Five of the 10 care homes with most covid deaths in Harrogate district

A breakdown of covid deaths for each care home in North Yorkshire has revealed five of the 10 worst affected are in the Harrogate district.

The new figures released by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates care homes, revealed 18 care homes in the county reported a total of 515 resident deaths during the course of the pandemic.

Health officials said the results “bring into stark relief the ravages” of the virus.

Five of the 10 care homes worst affected during the pandemic were in the Harrogate district. These included three in Harrogate, one in Knaresborough and another in Scotton.

Top 10 worst affected care homes in North Yorkshire:

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Every death from covid during the course of this terrible pandemic has been one death too many.”

“The death toll in care homes over the last 20 months, published by the Care Quality Commission, brings into stark relief the ravages of covid and the price we have paid as a society and that we continue to pay.

“All the families and friends who have lost loved ones to the virus are very much in our hearts and in our thoughts.”

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Care home managers must inform the CQC when one of their residents dies. From April last year they also had to say whether covid was believed to be a factor in the person’s death.

The newly published data is based on these notifications.

No link between care standards and deaths

The CQC said in its report that it has not found a link between standards of care and the number of deaths – something local health officials have also stressed.

The social care watchdog said contributing factors included the levels of covid in the local community and the age and health of the residents.

The struggle for PPE and hospital patients being discharged into homes without getting tested were also thought to contributors to the virus spreading quickly.

And although it is now widely available, testing was said to be a “critical” issue at the start of the outbreak with some test kits taking up to 20 days to be delivered to North Yorkshire care homes.

Mr Webb praised social care staff for their “heroic efforts” during the pandemic:

“Staff have worked heroically to contain the virus as best they could. We are grateful to staff in care homes as well as our own authorities who showed courage and bravery in doing all they could to protect our residents, working tirelessly during such a difficult period.

“We will never know, if we had not taken swift action supported by colleagues in the care sector in those early days, how many more would have died.”

Harrogate man pleads not guilty to Mayfield Grove alleged murder

A Harrogate man has denied murder following the discovery of a man’s body at a flat near the town centre.

Daniel Ainsley, 24, was arrested in the street on the same evening that police found 48-year-old Mark Wolsey with fatal injuries at the flat in Mayfield Grove. 

Mr Wolsey was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived at the property at about 10pm on March 5.

Ainsley, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of murder and today (Thursday, August 5) he appeared at Leeds Crown Court when he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC remanded Ainsley in custody until the trial on October 18. 

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Deadlock on Harrogate Christmas Market talks

Harrogate Borough Council and organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market seem to have reached stalemate in talks to save the event.

Since news that the market would not be able to go ahead on Montpellier Hill, both the council and event organisers have called for each other to engage in talks.

A week has now gone and both seem to blame each other for the situation. The council has now said it is working with other event organisers after it received “a number of expressions of interest”.

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In another statement prompted by a wave of questions, a council spokesperson said:

“Significant concerns remain for the emergency services and, as the organiser isn’t willing to address these, we simply cannot grant a licence for this location.

“We’ve made this decision now, following numerous conversations over the years, to allow enough time for alternative options to be explored.

“Other locations have been suggested but these have been refused. If the organisers wish to continue these discussions then we advise they get in touch soon.

“We’ve had a number of expressions of interest and we’re working with event organisers to ensure alternative Christmas festivities take place.”

Brian Dunsby, who is the event organiser, told the Stray Ferret after reading the latest statement:

“We have not been given the chance to see or hear the emergency services response this year. The police were satisfied with what we proposed last year.

“We have asked for an appeal to review the outstanding issues. Also we have asked for a meeting to review the alternative locations.

“The statement makes it feels as if the council is trying to get rid of the team that has organised a successful market for the past eight years.

“We welcome other festivities but they should be complimentary to the Harrogate Christmas Market.”

Harrogate children’s street sale raises £650 for Saint Michael’s hospice

Six schoolchildren have raised £647 for Saint Michael’s by baking cakes for a street sale in Harrogate.

Louisa (age 9), Chloe (10), Yasmin, Sophia, Annalise (all 11), and Ben (12) sold the cakes along with bric-a-brac to help the local hospice. They even made dog biscuits so four-legged visitors didn’t miss out.

The bake sale has become an annual fixture on Harrogate’s Valley Mount, after sisters Yasmin and Louisa started it in 2015 when they were aged just 5 and 3, along with friends Ben and Chloe.

In 2019 the group was invited to visit Saint Michael’s headquarters at Hornbeam Park to see where their funds had gone — which gave them an extra incentive to continue fundraising.

Yasmin said:

“Saint Michael’s is a really good charity because it helps people who are ill and their families too. We have a charity shop at the end of our street and we wanted to help.

“The first time we only raised £8, and every year we’ve wanted to keep beating how much we raised the last time. Last year we couldn’t do it because of covid, so we wanted to raise even more this time to make up for it.

“Our aim this time was to get £80 – so we’re actually quite surprised, we didn’t think we’d get this much!”

Chloe, Ben, Louisa and Yasmin visited Saint Michael’s to deliver the money.

The youngsters drummed up support for their event by sticking posters on lamp posts and knocking on doors to invite people to sample their baking and make donations.

Saint Michael’s Hospice helps people in the Harrogate district living with a terminal illness or bereavement.

Tony Collins, chief executive of Saint Michael’s, said:

“Each year, we spend more than £6 million pounds providing our vital services, and the majority of our work is funded thanks to the generosity and support of our local community.

“We were delighted to hear of the recent fundraising stall by Louisa, Chloe, Yasmin, Sofia, Annalise, and Ben, which has raised more than £600. The generosity and thoughtfulness of these children is heart-warming and we are very grateful to them for their continued support. This is a wonderful example of community support in action.

“Fundraising such as this helps us to continue to make a huge impact locally, ensuring families living with terminal illness and bereavement get the care and support they need at the most difficult of times in their lives.”

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Council to award business case contract for £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre

A potential £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre looks set to move another step closer with the awarding of a contract to assess the economic impacts of covid.

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, will hold a meeting next Tuesday to approve the contract ,which will also involve work on a full business case and planning updates for the proposed project.

It follows a competitive tender process during which the council only received a single bid for the business planning works.

If approved, a decision would be made by the council on the business case in March 2022. The authority said this would fit with the timescales of the reorganisation of local councils in North Yorkshire.

The borough council will no longer exist by May 2023 as part of government plans to scrap the county council and seven districts and replace them with one super authority. It means it will no longer have control over the HCC.

The value of the contract and the bidder is not yet known – and will only be made public if it is agreed by both parties.

In a report to Tuesday’s meeting, Rebecca Micallef, economy and transport officer at the council, said the bidder’s proposals were “excellent overall” and that the business planning works would help form a final decision over whether the redevelopment should go ahead.

She said:

“The work will look in detail at the wider economic impact of the  redevelopment proposals on Harrogate, the district and beyond and help us to better understand the implications of covid on the industry and therefore the case for investment.

“Harrogate Convention Centre is a vital economic driver for the Harrogate district and wider region, providing a unique offer for the conference and exhibition market.

“The redevelopment of the venue offers the potential to deliver an exciting and major transformational project and is critical to the covid economic recovery plan for Harrogate district.”

After warning the 40-year-old convention centre may not survive without investment, the council awarded design firm Arcadis a £1 million contract earlier this year to produce design proposals.

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Can the events industry bounce back?

The venue was struggling financially before the pandemic hit and it was then used as an NHS Nightingale hospital for almost a year.

The 500-bed hospital did not treat a single coronavirus patient and after being dismantled in spring, several conference events have now made a return.

It was estimated before the pandemic that the convention centre attracted more than 150,000 visitors a year with an economic impact of £35 million. However, there are now questions over if the events industry can bounce back to pre-covid levels and what risks this could mean for the £47 million redevelopment.

There is also the question of how the project would be funded, with council leader Richard Cooper previously saying he hoped the government would provide cash to repay the “goodwill” of the convention centre’s use as the Nightingale hospital.

Economy and transport officer Rebecca Micallef also said in her report to Tuesday’s meeting that the development of the business case would play a “crucial part” in supporting bids for external funding.

Plans to rebuild the venue could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Around £20 million would be needed to complete a first phase of redevelopment, with another phase later.

If this is not done, a report previously estimated the venue’s maintenance costs over 20 years could reach £19 million.

£300-a-night Harrogate district hotel shamed for paying below minimum wage

The government has named and shamed two organisations in the Harrogate district today for paying below the national minimum wage.

Swinton Park, near Masham, and Harrogate commercial cleaning company SBFM Limited were among the 191 national employers named by the government for underpaying workers.

Swinton Park, which charges around £300 a night, failed to pay £1,751 to 15 staff, according to investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs between 2011 and 2018.

The issue at Swinton Park, which is set in 20,000 acres, came to light following a HMRC visit in March 2017.

The hotel said in a statement today the HMRC meeting had highlighted how some staff accommodation deposits had been taken incorrectly.

The statement added:

“As soon as we were alive to the fact, all accommodation deposits were refunded to all staff and any errors were repaid in full, again in March 2017. The company did not receive a fine or any penalty.

“Swinton Park pays above national minimum wage to all staff and we are continually striving to be a hospitality business of choice for employees through our salary and benefits packages.”

Swinton, which has been owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s, is one of the top hotels in the Harrogate district.

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SBFM Limited, which is based at Cardale Park in Harrogate, was also named for breaching the national minimum wage.

According to the government, the cleaning company failed to pay £583.02 to one worker.

The Stray Ferret contacted SBFM for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Other notable businesses named on the list include John Lewis plc, Martin McColl Retail Ltd, One Stop Stores Ltd and The Body Shop International Ltd.

Business minister Paul Scully said:

“Our minimum wage laws are there to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay – it is unacceptable for any company to come up short.

“All employers, including those on this list, need to pay workers properly.

“This government will continue to protect workers’ rights vigilantly, and employers that short-change workers won’t get off lightly.”

Could the Ginnel closure be permanent? Decision looms at end of month

A decision will be made at the end of the month on whether to keep the Ginnel in Harrogate closed to traffic.

Traffic was barred from the narrow road last year from 5pm until 9am each day as part of social distancing measures and to support the nighttime economy.

More than a fortnight after lockdown restrictions ended, the route remains closed to vehicles for 16 hours a day.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, when it would reopen or whether the closure would be made permanent.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, said:

“The closure of the Ginnel supports a number of local businesses with outdoor seating.

“While we recognise that customers can use indoor space, we feel that the continued support for outdoor space should remain in place over the summer months to help businesses and to enable customers to meet in the open air.

“This closure will be reviewed at the end of August.”

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Persimmon Homes ‘assessing options’ after 217 homes in Harrogate refused

Persimmon Homes has said it is considering its options after being refused a controversial 217-home development in Harrogate.

The developer had lodged plans for the new homes on land off Kingsley Drive.

However, councillors rejected the plan on Tuesday after Harrogate Borough Council officials said the development was “not considered acceptable”.

The land is earmarked for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines planned development in the district until 2035.

The Stray Ferret asked the developer what it intended to do with the proposal following the rejection.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes Yorkshire said the business was currently assessing all options but that it was too early to confirm anything yet.

Residents on Kingsley Drive said that they will keep an eye on the proposal after another developer, Richborough Estates, successfully appealed a decision to refuse 149-homes on nearby Kingsley Road in March.

Requests for delay

At the meeting on Tuesday, Paul Butler, agent for the developer, requested that councillors defer the application so that the council and Persimmon could work on the design and layout of the scheme.

Mr Butler said: 

“I want to make it absolutely clear that we very much want to work with the council and local residents.

“The site is allocated for housing and those further proposals and applications will always be forthcoming. The key from here is ensuring those details are right.

“When it comes to these details – specifically design, layout, highways and drainage matters – we have got the message loud and clear; we need to make improvements.”

However, council officers said the scheme had gone through “a number of versions” and it was still not acceptable.

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Concern was also raised that the development would result in more homes on the site than allocated in the Local Plan, if it had been approved.

Nigel Middlemass, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Kingsley, told the committee that the development had not been thought through.

Councillors voted to unanimously refuse the application.

Residents on Kingsley Drive who objected to a 217 home plan next to their homes.

Residents on Kingsley Drive who objected to a 217 home plan in the area.

Residents remain vigilant

The Kingsley ward area will eventually see more than 600 homes built, including developments at Granby Farm and 149 homes on Kingsley Road.

The number of developments has raised concern among residents that the area is overdeveloped and that the road infrastructure cannot cope with construction traffic.

However, following the refusal of Persimmon’s plan, locals said it was a “good result” for the Kingsley ward.

But, John Hansard, who lives in the area, told the Stray Ferret that residents would “remain vigilant” in case the proposal returns.

He said:

“It was a good result and I am pleased about that. It does give us a bit of breathing space.

“My only concern is that they [the developer] will appeal. I think that we need to look into that.

“I think we need to remain vigilant.”

Harrogate organic food shop to close after less than a year

An organic food shop on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate is to close next week, less than a year after opening its doors for the first time.

Nicola Mawdsley opened Joy In Store as an environmentally-friendly one-stop shop that would change stock with the seasons.

Ms Mawdsley hoped the venture would compete with smaller supermarkets but it has been unable to attract enough customers to make it work so it will close for good on Saturday, August 14.

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Like other businesses, Joy In Store has endured a series of lockdowns since it opened in November.

Although the shop is closing, Ms Mawdsley told the Stray Ferret it might return in a different form:

“There are potentially opportunities down the line. I will keep the online shop that is now ready and I could also do some pop-up shops.

“People loved the idea of organic, sustainable and plastic free shopping. It just seems to take a long time for people to change their habits.

“It is a real shame. Had I known that there would have been more lockdowns down the line I would not have gone ahead with it at that time.”

A sale in the 10 days before closure will see Joy In Store sell off its remaining stock for 25% discounts.

The shop will include not only the food but also the shop fixtures and fittings, including crates, trollies and more.

Ripon man jailed for grooming and sexual abuse of 15-year-old girl

A 68-year-old man has been jailed for over six years for historic child abuse in Harrogate.

Malcolm Peter Barwick, who now lives in Ripon, was sentenced to six and a half years in jail today after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a child.

The abuse occurred at Woodfield Drive in Harrogate where the victim was sexually abused by Barwick between April 2014 and April 2015.

The victim, now in her early 20’s, reported the abuse to North Yorkshire Police in June last year. An investigation was then launched by Harrogate CID.

Barwick appeared at York Crown Court today. As well as the jail sentence he is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Detective Constable Matthew Reeve said:

“The effect this case has had on the victim has caused a lifetime of trauma and has deeply affected her.

“She showed true bravery in reporting the matter to the police and seeing the case through. I really hope this outcome will give her the strength to move on from this horrendous experience.”

“Barwick is a predator who targets vulnerable youths and grooms them for his own sexual gratification. Dangerous and manipulative offenders like him deserve to be behind bars.”

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To seek advice and further support, or report child abuse, you can contact one of these organisations: