No trains will run from Harrogate to Leeds and York as rail staff stage a mass walk out on Wednesday.

More than 40,000 Network Rail staff are set to strike on July 27 over jobs, pay and conditions, the RMT Union has confirmed.

The move comes as the UK saw one of its biggest industrial actions by rail workers in June, which saw no trains run through Harrogate and Knaresborough for two days.

On Wednesday, no trains will run between Harrogate and Knaresborough to York and Leeds.

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Meanwhile, Network Rail has confirmed that a reduced timetable will be in force elsewhere.

Leeds station will close at 7pm due to the industrial action. Only 14 train services will run in and out of the station each hour on Wednesday compared with the usual 50.

Matt Rice, North & East route director for Network Rail said: 

“Unfortunately, ongoing industrial action will once again cripple train services for passengers in Yorkshire and the North East on Wednesday.

“I can only apologise for the impact this will have on people’s plans and on their daily commute. I’d urge those who absolutely need to travel by train to plan ahead, check their journey and expect significant disruption.”

Last week, Northern urged passengers not to travel due to the industrial action.

LNER has also confirmed its direct service to London King’s Cross will not be running. A limited service to London will be in place from Leeds.

More than 130 Harrogate hospital staff were absent due to covid last month.

A report from Jonathan Coulter, acting chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, has revealed that the increase in spread in the community had led to staff being off sick.

The figure peaked at more than 130 in June amid the spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Currently, 80 hospital staff are absent due to covid.

Mr Coulter said in a report, which will be presented to the trust board on Wednesday, that the spread of covid has put “additional pressure” on staff.

He added that “a small number of staff” would now be affected due to sick pay changes, as the virus is treated like “any other sickness”.

Mr Coulter said:

“The guidance in respect of sick pay for people off with covid has now changed, and covid sickness is now treated and managed in the same way as any other sickness.

“This will have an impact upon a small number of colleagues who continue to suffer with long covid, and who will now move into our usual sickness management arrangements with the risk that after a defined period of time, their pay is reduced or ultimately ceases altogether.

“We are in dialogue with all colleagues affected by this change, but we need to recognise that this will be a difficult time for some.”

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Meanwhile, Mr Coulter confirmed that the trust is currently treating 35 patients who have tested positive for covid.

He added that while the severity of the disease remains low due to vaccine uptake, it has had an impact on flow through the hospital.

He said:

“During the month of June and into July, we have experienced a significant spike in people in hospital who are covid positive. 

“We have currently over 35 people in hospital with CoVid, and whilst the severity of the illness is reduced due to vaccine uptake, the infection control measures that we have had in place result in flow through the hospital being more difficult.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Black Sheep Brewery in Masham will continue its sponsorship of Harrogate Town AFC for next season.

The brewery became the club’s “official beer” last season and collaborated on an IPA called Yellow Black Army.

Black Sheep chief executive Charlene Lyons said:

“We’re delighted to once again be the official beer of local side Harrogate Town AFC. 

“We partnered with the club last year and watched as Town fought hard each and every game to once again be proud members of the Football League, and we can’t wait to watch the lads go again when the season kicks off later this month.”

Sarah Barry, chief executive at Harrogate Town AFC, added: 

“We’re delighted to be once again supported by our friends Black Sheep Brewery. Local businesses are a vital part of our club and the support of Black Sheep Brewery for another year is a terrific boost for us and our fans. 

“We hope to offer Black Sheep beer to home and away fans in the 22/23 season to come which will provide another exciting progression for our club as we aim to offer the best fan experience.”

Raworths’ team top ranked in independent guide

The trust, wills and estates team at Harrogate law firm Raworths has been ranked high on the Chambers High Net Worth Guide.

The publication is one of the leading guides to the international private wealth market and base their rankings on extensive independent research.

Comments from the guide include:

“Raworths excels in proactively delivering the services its clients require” and “there is huge knowledge within the team and they always meet our needs”.

The trusts, wills and estates team is listed in the top tier for York, Hull and surrounding area and also for the National Leaders (outside London) category.

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Temporary lights have been put up on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road in Harrogate this evening after burst water mains were reported in both locations.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair both pipes and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The Wetherby Road lights are outside Harrogate Town’s Envirovent Stadium, while on Knaresborough Road the affected stretch is near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop.

The works are likely to cause some delays during this evening’s rush hour.  Yorkshire Water said it expected Knaresborough Road to re-open tomorrow morning.

A problem was first identified by the company earlier today, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Tonight Yorkshire Water issued this statement:

A suspected Asian hornet has been spotted in a garden in Harrogate today.

Andy Johnson believes he spotted one of the invasive insects on the fence outside his garden in the Hookstone area of town.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I didn’t manage to get a camera in time to take a photo, but I had a look online afterwards.

“I put two pictures up on Facebook and someone I know said one was a European hornet and the second was an Asian hornet.

“The one that’s more akin to what I saw is the Asian one, with slightly orangey wings. If it was an identity parade, I would say it’s the second one.”

https://twitter.com/andyj2859/status/1551539714989199360

The invasive species is a threat to native honey bees, which is why Defra asks sightings to be reported via its website – and even set up an app for reporting sightings in 2017.

Its website said the hornets pose “no greater risk to human health than a bee” but they were a threat to British honey bees, which was the reason any sightings needed to be reported.

Since 2016, there have been 22 confirmed sightings in the UK, including 12 nests which have been destroyed. One of the sightings in 2018 was in Hull, but the rest are mostly closer to the south coast and commonly in September and October.

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Mr Johnson said he had reported his sighting to the Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association and was awaiting a call back. He added:

“My neighbour saw it first and said, ‘what’s that?’

“She is a retired doctor who has lived here for many years. She’s into gardening and she knows much more about identifying insects and things than I do, so if it’s not something she recognises then it must be unusual.”

He added he wanted people to be aware that the insects could have migrated to the Harrogate area so if they spotted one, they would know to take a photograph and report it.

A parade featuring music, dancers and colourful costumes is set to wind its way through Harrogate this weekend with the return of the Carnival.

The free event on Saturday will see flag-waving crowds line the streets for the procession, which will snake its way through the town centre and down to the Valley Gardens.

It will include performers from Leeds West Indian Carnival, who will be joined by Houriat Belly Dancing, Sweep of Swallows kite puppets, Chinese dragon dancers, the Bare Brass Band and more.

The party will then continue throughout the day and will feature street theatre, interactive workshops, international street food and two stages hosting music and dance performances.

The event, which was previously held in 2019, has been paid for by Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body, Destination Harrogate, and will be delivered by Harrogate International Festivals.

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Sharon Canavar, chief executive, Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“The Carnival is free for everyone to attend and celebrate the diversity, colours, costumes, sounds and flavours from the four quarters of the world, right here in Harrogate.

“With global music and dance stages, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre, this family-friendly day is a true party in every sense of the word.”

The Carnival Parade starts at 11am at St Peter’s Church, On Cambridge Road, it will head up Oxford Street, along Station Parade, down Cambridge Street, past the Cenotaph and along Montpellier Hill into Valley Gardens.

Within Valley Gardens there will be family-friendly craft workshops, which will include chalking art, spray art graffiti, environmental craft, bunting making, mask making with the Leeds West Indian Carnival, and a dance workshop.

There will be a Global Music Stage, featuring DJ Trev, the Leeds West Indian Carnival, Bare Brass Band, Ajay Karmic Blues, Buffo’s Wake and Fernando Brazil.

And a Global Dance Stage, will feature Annapurna Dance, Houriat Belly Dancing, St. Aelred’s Irish Dancers, and Anonymas Dance.

There will also be a food zone featuring food from around the world.

A campaign has been launched to help a business organisation get a better picture of how crime affects Harrogate town centre.

Harrogate BID‘s Report a Crime campaign is calling on businesses, residents and visitors to report all crimes and anti-social behaviour via North Yorkshire Police’s website.

The organisation’s manager, Matthew Chapman, said:

“First and foremost I want to say Harrogate is a safe, welcoming and clean town. However, we hear regular stories from town centre traders of anti-social activity, including shoplifting, vandalism and drug abuse.

“In order to get a true picture, we are asking those who are either victims of a crime, or witness incidents, to report it online.

“Unlike calling 101 and then hanging up after several minutes, this means every incident is logged. This way, we can get a true picture of what is happening in the town.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe with Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman

The new campaign is being backed by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, whose chief executive David Simister said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town to live and work, but when it comes to crime it’s not immune.

“However, the fear of crime is often worse than perception, but it’s important we get a proper understanding of what is happening – or not happening – in our town centre, hence us giving our backing to this campaign.

“In the past I’ve called 101 and after waiting many minutes I’ve simply put the phone down. And by doing this, an incident has gone unreported. In future, report it online and that way it is logged and recorded.”

It follows a meeting between Mr Chapman and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, when he raised BID members’ concerns about a lack of visible policing.

Mr Chapman said the commissioner told him police chiefs rely on statistics in order to prioritise resources and, if crimes go unreported, police are unable to give the right resources to the affected areas.

She urged him to encourage all BID levy payers and others to use online reporting to ensure all incidents were being passed to police.

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Among the levy payers backing the campaign is Justin Sutter, business manager at John Atherton’s, which trades at McDonalds on Cambridge Street, who said:

“We are backing the report a crime campaign because the safety and security of our people and customers is of the utmost importance to us. We hope that we can continue to support North Yorkshire Police with this campaign and be a part of creating safer communities.”

The campaign not only runs during daytime hours, but extends to evening and night-time trading. Alan Huddart, secretary of Harrogate Pubwatch, said:

“Thanks to the BID’s support of Pubwatch and the introduction of the app, we are able to alert those in the scheme immediately to any issues.

“At the same time, I would also ask not just our members, but all licensed premises, to register any incident online, ensuring the police have a proper record of it.

“Harrogate is a great night out, and we want to make sure it stays that way by having adequate policing.”

Three men have been arrested and four weapons seized after a knifepoint robbery in Harrogate.

Three 18-year-olds from Leeds and Sheffield were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and robbery.

One was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

The robbery happened on Knaresborough Road near to Empress roundabout on Saturday, July 23, at 3.30pm.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police found the three men on Parliament Street after viewing council-run CCTV.

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The 18-year-olds had initially attempted to flee from police, but were stopped and arrested.

The men were found to be in possession of a glass ball in a sock and three blades.

A spokeswoman for the force said:

“Thankfully, incidents like this are rare in our county but tackling violent crime and taking horrific weapons such as these off our streets is a priority for us.

“We are absolutely committed to doing all we can to prevent this and to prosecute those who commit or attempt to commit such offences.

“If you have any information that could assist our investigation, including any dash-cam footage that may have captured the robbery, please email cidharrogate@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 quoting reference 12220129010.”

The three men remain in custody.

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed it does not use any council tax revenue on road repairs, despite it being among residents’ top concerns.

The authority’s highways executive member, conservative councillor Keane Duncan, highlighted the decision to focus its spending on other areas after hearing further complaints about the parlous state of roads from elected community representatives.

The authority has recognised for more than a decade that it faces a road repairs backlog running into hundreds of millions of pounds and has responded by prioritising routes.

In response to recent complaints, cllr Duncan has started a tour of the county’s 89 electoral divisions.

Ripon councillor Andrew Williams said cllr Duncan should invite North Yorkshire’s MPs to join him on his “state of the roads tour”.

He said:

“Pressure needs to be borne at government level as well to increase the settlement the county.”

Cllr Williams said some of the savings identified in local government reorganisation should be used for the repair of roads, which was residents’ number one complaint.

He added it would be of concern to residents that none of the council tax they paid was being used for highways maintenance:

“I think they equate the council tax they are paying and the state of the roads.

“I think if we are identifying £67m of savings across the county, some of those need to be invested in our highway network. ”

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Scarborough councillor Tony Randerson said he had spent years pressing the council for some roads to be resurfaced, but ones in certain areas, such as Scarborough and Selby, appeared to be lower on the priority list to those in the Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He said:

“Becoming a unitary authority is not going to be good for places like Scarborough and Selby, and Eastfield particularly, because it is difficult enough now to get the necessary services. What’s it going to be like when it becomes ruled through Northallerton?”

The authority’s highways executive member, Councillor Keane Duncan, said during the recent election campaigns, residents’ road maintenance concerns had been among the leading issues raised on the doorstep.

He said:

“We have a network of 8,500km of surfaced road. Very roughly, with the budget we’ve got we can treat 300km annually, through a combination of surface dressing, resurfacing and reconstruction.”

Cllr Duncan said the government road repairs settlement for the county had been fixed at £40m for the next three years by the Department of Transport.

 “We currently do not supplement or support that £40m settlement with local council taxpayer money. None of the council taxpayers to North Yorkshire County Council goes into that road maintenance.

“Clearly, £40m this year will not deliver the same as what £40m would deliver in future years, so what I am trying to do is to ascertain – and obviously we have a very difficult financial climate – what we can do to get the same bang for our buck in future years. as this year, and exploring those opportunities.”

Rishi Sunak was warmly received at a hustings in Masham yesterday as he tried to garner support to become the next Conservative party leader and Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak took questions from a crowd of more than a hundred party members at the Black Sheep Brewery. He was asked about a wide range of issues from local farming to China.

Mr Sunak is in the final stages of a leadership contest with foreign secretary Liz Truss, to become the next Conservative leader and Prime Minister.

Both need the votes of Conservative party members. Mr Sunak, so far, is behind in the polls.

Amongst those present at the hustings in Masham was Ripon and Skipton MP, Julian Smith and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones.  Both are backing Mr Sunak.

Mr Smith tweeted after the event:

Great to welcome @RishiSunak to a packed @BlackSheepBeer in #masham today. Excellent feedback from @conservatives members across North Yorkshire #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/aCY9s3gZy2

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 24, 2022

Chris Brown, a former Harrogate Borough councillor, asked Mr Sunak a question about the serious problems facing farming – particularly the issue of volatile prices.

He was happy with Mr Sunak’s answer:

“He said he’d been on a diary farm and a pig farm and had actually worked not just visited. I was impressed by that. He’d done more than just homework. I was impressed that he had an understanding of farming.”

Mr Brown though said he remained undecided about who to vote for and was waiting to hear from Liz Truss who he thought would also visit the region.

Mr Sunak’s campaign has centred on not lowering taxes in the short term to curb inflation.  Another attendee, Nick Brown, conservative councillor on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said he felt many there agreed with this approach:

“I think there were a fair number there who were predisposed towards him. Sound money is what’s really important, keeping a check on inflation.

“The majority of younger people won’t remember the 1970s – I had to pay 19% interest on my mortgage! People do not understand how inflation can cripple families.”

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