Police take down ‘county lines’ drug deal phone line advertising to Harrogate addicts

Police in Harrogate have taken down a “county lines” phone line used to advertise drugs to local addicts.

Drug dealers in Leeds and Bradford used the line to advertise crack cocaine and cocaine for sale in Harrogate. It was known as the “Danny” line.

Phone lines like the “Danny” line allow out-of-town heroin and cocaine dealers to send mass text messages promoting their drugs for sale, and when and where they can be picked up.

When a mobile phone is seized from suspected drug dealers, numbers and associated contacts can be reactivated within hours. However, taking down the whole line and removing the number from circulation permanently means drug dealers can no longer advertise.

The line was taken down after officers applied to Newcastle County Court for a Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Order (DDTRO) on Wednesday.

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County lines is where drug dealers from urban areas exploit vulnerable people, including children, and force them to deal drugs in smaller towns and cities.

Inspector Penny Taylor of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“These orders are a helpful disruption tactic to interrupt the flow of drugs. The orders allow us to take down the line and remove the phone number from circulation permanently, meaning it cannot ever be reactivated on another device, depriving the dealers of the key means to sell their drugs.

“Drug dealing and the associated exploitation of vulnerable people is a foremost priority for North Yorkshire Police and we will continue to target dealers who prey on the vulnerable and cause misery in our communities.”

The action is part of a wider Harrogate-based investigation into drugs supply known as Operation Network. Since August 2020, Operation Network has seen 18 people arrested.

Travellers leave Ashville College without causing damage

A group of travellers who set up camp at Ashville College in Harrogate have now vacated the sports field without causing any damage.

The travellers parked up their caravans at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening. A spokesman for the college said they were prepared to leave immediately for £5,000.

According to the spokesman, the group are on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

The school was concerned that if the group stayed for a prolonged period then it could have to delay the start of the new term on September 8.

Ashville College called the police and started the court process to evict them.

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However, after less than two days the travellers hitched up their caravans and moved on. The college said they left of their own accord.

Groundskeeping staff at Ashville College then carried out an inspection of the field and found no damage.

So Ashville’s series of summer sports activities can now resume outdoors after the presence of travellers forced the school to take it inside.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret this morning:

“We are pleased to report that after less than two days, the travellers that set up camp on our sports pitches have now vacated the grounds.

“Our groundskeeping staff have conducted a thorough inspection of the rugby fields and can confirm that there is no damage, and that they are safe for games to be resumed.”

CCTV to tackle anti-social behaviour on Bilton’s mural bridge

CCTV will be installed on Bilton’s Iron Bridge to tackle anti-social behaviour and vandalism on a recently painted mural.

Conservative HBC and NYCC councillors for Bilton, Matt Scott and Paul Haslam, are behind the initiative which will be trialled for a month beginning in early September.

In March, a colourful mural featuring flowers and foxes was painted by artist Emma Garness to become a beacon of positivity in the area.

The mural has been well received by local residents but has been the subject of vandalism, despite being daubed with anti-graffiti paint.

The CCTV camera was recently used in Ripon to tackle anti-social behaviour. It has a wide-angle lens so can also capture nearby areas such as the garage block on Woodfield Close.

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Cllr Scott said:

“I am grateful to Paul, Cllr Tim Myatt on the other side of the bridge, Julia and Helen in Community Safety and our fantastic local PCSOs for their support with this.

“Paul and I take antisocial behaviour seriously and we will not let a minority of individuals spoil our wonderful community and make people feel unsafe.

“We have seen recently how residents’ own CCTV can help tackle this issue. I hope this camera will provide reassurance and also act as a deterrent.”

Annual Christmas concert at Harrogate Royal Hall returns

The annual Christmas concert at Harrogate’s Royal Hall featuring Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band will return in December following last year’s cancellation.

The Christmas Fantasy concert will once again see the famous brass band perform with chorus accompaniment from Harrogate Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

It is due to take place on December 18 with both a matinee and an evening show.

The show will consist of original songs from the band, Gilbert and Sullivan classics and some Christmas favourites.

Last year the show was cancelled for the first time since it was first performed over 30 years ago due to covid restrictions.

Carrie Brown, chair of the Harrogate G&S Society, said;

“We want it to be a very special relaunch given that it was cancelled last year. We’re lucky to have some very loyal people who have come to see us year on year and use it as a way to start off their Christmas.”

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The Harrogate G&S society was formed in 1972 by enthusiasts for the Victorian theatrical duo.

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band dates back to 1881 and has performed across the globe.

Tickets are due to go on sale in September with under-16s allowed entry for free.

Ripon’s invitation to family funfair seekers

With no funfair on Harrogate Stray this Bank Holiday, families across the district with younger children are being invited to visit Ripon.

Saturday and Sunday will see the city hold its second summer weekend event on Market Square, with two fairground roundabouts and a climbing wall free of charge.

This follows the Yorkshire Day weekend, that saw the city hold its first large-scale public event since the covid lockdowns.

While this weekend’s activities are principally aimed at people living in Ripon and the surrounding areas, families from further afield can also attend.

City council leader, Andrew Williams, said:

“People from across the district are invited to join in the fun of the fair.

“We have two rides for little ones and a climbing wall for older children.”

Photo of crowds gathering on Ripon Market Square

Family groups gathered on Ripon Market Square for the tribute acts concert held as part of the Yorkshire Day weekend

Those visiting from outside Ripon, who would like to stay later, are also invited to attend Saturday night’s free concert, featuring three tribute acts performing on a stage in front of Ripon Town Hall.

The children’s rides and climbing wall will be open from 2pm until 8pm on Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sunday. The musical entertainment starts at 7pm on Saturday.

On Sunday, from 10am until 3pm the next in the series of Little Bird artisan markets, featuring handmade goods produced locally, will also be held on Market Square.

 

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Bid to tackle falling standards at North Yorkshire schools

Experts are to be sent into North Yorkshire’s schools to address concerns about declining standards.

North Yorkshire County Council is acting after the proportion of its schools rated as good or outstanding fell significantly behind the national average.

As of last month, 80.5 per cent of primary pupils in the county attended a school rated good or outstanding by Ofsted compared to the national average of 88.2 per cent.

In addition, a smaller proportion of the county’s local education authority-run secondary schools have been rated as performing well compared to the national average.

The council has now created a team of analysts to send into schools to drive up standards.

It has identified high level issues at 23 of its schools and moderate concerns at 79 others, representing a total of 40 per cent of its schools.

A meeting of the council’s executive this week heard the issue was being compounded by the authority being unaware of how well its schools were meeting children’s educational needs because there had been very few Ofsted inspections during the pandemic.

Councillor Patrick Mulligan, the council’s executive member for education, said areas of concern included attendance and exclusion rates, but the council’s figures were dated or likely to have been significantly skewed by the pandemic. He said:

“There could be all sorts of explanations as to why this has happened, but what we are doing is looking at increasing the resources for our school improvement team so they can focus on some of these schools that are not performing as well as they should be.

“We will do everything we can to try and get on top of this, but we are all concerned about it and get things in motion.

“On the whole our children get a very good education. We have got very good teachers and school leadership and that is reflected in our exam results.”

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Cllr Mulligan said the council was continuing to examine why its schools had received lower ratings than average, but he thought the authority was getting on top of the situation having set up a team of analysts to go into schools when invited by headteachers. He added:

“There has been a little increase in school funding in the last year or two, but over the years of austerity if schools had to let staff go it is very concerning if that is being reflected in school performance.

“One of the latest things that Ofsted has done is add breadth of curriculum to the inspections, which is quite difficult to do in North Yorkshire schools with just 50 pupils, which don’t have the staff levels for some subjects. If that’s the case, then it needs to be taken into account by Ofsted.”

Concerns about rising number of home educated children

The meeting also heard educational concerns had been raised as the number of home educated children was continuing to soar, with some 871 children being taught at home in the county in June compared with 650 at the end of March 2019.

Members heard while traditionally the authority had concentrated efforts on ensuring home educated children were safe, it had recently started examining the quality of the education being provided.

Councillors were told four home education advisors had been recruited to help families, some of which may not have suitable teaching plans in place having chosen home education as a last resort.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Leah with you today, happy Friday and welcome to the long weekend. I’m here to help you have a smooth journey in the Harrogate district.

Any delays? New roadworks? Let me know by calling me on 01423 276197 or commenting on social media.

Let’s help everyone have a better journey by letting me know so I can add it to the blog, brought to you by the HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me this morning, I will be back with you on Tuesday with regular updates to help keep the district moving.

Roads

The roads are looking a little busier this morning. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking a little busier this morning. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking a little busier this morning. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

Could former MoD homes in Ripon be used to help Afghans?

Ripon will do all it can to help with the resettlement of Afghan families fleeing their country in fear of the Taliban.

That’s the message from the city’s Conservative county councillors Mike Chambers and Stuart Martin, following a call for urgent action from former Mayor of Ripon, John Richmond.

Mr Richmond, who served as an independent councillor on Ripon City and North Yorkshire County Council, noticed that a clutch of former Ministry of Defence-owned houses off Whitcliffe Lane are up for sale.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“In view of the desperate plight of the Afghans that we are witnessing every day, on our televisions, I wondered if a few houses could be set aside to meet their pressing need.”

The former mayor put the question to Cllrs Chambers and Martin and also Ripon’s MP Julian Smith and he has been encouraged by their positive responses.

Photograph of John Richmond

John Richmond is seeking urgent help to find homes in Ripon for families fleeing Afghanistan.

Cllr Chambers, who is also Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet member for homes and safer communities, said:

“We are already committed to resettling Afghan families in the Harrogate district and will look closely at what can be done specifically in Ripon.”

Lease back agreement

Among former MoD properties that are being marketed by Ripon’s estate agents are homes in Marina Way and Kent Close.

Prior to going on the market, the family-sized houses are being ‘lightly refurbished’ by Group Worx.

In 1996, the MoD entered into a sale and lease back arrangement with Annington Property Limited involving 55,000 homes built originally for military personnel and their families.

This includes properties in Ripon and sale boards in Marina Way and Kent Close bear the Annington name.

Cllr Chambers said:

“The properties haven’t belonged to the MoD for 25 years, but we will have to see what we can do.

“I am very aware of the ties that this country has with Afghanistan, having been welfare officer for the Royal Engineers in Ripon following my career in the RAF.”

‘Exceptional circumstances’

Cllr Martin, who is also a district councillor and immediate past mayor of the Harrogate district, said:

“While I remain mindful that many local people are seeking assistance from the council with finding a home, these are exceptional circumstances.

“A large number of Afghans who are having to leave their country for their own safety have helped the British and US forces and are our friends.

“You should help your friends and I am all for supporting their resettlement here in Ripon and other parts of the district.”

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A response received from Julian Smith’s office said that he would look into the suggested provision of some of the MoD’s former properties.

Mr Richmond added:

“At times like these, actions will speak louder than words, I’m pleased with the willingness to look at my suggestion and believe that if Ripon and all communities across the UK can do their bit, we can ease a lot of suffering.”

Hospitality jobs crisis: ‘We need to offer more than just money’

All week, the Stray Ferret has been reporting on the reasons behind the jobs crisis facing hospitality venues in Harrogate — from low pay, to high housing costs and Brexit.

Today we spoke to two business owners about how the sector can move forward and attract staff. Both said that it’s not as easy as just offering more money.

Kim Wilson owns guesthouses The Camberley and The Lodge on Kings Road and is the chair of guesthouse association,  Accommodation Harrogate.

She said it annoys her when people suggest hospitality venues should simply increase wages to attract staff when covid has significantly increased her business costs.

“Hospitality is under pressure to be cheaper and cheaper. My laundry has just gone up by 15%. Everything is going up and customers want to pay less and less.”

Kim Wilson of the Camberley Hotel on Kings Road

Kim Wilson

With a largely female team of housekeepers, Ms Wilson said the biggest thing the government could do to help her is provide childcare to mums.

“Short of providing free chlldcare here, it’s not worth me paying them £9 an hour for them to pay £8 on childcare. That’s the problem.”

She also said changing attitudes mean some young people no longer want to work.

“Students used to want work over summer whilst they were home from university but their attitude now is sad. It’s: ‘we’re so much in debt already, we’ve given up caring, another £2,000 doesn’t really matter when I owe £40,000’.”

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Paul Kinsey owns the Viper Rooms and said the nightclub has been relatively unscathed by the crisis, compared to hotels, pubs and restaurants.

He said he pays more money per hour to staff than bars and restaurants to give them an edge.

“We’ve always paid more than pubs and bars.

“We recognised fairly early on it was going to be a competitive market. People have choices.”

Hiring staff is one thing but retaining them can be another. Mr Kinsey said it’s not enough to simply offer more money.

“We’ve done research on a number of occasions that asks staff why they come to work and money has always been second or third.

“Top of list is the way they are treated by their boss. It’s as simple as that. That distinguishes us from some of the larger operators in town where it can be anonymous.”

Paul Kinsey

Harrogate BID recently organised a meeting with Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, HBC, Harrogate College, and figures in the town’s hospitality industry to discuss how to encourage more people to look at hospitality as a real career option.

Mr Kinsey added:

“We’ve got one member of staff who trained as a paramedic but he wants to work in hospitality because he enjoys it. It’s being clear to people that there’s a career to be had. You don’t have to have a qualification, you have to work hard and be honest.

“They can also rise to a position of management a lot younger than in a retail job. If you’re good enough you’re old enough.”

‘Significant hurdles’ could delay moves to evict Ashville College travellers

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott has warned that attempts to remove travellers from Harrogate’s Ashville College face “significant hurdles”.

Travellers parked at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening and remain on site. A spokesman for the college said the travellers had indicated they were prepared to leave immediately if they received £5,000.

Now the school has said it may have to delay the start of the autumn term on September 8 if the travellers do not leave because of safeguarding concerns. The college has already had to relocate outdoor summer sports activities to indoors.

But any prospect of a swift resolution to the matter seems remote.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret police officers said they were powerless to take action when staff got in touch because it is a civil rather than criminal matter.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police about the incident but has not received a response.

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Harrogate Borough Council has said it is willing to give advice to the college but is also powerless to act because the encampment is on private land.

Mr Allott, whose job is to hold the police to account, told us police and local authorities were in a tricky spot when it came to travellers. He said:

“I know how frustrating it can be for residents who feel helpless when travellers arrive in their community, and how frustrating it can be for the police and local authorities who want to help but face significant hurdles doing so.

“The issue is that trespass is a civil offence and not a criminal offence. So if the encampment is on private land such as Ashville College, it is the landowner’s responsibility unless there are other crimes being committed.”

New law could speed up evictions

The situation may change if the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, becomes law.

The bill proposes making “residing in a vehicle on land without permission” a specific offence.

It will also give the police power to seize vehicles and speed up the eviction process for councils and private landowners.

Mr Allott, whose home town of Knaresborough has also recently been visited by travellers, added:

“Although the instigator of the initial complaint will still mostly be the local authority or landowner, it will mean that things will happen much faster and that they can also use the police for enforcement purposes instead of bailiffs.

“Frankly, these measures can’t come soon enough for many here in North Yorkshire and I continue to urge the Home Secretary to get these powers written into law as soon as possible.

“We must support residents, schools and sports clubs – who often suffer the most from the impact of these illegal camps.

“These changes would, I hope, also be welcomed by the vast majority of travellers who get an unfair and negative image despite the majority abiding by the law.”