What the Bilton by-election candidates say on the big issues

Anti-social behaviour, dog fouling and traffic congestion were the main issues Bilton residents said they wanted their new councillor to tackle after tomorrow’s by-election.

Voters will choose a new North Yorkshire county councillor for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division following the death of Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber.

It is the only local council election taking place in the Harrogate district.

We asked each candidate how they would respond to the issues raised by residents. For more information about each candidate visit here.

Anti-social behaviour

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat:

“I have always found Bilton to be a safe place to be, somewhere I would be happy to walk home to on a night time. 

“It is a place lived in by honest, good people. They need the support of our council, our police and other residents when things go wrong.

“Personally, I would like to see increased numbers of police community support officers and police in our area.”

Matt Scott, Conservatives:

“I am aware of recent reports of anti-social behaviour and am working with fellow councillor Paul Haslam and Harrogate Borough Council’s safer communities team to ensure information is shared.

“I have noticed more police on the streets of Bilton recently, which I believe is down to increased reporting because police resources are concentrated when and where more incidents are reported.”

Tyler Reeton, Labour:

“I believe we need to create a ‘warning system’ so anti-social behaviour doesn’t spiral out of control and therefore, I would create a forum between the police, council and the public.

“This will offer the opportunity for residents to express concerns which can be addressed by our amazing local police team.”

Arnold Warneken, Greens:

“One thing Bilton has in its favour is a strong community spirit and that will be an asset in overcoming the problems of anti-social behaviour.

“I don’t think the answer is just more police, it’s about policing differently, with everyday police presence on the streets and active engagement of these officers with schools and community groups, including a reinvigorated Neighbourhood Watch.”

John Hall, Yorkshire Party:

“Are we doing enough to provide out of school activities such as sports clubs? This would be my priority. We need to work with schools and the local police and target with mobile CCTV in trouble areas”.

Harvey Alexander, Independent:

“There is an old saying: ‘The devil makes work for idle hands’. Anti-social behaviour is mostly caused by people who are unemployed, who feel that they do not have a stake in society. The best way to deal with the anti-social behaviour is for the council to bring manufacturing jobs to the Harrogate area.”

Traffic congestion

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat:

“Firstly I would not have allowed thousands of houses to be built on the Skipton Road and in Killinghall and Hampsthwaite.

“For this senseless over-development, we have to thank this Conservative concrete council who failed to put in place the right type of local development framework. This allowed the developers free reign.”

Matt Scott, Conservatives:

“With the relief road rightly defeated, options to accommodate more cars are limited though in the greenway we already have a direct cycle and walking route into town from Bilton, which is accessible from several points.

“Free bus passes are provided for senior citizens by the county council to give another alternative to car travel.

“We also need to work with schools to encourage participation in ‘walking buses’ where children walk to school in a parent-led group. We all need to think about the journeys we make and whether we could make them in a more environmentally-friendly way.”

Tyler Reeton, Labour:

“I will support implementing a park-and-ride scheme to connect Bilton to the rest of Harrogate through Skipton Road. This park-and-ride scheme has to be a genuine green alternative, which is affordable and accessible for residents to consider for travel to work and leisure.”

Arnold Warneken, Greens:

“The Yorkshire rail improvement survey found that over 700 people would use the train every day if Bilton station were re-opened, but that the location made the necessary engineering works too difficult. That’s the kind of initiative I want North Yorkshire County Council to be looking at. Yes there will be tough decisions and money will need to be spent but doing nothing is not an option”

John Hall, Yorkshire Party:

“I would like to see a full review of public transport in and around Harrogate. This would include more buses with affordable fares in all parts of Harrogate including Bilton. I would also support the proposed new railway station in Bilton.”

Harvey Alexander, Independent:

“The easiest way to reduce congestion on Skipton Road would be to syncronise the traffic lights and to adjust their timing according to the flow of traffic at different times of day.”

Dog fouling

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat:

“I would propose the reintroduction of the dog license.

“The proceeds would be ring-fenced to hire more dog wardens, increase surveillance in known fouling areas and prosecution of those dog owners who do not clean up after their pets.

“Firstly a warning, secondly a hefty fine (with naming and shaming) and finally the confiscation of the dog and its re-homing.”

Matt Scott, Conservatives:

“Following a resident on Tennyson Avenue getting in touch with me, I met with Harrogate Borough Council’s dog warden to discuss the issue of dog fouling.

“We put penalty notice stickers on lamp posts and visited a few hotspots residents had let me know about. I have informed the street cleansing team about the hotspots and will include them on future litter picks I hope to organise as restrictions on gatherings ease.”

Tyler Reeton, Labour:

“I believe signs are a great way to create awareness of not picking up dog mess but rather than create generic signs, I would like to work with local primary schools and social enterprises to put this measure in place. Each primary school can have their own project – recycling point, bin or rubbish point.”

Arnold Warneken, Greens:

“In certain locations it is acceptable to ‘stick and flick’ as dog mess is a food source for so much of our wildlife. I’d like to see more hedgerows along our grass verges, lining every street. They’d discourage people from parking on the verges and dog owners could simply scoop their pet’s mess under the hedge, providing an increased source of food that is almost guaranteed to bring a hedgehog to every street.”

John Hall, Yorkshire Party:

“Mobile CCTV can also be used to identify dog owners who allow their dogs to foul pavements and walkways. In addition, anyone walking a dog off the lead or who fails to show that they are unequipped to pick up dog mess would face a £100 fine.”

Harvey Alexander, Independent:

“The council should use CCTV to discover the culprits and prosecute them.”

Trial starts of Harrogate car wash owner accused of modern slavery

Defrim Paci, 42, his brother Jetmir Paci, 37 and Sitar Ali, 33, all stand accused of modern slavery crimes committed against Romanian nationals at the car wash Shiny, on Warwick Road in Carlisle during 2016 and 2017.

Carlisle Crown Court heard today how car wash employees were “burned” by chemicals and “compelled to work long hours in bad conditions for little pay” during alleged exploitation after being transported from abroad.

Mr Paci is the sole director of the Harrogate Hand Carwash on Sykes Grove. The charges do not relate to this business.

‪Prosecutor Martin Reid told the jury:

“This case is all about forced labour and arranging for people to come to the UK with a view to their being exploited.”

‪Defrim Paci, of Windmill Close, Sutton-in-Ashfield, “operated at the top of the conspiracy” which centred on the Carlisle car wash, alleged Mr Reid.

Defrim’s brother, Jetmir, is said to have been involved in building work at the site, along with the transportation of staff.

The city business was managed by Ali, whose responsibilities included daily treatment of staff, their wages and payment for their transport to this country, plus their accommodation and rent collection.

Mr Reid alleged:

‪“It is the prosecution case that the circumstances created by the defendants led to the freedom of these workers effectively being over-ridden, and that they were compelled to work long hours in bad conditions for little pay, their labour being exploited for the benefit of the defendants.”

‪Several workers, said the prosecutor, had identity cards taken away until travel cost debt was repaid; were required to live in “very dirty” rat and insect-infested multi-occupancy accommodation in Carlisle; and were “faced with having only £20 in their pockets from a week’s work of 11 hours a day, six days a week”.

‪Some described having no breaks, of having skin on their face and body “burned” by cleaning chemicals, and of receiving no protective clothing. One recalled buying some gloves for £2 from Tesco. Another said:

“They treated me the same like they would do with a slave.”

Read More:

‪The Paci brothers and Ali each deny two charges. One alleges conspiracy to require others to perform forced or compulsory labour at Shiny in Carlisle; the other alleges conspiracy to facilitate travel with a view to exploitation. Ali further denies possessing criminal cash.

‪Jurors were told, in addition to witness testimony, they would consider a wealth of documentary evidence. This includes mobile phone data collected during the police investigation, details of two immigration visits to the car wash and searches of all the defendants’ homes.

Defrim Paci and Jetmir Paci, of Minimum Terrace, Chesterfield, both told police when interviewed they had no roles in the operation of Shiny Carlisle.

Of Defrim Paci, Mr Reid said:

“The Crown understands his case to be that he was not in charge of the business, nor was he involved in the management or day to day running of the business.”

Ali, of Adelaide Street, Carlisle, also denies any wrongdoing.

‪The trial, which is expected to last around six weeks, continues.

Harrogate’s Commercial Street decked out for Town

Shops on Commercial Street have been decorated in yellow and black bunting today in honour of Harrogate Town’s Wembley heroes.

The club, which has a pop-up shop on the street, supplied the bunting and Town scarves to celebrate the 1-0 defeat of Concord Rangers in yesterday’s FA Trophy final.

Read more:

Sue Kramer, who owns Crown Jewellers and is manager of the Commercial Street retailers group that has arranged many of the recent improvements on the street, praised the community spirit of the street’s retailers, saying:

“We’ve been here for 21 years and this is the first time I’ve known the street really come together for something.”

According to Ms Kramer, the street’s shop owners have been working closely together with the local council to improve the street.

Harrogate Borough Council recently replaced a bench in the street, while Harrogate Business Improvement District has added the street to its watering round for hanging baskets.

Alex Clarke, owner of Foxy Antiques and Interiors, watched Town beat Concord Rangers 1-0 from the teepee at Cedar Court Hotel on Monday:

“It was freezing, but there was a great atmosphere.”

Gemma Aykroyd, owner of The Cheeseboard, said that footfall had been “great” since the shops reopened. She had bunting up in her windows, as well as black and yellow balloons that she bought herself.

 

Harrogate care home resident: ‘We are still being treated poorly’

A Harrogate care home resident has spoken of his relief at today’s relaxation in restrictions but said more needs to be done to address inequalities facing disabled people.

Government guidelines now permit care home residents to see a family member or friend outdoors without having to isolate for 14 days.

But they are still unable to meet in groups of up to six, as non-care home residents can.

Nick Moxon, 32, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road, spoke out when previous guidance said residents must isolate for 14 days if they went outdoors for non-emergency purposes.

He said today he was pleased about today’s change but said more needed to be done.

Mr Moxon described himself as an “independent adult with mental capacity” and questioned why he was subject to restrictions that do not apply to others.

He said:

“We are still being treated poorly. If people feel comfortable meeting six people outdoors they should be able to, it’s freedom of choice.

“The government think we are stupid but we aren’t. I want to see change on a national level. It’s about time we were treated the same.”

Care home residents have faced 14 months of isolation and the new guidance states they must be with a care worker or a nominated visitor if they leave their homes.

Read more:

Residents still can’t meet in groups, and can only go indoors for the use of toilets, or to cast a vote in the upcoming local elections.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, and Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council have all criticised the guidance.

Bilton by-election: What issues matter most to voters?

The people of Bilton head to the ballot box on Thursday to elect a new county councillor for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

The election is being held following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber.

We spoke to different Biltonians to find out what are the issues that matter to most them.

We will ask each candidate standing in the by-election what they will do to tackle the issues raised and publish their responses tomorrow. Read more about each candidate here.

Debbie Dilasser moved to Bilton with her family in 2006.

She said she “loves living here” but that anti-social behaviour is an increasing problem. She thinks community wardens could be employed to talk to young people who might be mixed up in bad behaviour.

She said:

“Anti-social behaviour is definitely on the increase. There are a lot of suspected drug deals happening on back streets.”

Ms Dilasser said she wants to see councillors active in the local community.

“Councillors should be representative of their constituency and unsettle the status quo.”

She said due to the proliferation of new housing in Harrogate, Bilton gets “short-changed” when it comes to infrastructure. She also thinks councillors can do more to improve other things such as street lighting.

“There’s not a lot of space. Schools and doctor’s surgeries are all full.”

“Street lighting around here is quite bad. If I come back home late at night they are not very good at all”.

Read more:

Steve Pepper is a retired businessman and ran the Bilton community and police group until 2010.

He said safety is an important issue to him and praised the late Geoff Webber for his contributions on the issue.

 

He said:

“Geoff Webber always supported the group and turned up at every meeting.

“We got some good advice from him. He was a typical local councillor and if we can find someone like that who can represent our community on the council then I’ll be happy.”

Mr Pepper said national issues such as the government lobbying scandal won’t be playing on his mind when he votes. He said the national political parties “are all as bad as each other”.

He is proud of the Nidderdale Greenway but said dog fouling is an increasing problem and more action needs to be taken to clean the popular cycling and walking route up from discarded poo bags and mess.

“If horses eat dog poo it can cause them problems. Why people don’t take their bags home, God only knows”.

 

Andrew Castelow lives in Bilton with his family and said environmental issues are important when he votes in local elections.

He said he was proud of the local efforts to create Long Lands Common and the fight to protect Nidd Gorge from a new “relief road”.

North Yorkshire County Council rejected the relief road proposal in 2019 and Mr Castelow said he hopes the controversial issue doesn’t come back on the table in the future.

“I can’t see the relief road idea coming back as an issue in the next year or two, but in another five years it depends on how rapidly things change with people working from home.”

He said anti-social behaviour and crime is not an issue in the part of Bilton where his family lives, “and long may that continue.”

Congestion on Skipton Road is a long-standing problem and he would like to see more bus services to help encourage car drivers off the road.

“Congestion is an issue. It would be more helpful to see more local bus services”

“The town has done a commendable job getting electric buses, but we have to walk further than we’d like to our nearest stop.”

Harrogate care home to be demolished for new 90-bed facility

A care home on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road will be demolished and replaced with a larger facility.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans for Tate House to be flattened and a 90-bed care home built in its place.

Plans for the new facility were submitted to the council last November.

The three-storey building will include resident’s lounges, dining rooms and activity spaces, as well as a car park with 27 spaces.

Read more:

Sight-loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People sold the existing building for £1,650,000 in June last year.

It is now run as a joint venture by private care home providers Angela Swift Developments, which is based in Harrogate, and Burlington Care, which operates 31 care comes in Lincolnshire and northern England.

The current Tate House care home on Wetherby Road.

The current Tate House care home on Wetherby Road.

Tate House, opposite Harrogate Town’s football stadium, was built in 1930 and has had several extensions.

The planning application claims the proposed development will bring up to 70 new jobs to the local community, including nurses, support workers, management and admin staff.

Harrogate Town captain on ‘incredible feeling’ of Wembley winner

Harrogate Town’s Josh Falkingham came with a real captain’s contribution to win the FA Trophy in what was a tough game at times.

The skipper was alive to the opportunity when Jack Muldoon’s effort came off the post and managed to tap the ball in from close range.

At 75 minutes it was the only goal of the game against non-league Concord Rangers. It means that town brings home more silverware in the FA Trophy.

Fresh from the high of scoring the winning goal, Josh Falkingham told the Stray Ferret:

“I can’t put into words how I am feeling. It’s a special time for a special club and it will live for a long time in the memory of the players and staff.

“We are obviously gutted that the fans couldn’t be here with us. But we have been here before and we have managed to get another win at Wembley.

“This is an incredible feeling, we are delighted. Goals are not really my forte. I get a lot of stick for not scoring as many as I should.

“But it is about the whole team who have worked really hard to achieve this.”

Read more:

The first half was quite frustrating at times for Harrogate Town, who struggled to break down a fresh team in Rangers.

Town manager Simon Weaver said after the game that he “let rip” on the players at half time. That talk clearly had an affect on the team that came out for the second half.

Josh conceded that the team was not good enough in the first half and said:

“It was simply not good enough. We were nowhere near where we should have been. The gaffer came in and told us how it was.

“We were much more on the front foot and took the game to Concord Rangers. We were able to finish strong and get the goal at a key time.

“So happy days. We have another trophy to take home to Harrogate. I am sure we will have a fair few beers tonight and a few sore heads in the morning.”

Harrogate Town win at Wembley as fans celebrate at home

Fans may have missed out on another Harrogate Town trip to Wembley but they certainly enjoyed the win.

Harrogate Town’s 1-0 win over Concord Rangers means that the side will be bringing back more silverware in the form of the FA Trophy.

It was not the walk in the park that some had expected and a few lucky fans who managed to grab a place in the tipi at Cedar Court Hotel were certainly nervous at times.

Those nerves were blown away by captain Josh Falkingham’s goal 15 minutes from time to leave a carnival atmosphere despite the wet and windy weather.

Read more:

 

Memorial bench vandalism devastates Harrogate families

Vandals who have destroyed two memorial benches in the Nidd Gorge have left the Harrogate families behind them devastated.

A group set up to protect the area found the benches in a sorry state yesterday and posted pictures of the remnants on the “Keeping Nidd Gorge Gorgeous” Facebook page.

The sight of the broken bench is too much to bear for Sylvia James, who bought it to keep the memory of her husband Colin James alive.

Colin died when he was 55-years-old from cancer in 2015. He was born in Manchester but moved to Harrogate to be with Sylvia and loved to go on dog walks in the Nidd Gorge.

Read more:

For that reason Sylvia bought the bench and she often goes to sit on the bench to be with her husband. She told the Stray Ferret that she will replace it as soon as possible:

“What a way to find out. I haven’t been up to see the bench and I can’t go there because I think it would tear me apart.

“It’s just such mindless devastation. This is a memorial, it is there for a reason. When I go up there and sit there I am with him.

“The bench has been there since 2016 and it has been fine. I didn’t know that people would even do a thing like this.”

Steven Worrell-Shaw, Sylvia and Colin’s son in law, set up a fundraising page with a £300 target to replace the broken bench

Within a day generous people have beaten that target and have donated £450. Sylvia says any money not needed will go to St Michael’s Hospice, a charity which cared for Colin before he died.

Malcolm Neesam History: Harrogate’s once lively street theatre scene

This history is written for The Stray Ferret by celebrated Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam. 

Do you remember the Cone Heads? The street entertainers who a few years ago appeared in the town at the invitation of Harrogate International Festivals? Their sudden appearance was part of a centuries-old tradition of such entertainment, which has included musicians, street theatre, Punch and Judy shows and the travelling waits.

Punch and Judy

To the best of my knowledge, the first known appearance of Punch and Judy in Harrogate was in June 1865, when Professor Bailey was said to have replaced an earlier but unknown Punch and Judy showman. Professor Bailey’s “pitch” appears to have been somewhere at the foot of Montpellier Hill, on the Stray outside the White Hart, and he worked with a young man named Candler, who succeeded Bailey, who was eventually decorated by King Edward VII.

Professor Candler [1869-1922] became one of Victorian Harrogate’s most well-known entertainers, and celebrated as a leading practitioner of his art, so much so that he was chosen to make the Punch and Judy show that accompanied the Prince of Wales’ tour of India. He was also called up to London to perform before George V when the king attended a private party given by Lady Stoner at her South Audsley Street mansion.

Edmund Candler’s Punch and Judy, Swan Hotel, 1910

Professor Candler may also have performed at Pier Head, which was a favourite pitch used by Otto Schwarz and his German Band. I suspect – and if any reader can contradict me, please do so – that Professor Candler was succeeded by Professor Valvo, who had begun his career in Bradford. Professor Valvo was often called to perform before royalty, and had command performances at the London Palladium, and in 1919 he gave a special performance at Crystal Palace for the royal children.

Like Professor Candler, Professor Valvo made his base in Harrogate and appeared several times in the Opera House [today, the Theatre] as part of variety shows. On one occasion, he gave a Punch and Judy show in the Winter Gardens before 600 children, including the sons of the Princess Royal and Lord Lascelles. In 1936, Professor Valvo was described by the Harrogate Herald as “an ex-serviceman, he has been a Punch and Judy man for twelve years, and for forty years previously was a theatre ventriloquist…”

I do not know whether Professor Valvo had any children who kept his act alive, but Professor Candler had two sons. Described by the press on July 13 1957 as “a wonderful showman, yet of a kindly, quiet nature, and his skill with the Punch voice, and the Pandean pipes was that of an expert”. He gained the affection of generations of children and the esteem of adults, including Princess Victoria, who, when in Harrogate, would sometimes stop to listen to the old, old story…

A Noisy Street Scene

The Punch and Judy men were only a small part of the many entertainers who swarmed through Harrogate during those long ago seasons. There were the black-faced minstrels, which were popular at the time, the earliest of which seem to have been Walter Mapping’s, who put on song and dance routines in Valley Gardens. The “Major’s Group” also provided a lively street entertainment show, the “Major” getting his name from his theme song “My friend the Major”. The chair stage prop used by the Major was said to be required because of the Major’s fondness for “the flowing bowl”.

I must not forget to mention the “Black Star Minstrels” who contained several performers who “blacked-up” in such hostelries as the Ship Inn, the Victoria Inn, or the “Borough Vaults” – now the Drum and Monkey. One of them, Joe Morrison, specialised in laughing songs, which could reduce a crowd to hysteria, and who was consequently disliked by more sober shop-keepers. There was Albert Freer, who specialised in sentimental songs about happy slaves on the “old plantations”, and a rival group called the “Mysterious Musicians”, who set up their portable stage near the Royal Pump Room, sometimes in direct competition with other performers. The resulting racket caused great annoyance to the hotels and lodging housekeepers.

Many acts were of course solos, such as The African who performed at Pier Head before the lavatories were built. The African’s ingenious act was to swallow a red hot poker. According to the Herald: “to show that there was no deception a poker was heated in front of the wondering throng, who were even more surprised at the way he used to relish a concoction that he cooked in his own fashion, and transferred to his capacious mouth with a fork whilst it was blazing.”

Contemporary criticism of many of these acts judged that some of the best shows on the Stray before the Great War were those of Adler and Sutton. Max Adler and his companions performed on the Victoria Avenue bandstand, opposite Baptist Church, during mild summer’s evenings. Their comedian was Olly Oakley, who did imitations, and whose saucy songs sometimes upset the local magistrates. Other “Stray” performers included the “Jubilee Singers”, who in the language of the time were described as “a group of real negroes”.  There was also Mr. I. C. Rich, who specialised in Jewish “deliniations”, who shared the bill with another comedian, whose name escapes me, and whose catch-phrase was “My hair’s down again”.

One of Harrogate’s rarer evening acts, who may have performed in Crescent Gardens, were the “Brothers Egerton”, who specialised in songs about drunks and drinking, which were known by the name of “Corney Grain” songs. Eventually, they left Harrogate for St Kilda’s Beach, Melbourne.

The Ongars

I do not have space to describe the many operators of the street piano, who played their raucous jangling instruments outside Hale’s Bar, and – to the intense annoyance of Alderman Fortune – along the rows of decorous hotels and lodging houses on Prospect Place and West Park, grinding out such tunes as “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts”;  “He had to get out and get under”, “The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo” and “My old Dutch”.

Town ‘mascots’

I must not leave the subject of the Stray entertainers without mentioning the “Mascots”, who first appeared in 1902, who drew enormous crowds for their acts, which were often held on the Stray near the junction of Beech Grove and Victoria Avenue. Their numbers included Karr and Kooney, who later became famous pantominists, and Tom Johnstone, a singer of chorus songs who later returned to Harrogate to play in the Empire Theatre.

The last known Stray Troupe before the Great War was the “Sparks”, whose boss, Will Driscoll, rode around Harrogate in a high-wheeled dog cart before the show. The Library Gardens, then known as the Town Hall site, was a further venue for street entertainment, where groups of “dancing minstrels” entertained the public. Harlow Hill, too, had its regular street acts, but I will try the editor’s patience if I go on any more.

Much of Harrogate’s street entertainment vanished during the Great War, although Tom Coleman and his Pierrots (featured main image) did sterling service entertaining wounded soldiers in the four military hospitals set up by that wonderful lady the Grand Duchess George of Russia.

My thanks to Geoff Felix and Janet Nijholt [nee Candler] for information about, and photographs of, Professor Candler.

Did you know? 

The Stray Ferret and the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) have worked with Malcolm Neesam to produce two fantastic history audio tours of Harrogate.  Both last about an hour and are easy to do. The first will take you back to the golden age of Harrogate’s Victorian Spa days, the second will take you through the heart of the shopping district, stopping to learn about historic buildings as you go.  To take a look click here.