics’

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Yapping dogs

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Construction misery

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Relieved

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