Harrogate homeless units still not used this winter

Harrogate Borough Council’s temporary accommodation units for homeless people have still not been needed this winter, despite heavy snow and ice over the weekend.

The four yellow units were installed in Harrogate’s Tower Street car park at the start of last month.

Councils are obliged to provide accommodation for rough sleepers under the severe weather emergency protocol.

The protocol is usually activated by sub-zero temperatures but other forms of extreme weather, such as high winds, heavy rain and heatwaves can also trigger it.

A council spokesman told the Stray Ferret:

“The units have not been used because they were only ever there as a back-up, or perhaps to provide immediate shelter for someone presenting homeless at 2am, when sorting an alternative would be a challenge.

“We’ve not needed them as a back-up and no-one has required emergency help at 2am. It’s a positive that they have only ever been on standby.”

Some people have raised concerns about the suitability of the units for people but the council has defended their use and highlighted the fact they are heated and insulated.

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Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, told the Stray Ferret last month the units were “comfortable and appropriate for someone who needs some shelter for a couple of nights”, adding:

“Each of the shelters has windows, heaters and toilets. We have several hostels and we are an exemplar council for looking after homeless people.”

New government guidance this year warned of the dangers of coronavirus in night shelters. It also asked local authorities to consider “self-contained accommodation options”.

No plans to close Valley Gardens amid concern over gatherings

Harrogate Borough Council has said it has no plans to close the open spaces it manages amid concerns about the number of people using them.

City of York Council closed Rowntree Park on Saturday after police and council officers received reports of groups gathering, in contravention of social distancing rules.

Government ministers have also urged people only to visit parks to exercise.

Some claimed on social media that people in Harrogate also broke social distancing rules over the weekend when they were enjoying the snow in Valley Gardens.

However, a Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“We’ve not had reports of people mixing against the rules. As you know enforcement of the law is an issue for the police rather than us.

“There are no plans to close, or restrict access to, the open spaces we manage.”

We also asked Yorkshire Water, which manages Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs whether it had any plans to restrict access but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Update – A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water has since sent the following statement:

“Currently our car parks remain open but we are continually reviewing in line with the most recent Government advice.

“We would urge anyone thinking of visiting our reservoirs during lockdown to follow Government advice and stay local to their area.”

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the government press conference yesterday:

“People should only be meeting with one other person. We have seen some large groups mixing. We do not want to change the rules, it can be the only contact for some.

“It is OK to go for a walk with one other person if you stay two metres apart. Just don’t say you are exercising when you are socialising.”

More snow warnings for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district is bracing itself for yet more travel disruption after the Met Office today issued another weather warning for snow.

Snow has just melted around the district but could make a comeback as early as Wednesday as today’s milder weather, which reached eight degrees centigrade, makes way for much colder temperatures of around freezing.

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A Met Office yellow warning for ice is in place tonight and another yellow warning for snow has been issued from 5am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

The Met Office said:

“There is a chance of a period of heavy snow across this region; should it occur it is likely to cause significant travel disruption.

“There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel

“There is a slight chance that some rural communities, mainly those at higher elevations, could become cut off.

“There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.”

Heavy snow caused significant disruption and chaos on the roads and for schools on Friday and Saturday.

Snow started falling at about 8am on Friday and did not stop in some places until after sunset.

North Yorkshire County Council’s gritting teams will be out in the Harrogate district tonight and tomorrow.

Bettys to close shops and takeaways ‘until further notice’

Bettys is to close all six of its branches at 5pm tonight because of concerns about the rising number of covid infections.

The closure will also affect its order and collect service as well as takeaways and will be in force until further notice.

Bettys online shop will remain open.

The cafe’s tea rooms were forced to close at the beginning of the third lockdown but management today announced the new measures.

Simon Eyles, Bettys managing director, said:

“Given the severity of the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently witnessing, Bettys has decided to close its Yorkshire branches completely. This means our café tea rooms and now our shops too will be shut until further notice.

“For us all at Bettys, our colleagues, customers and communities are our main priority. We will continue to do what we feel is right to keep people safe and to shoulder our social responsibility as a business.”

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Impasse between Harrogate Spring Water and local groups continues

The relationship between Harrogate Spring Water and local groups is under increasing strain after what the latter described as an “unconstructive” meeting last week over plans to expand a bottling plant into the Pinewoods.

Trees in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood, which were planted by families in 2015, would be felled as part of plans by Harrogate Spring Water’s parent company Danone to expand its bottling plant.

A coalition of groups is opposed to the proposal because it fears Danone’s plans to compensate for the loss of trees are inadequate.

Members of the coalition met with representatives from Harrogate Spring Water on Wednesday last week, following earlier meetings in December, but they are yet to reach an agreement on where to plant trees to replace ones that would be lost.

The groups include Harrogate Civic Society, Harrogate and District Green Party, Pinewoods Conservation Group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, the Rotary Club of Harrogate and Duchy Residents’ Association.

Danone’s current proposals are to re-plant trees close to the site, but the local groups says this is not satisfactory as the area is not currently open to the public, unlike the woodland which will be lost.

According to members of the Pinewoods Conservation Group and Harrogate District Green Party, who were both at the meeting, the two opposing parties are no closer to reaching an agreement on where the trees should be planted, with relations now becoming increasingly strained.

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A spokesperson from Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“Meetings over the last few weeks with the planning consultants had been a useful forum to understand and influence plans.

“However, after the recent meeting including HSWL management, it seems there is no real intent to consult or amend these plans. Our ideas on alternative sites have not been investigated and the submitted proposal is not acceptable to any of the group who have been involved.”

Rebecca Maunder from Harrogate and District Green Party called on Harrogate Spring Water to propose a better alternative for the felled trees.

She said:

“Currently, the value Harrogate Spring Water and Danone are placing on the current woodland ecology is unacceptable.”

Harrogate Spring Water declined to comment on the situation.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee is expected to consider the proposals early this year.

‘We won’t abandon children’ on exams, says Harrogate headteacher

Harrogate Grammar School headteacher Neil Renton says the secondary school “won’t abandon children” as uncertainty on what will happen with GCSE and A-level grades continues.

Yesterday in Parliament, education secretary Gavin Williamson said that a form of teacher-assessed grades will be used in place of exams — but Mr Renton said schools are still awaiting clarity on how this will work in practice.

He said Year 11s and Year 13s in Harrogate are increasingly anxious about how they will be assessed,

“We need information very quickly as last year was a fiasco. Because this lockdown has come earlier than last year, we’ve got to do something to keep Year 11 and Year 13 children engaged in learning.

“We can’t just suddenly stop now and abandon them and just give them grades. We need to collect more information and teach them and finish GCSE and A-Level courses.

“The government needs to come out and give us real clarity on what evidence we will need to give them for their final grades.

“I really, really hope they base this on the information we’ve had from over two years of the course. Children have had so much disruption so we need more time to fully assess the level they’ve achieved.”

‘Chuffed to bits’

Mr Renton said the school is embracing online learning, with every pupil having access to the technology they need and the school maintaining the timetable, including live contact with teachers in each period. He said:

“This means that we’ve been able to protect their provision. We’ve been chuffed to bits with the feedback we’ve been receiving. Parents say it’s given the children structure and they’ve had that interaction with their teacher, which was harder to achieve in the first lockdown.

“Some people say it must be tiring for children to do six hours of Teams or Zoom lessons. We’re mindful of that so they are breaking off to do activities, speak to each other and talk to the teacher. It feels very similar to what they experience in school.”

Children at Harrrogate Grammar School playing in the snow on Friday.

After a heavily disrupted half term up to Christmas, with whole year groups having to self-isolate, a degree of certainty with lockdown has been welcomed. But staff and parents have been left to deal with last-minute announcements by the government, he said.

“The vast majority of the profession are really struggling because of the lateness of information and the number of U-turns by the government but I’ve been proud of our staff and community and how they’ve responded.”

On Friday, the school carried out its first lateral flow covid test, as they are rolled out across the country in an effort to identify asymptomatic cases and reduce transmission of the virus. Staff will begin being tested this week, after which students who are in school because their parents are key workers will be tested every week.

Testing for children began at Harrogate Grammar School today

While national reports suggest there have been many more students in school this time compared to the first lockdown, Mr Renton said the grammar school’s numbers were broadly the same, at around 50 to 60 students. However, he expects the number to rise as any students who are struggling at home are brought back in, and says staff are ready to support them.

Looking to the future, Mr Renton said the current challenges may result in better long-term teaching and learning, such as embracing more use of technology. He added:

“There has been a great kind of bonding. The behaviour in school was so good in September and children were so appreciative to back at school.

“We want there to be a long shadow from this experience and for it to have a positive impact in the future.”

Harrogate district coronavirus rate nearly 500 per 100,000 people

The level of coronavirus in the Harrogate district has continued to set new records, as the country’s chief medical officer warned of “avoidable deaths”.

A further 83 infections were confirmed in the district today by Public Health England, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 5,429.

It means the district’s seven-day rate is now 494 cases per 100,000 people.

Although high, the rate is below the England average of 610 cases per 100,000.

The growth rate hit 3.5 for the first time today, which means there have been 3.5 times more infections in the last 14 days than were recorded in the previous 14 days.

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Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any coronavirus deaths today. However, the hospital did see another two patients who tested positive die yesterday.

Professor Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer, warned this morning the “country is perhaps facing the most serious [battle] yet”.

Urging people to follow restrictions, he said:

“Hospitals are always busy in the winter but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember.

“If the virus continues on its current trajectory many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon.

“This means that the time people wait for care will continue to increase to potentially unsafe levels.

“Hospitals won’t have room to take redirected emergency cases in regional networks, staff to patient ratios which are already stretched will become unacceptable even in places likes intensive care.

“There will be avoidable deaths.”

Harrogate disability charity celebrates Yorkshire countryside

A Harrogate outdoor charity has thanked a national walking and cycling charity for its work to improve disabled access across North Yorkshire with an award.

Open Country is a Harrogate based charity that offers activities and outings to people with a disability so they can enjoy the countryside. It is vital for the charity to find routes suitable for all which it says the work of national charity, Sustrans, makes easier.

In 2020, Sustrans helped to upgrade paths on the Yorkshire Showground and improve its own National Cycle Network in Yorkshire meaning Open Country’s five tandem clubs could enjoy the routes safely.

To recognise the charity’s work, Open Country awarded it the Good Access Award during a virtual ceremony. The Harrogate charity has been running this scheme since 2015 to recognise the best countryside ‘access for all’ project in the county.

David Shaftoe, Chief Officer of Open Country, said:

“Sustrans’ efforts stood out for going the extra mile to ensure its network of paths can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what their ability.

“Our five Tandem Clubs enjoy many of Sustrans’ National Cycle Network routes around Yorkshire. Riding on some of the excellent cycle routes managed and maintained by Sustrans makes it a more pleasurable and safe experience.”

Open Country said it hoped by recognising the works of Sustrans it will encourage other outdoor organisations to find ways to improve access for all visitors.

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One of Sustran’s main aims is to remove 16,000 barriers from its cycling routes across England. It says it is passionate about removing barriers and stiles to ensure everyone, including young families and people who are older or disabled, can get to their local green spaces.

Rosslyn Colderley, Director for England North Sustrans, said:

“It was a real pleasure to receive this award from some of the people who use and enjoy our cycle network.

We are very proud of what has been achieved already and are determined to continue our work because we can see the difference it is making to the lives of people with a disability.

Two coronavirus deaths as infections stay high in Harrogate district

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded a further two coronavirus deaths as cases stay high in the district.

The two deaths happened yesterday and take the hospital up to 113 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate district recorded a further 110 daily coronavirus cases today.

The number takes the total number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic to 5,346, according to Public Health England figures.

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Cases have been consistently high across the country since the Christmas break. The Harrogate district has seen rapid growth and the seven-day rate is now 474 people per 100,000.

It does, however, remain below the England average of 603 cases per 100,000.

Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 24 patients who tested positive for coronavirus.

The number is an increase on the 16 which the trust reported last week.

Lottery funding helps Harrogate’s older adults stay active at home

A Harrogate organisation that encourages older adults to become more active has received £100,000 in funding to go towards its at home exercise classes.

North Yorkshire Sport is based in Harrogate but offers support to those over 65 across the county. Its main aim is to encourage local people to become active and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

The funding comes from The National Lottery Community Fund and will be used to offer local adults tailored exercise sessions at their homes.

The organisation discovered that many older adults don’t have access to online resources so were missing out on exercise classes due to the pandemic.

Its new home exercise programme will allow participants to receive two face to face visits each week, for four weeks, from a qualified therapeutic exercise instructor.

This new funding means the sessions, sgarting this month, can be offered to 230 people locally.

David Watson, Chief Executive at North Yorkshire Sport says:

“We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.

“This is important because it helps these adults to have a connection, in person, with other people whilst simultaneously supporting them to become more physically active and supporting their mental wellbeing.”

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