A video has emerged of a lorry knocking over a traffic light on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The footage appears to show a bus being towed at the junction with King’s Road, outside Bilton Working Men’s Club on Monday morning.

The trailer hits the barrier and the traffic light, which is knocked over.

The incident was one of many to cause disruption on Harrogate’s roads on Monday.

You can watch the clip below.

Barry Robertson, from Middlesbrough, uploaded the footage, which was recorded as he was driving through Harrogate.

He said drivers beeped their horns to alert the lorry driver when his vehicle got close to the barrier and traffic light.

He added that an elderly man in a car in the opposite lane where the traffic light crashed was left bemused by the incident.

“It was quite bad.

“There was an old man in the car. I don’t think he realised what happened.”

Read more:

• Decision looms on future of Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood
• Four-mile queues as traffic chaos descends on Harrogate

Police later attended the scene and the light was moved, but traffic was left queueing for miles in both directions.

The situation was made worse when resurfacing work outside the Leon drive-thru on Wetherby Road caused traffic to queue back onto Skipton Road.

Tributes have been paid to celebrated Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam, who died yesterday.

Mr Neesam, who wrote some of the most authoritative books about Harrogate, died in the early hours of the morning on his 76th birthday.

He was a founder member of Harrogate Civic Society, whose chairman Stuart Holland described him as “an inspirational source of knowledge about our town”, adding.

“Always a gentleman in manner and appearance, Malcolm had an amazing way of recounting our history as a simple story.

“In his work with the civic society — originally the Harrogate Society — Malcolm was instrumental in establishing the listing of buildings in the town and establishing the first conservation area.

“He had an encyclopaedic memory of facts, people and places which made his presentations at meetings fascinating.

“As author of many books about the town, it was Wells and Swells, covering the golden age of Harrogate, 1842 to 1923,  that Malcolm will more recently be remembered for.

“Alongside his research and writing, Malcolm was the founder historian of the Harrogate brown plaque scheme, from presenting plaques on the Tewit Well and Magnesia Well in 1975 to a staggering 92 plaques around the town today.

“The Harrogate Civic Society will keep Malcolm’s name alive by continuing in his footsteps, celebrating our rich heritage and past.”

‘Chronicler of our town’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones wrote on his Community News website that Mr Neesam made a “profound” contribution to the area. He added:

“As a historian he was the chronicler of our town, and nobody knew more.

“His knowledge had depth and breadth, and he was always so generous in helping others tapping into that well of understanding. Malcolm was also passionate about music, and again his knowledge was huge.

“He cared deeply for Harrogate, its past and its future, using his unparalleled knowledge to inform debate.

“I recall very fondly many long conversations about our area and shared musical interests. As a very near neighbour I would see him regularly, and always enjoyed doing so.

“Malcolm was a Harrogate hero. He leaves a body of work that is impressive and an area much the better for all he did. This is indeed sad news, but we should give thanks as we think about him.”

Freedom of the borough

Harrogate Borough Council awarded Mr Neesam the Freedom of the Borough in 1996 for his services as a historian.

Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Malcolm had an enthusiasm and passion for the town and in 1996 was awarded the Freedom of the Borough for his services as historian of the town.

“On behalf of the borough council, I’d like to offer our deepest condolences and sympathy to Malcolm’s friends and family during this time.”

‘Forever Mr Harrogate’

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association and a friend of Mr Neesam, said:

“We will all be the poorer for the loss of Malcolm, ‘Mr Harrogate’, as he has been called. A true Harrogatonian who had a wealth of knowledge about our beautiful town and its history.

“He had a deep and abiding passion for this town and Malcolm knew more about our wonderful Stray, its origins and history, than anyone else. We will miss his knowledge and wisdom immensely.

“He will never be forgotten but be forever Mr Harrogate.”

This article is sponsored by Extreme.

A Harrogate-based marketing firm has shared its 20th anniversary celebrations with clients by creating a bespoke beer to mark its longevity.

Extreme was set up in 2002 by directors Antony Prince and Mark Gledhill and focused on brochure websites and small search engine optimisation projects, before demand increased and the pair hired a range of experts to handle requests for both marketing and development.

Since then the company, which is based at Harrogate’s Windsor House, has gone from strength-to-strength. Their team of 25 in-house experts help business and brands of all sizes, local and international, with every aspect of their marketing.

To celebrate its two decades of success, Extreme teamed up with Harrogate Brewing Co to create “Staying Power”, a session IPA which would help mark the milestone but also represent the agency’s longevity and skills in branding.

Staying Power.

Antony Prince, director at Extreme, said:

“20 years in a fast-paced and sometimes fickle industry is something we’re very proud of.

“We’ve built a fantastic reputation for our creative and technical capabilities and we’ve worked with some amazing brands.”

As well as a celebration of the milestone, the beer was also an opportunity for Extreme to flex its muscles and show its talent in branding.

The idea behind the brand was to create a product which represented endurance but also adaptability.

Extreme used the story of the hare and tortoise, which teaches that self-belief, confidence and patience are the key to longevity and, as such, “staying power”.

As a mark of appreciation, staff at Extreme shared the beer with a host of its clients both old and new.

The design represents adaptability and longevity.

Martha Joyce, Branding and Social Manager at Harrogate Brewing Co, said:

“Working with Extreme to create a bespoke beer for their 20th Anniversary has been an absolute pleasure.

“As a family business with a true passion for beer and brewing, we use only the best ingredients so we can deliver quality craft ales to all our clients.

“By joining forces with the incredible design talents of those at Extreme, we’ve certainly created a beer worthy of celebration and the cause it was created for.

“It’s always a great experience to team up with other local businesses and produce something special to celebrate their achievements. On behalf of everyone at Harrogate Brewing Co, we’d like to congratulate them on their milestone – we hope this beer exemplifies at its best, your true ‘Staying Power’.”

For more information on Extreme and their branding services go to madebyextreme.com.

The Harrogate district’s visitor economy has yet to recover to pre-covid levels last year, according to figures released yesterday.

The figures show the district attracted 6.47 million visitor numbers, generating an impact of £606 million, in 2019.

In 2020 — when covid struck — visitor numbers crashed to 2.81 million, generating an impact of £279 million, which was a 54 per cent decrease.

Last year, which began with another lockdown but gradually saw the economy open up again, there were more than four million visitor numbers, with an estimated economic impact of £457million, according to the data from Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body Destination Harrogate.

Destination Harrogate calculated the figures using data that measures the economic impact of visits to the district and hotel performance.

Gemma Rio

Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said the figures painted “a positive picture for the recovery of the visitor economy in the Harrogate district”, adding:

“Our destination management plan targets a full recovery of the visitor economy by 2023 and an increase in its value to £836.7 million by 2030.

“With some exciting events and marketing campaigns planned, together with a continued appetite for collaboration across the district, I’m confident that we will continue to see these figures move in the right direction for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

Data from 2019 shows that on average an overnight visitor stayed 3.3 days and generated £316 for the local economy. In 2021, this rose to 3.5 days and £344.

Read more:

• Harrogate tourism body makes health and wellbeing top priority
• Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam dies

According to Destination Harrogate, the 2022 peak season has got off to a “healthy start”, with figures indicating that in March, April and May, hotels were largely fuller and seeing a greater level of revenue per available room than they were in 2019.

Cllr Stanley Lumley

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“This is a really positive start to Harrogate’s visitor economy, ahead of the summer season.”

The Crown Hotel

Dan Siddle, general manager of Harrogate’s Crown Hotel and chair of Harrogate Hotel & Tourism Association, said:

“After such a tough period for the hospitality industry, it is wonderful to be enjoying some positivity with increasing occupancy levels across the hotels in Harrogate, and we welcome the work of Destination Harrogate to support this.

“Whilst not yet out of the woods, with challenges still in recruitment and staffing, we look forward to a busy summer season and welcoming visitors new and old to our hotels.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Yorkshire based law firm, LCF Law, has appointed three new partners after promoting Roger Raper and James Austin and recruiting experienced private client lawyer, Haroon Qayum.

The trio will be based across the firm’s Harrogate and Leeds offices.

James joined LCF Law in 2017 and is an experienced employment lawyer based at the firm’s Harrogate office.

Haroon now heads up LCF Law’s personal law team in Harrogate, and is experienced in advising families and individuals on all aspects of private client law, including the drafting of wills and trusts, administration of estates, lasting powers of attorney, inheritance and estate tax planning.

Roger has worked in LCF Law’s disputes team, in Leeds city centre, for nine years advising companies and individuals on all types of commercial disputes.

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said:

“James and Roger are long serving members of our team who are renowned for offering high quality, straightforward advice to clients that genuinely adds value. They walk in their clients’ shoes and their combined legal experience and client focussed approach makes them valuable members of LCF Law. It is a pleasure to be able to reward their hard work with these promotions.

“Haroon is experienced in advising clients on all aspects of estate planning and non-contentious private client work. He has previously led a successful private client department, and is a welcome addition to our team, as we attract impressive numbers of new clients throughout Harrogate and beyond.”

LCF Law employs more than 125 people and 24 partners across offices in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and Ilkley.

Read More: 

• Ripon auctioneer recruits new painting and sculpture specialist
• Big names in UK politics coming to Harrogate for conference

Hairdressing group complete 100km walk

Stylists from the Westrow hairdressing group have completed a 100-kilometre walk, raising over £6000 for charity.

The Westrow team walked for three consecutive days via all nine Westrow salons to raise funds for The Principle Trust, a Skipton based children’s charity.

Dubbed The Great Westrow Walk, the event has already raised £6450 which will fund holidays for sixteen families from the Yorkshire region.

The walkers, aged 18 to 59 years, left the Westrow salon in Skipton on Friday 24 June, calling at branches in Ilkley, Bingley, Leeds city centre (two salons), Westpark, Roundhay and Wetherby, before reaching the finish line at the Harrogate salon on Sunday afternoon.

Marc Westerman one of the founders of Westrow and a patron of The Principle Trust, said:

“We want to thank everyone who supported this event; it was a fantastic way to celebrate Westrow’s 35^th anniversary. Every penny raised will help to fund much-needed respite holidays for families across Yorkshire”

The team at Westrow arriving at the Harrogate salon on Station Parade on Sunday afternoon

The murder trial of Vitalijus Koreiva and Jaroslaw Rutowicz has been adjourned until Monday due to problems finding a Lithuanian translator.

Mr Koreiva, 36, and Mr Rutowicz, 39, are accused of murdering Gracijus Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

The trial began on Monday last week at Leeds Crown Court and was set to continue until at least the end of this week.

Mr Koreiva, who is Lithuanian, was due to take the stand this week but his translator is unavailable until Friday and the court has been unable to find another one.

One of the 12 jurors has also caught covid, so Judge Rodney Jameson QC today adjourned the trial until Monday morning.

Read more:

• Harrogate murder trial hears that body was found in a rug

• Harrogate murder suspect claims he feared for his own life after ‘brutal’ assault

The trial began last week with the prosecution giving evidence.

The court heard how Mr Balciauskas’ body was found wrapped in a rug and CCTV footage was shown of the three men buying alcohol in the hours leading up to his death.

This week, the defence began with Mr Rutowicz claiming Mr Koreiva violently killed Mr Balciauskas after a drunken game of chess turned ugly — and then threatened to do the same to him if he dialled 999 for help.

Harrogate Borough Council is pushing ahead with proposals to build a new plant nursery as a replacement for its Harlow Hill site, which will become new housing.

However, the council has refused to reveal its preferred location for the new nursery.

Around 60 homes are set to be built at the existing site, which was allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 two years ago, although a planning application has yet to be submitted.

The plans have previously been met with anger from residents who objected to the closure of the Harlow Hill nursery where thousands of plants are grown each year for the district’s award-winning gardens.

In March, the Stray Ferret revealed two proposals for the site.

£50,000 consultants’ fee

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s new cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, has this week signed off £50,000 for “in-depth professional advice,” site surveys and other works to progress the replacement nursery plans.

A council spokesperson said these proposals are in the early stages and that it wanted to see whether the unnamed preferred site is “viable”.

The spokesperson said:

“To ensure we can continue to deliver and develop the award winning floral displays for which the Harrogate district is well known for and attracts thousands of visitors every year, alternative locations are now being explored.

“Following a successful bid for funding, the council has commissioned consultants to look at master planning and delivery options for the site with a focus on achieving innovative, quality design.

“The development will not be progressed in advance of certainty regarding the relocation of the nursery.”

Read more:

• Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’
• Plans for housing at Harlow Nurseries emerge

The spokesperson also said the housing plans will include “a range of private and affordable homes”.

The council previously spent another £50,000 on a “professional site appraisal” for the new nursery plans after holding a consultation on the future of the Harlow Hill site

One resident responded to the survey to say:

“I hope this nursery is not going to close. Don’t ruin anything with more houses please.”

Another said:

“It would be a very, very sad day if the site was sold off for housing.”

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was the main speaker at today’s opening day of the Local Government Association annual conference in Harrogate.

The three-day gathering, which is the biggest event on the local government calendar, has brought about 1,500 delegates to Harrogate.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and Lisa Nandy, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Levelling Up, are among tomorrow’s listed speakers.

Michael Gove, waiting to go on stage.

Mr Gove used the occasion to announce the government will move to two-year funding settlements for local authorities and will create an Office for Local Government, which will scrutinise councils’ performance.

But the event, which will see break-out events take place at some hotels, is also an opportunity to showcase Harrogate.

Shortly before Mr Gove’s speech, Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader, took to the stage for a five-minute plenary speech in which he implored delegates to “take the opportunity to see why Harrogate is such a great place to live, work and keep visiting”.

Cllr Graham Swift promotes the Harrogate district.

Cllr Swift added:

“We want your visit to Harrogate to be extraordinary. We hope you’ll join us by enjoying the god given joys of our town.”

Mr Gove took the time afterwards to meet Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough’s last mayor.

Michael Gove and Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough mayor.

The packed programme of events includes a 45-minute walking tour of Harrogate at 11.30am tomorrow led by members of Destination Harrogate, which is the council’s tourism organisation.

The Old Swan hotel will host a chief executives’ drinks reception tomorrow night while the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic will host dinners for the Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Tomorrow will also see Harrogate’s Royal Host the LGA LGBTQ+ disco.

Tonight, the Crown Hotel will host an event on local authority enterprises.

Delegates arriving today.

LGA chairman, Cllr James Jamieson told delegates today:

“What a pleasure it is to join together – in person – in such a beautiful, historic town. That has been voted a number of times “the happiest place to live in Britain”, and am sure this will rub off on us over the next few days.”

Read more:

• Big names in UK politics coming to Harrogate for conference
• Harrogate district MPs divided over Northern Ireland Protocol

The Harrogate district population has increased by almost 5,000 people since 2011, the latest census has revealed.

The government’s census survey, which happens every 10 years, gives a snapshot of the population at that time and is used to inform local and national government policy.

Census day was in March last year and the Office for National Statistics has collated the data and published the first set of results.

It reveals the Harrogate district population has increased by 3.1%, from 157,900 in 2011 to 162,700 in 2021.

This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

Nearby areas like Selby and Leeds have seen their populations increase by 10.2% and 8.1%, respectively, while others such as Hambleton saw a smaller increase (1.8%) and Richmondshire saw a decrease of 4.4%.

The increase in population in the Harrogate district is lower than some may have expected considering the number of new homes built in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.

However many of the largest housing schemes included in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, such as 3,000 homes near Green Hammerton and a combined 1,500 homes on Otley Road in Harrogate, are yet to be built.

Read more:

• Harrogate district MPs divided over Northern Ireland Protocol
• Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam dies

The data also reveals that in the Harrogate district, 83,000 people are female and 79,700 are male.

A total of 34,000 people in the district are over the age of 65, which makes up over 20% of the total population.

Statistics on ethnicity, language and religion will be released later this year.

The Office for National Statistics’ deputy national statistician Pete Benton said:

“Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic. They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence.

“This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.”

A review of Harrogate’s hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships should not be ignored in future, says a business group.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased that the report, which was published yesterday, included the views of businesses.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which will be considered at a meeting on July 4.

The report found that while there was a place for shorter events which “portray Harrogate and North Yorkshire in a good light, nationally and throughout the world”, residents and businesses considered the road closures for the UCI “unacceptable”.

One conclusion reached by the review was that there was a common perception that the event “effectively closed” Harrogate town centre.

David Simister (left), chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

Following the publication, Mr Simister called for 15 of the recommendations included in the report to not be “simply ignored” at future events.

He said:

“This is a very detailed report and one that incorporates a wide range of views from a number of organisations.

“I’m pleased the experiences of businesses have been acknowledged and incorporated into the recommendations.

“And when Harrogate feels confident to host other major events, and I hope it does, these recommendations are not simply ignored, but used to ensure the town as a whole benefits, and that businesses, particularly those in the retail sector, are not left counting the cost.

“However, before committing to anything, I think it’s important to weigh up the pros and the cons, and also liaise with previous host towns to measure the impact it had on them.”

Read more:

• Review finds Harrogate 2019 UCI cycling championships ‘effectively closed’ town centre
• Council Stray repairs contract given under ‘urgent circumstances’

The recommendations include involving residents in planning events at an “early stage” and including the council on the board of large scale events.

They also include early engagement on large events and hosting short events in the district in order to “minimise disruption for local residents”.

In response to the report, a council spokesperson said: 

“It is positive to see that the review of the preparation, hosting and implications of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships for Harrogate Borough Council, residents and businesses, has reflected much of what was implemented as part of the event organisation.

“With an estimated global TV audience of over 250 million and almost 70,000 spectators, the 2019 UCI Road World Championships created a fantastic opportunity to showcase Harrogate and the surrounding district to both a national and international audience.

“Since the UCI Road World Championships – almost three years ago – we have hosted successful events and, through our destination management organisation, have a fantastic programme for the remainder of the year to further promote the district and support our visitor economy.”