Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In February, war broke out in Ukraine and all legal restrictions for covid were lifted after almost two years.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, Mr Jones:

• Writing on his local “news” website, Community News, on February 1, Mr Jones commented on the release of the Sue Gray Downing Street parties report. He said he was “disappointed” the full report would not be published until after the police investigation but called the alleged events at Downing Street a “sorry state of affairs.”
• On February 15, the MP posed for a photo with Copgrove-based Abacus Manufacturing owner Ian Pattison. The pair discussed how the business had coped during covid and its expansion plans.
• The MP is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure. On February 23 he posed for a photo with chancellor Rishi Sunak and leading figures from the civil engineering industry.
• At PMQs on the same day, Mr Jones asked the prime minister if the NHS would review the system for identifying people most vulnerable to covid, as he said some are at risk of being missed.
• The MP defended Harrogate District Hospital after the Local Democracy Service revealed 800 patients were allowed to return to their care homes without being tested for covid. Mr Jones said :“This must have been extremely difficult for them particularly in the early days of the pandemic when the world was fighting against something new.”

Read more:

• New gritter tracker shows which roads in Harrogate district are being treated

• Harrogate council ranks in lowest 15% of local authorities for tackling climate change

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• The MP was uncharacteristically outspoken on Twitter during February. On February 1 he criticised prime minister Boris Johnson for suggesting labour leader Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile while he was Director of Public Prosecutions. He wrote: “The smear made against Keir Starmer relating to Jimmy Saville yesterday is wrong & cannot be defended. It should be withdrawn. False and baseless personal slurs are dangerous, corrode trust & can’t just be accepted as part of the cut & thrust of parliamentary debate.”
• After Keir Starmer was harassed outside Parliament a week later, Mr Smith again called for the PM to withdraw the “false slur” about Jimmy Savile.
• In a tweet on February 26, he urged the UK government to “make an immediate open, welcoming and warm hearted commitment of sanctuary to those who wish to leave Ukraine. Rip up the usual bureaucracy and let’s just say they are welcome and we will make it as easy as possible to be here.”
• On February 9, Children from Masham C of E Primary School visited Mr Smith in Parliament. He tweeted that he was envious of their Happy Meal at the end of the day.
• The MP criticised fellow Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg who suggested civil servants do not make British life better. Mr Smith replied “Have to disagree. Massive thanks to all local, devolved & central gov civil servants.”

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• The MP said on February 1 he was “delighted’ that North Yorkshire would become an Education Investment Area. Ministers plan to offer retention payments in those areas to keep the best teachers and prioritise them for new specialist sixth form free schools.
• On Twitter, the MP praised his boss Boris Johnson for hiring the “fabulous” ex-BBC and GB News journalist Guto Harri as his new director of communications.
• On February 16, the MP visited Qatar for a trip to help drum up trade to the UK.
• Mr Adams’ constituency includes Tadcaster, just outside the Harrogate district, which was hit by floods in February. He told ITV the Environment Agency needs to ‘get their fingers out’ and invest in flood defences for the town.

The Stray Ferret is to launch a daily business news feature for the Harrogate district.

Business Breakfast will start tomorrow and be published every weekday at 5am. It will bring together all business information for the district including appointments, contracts, awards and financial performance news.

Later this week, The Stray Ferret will celebrate its second birthday – it launched just before the first lockdown in March 2020 at a time when local businesses were in turmoil as shops and venues closed and everyone left the office to work from home.

The Stray Ferret director Tamsin O’Brien says, as the district slowly returns to normality, now is the time to produce a comprehensive roundup of daily business news.

She said:

“During the first two years of our existence we were preoccupied with covering the covid pandemic in the best way we could for the district. We reported continually on how the crisis impacted on businesses and the local economy.

“Now that we’re coming out of covid, we wanted to create a daily round-up of all local business news that we hope will become a must-read before work.”

Since its launch the Stray Ferret has seen rapid growth. In January this year the website had 210,000 readers and more than a million pages were viewed. It has a highly engaged social media following of more than 23,000 people and in December The Stray Ferret app was launched which already has 3,000 regular users.

If you would like your businesses’ news to be included — send us the information to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Read more:

• Sneak Peek: Boroughbridge pub reopens after six-figure refurb
• Harrogate distillery wins RHS branded drinks licence

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Response to Knox Lane housing

Regarding the joint response by Spawforths and Jomast to your article on a proposed housing development on Knox Lane in Bilton.

The consultation by Harrogate Borough Council was held in 2017 for all additional sites proposed for inclusion in the Local Plan. The site in question (H2) was subsequently reduced in size prior to inclusion.

Steve Hesmondalgh & Associates held two consultations in 2018. The first was held on February 15 during half term with little notice given to residents. The second held March 22 was a result of complaints by residents who were unaware or unable to attend due to the short notice given for the first. The consultations were held on behalf of Wakefield and District Housing Association who wished to build 73 (100%) affordable homes on the whole site, including that which had been removed. A planning application was not submitted at that time.

A pre-application meeting was held between Jomast and HBC on the September 30, 2019. Apparently due to covid and the uncertainty to the length of any lockdown, the scheme having already been consulted on and the site now an allocation in the Local Plan, it was considered appropriate to submit the application rather than delay until meaningful consultation could be carried out at an underdetermined time in the future.

In April 2020 an application for 73 homes was submitted. The country was at that time in lockdown. It included some private homes due to HBC not wanting 100% affordable but still left 86% affordable. 23 (100%) of affordable homes were on the unallocated land. Hardly a mixed community with only 10 of the properties of the homes on the allocated land being open market. A revised application has now been proposed for 53 homes on the land with the number of affordable reduced to 56%.

HBC should keep to their agreed policy of 40% affordable homes, which is not only significantly higher than the NPPF 10% guideline but is applied consistently across all sites. It was what our elected representative voted for when they approved the Local Plan.

Local residents rightly still have some concerns. The transport assessment for the site was carried out by interrogation of the TRICS database using the assumption 75% of the homes would be affordable/local authority tenure. The number of residents vehicles was assessed at 30 which would disperse between Ripley Drive and Crab Lane and therefore the impact on the wider network would be negligible in practice.

I doubt in reality the number would be so low nor does it take into consideration the adjacent H69 site which the developer of H2 has to provide access to. The images below highlight congestion problems on Crab Lane.

There is an impact on local wildlife including protected species, nett loss of biodiversity since gardens do not count and could in the future be paved, also mature woodland trees.

According to the Landscape and Visual Impact Statement submitted by the developer with the original application, some homes in close proximity to the site will experience major negative visual intrusion during the construction phase, year 1 of the development and in the long term after 10 years. The numbers of homes affected may reduce slightly due to the revised application but are still disproportionate to the number of homes to be built.

HBC currently does not have a problem meeting the Government’s Housing Delivery Test.
2016 – 2019 1,641 homes, 155% of 1058 required Published 13 February 2020
2018 – 2020 2,355 homes, 229% of 1026 required Published 19 January 2021
2018 – 2021 2,628 homes 266% of 987 required Published 14 January 2022

Harrogate Borough Council has according to their latest report published in April 2021 a land supply of 7.42 years.

Catherine Alderson, Knox Lane

Read more:

• Residents say 53 homes at Knox Lane will ‘decimate’ idyllic scene
• Nursery rises from the ashes of Smarties in Ripley

‘The Prime Minister should have resigned weeks ago’

I couldn’t agree more with Paul Baverstock’s recent article on the disgraceful behaviour of the Prime Minister and his Conservative Party. Boris should have resigned weeks ago and to add insult to injury I understand he will not be completing truthfully the Metropolitan Police survey into parties etc at No 10. This should come as no surprise but just adds to the appalling situation.

I have voted Tory all my life but won’t be at the next general election.

Andrew Jones should show some commitment to his constituants by calling for a vote of no confidence in the PM.
It is an absolute shambles.

Judy Rowson, Harrogate

Dog mess in cemeteries a wider problem

I was shocked to see your piece about the amount of dog fouling at Grove Road cemetery. Today I visited my parents cremation plaques at Stonefall and found the wreath had dog dirt over part of it and around it. This is both upsetting and shocking that people do not respect the cemeteries. This is obviously a wider problem than just one cemetery.

Patricia Chapman, Harrogate

North Yorkshire County Council will resurface Bogs Lane next month.

The road, just off the main A59, is a busy residential area that has been affected by numerous new housing schemes.

Henshaws Specialist College, which has about 80 students with special educational needs and disabilities, is also based on Bogs Lane.

A North Yorkshire County Council spokesperson said resurfacing works will start on March 7 with phases road closures in place from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

It will cover the stretch of Bogs Lane from the A59 Knaresborough Road junction and Henshaws College.

Read more:

• 18-month road closure order begins on Starbeck’s Bogs Lane
• Starbeck residents pledge to fight 181-home Kingsley Drive plans ‘tooth and nail’

The section of road that Henshaws is on will be completed in the evening between 7pm and midnight. The works are scheduled to be completed on March 18.

An 18-month closure order came into place on Bogs Lane in September 2021. The order is designed to give the council flexibility to close the road for periods of time.

Harrogate Rugby Union Club has dedicated a memorial bench to a fan who died last year.

Sean Kelly, who was also a long term sponsor of the club, died at the age of 75 in May 2021.

He supported the club for 20 years after moving to Hampsthwaite.

Now the club has installed a memorial bench at its ground in his memory.

Harrogate RUFC said on its website:

“Sean was involved with Harrogate Rugby Club for over twenty years beginning when he moved to live in Hampsthwaite, and became a neighbour of other Harrogate supporters known as “The Hampsthwaite Mafia”.

“When the planning application to move the rugby ground from Claro Road to Killinghall was rejected Sean joined the club committee to pressure Harrogate council to support the club in its ambition to relocate before Crest Homes served notice for the club to vacate Claro Road.

“Every year since 2003, Sean’s company has generously sponsored and supported the club and this support has continued to the present. Sean attended every annual dinner since 1998 and always booked a couple of tables.”

Read more: 

• Harrogate rugby league club raises money for South Pacific island
• ‘Allez Allez Allez!’: Harrogate Town fans savour special Bradford trip

Harrogate district residents are being urged to report empty homes as new figures show some progress has been made on the problem which is contributing to the housing crisis.

Harrogate Borough Council has faced calls to take greater action to bring empty homes back into use at a time when around 1,800 households remain stuck on the social housing waiting list due to a “desperate” lack of affordable properties.

Figures now show some progress has been made, with the number of homes empty for more than two years falling from 228 in 2019 to 205 this week.

There is still much ground to be made, but the council said the figures show it is taking positive action.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, is now asking more property owners to bring their empty homes back into use as he also urged residents to report any cases to the council as part of a national week of action.

He said:

“We want to work with property owners who, for whatever reason, have an empty property that could be better used to provide a home for local people.

“There are options available, including the empty homes loan or rent bond scheme to carry out repairs or improvement works and bring them back into use.

“I’d urge anyone who is interested to get in touch.”

Read more:

• Boarded-up building in Harrogate town centre could become pharmacy
• Harrogate hospital currently ‘very full’, say health officials

Other figures show the number of Harrogate district homes empty for more than six months has also fallen from 838 in 2019 to 758 this week.

‘We can’t afford to waste properties’

This comes at a time when campaign group Action on Empty Homes says the nation has seen a “massive rise” in cases as it also calls for councils to be given greater powers “to act where owners and landlords won’t or can’t”.

The campaign group said:

“We believe that we cannot afford to waste such properties.

“In England 100,000 families are trapped in often poor quality, insecure temporary accommodation, which does not meet the standards that are required of the permanent, secure, social housing these families are entitled to.”

There are numerous reasons why properties can lie empty. In some instances, landlords cannot afford to renovate their property to sell or rent out.

Properties may also have been inherited and the new owners don’t know what to do with them.

Loan scheme

Harrogate Borough Council last year launched a loan scheme to help property owners carry out repairs. The loan is for anyone who does not have the money to carry out repairs to a property which has been empty for more than six months.

In what is described as a “last resort”, the council also has powers to carry compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) where efforts to bring empty homes back into use have failed and legal action is taken against landlords.

Just two CPOs were carried out in 2020/21 and the local Liberal Democrats previously said a stricter approach should be taken.

But councillor Chambers said the Conservative-run council would rather work with property owners rather than take legal action against them.

He said:

“When we have exhausted all options, we will look to make a compulsory purchase order to bring empty homes back into use.

“But we would much prefer working with property owners and highlight the options available to them.”

Councillor Chambers also said there are often empty properties which the council is unaware of, and he urged residents to report cases to the council’s empty homes officer.

Marina Godwin has spoke of heartbreak and anguish for her family in Ukraine.

Mrs Godwin, who has lived in England for eight years, works as a care team leader at Vida Grange care home in Pannal.

The 38-year-old said she is “frightened” for her parents, sister, brother-in-law and extended family in the country.

Most of her family live near the town of Myrhorod in the Poltava region in central Ukraine. Myrhorod is home to a military base and has been heavily bombed.

Mrs Godwin said her family are safe but their proximity to the areas being bombed is a huge concern. She said:

“I’m incredibly terrified for my family. They just don’t know what to do. my sister said they can’t eat, of course when you’re worried and anxious of course you can’t eat.

“They have tried to get to my grandma nearby but can’t, there are just no forms of transport.”

Marina Godwin

Her sister lives further north in Kharkiv which borders with Russia. Mrs Godwin said her and her husband are sleeping on the floor in fear of missiles getting through the windows of their home.

Mrs Godwin said a shortage of fuel, cash and transport means many people are struggling to escape to safety. She’s heard from friends that there are hundreds of people attempting to find refuge in Western Ukraine.

Mrs Godwin and her husband Brian used to live in Harrogate and now live in North Leeds.

The 38-year-old has called on western leaders to act,. She appealed for them to help her home country:

“It’s difficult to imagine this can happen in the 21st century in the middle of Europe.

“I know the UK, US and many European countries have put sanctions in place. I think it would be good to supply Ukraine with better weapons, maybe European countries could help to fight but at the same time i understand it’s a dangerous situation globally and could trigger a global war.”

Mrs Godwin is also studying to be a mental health nurse at Leeds Beckett University, she said she feels “helpless” that all she can offer is support over the phone.

She hasn’t been home since July 2019 due to the pandemic, but is hopeful to be able to visit her family this year.

Read more:

• Ripon man with family in Ukraine speaks of ‘deeply troubling’ times
• Knaresborough woman who refused to wear face mask unfairly dismissed, tribunal rules

The invasion has worsened overnight with Russian forces now occupying Chernobyl and continuing to perform missile strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine.

When watching President Putin’s interviews on TV, Mrs Godwin said:

“Why would someone want to find a ridiculous excuse to invade a neighbour country? I know there are reasons but it doesn’t justify a war.

“There should not be any single person killed, the war should not be happening, In my opinion there is always room for negotiation.”

She has also called on Western leaders to aid those trying to escape to safety in nearby countries by making immigration rules simpler.

Despite her desperate concern for her family, Mrs Godwin is also hopeful for the future:

“Life will go on, it will definitely go on.”

Killinghall, the large village near Harrogate with little to offer visitors, is having a moment.

A Tesco Express opened today on the site of the former Three Horseshoes pub on Ripon Road. Tomorrow, an 80-seat cafe offering food cooked by a Michelin-starred chef will open a short stroll down the road at Daleside Nurseries.

On April 8, the Old Spring Well at the other end of the village will re-open as The Curious Cow of Harrogate, promising a high-end dining experience.

Finally it seems people may have a reason to visit Killinghall other than to view new houses.

Large plants grown in hothouses are a prominent design feature.

Plants to buy and eat

The creation of Paradise Cafe has particularly caught the imagination because it fuses two successful local businesses on one site.

Daleside Nurseries has been operating in the village since 1958; Frances Atkins, Roger Olive and John Tullett forged a formidable reputation for food 20 years ago at the Yorke Arms at Ramsgill, where Ms Atkins became the first British female chef to win a Michelin star in 2003.

For 18 months the trio operated out of a van in the Daleside car park, which seemed as incongruous as seeing Ronaldo having a kickabout on The Stray.

But finally the long-planned 80-seat cafe is ready to welcome its first customers.

Situated at the rear of the nursery, the cafe has a light and airy modern feel, with large plants grown in hothouses liberally dotted around. The plants, like the art on the walls, are for sale.

The chef’s table at Paradise Cafe.

The cafe will open from 9am to 5pm six days a week and on Friday evenings.

An outdoor area overlooking the lake outside the café is due to open later this year, catering for another 80 people.

Main courses from £14 to £20

On arrival, diners are able to sit at the chef’s table directly opposite the kitchen and watch the food being prepared.

As for the menu, it includes several small plates for starters, main courses, sandwiches made with home-made bread, pastries and pudding.

Main courses include limed and ginger seared scallops, Swiss potato cake, artichoke and apple for £14, crispy duck pancake, crunchy greens and red orange gel for £15 and dry-aged Yorkshire beef steak, baked stuffed garlic potato, crisp leaf and aubergine relish for £20.

A scallops dish

Ms Atkins says the menu will change frequently but the idea is to combine plant-based food with produce from local farmers. Local cheeses will be sold at a later date.

“This is what we perceive as being healthy food, full of flavour, made with great ingredients.

“We want people to be relaxed. It’s not about how great we are. It’s about how great the food is.”

Chefs Frances Atkins and Roger Olive in the kitchen.

Stuart Townsend, managing director of Daleside, said this was the biggest improvement in Daleside’s 64-year history.

“It broadens our offering. I love growing good quality plants and Frances and her team enjoy serving good quality food so it seems the perfect fit.

“People expect more from nurseries and garden centres these days. We want to grow top quality plants and we want to sell top quality food.”

A man has been arrested after police found bags of drugs, 10 knives and a sword at a house in Harrogate yesterday evening.

Police were called to reports of a man threatening a woman in the Skipton Road area and officers detained a man in his 40s at the scene.

He was arrested and searched, and officers found bags of white powder, which is believed to be cocaine, two knives and a quantity of cash in the suspect’s possession.

This led to a further search of his house in the Skipton Road area of Harrogate, where further items were discovered including:

• More bags of what are believed to be Class A drugs
• Ten knives, including flick knives
• A sword
• A large amount of what is believed to be cannabis
• Drugs paraphernalia including digital scales

The items were seized and the suspected drugs have been sent for analysis.

The man was arrested on suspicion of drug, weapon and public order offences and remains in custody today while enquiries continue.

Read more:

• Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in Jennyfields
• Harrogate councillor calls for campaign to make class A drugs ‘shameful’

Plans have been lodged to convert the former William Hill bookmakers in Harrogate town centre into a pharmacy and retail unit.

The Pharmacy Group has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the boarded-up unit on the town’s Beulah Street.

It would see the bookies, which has been closed for some time, converted into a shop and the unit facing Station Parade into a pharmacy.

Office space will also be created in the space above the pharmacy.

The view from Station Parade.

The Pharmacy Group is a third generation family-owned business with 30 NHS community pharmacies across Yorkshire. They include Harrogate Pharmacy on Haywra Crescent.

The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the proposal would bring “positive benefits” to the area.

It said:

“The change of use from turf accountants to retail and offices and the proposed redevelopment of the site will bring positive benefits to the area by maintaining, enhancing and giving new life to a key property on both Beulah Street and Station Parade.”

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

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