Can Great Yorkshire Show and vaccine site take place together?

Health leaders revealed today they are in discussions with the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show about whether the event and the vaccination programme on the site can take place together.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced this week it planned to stage the three-day show from July 13 to 15, adding the decision would be ‘reviewed regularly’.

This raised questions about the impact on the mass vaccination programme that is being run at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The showground, which can carry out up to 1,800 vaccinations a day, has been the Harrogate district’s main vaccine centre since December.

The NHS is due to be giving jabs to under-50s at the time of the show.

The vaccines are administered in the Yorkshire Event Centre building at the showground. The event centre is usually a key part of the Great Yorkshire Show, hosting many food stalls.

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Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a coronavirus press briefing today:

“It’s great that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that venues which would have been standing empty have been serving such a great purpose.

“There are a number of sites we will be having conversations with over the next few weeks and there are also sites we are already in discussions with.

“We are talking about how we can run vaccination sites concurrently with public-facing events or whether we need to think about providing it in a different way.

“So we are working with individual sites to understand what the different options are for us.”

The Stray Ferret also asked the Yorkshire Agricultural Society about the situation.

Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre said:

“We are discussing our plans with the NHS vaccination centre and together we expect to come up with workable solutions.”

Harrogate man speeding at 126mph was also breaking lockdown rules

A Harrogate man broke lockdown and speeding rules when he was caught driving at 126 miles an hour on the way to Scarborough.

North Yorkshire Police said today the man had picked up a woman from York and they were on their way to Scarborough when they were caught near Stainton.

When questioned by officers they explained that they “just wanted to go for a drive”, which was not considered to be a reasonable excuse for being outside during lockdown.

Sergeant Daniel Thompson, of Scarborough’s neighbourhood policing team, said at a North Yorkshire coronavirus press briefing today:

“One of the safety cameras on the A64 sighted a vehicle travelling at 126mph. I managed to stop that vehicle as it approached Stainton.

“There were two people in the vehicle. A man who travelled from Harrogate who picked up the woman from York. They were travelling from York to Scarborough for a drive.

“That was the only purpose. They were from two different households and travelled significant distance. The speeding was putting themselves and others at risk.

“Just going for a drive was not a reasonable excuse. We tell these people to just do their bit and as the police we will continue to do our bit.”

Police and public health leaders are increasingly concerned about the number of people breaking lockdown rules as the weather improves.

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North Yorkshire Police said today it has handed out 255 lockdown fines in the last seven days, which is a 33% increase on last week.

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police’s lead on the coronavirus response, said:

“We are starting to see a concerning trend. Over the last few weeks we have reported increasing numbers of fines that the police are handing out.

“There has been a significant upturn in the numbers. We handed out 255 fines in the last week, with 169 in the last weekend alone.

“We believe the figures are influenced by the good weather but officers are reporting that there has been a change of behaviour since the government released its roadmap.”

Harrogate businesses welcome furlough extension

Business owners in the Harrogate district have welcomed an extension to the furlough scheme which they say will help to save jobs.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the scheme, which covers 80% of employee salaries, will be extended until September this year.

Mr Sunak also confirmed that a business rates holiday will be extended until June, as well as a 5% VAT reduction for the hospitality and tourism sectors for six months.

An extra £5 billion worth of grants for high street shops and hospitality have also been announced. It will see pubs and hotels able to bid for £18,000 worth of funding.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, said he was pleased with the extension to the furlough scheme.

He said:

“I’m delighted with that because it will be flexible furlough and it will mean that we do not have to carry that wage bill if we do not have customers.

“It means that my team will still be able to pay their mortgages. We are lucky that we as a business have more fat on our back, but there are lots who live hand to mouth.”

Elsewhere in his budget, Mr Sunak announced a further £400 million financial support for the arts.

The money will be added to the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, which has already awarded £800 million in grants to theatres, museums and music venues.

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Ripon Cathedral, Harrogate Theatre, the Deer Shed Festival, Ripon Museum Trust and Ripon Amateur Operatic Society are among the local beneficiaries of the fund so far.

David Bown, chief executive of the Harrogate Theatre, said he was pleased with the announcements on furlough and arts funding.

However, he added that more detail was required on the schemes.

He said:

“The furlough scheme will allow us to bring staff back in a measured way when we have got the details on when we can reopen.

“The funding for the arts is great news, but again we will have to find out the detail on the criteria and how we can access that.”

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festival, agreed the “devil would be in the detail”.

She said:

“The items that would affect us are the fourth and fifth grants. It is great that people in the arts are being recognised, especially those who may have missed out previously because of the way their business is set up.

“The devil will be in the detail, particularly for our industry, given all the unknowns on the reopening.”

Harrogate town centre cleaned ready for return of retail

Harrogate Business Improvement District has called in its cleaning crew to sort out the town’s “grot spots” ready for the return of retail next month.

Teams have started weeding and washing footpaths on East Parade, Tower Street and Bower Road, including the pedestrian tunnel.

When they have finished there they will move onto other areas the Harrogate BID has identified as being in need of a clean.

Last year the BID awarded Yorkshire-based company UK Nationwide Cleaning Services a four-year cleaning contract.

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Between April and December, the company power-washed about 40,000 square metres in the town centre.

Sara Ferguson, chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“One of our remits is to build on the day-to-day work undertaken by Harrogate Borough Council’s street cleansing department, and to ensure Harrogate town centre continues to look at its best all year round.

“With Easter a month away, and ‘non-essential’ shops to reopen on April 12, we want the town to look clean, welcoming and inviting for the long-awaited return of customers, hence this early spring clean.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone and welcome back once again to our live traffic and travel service for the Harrogate district.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey. All brought to you by The HACS Group.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

Full update – 9am

That’s another morning of traffic and travel. I hope you do find the service helpful. I am now heading over to the newsdesk but will be back again tomorrow morning from 6.30am.

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Land on Wetherby Road set to become part of the Stray

Harrogate Borough Council agreed this evening to designate a plot of land on Wetherby Road as Stray land in exchange for grass verges on Otley Road.

The verges are currently part of the Stray but will be removed for a new cycle route.

The Stray Act 1985 says that if Stray land is given up a suitable plot of alternative land must be offered in exchange.

The council carried out a 12-week consultation over three plots of land to replace the verges as Stray land.

The majority of respondents backed the council’s preferred option to designate the land on Wetherby Road next to the war memorial.

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Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet voted today for the land to be submitted to the Duchy of Lancaster, which is responsible for managing the Stray, for approval to be exchanged.

The area of land outlined in Harrogate Borough Council documents earmarked to be exchanged as part of the Otley Road cycle route.

Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said at the cabinet meeting:

“Sustainable transport is a key priority for this council and this project does support the promotion of active travel on a main route joining up the town centre with the west of Harrogate.

“This scheme also supports our ambition to see a reduction in congestion, an improvement in air quality and a reduction in carbon emissions while also promoting a healthy lifestyle.”

It comes as North Yorkshire County Council looks to press ahead with plans to create a cycle route on the stretch of road between Harlow Moor Road and Beech Grove in Harrogate.

The project has already been delayed and the negotiations over the Stray land have been a further stumbling block for the second phase of the scheme.

Pinewoods group prepares for new Rotary Wood battle

Pinewoods Conservation Group is rallying support once again to prevent Harrogate Spring Water from expanding its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

The water company, which is now owned by multinational firm Danone, was granted outline planning permission in 2017 to expand into Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods.

Danone recently bid to vary the terms of this by increasing the size of the bottling plant into the woodlands. Harrogate’s planning committee rejected this in January after almost 400 people objected.

Many objectors were jubilant at the outcome but the original outline permission in 2017 still applies.

Pinewoods Conservation Group now suspects it will be brought back to the council’s planning committee before May and warns that, if approved, will result in “massive ecological loss”.

Although it has outline permission, Danone would need to go through a second stage of the application process, known as reserved matters, to ratify details such as the appearance of the bottling plant and the felling of trees in Rotary Wood.

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A document prepared on behalf of Danone last year said the reserved matters application “is committed to retaining where possible as many trees on-site and relocating others”.

It adds that additional trees will be planted within Rotary Wood to replace those that would be lost.

A spokesman for Pinewoods Conservation Group, however, described the application as a “massive backwards step” from the one that was refused in January. He added:

“There is no offer of any compensatory land. That is a massive backwards step from the previous rejected application.

“If approved, this would result in a massive ecological loss for Harrogate and the Pinewoods. As such we are encouraging our members and supporters to formally object to this application as soon as possible.”

Harrogate Spring Water declined to comment.

Long Lands Common set to open to public this summer

The committee behind the scheme to buy Long Lands Common has said it hopes to open the site to public access this summer.

The Long Lands Common appeal raised £375,000 to purchase 30 acres of land near Nidderdale Greenway and protect it from development. About 3,000 people bought shares in the land.

Shareholders were due to take ownership of the land yesterday but a delay in legal proceedings means this has been put back until the end of the month.

Despite this, Long Lands Common Ltd, the community benefit society overseeing the project, still expects to welcome visitors this summer, when lockdown restrictions ease.

An access track near the green bridge on the Nidderdale Greenway will be used by visitors. The current access point on Bogs Lane will be restricted to disabled people and maintenance and emergency vehicles.

No permanent paths will be laid this year — the committee has said it wants people to get used to the land and give their opinions before implementing changes.

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Chris Kitson, secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd, said the delay in shareholders taking ownership was “not a drastic setback”, adding:

“We need to make sure all these agreements are in place to make sure we do what we say we will.

“We are extremely pleased with the way things are going. The first aim is to get safe access so people can enjoy the area by the end of spring.”

The future of Long Lands Common, once earmarked for a relief road, finally looks secure for wildlife.

It is first and foremost a nature reserve but the goal is for the public to enjoy it too.

Ideas for the land include a duck pond but shareholders are invited to submit their own proposals.

Harrogate jumpers raise £10,000 for homeless people

A Harrogate clothing store has raised thousands of pounds to help homeless people by selling charity jumpers.

Sara Shaw, who owns womenswear shop Violet on Cheltenham Mount, created the “HGTE” brand and regularly updates the range with new colours and styles.

The shop donates £10 from each sale to the Harrogate Homeless Project, which has benefited to the tune of more than £10,000 so far.

The local charity uses the money for accommodation costs and to help homeless people get back on their feet.

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Not only has the clothing range raised funds but it has also sparked other charitable activities, such as bike rides.

It all started as a one-off for Christmas in 2016 but Sara told the Stray Ferret that sales have recently started to ramp up:

“We are now selling lots of the jumpers. It is just word of mouth really because people like the quality of the product.

“I also genuinely love it if I am driving into work and I let some people cross the road and they have got one of these jumpers on.

“We also give £10 from the sale of each sweatshirt which is a lot of money to give to charity, so people really feel they are making a difference.”

The sweatshirts cost £60 and the hoodies cost £75. They are unisex and only available to purchase from the Violet store in Harrogate.

Harrogate district continues to buck UK unemployment trend

The Harrogate district continues to buck the trend as the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits falls slightly, according to latest figures.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics for January show 3,460 people were claiming out-of-work benefits — 3.7% of the population.

The number is down from 3,540 in December.

This is in contrast to the UK figure of 6.2% of the population claiming support.

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Financial support for those out of work include Universal Credit and Job Seekers’ Allowance.

Figures in the district have remained stable throughout the pandemic, which suggests the government furlough scheme has protected many staff from redundancy.

Professor Jamie Morgan, of Leeds Business School at Leeds Beckett University, said the impact on the figures of furlough ending will depend on people having jobs to return to.

He added it would also depend on whether employers were in a position to maintain staff and also have customers returning.

Professor Morgan said:

“The effect though, is also likely to depend on who are the main sources of local business demand – especially in hospitality –  what fraction are tourists and from where?

“There is some expectation that from the summer there will be a spike in activity in the hospitality sector – as people start to use some of the savings they have been forced to make and a sense of relief sets in.”

However, he added that the effect on the numbers will also depend on what, if any, public health restrictions are placed on businesses later this year.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to outline his budget tomorrow, which is expected to include a £5 billion fund to help retailers and the hospitality sector reopen.