Ex-teachers from Knaresborough support calls for children to start school aged 7

Two former teachers who live in Knaresborough are supporting calls for children to start formal education aged seven.

Husband and wife Shan Oakes and Bill Rigby said starting at seven, as opposed to four or five, would improve wellbeing and attainment in later years.

The couple, who taught at secondary schools in East Yorkshire, said they had seen children burnt out from learning by the time they were teenagers and believe the UK should adopt an approach inspired by countries like Norway and Finland.

In these Scandinavian countries, children learn through play at kindergartens or nurseries until they are seven.

The proposal is part of the Scottish Green Party manifesto for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election. Education philosophies such as Montessori and Steiner also advocate starting school at a later age.

The couple are both members of the Harrogate & District Green Party and Shan said she knew parents of young children in the Harrogate district who had decided to adopt home schooling to prevent stress.

She said:

“Starting school later puts an emphasis on the child instead of being forced into the template of state schools.”

Bill added:

“We start far too young here. Lots of countries who start later perform much better than ours.”

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In the Harrogate district last week, parents of three and four-year-olds were informed which primary school their children will be starting in September.

But Shan and Bill believe children should spend longer outside of formal classrooms and learn more about nature.

Shan was full of praise for Harrogate schools but said the system often let children down by focusing too much on learning facts and excessive testing.

She added:

“Harrogate schools do wonderful things often in spite of the system.

“But all the testing of children is ludicrous. You can put children off learning.

“Our system is focused on what we think children need to learn rather than drawing out a child’s unique perspective.”

Harrogate smart parking scheme could cost £144,000 over four years

Senior councillors look set to extend a smart parking scheme in Harrogate, which could cost up to £144,000.

The scheme, which is run by London-based AppyWay, was launched in 2019 on an 18-month trial basis.

It uses sensors to give app users a real-time map of available spaces.

The app, which allows motorists to pay for the exact minutes they are parked, now looks set to be extended. Council figures showed there is support for it to be made a permanent solution, with 93% of users saying they found it easier than pay and display.

Now senior councillors from both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council look set to extend the scheme for an initial two years at a cost of £18,000 a year to each authority.

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A report due before the borough council’s cabinet said the agreement with AppyWay would also have two optional 12-month extensions at the same price, meaning the contract could cost up to £144,000 in total for both councils.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said:

“We committed to the smart parking trial, in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council, as part of our continuing efforts to use innovative ways to improve traffic flow in Harrogate for the benefit of residents and visitors.

“Analysis of the trial shows a high level of satisfaction, with the smart parking option proving less stressful and encouraging people to stay longer.

“Providing visitors and shoppers with this more convenient and enjoyable experience will be a huge benefit to the town’s retailers and other businesses as they recover from the impact of the covid pandemic.”

The county council’s business and environmental services executive members will consider the extension on Friday and the borough council’s cabinet will consider it next week.

If approved by both authorities, the company will be appointed and start from the end of July.

Cllr Phil Ireland, the borough council’s cabinet member for sustainable travel, said: 

“When we first implemented this comprehensive smart parking solution, we were the first local authorities in the county to do so. It is clear we have led from example as this award winning app is now being adopted by other authorities across the country.

“The data from the trial period has shown it not only can make parking easier and more convenient for people, it can also save people money and encourage them to visit the town centre and stay longer.

“What we weren’t aware of at the time, was that the contactless payment element would also prove beneficial during the covid pandemic.

“The app will play a role in the recovery of the high street and I will be recommending the approval for a further two years.”

‘We’re not giving up on our Harrogate B&B dream’

It’s been a difficult year for the many bed and breakfasts that depend on Harrogate’s Convention Centre, which has been an NHS Nightingale for the last year.

But the owners of Scotia House on King’s Road are now excited about better times ahead.

In the months before covid, South African couple Mark and Gill Church travelled the length and breadth of the UK looking for their perfect location before buying Scotia House, opposite the convention centre.

The couple left careers in marketing and event management to take over the business in December 2019 — but little did they know what would be around the corner.

Instead of a busy conference and tourist season, the convention centre was swiftly turned into a Nightingale hospital in March last year, with the two large oxygen tanks by the Royal Hall a grim reminder of what might have been.

Mr Church said it was a “blessing in disguise” that the Nightingale was never used to treat covid patients.

Not going to run away

Some longstanding hotels nearby shut their doors for good during the pandemic, including The Kimberley Hotel and Alexa House.

But Mr Church said they never thought about selling up and were determined to get to the other side. The hotel will reopen on May 17.

He said:

“These times were sent to test us but we were not going to run away.

“We’re incredibly blessed to still be here.”

He called the last 12 months “horrendous” but said they had used the time to find different ways to help the business, including going on courses to better equip them for life as hoteliers.

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Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the convention centre, is working on a £50m plan to upgrade the ageing facility.

The council hopes the investment will help Harrogate better compete with other conference venues across the country.

Mr Church is looking forward to conferences and events finally returning to the town.

“More money spent on the convention centre is a fantastic thing. We’re also hoping to get tourists in too who will use Harrogate as a base.

“Friends always wonder why would you leave sunny South Africa, but it’s fantastic here in Harrogate. We absolutely love it.”

Plans approved to build 95 homes at Harrogate’s Granby Farm

Harrogate councillors have approved controversial plans to build 95 homes on a grass field described by residents as a “vital green corridor” connecting the town to the countryside.

Redrow Homes were awarded planning permission to build the homes at Granby Farm at a meeting today despite complaints from residents that it would result in the loss of the last remaining link between the Stray and the town’s surrounding scenery.

Those who have contested the plans over the past year also pointed towards an assessment report published in 2016, which said around half of the site should be maintained as a green corridor under any housebuilding plans.

This, however, was only a recommendation and not made an official policy when the Local Plan was adopted last year.

Speaking at today’s Harrogate Borough Council planning committee, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh voiced her objections to the plans and questioned why the assessment of Granby Farm was ever carried out.

She said:

“I won’t be supporting this – I don’t think it is achieving what the council set out when it went to the effort of pulling together a site assessment for inclusion in the Local Plan where it clearly puts into perspective what this site was meant to achieve.

“If we didn’t want to take note of it, why have it assessed?”

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Today’s approval of the plans also follows warnings from worried locals that a planned access road connecting the nearby Devonshire Gardens development would “decimate” a parkland created for residents less than two years ago.

Richard Clark, an agent for Devonshire Gardens Residents’ Association, said the new street set to be built over Pickering Gardens would “split” the popular outdoor space in two.

He said:

“While this proposal includes replacement open space, splitting the existing space in two to allow access undoubtedly reduces its usefulness. Simply providing more does not address this.

“The access route proposed would of course be cheaper for the developers than securing access via Kingsley Drive, but being the cheaper option does not justify granting permission.”

Locals living south of the site on Roseville Gardens had also lodged complaints that the proximity of the new homes would “severely compromise” their privacy, although council planning officials said all guidelines had been met and that a cycle lane and landscaping measures would reduce the impact.

‘Ideal location for new housing’

The plans – which include 38 affordable homes – were voted through by seven votes for and four against.

Once construction is completed, there will be a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties.

Mike Ashworth, planning manager at Redrow Homes, told today’s meeting:

“The Granby Farm site forms a natural extension to our previous development at Devonshire Gardens and has been proposed for development since the drafting and eventual adoption of the Local Plan.

“It sits in an ideal location for new housing within walking distance of the town centre but also the extensive amenity space at the Stray. We will improve this relationship further through new and improved pedestrian and cycle links.

“The proposals have been subject to a number of changes in consultation with officers, consultees and neighbouring residents.

“The development of the site will lead to significant benefits, not least the delivery of housing to meet identified demand.”

Firefighters called after Harrogate BBQ sets alight petrol can

Firefighters were called to an address in Harrogate last night after a barbecue caused a petrol can to ignite.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to a home on Rosewood Crescent.

According to the incident summary, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 9.14pm and used one hose reel to extinguish the fire, which spread to the back door of the property

The blaze caused 5% heat damage to the door. Firefighters gave the homeowners advice.

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Later that night, a Harrogate crew attended another fire when an armchair was set alight in a home on Cold Bath Road.

The incident, at 1223am, was caused by a dropped cigarette. The resident had already extinguished the fire before the crew arrived.

The officers ventilated the property and gave advice.

Two hours later, two Ripon crews responded a to a fire that spread to nearby trees and bushes after a car was set alight.

The car, on St Wilfrids Crescent, is believed to have been deliberately torched.

The crews used a 45m jet, two dry powder extinguisher and a thermal imaging camera.

Slight increase in Harrogate district unemployment

The number of people on out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district increased slightly after the third lockdown was imposed, according to latest figures.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics for February show 3,625 people were claiming out-of-work benefits — 3.8% of the population aged 16 to 64.

The number is a slight increase on 3,460 in January.

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This is in contrast to UK-wide figure of 6.5% claiming support.

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.

What has Harrogate council spent its High Street grants on?

Harrogate Borough Council has so far spent £90,000 of government grants which aimed to support businesses on the high street to reopen.

Last June, the authority was given £144,714 as part of the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund to help support businesses to open up after the first lockdown.

Ministers have also allocated further funding, which will also be £144,714, as part of the Welcome Back Fund to help the council support the town centre after the third shutdown.

Both grants have been funded from the European Regional Development Fund.

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The Stray Ferret asked the borough council how much of the first grant has been spent and what it had been used to fund.

A spokesperson for the council said £90,000 of the funding has been spent so far on:

They added that plans for the new funding, which was announced last month, have yet to be confirmed.

Government guidance published as part of the grant scheme says councils should “engage with stakeholders including local businesses, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Destination Management Organisations (DMO), town and parish councils”.

When asked who it consulted with on the measures, the authority said its business development team had a “distribution list for businesses” which it said it would use for plans for the next grant.

Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate BID, said she hoped the authority would listen to ideas from the businesses:

Ms Ferguson said:

“It is great news that Harrogate Borough Council has been awarded this money on top of the funds it received last year.

“In terms of the £144,000 Welcome Back Fund, we look forward to working with HBC and other business organisations, such as the Chamber and Independent Harrogate, to make Harrogate more welcoming to visitors and residents alike.

“Whilst we recognise the pot of money it has been awarded is to help the District’s ‘high streets’, we have a number of proposals which we believe will help our town centre retail and hospitality businesses get back on their feet and bring in customers.

“These include discounted parking and public transport to encourage residents to shop, eat and drink local.”

Harrogate smart parking scheme set for extension after trial success

Harrogate’s smart parking scheme looks set to be extended until at least 2023 after positive results from a two-year trail.

AppyParking – which uses sensors to give app users a real-time map of available spaces – was said to be the first of its kind in any UK town when it was launched in 2019.

The app allows motorists to pay for the exact minutes they are parked and now looks set for an extension. Council figures showed there is strong support for it to be made a permanent solution with 93% of users saying they found it easier than pay and display.

This is according to a report to a North Yorkshire County Council meeting on Friday which also says there has been a boost to the economy with some users spending up to 50 minutes longer in the town.

Jon Savage, project manager at the ncounty council, said in the report that given its success there is a recommendation for AppyParking to be extended between two to four years in Harrogate and that it could also be introduced in other North Yorkshire towns.

He said:

“Smart parking is more convenient for the customer, increases dwell time in Harrogate town centre and enhances its offer.

“The recommended option to put in place a smart parking provision on a medium-term basis maintains delivery of the identified benefits and enables planning for a longer-term, scalable solution.”

There are more than 2,200 sensors with a lifespan of 10 years installed at on-street and off-street parking bays in Harrogate but it is only proposed to extend the scheme for an initial two-year period because of plans to end North Yorkshire’s two-tier councils.

By 2023, the county council and seven district councils could be abolished under government proposals to hand over control of all services including parking to a new unitary structure.

Mr Savage said the planned changes have caused “uncertainty” over the future of how parking will be managed and that a review of AppyParking would be needed at a later date.

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At Friday’s meeting, councillors will be asked to support the proposed extension before Harrogate Borough Council will look to appoint a new contractor to run the system at an estimated annual cost of around £18,000.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the county council’s executive member for access, said he hoped councillors would support the scheme which he described as a “great success”.

He said:

“AppyParking is convenient for users but also for us as the local authority as it means we don’t have to go around collecting as much cash from ticket machines.

“The great benefit to users is being able to visually check if parking spaces are available even before they reach Harrogate, plus it can all be booked and paid for from inside the car.

“Anything that can make parking more convenient is always good news for the town.”

Cllr Mackenzie, who represents the Harrogate Saltergate division, also said the scheme had shown parking remained a priority for the council as it pushes ahead with other plans to support cycling and walking.

“We always encourage people not to bring their cars into town if they are taking short journeys but we also understand the importance of having parking spaces available.

“North Yorkshire County Council clearly supports active travel schemes and projects like the Gateway transformation but nevertheless I still hear what businesses are saying in that around 90% of their customers travel by car.

“We have to have these arrangements in place for this, especially for people who are travelling long distances.”

Campaigners protest against Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods plans

Campaigners gathered at Valley Gardens yesterday to protest against Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion into the Pinewoods.

It was organised by Harrogate & District Green Party who had members on hand to provide information to the public about the proposals alongside activities for children and live musicians.

Harrogate Spring Water, 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 even further into the woodlands. Harrogate’s planning committee rejected the proposal in January after almost 400 people objected.

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

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A Green Party spokesperson said:

“We were able to inform people of the proposals and how to object to the Danone/ Harrogate Spring Water compensation plans and highlight the tragic potential loss of woodland habitat in our community. 

“Many people don’t realise the planning application could still go ahead – and we feel strongly they should be able to understand the process and the potential outcomes – and importantly make their voices heard.

“It was fantastic to see so many people enjoy the weather, and families and children get involved with learning more about nature and share how they feel about trees. The community came out together to share the goal of saving our trees and highlighting the plight of Rotary Wood.”

Harrogate hospital staff walk, run and bike to New Zealand for charity

Staff at Harrogate District Hospital have raised money for charity by walking, running and cycling the distance from Harrogate to Wellington in New Zealand.

They started the challenge in February and walked 22,866 kilometres by Easter, raising £1,600 in the process. That is £400 more than the original target.

45 staff from the pharmacy department took part. They all tracked how far they had ran, walked and cycled each week and added up the total.

The money will go to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity. It supports staff, services and patients at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

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Elizabeth Gill, pharmacy support worker and organiser, said:

“At a time when we are all stretched thin and covid has meant we can’t get together outside of work, we wanted to come together to challenge ourselves while raising money for our hospital charity.

“We decided to do the ultimate challenge and get to Wellington in New Zealand as this is the furthest capital from Harrogate and also a country which is covid-free!

“I’m so proud of everyone and how hard we’ve all worked. Our fundraising total is over £1600 which is incredible!”

Yvonne Campbell, head of charity and business development project manager, said:

“Everyone at Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is blown away by the amount raised by our pharmacy team and the effort they’ve put in to supporting us.

“Recently, money raised by our supporters funded some portable DVD players for inpatients to use to watch films on while they’re in hospital, so the money they raise will go a long way to supporting services, patients and fellow colleagues at the trust.”