Harrogate Borough Council is set to award two decarbonisation contracts worth £2.4 million to companies outside the district and without open tender.

The projects aim to cut carbon emissions at the Harrogate Hydro leisure centre and Harrogate Convention Centre.

Funding for the schemes was secured from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Reports to senior councillors recommend awarding the contracts to Alliance Leisure, based in Somerset, and Engie Regeneration Ltd, which has registered offices in Newcastle.

Read more:

• Harrogate council awarded £2.4m to cut carbon emissions
• Dutch firm awarded £1.1m design contract for Harrogate Convention Centre

Projects to cut carbon emissions

Harrogate Hydro, which opened in 1999, will replace its gas boilers with air source heat pumps, install solar panels on the roof and put in place new energy monitoring and control system.

The £1.8 million contract for the works is recommended by council officers to be handed to Alliance Leisure, which was also hired as development managers for the council’s wider £26 million leisure investment.

A council report said the appointment was made in line with the UK Leisure Framework, which is a framework developed in accordance with EU procurement regulations that enables public sector organisations to directly appoint Alliance Leisure for leisure centre projects.

The report says the direct appointment of the company is “fully compliant” with procurement rules and provides “a faster and more efficient procurement route”.

Meanwhile, the HCC received £583,914 to convert its lighting to LEDs, install solar panels and heat pumps and introduce variable speed drives to control the fans and pipework insulation.

Engie Regeneration Ltd, which is part of Engie Group and specialises in refurbishment of public buildings, is set to be awarded the contract for the works.

A £500,000 project is planned to decarbonise Harrogate Convention Centre.

Council officers said in a report that Engie had already gone through a competitive tender process within the procurement framework it has used.

It added that the direct award would mean the council could deliver the scheme “within the tight timescales set out in the grant conditions”.

Both schemes form part of the borough council’s goal to reach a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.

The authority hopes the improvements will cut emissions by 577 tonnes a year at the Hydro and 70 tonnes at the convention centre.

No open tender process

The contracts are to be the latest to be awarded without an open competitive tender process.

The council has been criticised previously for not working with local firms, including when it appointed Ipswich firm Jacob Bailey last year to redevelop its tourism website Visit Harrogate without a competitive tender process.

Other contracts awarded without tender include:

• A £1.1m contract to Dutch firm Arcadis to design the first phase of the £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre
• A £40,926.29 to Glendale Services, based in Lancashire, to restore the West Park Stray following the UCI World Cycling Championships.
• Alliance Leisure being appointed development manager for £26 million investment in leisure services, including a new facility in Knaresborough.

In cabinet papers due before councillors next week, council officers said a full tendering process could take up to six months.

It added that the grant conditions for the decarbonisation projects state that the programmes must be completed by September 2021.

The report said:

“To run a full open tendering procurement process would not allow us to meet the tight grant condition timescales, and the council could potentially lose the funding and or be obliged to repay the grant funding in part or in full.”

Senior councillors on the council’s cabinet will make a decision on the contracts on March 31.

A woman in Starbeck says she is “absolutely devastated” after a serious fire at her home tonight.

The owner of the house, who did not wish to be named, told the Stray Ferret the fire started in her son’s bedroom while she was downstairs celebrating her birthday.

She said she didn’t know how it started but she was “absolutely devastated”.

The house had only recently been redecorated.

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• Homes evacuated in Starbeck due to fire
• ‘Clean your chimneys’, urges fire service after two fires near Ripon yesterday

Neville Scott, red watch manager at Harrogate fire station, said:

“It had the potential to be a very serious incident and spread to other properties because it was a terraced house.

“But the firefighters were able to prevent that.”

Homes have been evacuated in Starbeck as firefighters battle a blaze that broke out this evening.

Two people are being treated for smoke inhalation but there are no reports of any further injuries at this time.

The fire, in Avenue Grove, was reported to North Yorkshire Police at about 8.20pm tonight.

The area has been cordoned off.

A police statement said:

“Members of the public are advised to avoid the area while emergency services deal with the incident.”

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Residents on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate will meet police, councillors and politicians next week to discuss concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a closure order for a house on the street this week after a man died.

The two organisations said they had carried a joint investigation following concerns about activity at a multi-occupancy address.

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• Cannabis farm ‘under the noses’ of Ripon residents

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, who is expected to attend Tuesday’s meeting, said:

“These are incredibly difficult and deep-seated issues.

“Many of those involved have long-standing homelessness, mental health and addiction problems and both the government and the council have dedicated a lot of cash and resource to these issues.”

Harrogate neighbourhood policing inspector Nicola Colbourne said:

“We’re continuing to work closely with residents, Harrogate Borough Council’s community safety partnership, elected representatives and others to ensure any concerns of Harrogate residents are listened to and the community remains a very safe place to live and work.”

A council spokesman said it was a private meeting.

Over the past month, Harrogate businesses and residents group have responded to a consultation on the town’s £7.9 million Station Gateway proposals.

The plan, outlined by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, seeks to encourage sustainable transport in the town centre.

Two of the most contentious proposals are to reduce Station Parade to one lane with cycle routes and a full pedestrianisation of James Street.

The responses over the past week suggest that not everyone is on the same page about what to do with the schemes.

As the consultation closes, the Stray Ferret has looked over the views of organisations, including business groups and climate change bodies, to see if there is any consensus.

Station Parade: one lane or two?

Organisations which represent businesses across Harrogate all agreed that Station Parade needs to be two lanes.

Both Independent Harrogate and Harrogate Business Improvement District have opposed the one lane option.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate Civic Society have also opposed the proposal.

Read more:

• James Street pedestrianisation back on the cards in major town centre scheme
• Harrogate cycle groups back one-lane Station Parade plan
• Harrogate BID “urges caution” over Station Gateway project

However, the groups which campaign for climate change and better cycling in the district have backed the one lane option.

Zero Carbon Harrogate has backed the option as a means of reducing traffic in the town centre.

Meanwhile, Harrogate and District Cycle Action (HDCA) have also supported the measure as it would improve cycling infrastructure.

How Station Parade might look under the new “Station Gateway” proposals.

Should James Street be pedestrianised?

The proposal to pedestrianise James Street has been a long and controversial topic in the town.

North Yorkshire County Council had planned to temporarily pedestrianise the street up to Princes Square last year.

However, it backtracked on the proposal after backlash from local businesses. Council officials then promised to delay the issue until 2021.

Now, the topic is back on the table as part of the gateway project.

Two of the groups, Independent Harrogate and Harrogate BID, have renewed their opposition to full pedestrianisation of the street.

Read more:

• Harrogate Civic Society calls for Station Gateway to remain two lanes
• Independent Harrogate fears Station Gateway could damage economy

However, they have said that widening of the pavements and narrowing of the junction at Station Parade to improve pedestrian access would be supported.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has said it would support a “semi-pedestrianisation” of the street.

Meanwhile, both Zero Carbon Harrogate and HDCA back full pedestrianisation.

What happens now?

The consultation into the Station Gateway project has closed.

The project will now consider the responses and move onto the detailed design stage.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that the authority had received thousands of submissions to its consultation.

He said:

“We had over 1,000 responses for the Harrogate consultation, far more than the two to three hundred for the schemes in Skipton and Selby. 

“The major question mark is around one lane or two lane and the pedestrianisation of James Street. We want to get cracking on it and we don’t want to hang about.”

Cllr Mackenzie added the consultation results would be published “in the next couple of days”.

According to the Transforming Cities website, any major changes proposed would require another stage of public consultation.

Construction for the schemes is earmarked for 2022.

Friends and celebrities have rallied round to raise £40,000 in a matter of days to help a young Harrogate man fund life-saving medical treatment.

In April last year, James Hindmarsh was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. Friends and family assured him they’d stand by him all the way.

Since then James, 24, has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

However, this NHS treatment has not worked, which has spurred friends of James, who attended Ashville College, to start fundraising to pay for private treatment abroad.

Six of his best friends have pledged to complete a number of challenges, including running three marathons in three days, the Yorkshire three peaks and a ski tour. To donate click here.

James with best friend Henry Bartle (left) and his mum and brother (right).

James’ work colleagues at financial services company the DSG Group have set up a Justgiving page, bringing the overall total raised so far to more than £40,000.

James’ cancer is particularly rare in young adults and finding a clinic that can help is proving difficult. However James and those around him are determined to keep going.

James is not currently receiving any treatment and is suffering physically but continues to stay mentally strong.

One of James’ best friends, Henry Bartle, who has known him since the pair went to primary school in Cundall, said:

“James is very, very funny. He’s just an all-round amazing guy. He’s been putting on a very brave face for the past year and just takes each day as it comes.

“He’s currently fighting each day and we want to give him the best chance of living.”

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• Harrogate driving instructors walk 1.3 million steps to raise money for local charity.
• Charity Corner: Making ‘Time Together’ the priority. 

The fundraising pages were only set up days ago and has generated a rapid response. A number of celebrities, including former football manager Harry Redknapp and journalist Piers Morgan have shared the fundraising page on social media or reached out to help.

Henry added:

“It’s just gone crazy, we never expected this.”

The North Yorkshire coroner’s office is appealing for help to locate the next of kin of 53-year-old Craig Fryer from Harrogate.

Mr Fryer died at his home in Woodfield Road, Bilton on March 15 and officers have been unable to trace his next of kin.

It is believed he has two daughters, one in Australia and one in the south of England. However, it is unknown exactly where.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today:

“If you are Craig’s daughter or have information that could help find them, please contact our coroner’s office via email to coroner@northyorkshire.police.uk.”

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Fryer’s death.

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• Police close house in Harrogate after man dies

The owners of three Harrogate bars have teamed up to call on Harrogate Borough Council to approve their request to put tables and chairs on the Stray.

Outdoor dining will restart under the government’s roadmap on April 12 but three Harrogate bars are still unsure if they can use much of their space outside.

Harrogate Borough Council approved the use of tables and chairs on Stray land last summer but is yet to decide whether to give the bars the green light this time around.

Simon Colgan, who runs the Blues Bar and The Empress with his wife Sharon Colgan, told the Stray Ferret:

“It makes a massive difference for our capacity, when we have the tables on the Stray it more than doubles for both of our bars

“We will still open if we can just have the six tables on the pavement. We will fight it because we have got customers who are desperate to come back.

“Without a doubt I would say this is critical for our business. It really is important, especially after another of three months of lockdown.”

David Dresser, who owns Fashion House Bistro, also told the Stray Ferret:

“It would be disappointing for us if we were not able to have outdoor dining back on the Stray land.

“That is on the basis that if we have some bad weather days then those days are right offs. This would help us on good days to make sure that business is stable.

“So it would affect our turnover but if we got those tables and chairs on the grass it would give us a boost.”

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Both Simon Colgan and David Dresser approached Harrogate Borough Council with their request when Boris Johnson set out his roadmap last month.

However, a spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:

“We are currently awaiting feedback from the Duchy on the proposed approach, prior to a consultation starting.”

The Duchy of Lancaster owns the Stray and Harrogate Borough Council are its custodians.

We asked the council about its timeline for a consultation but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Bettys has confirmed that it will not reopen its Stonegate cafe in the centre of York.

Speculation started to grow when it was not included in Bettys reopening map before multiple sources told the Stray Ferret that it was closing with job losses.

The famous Harrogate based company has said that it will reopen the shop but not the cafe at “Little Bettys.”

As a result of the closure there are 34 jobs at risk. Bettys is hoping to redeploy staff where possible.

Simon Eyles, managing director of Bettys, said the closure came with a heavy heart:

“We’ve been welcoming customers to a café on Stonegate for over 50 years. We’re incredibly grateful for the loyalty and kindness of York’s residents and visitors over that time, and for the talent, commitment and dedication of our colleagues at the branch.

“We haven’t taken this decision lightly, but we know it’s the right choice for the long term. Bettys is a 100-year-old family business and our history has shown us that we need to adapt and change.

“You may well know that our Stonegate café is the smallest of our cafés, housed in a unique, historic building, full of charm and quirks.

“This character and layout, much loved by customers, has become an increasingly challenging environment to work in.

“The back-of-house kitchen area is very small and the behind-the-scenes space for our people is very different to the working conditions we offer elsewhere.”

Read more:

• Bettys to start reopening from end of the month
• Bettys to close shops and takeaways ‘until further notice’

The Bettys Stonegate is the least commercially viable of the six existing branches, Mr Eyles added.

Many businesses have struggled financially during the pandemic.

Famous names like Debenhams and John Lewis have either had to close completely or reduce store numbers.

As part of its reopening plans the tea house in RHS Harlow Carr will open first for takeaway food and drinks from March 29.

Bettys shops will then open to visitors on April 12, which is the earliest that non-essential shops can re-open under the government’s road map.

All Bettys cafes will then re-open on May 17, except for the Stonegate branch.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones today urged the Prime Minister to support Harrogate Town’s bid to rearrange the date of its trip to Wembley so fans can attend.

The Football Association has said last season’s postponed FA Trophy final between Harrogate and Concord Rangers will take place behind closed doors at Wembley on May 3, just two weeks before fans can return to stadiums.

It means Town fans will be cruelly denied a trip to the home of English football for the second time in 12 months.

Speaking today at Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative MP Mr Jones described a Wembley cup final as the “holy grail” for supporters of smaller clubs. He said all four MPs of affected clubs backed the campaign to move the date and asked:

“Will the Prime Minister join us in encouraging those scheduling the matches to do all they can to move the date so that fans can attend?”

Boris Johnson replied:

“I hope very much that the Football Association will listen to carefully to what my honourable friend has to say and that they do what they can.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Town Wembley petition nears 900

• Star striker Muldoon hoping to end career at Harrogate Town

The FA previously said the game would be rearranged when fans can return. Town fan Rob Nixon told the Stray Ferret supporters should be rewarded for their patience.

“After missing out on Wembley last year, we had a lot of good faith in the FA after they suggested a final we could attend this season. I think it’s only fair they honour this and reward the fans for our patience.”

A petition set up by a Harrogate Town fan to move the fixture now has over 1,100 signatures.