Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Harrogate Town has announced a new partnership with Barclays LED Solutions.
As a result, the Wetherby Road Terrace at the EnviroVent stadium has been renamed the Barclays LED Solutions Stand.
Barclays LED Solutions has been working with the club over the summer to install new energy saving LED floodlights that will improve the lighting at the ground and reduce environmental impact.
Dave Barclay, owner of Barclay LED Solutions said:
“We are thrilled to partner with the club, after completing works on replacing the floodlights with LED we knew we wanted to continue working with Harrogate Town and the right opportunity came at the right time.
“Harrogate Town is an integral part of the community that brings so many people together and we are delighted to be involved with the club and show our support of Town.”
Barclay LED Solutions, founded over 30 years ago as an electrical contracting business now specialises in the design, supply and installation of LED lighting to the sports, commercial and industrial markets.
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Ripon pies win taste award
Ripon based Yorkshire Handmade Pies has picked up a 3 star Great Taste Award for its steak and kidney pie.
The company was also awarded 2 stars for its steak and black pudding and Yorkshire samosa pies, and 1 star for its mushroom and ale and steak and ale pies.
More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process, with only 241 products from around the world being awarded the Great Taste 3-star accolade, which is awarded for ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.
Yorkshire Handmade Pies are made from local ingredients including slow-cooked Heritage breed beef, herb-fed free-range chicken and grass-fed Wagyu beef, all farmed in harmony with the environment.
Founder James Sturdy said:
“We are over the moon. So fantastic for the team to be recognised for all their hard work. Five awards is a seriously impressive haul – it’s hard to get any awards so five is really good, especially the 3-star one.
“We’re so proud of our local area and of representing Yorkshire’s finest produce on an international stage. Great Taste is the most recognised accolade in the food and drink world. For independent producers like Yorkshire Handmade Pies it really means a huge amount to be recognised.”
The award winning steak and kidney Yorkshire Handmade Pie.
Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 daysTrial restrictions on vehicles using Beech Grove and Lancaster Road in Harrogate are to end in 10 days time.
Measures aimed at encouraging more walking and cycling in Harrogate were introduced on a trial basis in February 2021, for a maximum of 18 months.
It saw the temporary installation of signage, bollards and planters in the two streets – the first initiative of its kind in the county.
The 18-month experimental order will lapse on August 14, meaning the measures must legally now be removed.
Feedback from the trial will now be considered before a wider package of permanent measures to promote environmentally-friendly travel is drawn up and consulted upon in September.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
Air pollution rises above pre-pandemic levels at nine locations in Harrogate district“It is fair to say these trial restrictions have been controversial. We have received significant feedback – positive and negative – and we’ve learnt a lot over the past 18 months.
“We know that more people are now using this route to walk and cycle, which is encouraging and in line with our aim of promoting sustainable travel. However, we are also aware of negative impacts affecting those living nearby.
“Now the trial period is over, it is only right that we review in detail what’s worked and what could work better.
“This will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together in the best way while addressing many of the objections raised by local residents.
“We will be seeking input from local councillors, active travel groups and the public to ensure we are developing the most effective possible plan for this area.”
The levels of harmful air pollutants in the Harrogate district have risen above pre-pandemic levels at nine locations – including one which recorded a year-on-year increase despite covid lockdowns.
Knaresborough bus station was the only area in the district to record a yearly rise in nitrogen dioxide levels between 2019 and 2021.
Nine out of all 64 monitoring locations saw an increase during the same period, although each had a drop during 2020 when lockdowns led to tight restrictions on travel.
All locations remain below current legal limits, but these targets are set to be reduced by the government after warnings that pollutants are even more dangerous than previously thought.
Air pollution is associated with a number of serious health impacts – it particularly affects the most vulnerable, including children and older people, and those with heart and lung conditions.
The latest figures for Harrogate have been revealed in a report from the borough council which shows nitrogen dioxide levels rose from 2019 to 2021 at:
- Station Parade taxi rank, Harrogate
- Harlow Crescent, Harrogate
- Devonshire Place, Harrogate
- Woodfield Road, Harrogate
- High Skellgate, Ripon
- High Street, Knaresborough
- Knaresborough bus station
- The Royal Oak, Knaresborough
- Bond End, Knaresborough
Bond End is one of four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) declared by the council for previously breaching the legal limit of 40 micrograms of annual nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air.
The figure for Bond End, which has had traffic light upgrades to tackle pollution from idling vehicles, now stands at 38.3 – the highest in the district.
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For the first time in 15 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) last year released new guidelines which mean the UK’s legal limits for the most harmful pollutants are now four times higher than the maximum levels recommended.
This is after research found air pollution from areas including vehicle exhausts and gas central heating is having a big impact on health, even at lower concentrations.
While not legally binding, the WHO guidelines are used as reference tools by policymakers around the world and impact on how legal limits are set.
The UK government has yet to approve new limits, with a bill currently going through the legal process.
If the WHO’s new target of 10 micrograms of annual nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air is introduced, just two locations in Harrogate would meet the new guidelines.
In its annual report, Harrogate Borough Council said it had no plans to declare any new AQMAs under the current rules, but added it recognised there was work to do to improve air quality.
It said:
Starbeck KFC withdraws expansion plan“Concentrations have risen across the district in 2021, but this is following 2020 when there were multiple lockdowns.
“Whilst air quality has improved significantly in recent decades, and will continue to improve due to national policy decisions, there are some areas where local action is needed to improve air quality further.
“We work with colleagues within the highways, sustainable transport and public health departments at North Yorkshire County Council on air quality, and will continue to do this to improve local air quality.”
KFC has withdrawn plans to expand its premises in Starbeck.
Under proposals submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the fast-food chain planned to take over and convert the former Age UK shop next door to create more space for seating.
An area for 14 seats would have been created and a new disabled and unisex toilet installed.
The conversion of the unit would also have seen a new main entrance built.
While the current KFC is mainly used as a takeaway, the fast-food chain said the plan would help it function as a restaurant.
Pegasus Group, which submitted the plans on behalf of KFC to the council, said in planning documents:
“The proposal seeks to utilise it as a seating area directly associated with the existing KFC premises next door. The existing KFC is a Sui Generis takeaway use.
“The proposal will allow for a seating area to be introduced meaning that the existing KFC could operate more as a restaurant.”
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Now, the fast-food chain has withdrawn the plan. No reason has been given in planning documents for the decision.
In a letter to the council, local resident Peter Walker said the High Street already had enough takeaways.
He said:
“Starbeck High Street has more than enough takeaways at this time. Expanding the current provision detracts further from the character of the area, increases the risks due to vermin and drives away other businesses who would suffer further from queues of delivery drivers.
“We already have rubbish dumped in the area by customers of this business. The number of occasions I have had to clear away half eaten chicken from this shop is growing.
“The waste attracts rats and we are seeing more of those in the area this summer. Chicken bones are a health risk to dogs and I have to exercise vigilance just to take my dog for a walk.”
The Stray Ferret has approached KFC for comment, but has not received a response by the time of publication.
Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station GatewayThe amount of traffic in Harrogate is to be monitored as part of the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.
Speaking at a consultation event today on the latest designs for the scheme, Richard Binks, head of major traffic and infrastructure at North Yorkshire County Council, said it had asked consultants to count the volume of traffic.
Mr Binks said current forecasts were based on pre-covid surveys and it was likely traffic had reduced since then.
North Yorkshire County Council said last month the scheme would extend the average journey time around town by 73 seconds at peak times.
Mr Binks said this had now been amended to 50 seconds because plans to reduce two approaches to the Odeon cinema to single lanes had been abandoned.
He said he suspected the traffic count would further negate the argument that the scheme will slow down traffic, even though it will reduce part of Station Parade to one lane.
Mr Binks said it was a common misconception that reducing the number of lanes around town caused congestion. He added that having more efficient junctions, with upgraded smart traffic lights on Station Parade, would improve traffic flow.
He said:
“We are working towards submitting a full business case in the new year so we have about six months to finalise designs.”
Today’s consultation event was the first of three in which people can see the latest designs.
In another development today, Mr Binks said the taxi rank on Station Parade would now remain the same length, after the county council indicated last month it would be shortened.
Mr Binks was one of four officials at today’s consultation event answering questions on the latest designs, which were on display.
Further events will be held tomorrow and Saturday from 11am to 4pm at Victoria Shopping Centre.
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- £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway will ‘boost business and house prices’
- New Harrogate Station Gateway details revealed today
Mr Binks acknowledged there were concerns but he said the overwhelming sentiment today was positive and he detected a “softening” of attitudes towards the scheme, which would reduce part of Station Parade to single lane and part pedestrianise James Street.
Business groups have expressed concern about the impact on trade but Mr Binks said the regeneration of the town centre would make it more attractive and encourage shoppers, as well as making it better for cyclists and pedestrians.
He added the loss of a small number of parking spaces would not have a significant impact because there was “an abundance of car parking in Harrogate”.
Mr Binks also said the scheme remained affordable despite the increase in cost of raw materials over the last year.
You can take part in the consultation online here.
What is the Station Gateway?
The project is one of three in North Yorkshire, and 39 nationally, being funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund to promote active travel.
North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority all support the gateway.
Work is due to start in late spring next year.
North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?The historic devolution deal struck between North Yorkshire and the government on Monday will bring millions of pounds into the county — but it could have been more.
Signed off by Greg Clark, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, the 32-page document promises £540 million over 30 years.
It will also see North Yorkshire and York join other major counties and cities in getting its own mayor and a combined authority to oversee the funding.
Local leaders have lauded the deal as an opportunity not to be missed, but analysis of the document shows it could have offered more.
Guaranteed funding
In 2020, officials at North Yorkshire County Council started discussions with government over the potential for a devolution deal for the county and City of York Council.
This culminated in a 140-page document being drawn up listing the requests for new powers and funding from Whitehall.
It was formally submitted in January 2021 and included proposals such as a £750 million mayoral funding pot over 25 years and more powers over skills, transport and energy.
The funding pot, known as “gainshare”, is guaranteed annual funding from central government.
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Fast-forward 18 months and the fruits of the negotiations between ministers and council bosses have produced something slightly different.
Instead of the requested £750 million funding pot over 25 years, £540 million over 30 years has been agreed.
The initial proposal tabled by council bosses would have seen £25 million a year come into North Yorkshire and York – instead it will be £18 million.
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, whose Conservative mayor Ben Houchen has since exercised his economic development powers to buy Teesside International Airport and Redcar Steelworks.
Extra funding for homes
Aside from the £540 million over three decades, funding has also been allocated for specific areas.
For example, ministers have awarded £12.7 million towards building homes on brownfield sites over the first two financial years of its existence.
A further £2.65 million has been allocated specifically for low carbon and affordable housing.
It suggests that ministers were more happy to part with cash on housing schemes under the deal than in other areas.
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The only other area in the deal awarded specific funding was £7 million to “drive green economic growth” towards the ambition of creating a carbon negative county.
However, this cash is subject to a business case being submitted to government.
No Harrogate Convention Centre money
While the deal offers funding for the wider county, much of the detail on specific towns and areas amounts to “commitments to engage” or mentions already announced cash for schemes.
Harrogate itself is mentioned four times in the document. Three of those mentions are for the A59 Kex Gill realignment and Station Gateway projects, which are underway. Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and Masham are not mentioned.
The fourth time Harrogate is mentioned is for Harrogate Convention Centre.
As previously reported, funding for a £47 million upgrade of the centre was requested. But although the centre is mentioned in the devolution document, funding was not pledged.
However, the deal is a provisional agreement and it remains to be seen where the funding will go when the mayor and combined authority is established.
‘Very relieved’
Much of the deal is years in the making for those who have sat around the negotiating table with ministers.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said he was relieved to have signed off on the provisional agreement with ministers.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“I’m very relieved that we have got to this point. We have now got to explain it to the public.”
A glance at the main points of the deal shows the government willing to part with millions of pounds worth of funding on the condition that a new layer of governance is set up to oversee it.
For the IPPR North think tank, the new money is welcomed and “should be seized”.
However, Rosie Lockwood, head of advocacy at the think tank, pointed out that cuts due to austerity meant North Yorkshire still faced a difficult future.
She said:
“A devolution deal which unlocks funding and transfers powers from Whitehall to North Yorkshire and York is good news for communities across the area. This is an opportunity to be seized.
“But North Yorkshire and York will face challenges as it moves forward, not least because local government has already been eroded by austerity. We can’t forget that the north saw a £413 per person drop in annual council service spending over the austerity decade.”
What happens now?
Despite the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, putting his signature to the deal, it will still require approval from both North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council.
A public consultation will also be carried out on the devolution deal in the coming months.
From there, the councils can then undertake a governance review to set up the combined authority and mayor, should councillors back the deal.
If all goes ahead, a combined authority for North Yorkshire and York could be in place by autumn next year and a mayor elected in May 2024.
Business Breakfast: Ripon BID launches training hub for teenagersBusiness Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Ripon BID has launched a training hub with the aim of bringing students and local businesses together.
The Ripon Apprenticeship & Training Hub (RATH) will help engage 14-16 year olds into the work place to promote career development, soft skills and good work ethics.
RATH has been set up by the Ripon Business Improvement District (BID) which was established last year.
The BID said that through paid work placements and close mentoring, students will learn good working standards at the very start of their career paths and businesses will be able to access staff when needed.
Annette Duffy, BID Director and RATH lead says
“We’ve employed students for a few years now with great results. Our recruits have lots of enthusiasm and are keen to learn and I love watching them grown in confidence.
This is an exciting new hub to accelerate these opportunities for local businesses and school children. The website is live and opportunities are already online.”
Alexander Pickering, Ripon Grammar School student on a Specsavers placement adds
“I was thrilled to play a small part in a much bigger team of people at Specsavers, in helping to save someone’s sight. I never expected to learn so much and achieve something so worthwhile during my work experience.”
RATH will be attending the Summer FunFest day on August 18 at Studley Cricket Club and is encouraging students to come down, have a go at the activities and talk to the team about work and training opportunities.
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Cheese auction raises money for Samaritans
Cheese lovers at the Great Yorkshire Show raised over £5,500 for the Samaritans which will go towards supporting rural communities in need.
An auction is held every year in the Cheese and Dairy Section of the Great Yorkshire Show, giving visitors the chance to bid for a round of their favourite cheese.
This year’s auction raised £5,579 which will go to The Samaritan’s Regional Rural Initiative for the benefit of rural communities.
Alison Lumley from the Samaritans of Yorkshire & Humberside Rural Initiative said:
“Thank you for such a generous donation to Samaritans of Yorkshire & Humberside Rural Initiative. The Samaritans understand that those involved in farming or living in rural communities are especially likely to experience isolation and loneliness, on top of all the pressures of work. We know that talking to someone confidentially about your feelings without fear of judgement can be a massive help.
This donation will be used to support our work raising awareness of the benefits to mental health of talking and of the availability of our 24/7, free to access emotional support service.”
The Samaritans can be contacted on the phone free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org .
Harrogate’s Grove House set for £15m transformation into care and community facility
One of Harrogate’s most historic buildings looks set to be brought back to life as a major new care home and community facility.
Grove House, a grade two listed building opposite the fire station on Skipton Road, was the home of Victorian inventor, philanthropist and mayor Samson Fox.
The building was then used as a hospital during the First World War and shortly afterwards was acquired by the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.
Harrogate’s Graeme Lee, chief executive of Springfield Healthcare, bought the six-acre site from the Buffaloes three years ago for more than £3m.
Mr Lee, whose company owns six care homes, including Harcourt Gardens in Harrogate, now wants to invest £15m to create what he calls “the holy grail of care”, combining high quality facilities for residents with extensive community use.
He told the Stray Ferret he expects to secure planning permission this autumn after lengthy negotiations with Harrogate Borough Council and begin work in spring next year.
Work is expected to last 18 months, meaning the project could be ready by January 2025.
Under the plans, Grove House will be converted to accommodate 23 independent living apartments. In addition, a 70-bed care home and eight houses providing supported living for over-65s will be built on land alongside Grove House.
Schoolchildren from nearby Grove Road Community Primary School will be invited to participate regularly in activities alongside residents and use the gardens for study and play.
The school, which doesn’t have any grass play areas for pupils, has already used the site for its summer sports day this year.
Mr Lee also wants to host an annual garden party for the community on the site.
He said the currently disused site would be brought back to life and become “one of the best examples of developing relationships between older people and young people in the UK”.
He added:
“We are in a difficult period. As a business owner in Harrogate I want to do all I can to help the community.
“I’m driven by that and Grove House achieves that by giving back to the community and school.
“My 28 years in care has led me to this.”
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Harrogate Town’s new women’s manager leaves suddenly
The manager of Harrogate Town‘s women’s team has left — five days after his appointment was announced.
The club issued a press release last week saying Liam Cope had taken over the reins and had already recruited several players. He was also due to help with player development.
But today a Town spokesman said “the agreement has since been ended and we are looking to recruit again”.
Cope, who has managed Ossett Town Ladies and been assistant manager at Leeds United Women, was due to arrive with a backroom team including a nutritionist and goalkeeping coach.
He said his ambition was to take the club to the next stage up the football pyramid by reaching the Women’s National League.
But the role is being advertised again. The closing date for applicants is Tuesday next week.
The Stray Ferret asked the club why Mr Cope had left suddenly and whether his backroom team would also not be joining the club.
A club spokesman said he understood “the club and Liam had mutually agreed that it would be best for him not to continue in the role”.
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Harrogate Town Ladies currently play in the North East Regional Women’s Football League, which is one step below the Women’s National League Division One North.
They play home matches on the 3G pitch at Rossett Sports Centre, with their first fixture scheduled to be at home to South Shields on September 4.
Mr Cope said it was a fantastic club and he didn’t have a bad word to say about anyone at it.
But he added it was a club “in a state of transition” and “I’m not at a stage in my life where I can join a club in transition”. He added he “wasn’t aware of the size of the project” when he agreed to take on the role.
Owners of missing dachshund Maggie joyful she’s back home
The owners of Maggie, the miniature dachshund who was taken from her home in Harrogate, said she’s well and fully recovered from her ordeal.
Maggie went missing from Laurie and Paul Smith’s home on Swan Road on Monday morning. A neighbour’s CCTV had captured images of a woman the Smiths believed snatched her from the front garden.
The couple began a frantic hunt for their missing pet and posted the CCTV images on social media. A huge response led the couple to a house on Oakdale Avenue, half a mile from their home, where they believed Maggie was. The Smiths called the police who recovered their dog.
Paul told the Stray Ferret that Maggie is now safe but shaken by her ordeal:
“We are elated and enormously relieved. Number one we found her; number two she isn’t harmed. Last night Maggie was a bit disturbed – she wouldn’t sleep in her travel cage which is where she normally likes to sleep.
“This morning though she seems fine.”
The hunt for Maggie went viral with thousands of engagements on social media. Paul said he has had reservations about social media but on this occasion it was a fantastic tool:
“A lot of my opinions about social media have all been negative but this was one of ringing endorsement.
The community of Harrogate came together and even further afield across the UK. We’d like to thank everyone involved.”
The Smiths are now looking into how they can use GPS technology to keep Maggie safe and say their attitudes towards her have changed. They won’t let her trot about and give her as much freedom, they said.
Officers are speaking to a woman as they work to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to email Paul.Southgate@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference number 12220135089
Maggie resting on her pink blanket at home last night
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