Some people believe the equation is simple – the 2016 referendum led to Polish bartenders or Spanish housekeepers deciding to leave Harrogate and return to their home countries. But is it that simple?

The statistics appear to back up the theory.

According to latest ONS figures, the number of non-British residents living in the Harrogate district has halved from its peak of 14,000 in December 2014 to 7,000 in December 2019 — and the covid pandemic has undoubtedly hastened a further exodus since then.

Dan Siddle is the general manager of the Crown Hotel in Harrogate which has been employing chefs, housekeepers and waiters since the 19th century.

The hotel has a workforce of 50 and Mr Siddle said recruiting currently is “the hardest I’ve ever known it” due to a perfect storm of factors, including Brexit and covid.

He told the Stray Ferret the hotel lost several members of staff from the EU that have been difficult to replace.

“Those eastern Europeans had been here a long while. They were my supervisors but they chose not to come back to the UK. That’s three or four important roles. “

However, he thinks “we don’t have to rely on people from Europe” and can employ people locally if they offer an attractive package.

The hotel has raised the hourly wage for housekeeping staff to £10 an hour, has begun to offer roles that come with accommodation and is paying transport costs from Leeds.

He says hospitality is “a fantastic, great industry to work in” but the perception of tough working conditions needs to improve to attract UK workers.

“[The jobs crisis] has given the industry a kick up the behind. We need to change the way we work. The perception didn’t come out of nothing.”

Read More: 

• Are Harrogate’s high housing costs to blame for the hospitality recruitment crisis?
• “I couldn’t do it for life” – the jobs crisis in Harrogate’s hospitality venues

Lisa Headford is the branch manager of Travail Employment Group, an employment agency based on Princes Street that recruits front-of-house and catering positions across the district.

She told the Stray Ferret that the office is busier than ever and they are having to turn hospitality businesses away because they simply don’t have enough employees on their books to fill roles.

“Everyone is looking for staff. We get calls every day. We have learned to say, ‘we cant help you, we’ve exhausted our resources’.”

However, Ms Headford believes it’s overly simplistic to blame Brexit on the recruitment crisis in hospitality.

She said:

“It’s not definitive. We’ve had a number of people come back to Harrogate from Poland as during the lockdown they didn’t have a permanent job, and they wouldn’t have got furlough. They are now gravitating back.

She said the lockdowns have forced many people who worked in hospitality into jobs with more sociable hours — and they’ve liked the change.

“We had a lot of casual chefs but they’ve become a delivery driver and they haven’t gravitated back.”

Ms Headford said that despite Brexit, Harrogate is still a “very multicultural town” with working families from across the EU.

“These people have been established for a very a long time and are part of our town.”

Are you looking for a job or have a job vacancy you need to promote to as many people as possible? Take a look at the Stray Ferret jobs page to see the latest jobs or to submit a new one.  Every job is placed on our homepage and posted on our social media channels. 

Tomorrow we’ll be reporting on the views of hoteliers and bars owners in Harrogate on what they think should change to attract local talent. 

The annual August Bank Holiday funfair on the Stray in Harrogate, which dates back to 1953, will not take place this weekend following a row over fees.

The family that stages the event told the Stray Ferret the event would not go ahead because Harrogate Borough Council had hiked the charge for using Stray land.

Ruby Wilson, who has taken over organising the fair on behalf of her dad John Jameson, said the council had doubled the price from £5,000 to £10,000.

With additional costs on top, including VAT and a £2,000 deposit in case the Stray is damaged, Ms Wilson said the event was no longer viable.

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Mr Jameson was at the first fair when the Corrigan family ran it. The Shaw family later took it on before the Jameson family stepped up. He told the Stray Ferret:

“The council did not provide any reason for such a big price hike. We just cannot afford to pay that, the fair does not make that much money.

“Our family has strong connections with Harrogate so it is sad for us to not be able to put the fun fair on. We will try again next year.

“Over the years we have been forced to give up the number of days we use the Stray and now we are facing a big price hike. It just does not feel fair.”

But the council disputed the claims. A spokesman said:

“The council have not had any contact from the organisers concerning the funfair since April this year, meaning it is now too late for them to submit an event plan for the coming weekend.

“If they contact us directly we are more than happy to discuss arrangements for future years”.

A large tree has fallen in Harrogate and partly blocked a busy road, causing problems for traffic this afternoon.

The tree fell at around 2pm on Forest Lane near Hookstone Chase Primary School.

Nobody is believed to have been hurt even though the road attracts heavy traffic.

Our traffic system is showing congestion on nearby Wetherby Road and Hookstone Chase as a result.

It is unclear at this time how long it will take to clear the blockage or whether anybody was injured in the incident.

The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Police for further details but has yet to receive a reply.

Lesley Thompson told the Stray Ferret:

“I was just travelling down the road when I saw the road was blocked. It looks like a massive bough has fallen off of the tree.

“When I saw it I went to make sure that nobody was hurt and I could not see anyone or any cars in there.”

More than 600 people entered the inaugural Dalesman Triathlon on Sunday, which started and finished at Ripon racecourse.

Triathlons consist of a swim, followed by a cycle ride and run.

There were three different distances, the main one being the full Dalesman, which consisted of a 2.4 mile swim in the lake at Ripon racecourse followed by a 112-mile cycle route in Masham, Dallow Moor and Brimham Rocks and a 26-mile marathon run that returned to Ripon.

The full Dalesman started at 6am and final competitor finished in darkness at 10.30pm. Henry Sleight won in a time of nine hours and 53 minutes.

Event organiser Rob Wilkins, who lives near Ripon, said it was a successful but exhausting day and he hoped it would return next year.

Keen runner, the Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Ripon, was among those who answered a call for volunteer marshals put out by Ripon Runners club, of which she is a member.

Dr Hartley said:

“It was a terrific event, and great for the region to attract nationwide competitors.

“In addition, it highlighted the sporting attractiveness of Ripon and its surrounding communities.  It was great fun to be a marshal and I am full of admiration for all those taking part.”

Read more:

• Ripon’s Old Deanery Hotel is back in business
• Bishop Monkton’s pandemic story

Harrogate Bus Company has completed trials of the first ever all-electric bus with zero emission technology in the UK.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Ciatro was brought in for trials as part of the company’s plans to convert its entire fleet to zero-emission electric power.

It follows an ambitious bid made in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, which has requested nearly £20 million of government money to help replace the fleet.

The week-long trials have taken place on The Harrogate Bus Company’s popular route one linking Harrogate and Knaresborough and follow experience gained with two alternative electric single deck buses.

The silver E-Citaro trial bus tested in Harrogate is powered by high-performance water-cooled batteries which use up-to-the-minute technology to extend running time between charges and keep the bus on the road.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev. which owns the Harrogate Bus Company, said: 

“This exciting trial of the Mercedes-Benz E-Citaro marks the first time this new design has been tested in service in the UK, reflecting our ambition to deliver a zero-emission, high quality product for our customers across Harrogate and beyond.

“This is the third stage of our comparative trials of electric bus designs on one of our most popular routes, which will help us to make informed choices between options to invest in electric power. 

“We hope that alongside North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for government support, our own multi-million-pound investment will turn our vision of a completely zero-emission bus network powered by a fully electric bus fleet into reality.”

The bid to the Department for Transport would see 39 zero-emission buses introduced over the next three years.

Read more:

• £20m bid to replace Harrogate buses with electric fleet
• Victoria Road one-way scheme will stop ‘rat run’, says cycle group

The buses come with next stop announcements, USB power and free wifi.

There would be an even split of single-decker and double-decker electric buses which would come with supporting charging infrastructure.

A decision from the government on the bid is expected in March next year.

The owner of the former Debenhams building in Harrogate has blocked off the entrance after business owners raised concerns about homeless people in the area.

In recent days workers have built and painted a wooden structure to block off any shelter at the building on Parliament Street.

It comes a couple of weeks after Lucy Gardiner, a local business owner, posted pictures of homeless people in the entrance on the Harrogate Residents Association Facebook group.

Read more:

• Plans to demolish and replace Harrogate’s former Debenhams building
• History: Remembering Debenham’s, Busby’s and Buckley’s

Homeless people took shelter in the entrance. Photo: Lucy Gardiner

She told the Stray Ferret at the time:

“There is no shame in having standards and wanting the best for the town you love. This post was about awareness and having the conversation and wanting the best vision and future for Harrogate.

“I don’t have all the answers obviously but all I will say is that no-one can possibly walk past a homeless person sleeping in the street and think that this is okay.”

The Stray Ferret approached Harrogate Homeless Project for comment at the time but did not receive a reply.

Wetherby-based property firm Stirling Prescient, which owns the former Debenhams building, confirmed today it had “dealt with the issue” when approached by the Stray Ferret but declined to comment further.

Stirling Prescient  has recently unveiled it plans to demolish the site, which closed in January, and replace it with a brand new building with apartments and space for businesses on the ground floor.

The application warned that if the site cannot be brought back into use the empty building could become an “eyesore” and “blight the high street”.

Olympian Adam Peaty has inspired the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate at Ashville College today.

Adam Peaty headed to the college’s sports centre early this morning, where he will be all day to train young athletes and leave parents and staff starstruck.

Fresh from taking two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and the announcement that he will take part in Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Peaty was keen to take that momentum with him.

The Race Clinic in Harrogate was a £219 per ticket sell-out event.

It is one of ten taking part across the UK and the only one in Yorkshire. Staff at Ashville College believe that he may be back next year as well.

Read more:

• Wayne Sleep gives ballet masterclass in Harrogate
• Swedish-inspired cafe concept launches in Harrogate\

Adam Peaty told the Stray Ferret outside the sports centre where there was a festival atmosphere:

“I mean obviously you can win Olympics and do everything in your sport but if you cannot take that to the grassroots level back home then you are not maximising that potential.

“So this is the whole project around it. You never know what the butterfly effect of something like this can be.

“It’s not necessarily the talent, it’s more about the energy. We overwork and overthink with our children. I just want them to stay in the present and enjoy the moment, have a bit of a laugh.”

Dominic Bradburne, director of sport at Ashville College, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I don’t think we can measure the difference it will make, maybe we will see that in 10 or even 15 years time.

“Adam could inspire that one person to become a star, we just do not know. I am sure that everyone will take something away from today.

“Who knows? We might see some of these pupils here today at the next Olympics. I have spoken to him a couple of times, he’s very grounded.

“We can only hope that we have picked up some knowledge from him and take that into the other sports camps we have got at Ashville College.”

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

A new Swedish-inspired coffee shop has opened its doors in Harrogate with ambitious £780,000 plans to roll out the concept across Yorkshire.

Fi:k has renovated 1 Montpellier Gardens, which used to be the home of furniture business Covet. The venture has created eight jobs in the town.

The cafe is working with Leeds-based North Star Coffee Roasters, True Tea in Harrogate, Kokoa hot chocolate suppliers and Jenny Wren’s Bakehouse in Whitby.

Fi:K opened on Saturday and sells Swedish-inspired open sandwiches, salads, artisan pastries and smoothie bowls.

It is named after the Swedish term for cafe “Fi:K” and the Swedish ideal of “fika” which considers making time for family, friends and colleagues every day as essential.

Read more:

• “I couldn’t do it for life” – the jobs crisis in Harrogate’s hospitality venues
• Original Harrogate Christmas Market will not return next year

Vicky Somerville, who used to work for Grantley Hall and Filmore & Union, has taken on the design and marketing for Fi:K. She said:

“We see Fi:k as a fusion of Yorkshire and Swedish ideas, the cafe will very much be about high-quality products, provenance and people.

“Increasingly, customers want to ‘shop’ local and the majority of our ingredients and produce will hail from the North of England, often from small artisan producers.

“Post-lockdown, we all need to treat ourselves to a little indulgence and rediscover time to enjoy being together.”

Ms Somerville believes that the coffee house is set in one of the most characterful buildings in Harrogate. So Fi:K has made the existing stoves, pillars and Victorian windows as focal points.

Police are appealing for information after a motorbike was stolen in Harrogate and the attempted theft of another one.

The first was taken from an address on St Georges Road at around 2:30am before being abandoned.

North Yorkshire Police is looking for information on four men who are believed to have attended an address on South Park Road, Harrogate at 3:20am where a rare, Aprilia RS250 Mk2 was stolen.

The force said the motorbike has a distinctive bubbling to the surface of the fuel tank which should distinguish it from similar bikes.

Read More: 

• Two charged over Ripon knifepoint robbery
• Police investigate spate of violence and anti-social behaviour in Ripon

A police statement added:

“Officers are appealing to anyone in the area including residents with CCTV or doorbell video, and passing motorists with dashcam footage. to check their devices in case the suspects have been captured on camera.

“In particular, they are appealing to anyone who saw four  males acting suspiciously at this time.

Anyone with information or footage  that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Dean Barrett, collar number 1573.

“You can also email dean.Barrett@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210185790.”

Harrogate Borough Council is set to offer £811,000 for three empty homes in the district.

The homes, which are on Greenfields Drive and Electic Avenue in Harrogate, and Beech Lane in Spofforth, would not be used for social housing but instead would be sold on by HBC on the open market should the offers be accepted by the owners.

Any profits made would go back into buying more empty homes so they can be brought back into use.

There are currently 811 properties across the district that have been empty for six months or longer. Of these, 215 have been empty and unfurnished for over two years. 31 have been empty for over ten years.

Read more:

• Council to launch loan scheme to bring empty homes into use
• Calls for greater action on hundreds of empty homes in Harrogate district

The report says:

“Empty homes represent a wasted housing resource; they also pose other problems for local authorities, owners, neighbours, emergency services and the environment. They are often a blemish on an area and can be subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.”

A report will go before HBC’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Conservative Cllr Mike Chambers, next week that asks him to rubber stamp the move.

If the council’s offers on the three homes are not accepted the report says HBC will consider enforcement action, such as compulsory purchase.