Harrogate climate coalition becomes a charity

Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition (HDCCC) has become a registered charity, which it says will help its aim of tackling climate change locally.

The group was initially set up by Harrogate Borough Council to bring together business, local government and the voluntary sector. In February, its members voted to become an independent organisation from the council.

The coalition has had a bumpy first couple of years. In February, Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, resigned saying the group had been ‘plagued by inaction’.

The aim of the coalition is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve local resilience to the effects of climate change such as flooding.

With charitable status, HDCCC said in a statement, puts it in a strong position to “accelerate action and increase its local impact”.

Last month, the coalition organised Harrogate’s first ‘Climate Action Festival’, which included a business conference at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Professor Neil Coles, HDCCC chair and environment scientist from the University of Leeds, said:

“Becoming a charity establishes the coalition as a fully independent body which can both raise awareness of solutions with the public, and also connect behind the scenes with regional and national leaders in order to bring about change that will reduce the burden of action for the greatest number.”

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12 charitable trustees have been appointed who all have influence in sectors such as transport, buildings and local policy.

The trustees are: Alec Walton (Green Jumper), Alex Hornby (Harrogate Bus Company), Chris Arnott (FM-MS), Danny Wild (Harrogate College), Jemima Parker (Zero Carbon Harrogate), Mike Kaye (Energy Oasis), Professor Neil Coles (Chair), Cllr Phil Ireland (Vice Chair), Wallace Sampson (Harrogate Borough Council).

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Connor back with you this morning to update you with travel alerts to keep your journey moving.

I’ll let you know about roadworks, delayed trains and any traffic hotspots that could cause you delays.

If you spot anything, and it is safe to do so, give me a call on 01423 276197 and we can help other commuters too.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

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Harrogate Scouts group could close after 68 years unless new leaders found

Harrogate and Nidderdale District Scouts says unless new Scout leaders come forward, one of its Harrogate groups that has been running for 68 years could close after Christmas.

Scouts is an adventurous program where children develop skills, earn badges and awards, and have fun in the outdoors.

The 15th Harrogate Scouts, which is based at St Paul’s Church opposite Harrogate Library, has 15 young people aged 11-14. It could close in the new year due to a lack of leaders to organise trips and train the youngsters.

Mark Edwards, the Scouts county commissioner for North Yorkshire, appealed for new leaders to volunteer for the cause.

He said:

“We’re going to keep it going until Christmas, it would be a shame to close it.”

Since covid restrictions eased, Harrogate Scouts has been inundated with applications for new members but Mr Edwards said it does not have enough Scout leaders to cope with the demand.

The organisation has also seen some leaders leave to focus on their jobs and others have left due to illness.

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Mr Edwards said being a Scout leader has many benefits and is about “giving back”.

“Scouting for adults is good for you. You’re giving back to young people and gaining skills for life.”

He said Scout leaders at 15th Harrogate should be able to offer around two and a half hours a week of their time.

If you’re interested in becoming a Scout leader, contact Mr Edwards at cc@nys.org.uk

County council ‘would give Woodfield school more time to improve if it could’

North Yorkshire County Council  says giving Woodfield Community Primary School more time to improve is out of its hands, and plans to amalgamate it next year with the nearby Grove Road school are likely to go ahead.

The council says amalgamation is necessary because Woodfield has been unable to find an academy willing to take it on since it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January last year.

Woodfield would be effectively swallowed up by the bigger Grove Road, which would operate as a split-site 280-pupil school.

The Woodfield site would initially operate as a nursery for children from both schools while Grove Road would cater for all children from reception to year six.

A six-week consultation is set to start on December 2 and a final decision taken on April 19.

The Stray Ferret spoke to North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for education and skills, Cllr Patrick Mulligan, about how Woodfield got to this point, and whether the decision to close the school could be changed.

Why isn’t NYCC giving the school more to improve given that its latest Ofsted visit recognised significant progress being made in a short space of time?

It’s out of our hands. Because of the system, when Ofsted finds a school is inadequate, it has to become an academy.

We tried to find a multi-academy trust to take on Woodfield but we couldn’t find anyone. The school was then faced with possible closure.

I don’t think people understand how little influence we have in the academy system. It’s frustrating. We get into a process where we can’t keep a school open even if we wanted to. The system is flawed. 

What were the reasons no academy trust wanted to take on Woodfield?

We can make suggestions to the trusts and ask them and come and look at school, but they do their due diligence and see declining numbers, financial difficulties. If it’s too risky they don’t take it on.

Parents have a choice now. If a school is deemed to be inadequate by Ofsted. You get into a downward spiral [and numbers of pupils then decline].

Would NYCC give Woodfield more time to improve if it had the power to?

We would probably give it more time and send our school improvement team to turn it around.

We’ve had a lot of discussions with governors over many years. We’ve been working with them to find a solution. We wanted an academy to take it on but none would.

Sometimes you get beyond that downward spiral.

We do everything we can to support schools. There’s another issue that we don’t receive enough funding to cover these small schools. We have good schools but the system is corroding it.

Read more:

Can the decision to close Woodfield be changed?

It is now with the regional schools commissioner.

We had a school in Ryedale. It had 20 kids and was facing closure. We had a public meeting and the community was in uproar. Unlike Woodfield, it did not have an academy order.

Parents formed a community group and they created a business plan to make the school sustainable. It was robust and looked at other things such as housing. It paused the process of closure. 

But over the summer, Ofsted came in and gave an inadequate judgement. In the following September, just six children came in, which was depressing. The school closed.

[The parents in Woodfield] could try to do that, but once an academisation order is in, it cannot be reversed.

What are the projected financial savings of this merger?

I don’t have that to hand. It’s not something that has come up in discussions. Grove Road school has done its due diligence and deems it can be successful. 

Is it possible that the Woodfield site could eventually be sold for housing?

That’s a very good question, that would be out of our hands. It would be a decision for the regional schools commissioner to take. 

One Woodfield parent has concerns about the proposed ‘walking bus’ from one school to the other. It does seem a long and not very safe route.

We have school transport and if it is deemed to be unsafe, we’d provide transportation. 

It’s just over half a mile and we’ll look at it very carefully. I can promise we’ll look at it very carefully. We’ll abide by the process.

It all depends on the results of the consultation.

Masterchef finalists to launch pop-up restaurant in Harrogate

Two Masterchef quarter finalists are teaming up to launch a Christmas pop-up restaurant in a tipi at a Harrogate hotel.

Jo Mills, from Leeds, who appeared on the BBC cooking show in 2021, met Chris Hale from the 2016 series on a Facebook group for former MasterChef contestants.

The two chefs will take over Cedar Court Hotel’s Tipi on the Stray for two weeks from Thursday, December 9.

Chris, from Wakefield, who runs his own catering company, and helps Masterchef contestants to gain experience in cooking for events, said:

“We just wanted to do something different really in Harrogate.

“I do a lot of pop-up restaurants, so we turn venues, like cathedrals, into restaurants. So the tipi is aligned with what we do. For me it’s not just about the food, it’s about the whole experience. It will feel cosy and relaxed and I’m all about the chill vibes.”

Festive tapas, including turkey and sage bon bons with cranberry dip and mini nut roasts with candied carrots, will be served from 2pm to 10pm from Thursday to Saturday in collaboration with Magic Rock and Harrogate Tipple. On Sunday it’s a two-course bottomless brunch and on Monday to Wednesday, afternoon tea.

Then on December 20, 21 and 22 Afternoon Tea with Elsa, the character from Disney’s Frozen, will take place for families.

Chris said:

“I think we have got a really nice balanced menu. I like tapas because you can get as much or as little as you want.

“The desserts are particularly theatrical. For me it’s the end of the meal, and it’s the bit people take away with them.

“There is an edible Christmas wreath, which is our festive take on an Eton mess, with meringue, ginger, cinnamon, pomegranate and molasses.

“We are also doing a panettone tiramisu garden, which will be presented as a snowy garden scene and will feature meringue mushrooms and edible snow and flowers. Those are the two that are probably the most Instagrammable.”

Read More:

The December residency will offer additional dining options at the busy hotel and is aimed at Harrogate residents, as well as guests.

The tipi, which can hold up to 38 people, opened on July 4 last year as a result of covid dining restrictions, and has now become a permanent fixture due to its popularity.

The Tipi on the Stray at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel.

Jo, whose passion for tapas has inspired the menu, said:

“Tapas has been my kind of thing or a long time. When friends come over it’s just nice to have one of those sociable ways to eat, so it’s something I have always cooked. We thought it would be fun as it’s a nice casual atmosphere in the tipi. It lends itself really well to that style of dining.”

Harrogate man Daniel Ainsley sentenced to 22 years in prison

A Harrogate convicted murderer has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Daniel Ainsley, 24, of no fixed address, was found guilty of killing 48-year-old Mark Wolsey at his bedsit on Mayfield Grove last month.

Ainsley stabbed Mr Wolsey 15 times in the chest and arm with a kitchen knife on March 5.

He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court this morning. He is expected to serve 21 years in prison after his 261 days spent in custody is deducted.

When sentencing Ainsley to prison, Judge Simon Phillips told him that the killing “left a massive hole” in the lives of those who knew Mr Wolsey.

He said:

“It has had a shattering impact upon those who loved him.”

Judge Phillips described Ainsley’s actions as “tragic and dreadful to a very high degree”.

He told Ainsley in court this morning:

“There is no doubt that you knew exactly what you had done.”

A “premeditated” and “goal-directed” murder

Ainsley was living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit at 38 Mayfield Grove after he became homeless.

Police were first called to property on the night of March 5 after Mr Wolsey made a 999 call asking officers to remove Ainsley from his flat because he was scaring him.

He complained to the officers who arrived at the property that Mr Wolsey was keeping his medication from him, which led to an argument.

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Ainsley was taken to Harrogate District Hospital to pick up medication by police and instructed not to go back to the flat.

At 9.21pm, Ainsley left the hospital and was filmed on CCTV walking to Asda on Bower Road.

After entering the supermarket, he went to the kitchenware aisle where he purchased a box of knives. Ainsley used his own bank card to pay for the knives and went outside to dispose of all but one of them.

Ainsley then returned to Mayfield Grove where he stabbed Mr Wolsey to death, leaving the victim in his chair with the murder weapon still in his chest.

He admitted manslaughter, but denied murdering Mr Wolsey on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

However, it took a jury five hours and 17 minutes to find Ainsley guilty of murder on October 22.

Mark McKone QC, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that the murder was “premeditated”, “goal-directed” and “purposeful”.

Harrogate back in top three happiest places to live in Britain

Harrogate is back in the top three happiest places to live in Great Britain, according to a survey of tens of thousands of residents now in its tenth year.

Property website Rightmove is behind the poll, which measured factors such as community spirit, nature and the opportunity to develop skills locally.

This year’s poll of more than 21,000 people gave the Northumberland market town of Hexham the top spot, Richmond upon Thames in Greater London second place and Harrogate third.

While Harrogate previously topped the “happy at home index” in 2015, the spa town dropped to ninth place in the survey last year.

Read more:

Daryll Digpal, the managing director at Beadnall Copley in Harrogate said:

“Harrogate property prices across both lettings and sales markets soaring due to unprecedented demand fuelled by lockdowns and the Chancellor’s Stamp Duty holiday.

“The town boasts a thriving high street with many international retail brands, a booming hospitality industry and excellent state and private schools.

“Furthermore, at its heart is the famous Stray owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, a much enjoyed haven, particularly over the past 18 months.

“As such is it no surprise that this attractive spa town is one of the country’s happiest places to live.”

Where are the happiest place to live in Britain?

  1. Hexham, North East – average asking price £297,088
  2. Richmond upon Thames, Greater London – average asking price £1,196,892
  3. Harrogate, Yorkshire and Humber – average asking price £353,624
  4. Hove, South East – average asking price £525,906
  5. Llandrindod Wells, Wales – average asking price £193,601
  6. Stirling, Scotland – average asking price £191,226
  7. Monmouth, Wales – average asking price £312,649
  8. St Ives, South West – average asking price £494,393
  9. Anglesey, Wales – average asking price £278,391
  10. Leamington Spa, West Midlands – average asking price £350,981
  11. Perth, Scotland – average asking price £167,160
  12. Hitchin, East of England – average asking price £491,223
  13. Woodbridge, East of England – average asking price £427,542
  14. Kendal, North West – average asking price £258,961
  15. Macclesfield, North West – average asking price £277,772
  16. Exeter, South West – average asking price £303,215
  17. Salisbury, South West – average asking price £318,806
  18. Horsham, South East – average asking price £433,892
  19. St Albans, East of England – average asking price £632,320
  20. Guildford, South East – average asking price £542,947

Convicted Mayfield Grove killer to be sentenced

Convicted murderer Daniel Ainsley is set to appear before court today to be sentenced to prison.

Ainsley (pictured) was found guilty by a jury of murdering 48-year-old Mark Wolsey at his bedsit on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate.

Mr Wolsey was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services after Ainsley stabbed him 15 times in the chest and arm with a kitchen knife on March 5.

Now, the 24-year-old will appear before Leeds Crown Court this morning for sentencing.

Ainsley was living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit at 38 Mayfield Grove after he became homeless.

Read more:

He admitted manslaughter, but denied murdering Mr Wolsey on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

However, it took a jury five hours and 17 minutes to find Ainsley guilty of murder on October 22.

Mark McKone QC, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that the murder was “premeditated”, “goal-directed” and “purposeful”.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Connor back with you this morning to update you with travel alerts to keep your journey moving.

I’ll let you know about roadworks, delayed trains and any traffic hotspots that could cause you delays.

If you spot anything, and it is safe to do so, give me a call on 01423 276197 and we can help other commuters too.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is all from me this morning, I am heading over to the news desk now. Hopefully you have found the blog helpful. I will be back from 6.30am tomorrow.

Roads

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

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8am – Full Update 

Roads

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Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

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Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

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Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

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Buses

Consultation agreed over merger of two Harrogate primary schools

Plans to merge two Harrogate primary schools have taken a step forward today after county councillors agreed to move proposals to the consultation stage.

North Yorkshire County Council met today to discuss a proposed merger for Woodfield Community Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School, with parents set to be asked for their views when the consultation opens on December 2.

The schools sit just half a mile apart, but have very different Ofsted ratings, pupils numbers and finances.

Grove Road is rated as “good” by Ofsted inspectors, while Woodfield is judged “inadequate” and currently in special measures.

Woodfield has also failed to find an academy trust willing to take it over.

Due to pupil numbers determining the level of funding that a school receives, it is forecasting to be almost £333,000 in debt by 2024 due to the 49 pupils currently enrolled.

At Grove Road, the school is currently operating at capacity with almost 300 pupils and is forecasting a budget surplus by 2026.

Speaking today, councillor Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education and skills at the county council, described the proposed merger as an “exciting opportunity” for both schools and said the authority would listen to all comments during the consultation:

“We are confident it will achieve the best possible provision for all pupils, and importantly ensuring that the Woodfield site continues to be used for education of the wider community.

“The proposed amalgamation would be achieved through the technical closure of Woodfield School, and the enlargement of Grove Road School through future use of the Woodfield site.”

Read more:

A new leadership team was appointed at Woodfield when it was placed into special measures in January 2020 and an Ofsted monitoring report has since said “effective action” is being taken to remove the worst-possible rating.

However, Cllr Mulligan said these arrangements were only ever temporary and that the merger has been proposed as the school still faces an “uncertain future”.

He said:

“The two governing bodies carefully considered the proposals before half term, and both agreed to ask us to start a consultation.

“We have worked together with the schools to assess how education provision within the Woodfield community could best be preserved.

“Families, staff, and other members of the local community will have opportunities to consider the detail of the proposals during the consultation period.”

The consultation will run until January 22 next year before a final decision is made by the county council three months later in April.

If approved, the merger would create a single primary school operating on both school sites from September 2022.