Electric bike shop to open in Harrogate next month

A specialist electric bike shop will open on Leeds Road in Harrogate next month.

The Electric Bike Shop will open on February 11 in a unit that previously was home to Fultons Foods and Choices video rental.

The company began in Bristol but has expanded to open stores in London, Cheshire and the Midlands. Harrogate will be its ninth location.

It sells and services bikes with electric motors and also sells e-cargo bikes, which are like electric bikes but have a large storage area to transport goods.

Helen Gadbury, PR manager from Electric Bike Shop, told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate is a “prime location” for the company to open its next shop.

She added:

“The bikes are getting more powerful and the technology has improved a great deal. The majority of our customers are older people who used to cycle regularly but had suffered from a lack of confidence. Electric bikes are a way to get out and start cycling again.”

Six jobs are set to be created. It will be open from Monday to Saturday.

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Tributes paid to Harrogate D-Day veteran, who has died aged 97

Tributes have been paid to a Harrogate’s D-Day veteran who has died at the age of 97.

John Rushton, who was also known as Jack among friends, passed away peacefully at Harrogate District Hospital after a visit from his family on New Year’s Day.

Mr Rushton not only fought in World War II but when he settled in Harrogate in the 1970s he carried on in public service with his work at Harrogate College and the Tewit Youth Band.

On VE Day in May 2020, he was the star of the town’s celebrations. Leaning out of his window, he watched performances and warmed the hearts of his neighbours. He told the Stray Ferret on the day:

“It’s very nice that they would do all this for me. I don’t deserve it, I just happen to be the one that has lived the longest.

“I have had a good life. It’s very good of them to have done this as if I am a hero. I am not, I am just an ordinary Yorkshireman.”

Mr Rushton was never one to command attention and always rejected the title of hero, but he was held in high regard by his peers and all that knew him.

Dave Rushton, one of John’s four sons, said:

“We are very sad but my dad has left a great legacy and history. We have had so many goodwill messages, which has been an enormous help.

“He fought the illness really hard, he fought right to the end. I want to put on record our thanks to the staff on Wensleydale Ward and at Lister House care home in Ripon.

“I think people will remember him for his character. So many people have told me how much of a character he was, even if he never thought he was a hero.

“We did manage to get in a trip back in 2019 to Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. We had hoped to go again but we certainly ended on a high.

“I already know a lot about his life but since his passing I have learned a lot more about the affection people held him in.”

A British Army spokesman said:

“We are indebted to the bravery of Mr Rushton and his comrades. Our thoughts are with Mr Rushton’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

David Houlgate, vice chair of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion, said:

“What I will say is clearly he was in a sense a true hero of this country. John defended this country and helped to free Europe from tyranny.”

The life of John ‘Jack’ Rushton

Mr Rushton was born in Doncaster on May 24, 1924, where he was brought up and educated before leaving school to become an apprentice joiner.

At the outbreak of World War II because he was too young to enlist, he joined the home guard before he volunteered for service shortly after his 18th birthday.

On the night of June 5, 1944, he set off from Portsmouth, having been sent in place of another marine who had taken ill.

The crossing was made in a flat bottomed tank landing craft, and as the weather was poor, he sheltered with a comrade underneath one of the tanks, lying on top of the ammunition.

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It was such a rough crossing, he later said he preferred being shot at in France to staying on board.

Arriving on the Normandy beach at 6am on June 6 he proceeded to deploy and arm his unit’s tanks and guns and spent much of the assault without his helmet or rifle as they impeded his tasks.

During that day, he narrowly avoided death three times including running over an anti-tank mine several times. He often says with a wry smile that only the good die young. He also says that the real heroes are the ones who didn’t return home.

Jack ready to celebrate VE Day in 2020.

Having been promoted to Sergeant, Jack was then sent out to India, travelling by ship and often sleeping on riveted steel decks. On arrival in Bombay his unit was tasked with keeping the peace during the country’s internal struggles, and later training to join the war against Japan further east.

In 1945 he was sent to Malaysia to await deployment to the battlefront, however when the atomic bombs were dropped, he was spared the ordeal of the next fight.

Although the war was now over, his unit was sent back to India to help quell a naval mutiny, and as a result, he didn’t make it home until 1946, when he was demobbed, and returned to Doncaster.

He moved jobs and towns before he settled in 1972 with a final family move to Harrogate College of Further Education.

Jack retired in 1988 and turned to his interests in the local brass bands and the Royal Naval Association. He was widowed in 2012 after almost 61 years of marriage and has four children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

 

Green light for major refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro

Harrogate Borough Council has given the green light for a major refurbishment of Harrogate’s Hydro swimming pool.

Councillors on the planning committee approved the plans today with work on the project set to start in April.

The Hydro was first opened in 1999 and replaced the old Coppice Valley pool.

As part of its plans to overhaul leisure services, which were approved in June 2020, the council outlined a £13.5 million project to refurbish The Hydro.

The authority will demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400 square metres fitness suite on the first floor.

Outside, the car park will be reconfigured with a new area bicycle storage and room for six electric vehicle charging points.

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Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“I’m delighted that the planning committee has approved the plans to redevelop the Hydro in Harrogate.

“This multi-million pound refurbishment project will create exciting new opportunities for local people to move more, live well and feel great.

“Our vision is to create a healthier and more active population that are living longer, more independent and happier lives.

“By creating first-class facilities like this we’ll be able to deliver the aims and objectives of Brimhams Active.”

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, said:

“Through the provision of fantastic modern leisure and wellness facilities and engaging, inclusive services we will be able to help many more people become active and lead healthier lifestyles.”

Further projects at The Hydro

The move to refurbish The Hydro comes as other work is being done to upgrade the building.

In July, the council confirmed it is to buy a new diving platform to replace the damaged one that has kept divers out of the pool for eight months.

Meanwhile, the council has also given approval for 420 solar panels to be installed on the roof of the pool as part of a decarbonisation project.

The council successfully bid this year for funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy‘s public sector decarbonisation scheme, which helped to fund the panels.

A total of £1.8 million will be spent at The Hydro to install the solar panels, as well as replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps and put in place new energy monitoring and control systems.

The Hydro is now run by Brimhams Active, a new arm’s length leisure company set up by the council this year. It has taken over the running of 12 leisure facilities in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge.

Harrogate police officer pleads not guilty to alleged sexual assault

A Harrogate police officer has pleaded not guilty after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman while on duty.

Christopher Ryan Hudson, 31, appeared before Leeds Crown Court for a preliminary hearing today where he entered his plea.

The alleged offence is said to have taken place at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road, Harrogate, on February 8.

He is accused of sexually touching the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while he was on duty.

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Mr Hudson, of Hollin Terrace, Huddersfield, spoke to confirm his name and that he understood his bail conditions, which include no contact with the alleged victim.

Judge Simon Batiste imposed the new conditions before adjourning the case for a trial on February 20, 2023. He blamed the delay on a “considerable backlog in the courts”.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement that Mr Hudson was based in Harrogate at the time of the allegation and was currently suspended.

Inquest opens into death of Harrogate suspected murder victim

A suspected Harrogate murder victim died from head and torso injuries, according to the coroner who opened an inquest into his death today.

Gracijus Balciauskas, 41, died just before Christmas on the night of Monday, December 20 at a flat on Mayfield Grove.

Jon Heath, senior coroner for York and North Yorkshire, said at the hearing in Northallerton today:

“Mr Balciauskas resided in Harrogate on Mayfield Grove. He was found deceased at the property the following morning.

“The provisional cause of death is by head and torso injuries. This inquest was formally opened on January 6 and adjourned pending further investigation by the police.”

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Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, of Mayfield Grove, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at York Magistrates Court last month charged with murder.

They did not enter pleas and the case was adjourned until February 4.

Station Gateway petition rejected as council accused of ‘ploughing ahead’ with scheme

A petition calling for the Harrogate Gateway project to be halted has been rejected by councillors ahead of a final decision on the £10.9m scheme later this month.

Harrogate Residents Association delivered the 714-signature petition to a North Yorkshire County Council meeting today when the group’s co-founder Anna McIntee accused the authority of “ploughing ahead” with the project without listening to concerns.

Ms McIntee said the scheme – which aims to boost cycling and walking and create a more attractive entrance to the Station Parade area – would have a “radical” impact on traffic and businesses.

But councillors hit back at the claims saying the group has previously opposed “any” projects which promote sustainable travel and that the Gateway will deliver on its aims if approved at an executive meeting on January 25.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“This is the second petition that has been brought by the Harrogate Residents Association. Similarly last time, there was a petition against our Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme on Beech Grove.

“The petitioners also opposed one of our active travel schemes on Oatlands Drive.

“There is a history here of opposing any schemes we bring forward which try to encourage people out of their motor cars and to use sustainable means of transport.

“The Gateway represents an investment of some £11m in a part of Harrogate town centre which quite frankly does need an uplift.

“We are not simply talking about highways changes here, but fundamental changes to improve an area which most of our visitors who arrive by bus or train see from the moment they arrive.”

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Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, also said claims in the petition that the project will “adversely affect every resident in Harrogate” were “demonstrably false”.

He said: 

“This project is about ensuring those who wish to use a mode of transport other than the private car have an opportunity to do so.

“It isn’t about banning cars or replacing roads ‘wholesale’ with cycle lanes – this is a giant misinterpretation.”

Included in the project are plans for a part-time pedestrianisation of James Street and reducing Station Parade to one-lane traffic to make way for a cycle lane.

There are also proposals for upgraded junctions, more cycle lanes and improvements to Station Square as well as the One Arch underpass with the aim of providing better links to the train and bus station.

Gateway project ‘a big step forward’

The project has won the support of campaign group Harrogate and District Cycle Action which said in a statement to today’s meeting that the Gateway will be a “big step forward” towards a greener future.

Yet the rejected petition from Harrogate Residents Association still marks a sign of growing opposition against the project which was recently dealt a blow after a latest council-run survey.

Residents were shown the plans at a public meeting at Victoria Shopping Centre today.

Residents were shown the plans at a public meeting at Victoria Shopping Centre last October.

Consultation results released in December revealed 55% of 1,320 respondents felt ‘negative’ about the project, while 39% felt ‘positive’. The remaining 6% were either ‘neutral’ or said they didn’t know.

Speaking at today’s meeting, Ms McIntee questioned how the councils could now push ahead with the project.

She said: 

“How do people know this is value for money, especially when the track record of wasted money in Harrogate is terrible.

“There are many people calling for the project to be trailed before £10.9m is committed. We think this is a sensible idea.

“Far too many disconnected pocket plans are occurring, all focused on cycling.”

The Gateway scheme is being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund, with a deadline for the awarded £10.9m to be spent by early 2023.

If the project is approved later this month, construction could start in spring 2022.

Bid to tackle ‘inadequate’ funding of Harrogate district secondary schools

A Harrogate councillor has questioned why secondary schools in the county receive less funding per pupil than most other places.

North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 138 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding per pupil.

On average, a school in North Yorkshire has received £5,570 per pupil for 2021-22 compared to the national average of £5,935.

A report to councillors at today’s meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee said that for a 1,500-pupil secondary school, this equated to a difference in funding of £0.5m.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the county council, described the situation as unacceptable and wanted to know why the figure for North Yorkshire was “way below” that of other local authority areas.

He told the meeting:

“I just wondered what we as councillors can do to help because this clearly is not an acceptable position.”

Andrew Jones to be asked to help

Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck, suggested Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, could lobby national government on behalf of local schools.

Mr Jones is due to attend the council’s next Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in March.

Mr Broadbank said:

“Our MPs are there to lobby. This is something we can ask Andrew about at our next meeting.”

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Sally Dunn, head of finance for early years and high need at the council, said school funding was based on the Department for Education’s national funding formula.

She added the formula was based on factors such as deprivation and prior attainment and the DfE was in the process of transitioning the criteria.

Ms Dunn added it was “an issue we continue to lobby on and we continue to speak to the DfE on a very regular basis”, adding that there was most concern for small rural secondary schools, which faced “significant financial pressures”.

Primary schools fare better

North Yorkshire primary schools fare better: they are placed 35 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding.

Primary schools in the county receive on average £4,715 per pupil compared to the national average of £4,611.

Harrogate council bosses warn tax rise needed to balance books

A 1.99% tax rise has been backed by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet after officials warned some of the authority’s key income streams won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2023.

Paul Foster, head of finance at the council, told a meeting last night that the rise equates to an extra £5 per household per year and was needed as the authority is still feeling the effects of covid and decades of government funding cuts.

If the proposed increase gets final approval in February, contributions to the borough council for the average Band D property will rise to £255.92.

Mr Foster said last night: 

“Given the impacts of the pandemic, we are provisionally forecasting a budgeted reduction in income of £150,000 in 2022/23.

“And income is not forecast to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2023/24 in the areas of commercial property, planning fees and Harrogate Convention Centre lettings.”

Mr Foster also said government grant allocations had been reduced by £8.2m since 2010 and that the council would have to use reserves cash to fund some major projects.

These include plans to accelerate a redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre, as well as carbon reduction works at the venue and other council-owned buildings.

Mr Foster said: 

“Overall, in order to produce a balanced budget, a net transfer from the budget transition fund of £142,000 is required.

“And finally, a thorough review of reserves has identified that just short of £4.5m can be repurposed, with a recommendation that £2.8m is set aside to fund the acceleration of works at the convention centre, and just short of £1.7m is set aside to support our carbon reduction strategy.”

The tax rise has been proposed as part of the council’s final ever budget before it is abolished and replaced with a new North Yorkshire-wide authority which will take over control of all services from April 2023.

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This will mark the biggest changes to local government in the area for almost 50 years, with elections to the new council set to take place in May 2022.

Currently, the borough council makes up just under 13% of council tax bills, while North Yorkshire County Council makes up 70% and police and fire services the remainder.

Speaking at last night’s meeting, Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at the council, said the authority’s council tax contributions represented “incredible value” and would help keep key services and projects running.

He said: 

“For £255 we not only empty the bins and provide local cleaning services, but also look after parks, gardens, leisure facilities, and health and homeless charity programmes.

“On top of that, we are still able to invest in meaningful activities that improve the district and lives of residents.”

Free haircuts and manicures to Harrogate district jobseekers

Harrogate College is offering free haircuts and manicures to jobseekers.

The college, at Hornbeam Park, is providing the treatments to anyone who has secured a job interview.

Haircuts can be booked now between 3pm and 7pm on Wednesdays. Manicures will be available on Thursdays, starting on January 27, from 10am.

Students will provide the services at the college’s professional standard training salons.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said he hoped the initiative would boost the participants’ job prospects. He added:

“We are proud to show that we are living our values by being nurturing towards our community, and giving people the best chance to progress into a positive 2022 with a new job.”

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Steph Keedy, programme manager for hairdressing and beauty therapy, said:

“We really enjoy working with the local community and initiatives like this are very rewarding for our students – while also helping them complete their qualifications.

“We hope that by offering someone a new haircut and manicure it will give them a confidence boost that may help them on their way to finding a new job.

Places must be booked in advance, and applicants should be able to show proof of their upcoming interview.

To book a place in the salons, which close during half-term and national holidays, email katie.sharman@harrogate.ac.uk or call the college’s reception on 01423 879466.

Convention centre forecasts £510,000 profit ahead of decision on major redevelopment

Harrogate Convention Centre is forecasting a £510,000 profit this year ahead of a decision on whether a major redevelopment should go ahead.

In what is set to be one of its biggest decisions in recent history, Harrogate Borough Council will this summer vote on a potential £47m redevelopment of the venue, which is fighting to keep its national appeal.

The latest forecast comes after the convention centre struggled financially during the pandemic when it was used as an NHS Nightingale hospital and also had its bookings severely impacted by lockdown restrictions.

Yet the success of the venue is not always measured on whether it makes a profit, but also its economic impact on the district.

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said the convention centre makes a “significant contribution” to the district’s economy and should be supported. He said:

“In a typical year – when the calendar is full of events and conferences – it attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact of £35m and supports thousands of jobs across the Harrogate district.

“Many local businesses also rely on the convention centre for their income. And for every £1 most attendees spend on their event, another £5 is spent locally, benefitting the wider hospitality trade; from the hotels and B&Bs to the many cafés, restaurants and high street businesses.

“By redeveloping the ageing facility, as well as introducing much more flexible spaces, we will be able to attract a broader customer base and substantially strengthen this economic impact, which will be needed even more so in the future as our economy recovers from covid.”

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When the redevelopment plans were revealed in 2020, the council said the 40-year-old convention centre was in “critical need” of investment and that there is “very real risk” it will not survive without.

£1.5m spent on plans

More than £1.5m has already been spent on the plans which if approved will see the project delivered in stages with a major refurbishment of the centre’s studio two coming first.

After this, three exhibition halls could be demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, said while the party had criticised a “lack of investment” in the convention centre in the past, it was supportive of the latest plans. She said:

“Without investment the convention centre will really fail and the impact on the local economy will be huge. There has been under investment in the last 20 years, so this is long overdue.

“The aim and ambition is for the convention centre to make a profit, as it did when the Lib Dems ran the council.

“If this does not happen then of course a serious review would have to be undertaken.”