Harrogate district to enter tier two restrictions

The Harrogate district will enter tier two restrictions at the end of the national lockdown.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will set out the rules each area will be under in the House of Commons today.

However, a government website that has since crashed pre-empted the announcement. Here’s the full list.

When you put in a local postcode it says that the Harrogate district and North Yorkshire is under tier two.

The district is in tier two.

The new rules will come into force next Wednesday, December 2. It is unclear when the restrictions will come to an end.

North Yorkshire had been in tier one restrictions before the second national lockdown.

Local public health officials said in a press briefing yesterday that the coronavirus rates are an indicator of the different tiers.

Read more:

Most of North Yorkshire is below the England average seven-day rate of 201 cases per 100,000.

Scarborough and Selby are the only local areas above the national average. They have rates of 280 and 232 respectively.

While Harrogate and Ryedale have the lowest case rates in the area with 147 and 132.

The local officials also said that they would favour a system where North Yorkshire is split into different districts.

What are the rules in tier two?

Tier two:

What about Christmas?

Coronavirus restrictions will be eased across the UK between December 23 and December 27 to allow for a Christmas closer to normal.

It will mean that three households will be able to form a temporary bubble. It must be fixed but there will be no limit on numbers joining bubble.

Those who are self-isolating should not join one of these so-called Christmas bubbles.

If someone is in an at-risk group the government has said they must their their own judgement and consider the risks of mixing over Christmas.

Conservative council leader reports Lib Dems to Information Commissioner

Harrogate Borough Council leader, Richard Cooper, has sent a letter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) asking for the local Lib Dems’ petitions to be investigated for “data harvesting”.

Cllr Cooper says none of the four petitions were submitted to relevant bodies and were instead an exercise to build a database of contact information. The Liberal Democrats say the accusations are false and a cynical ploy to put people off signing petitions.

In the letter Mr Cooper says he believes the party “may have breached at least three tenets of data protection”.

The ICO was set up to uphold an individual’s data privacy. The ICO told the Stray Ferret it is yet to receive the letter but a spokesperson added:

“When we receive the letter we will assess the information provided and decide whether we need to make further enquiries.”

Cllr Cooper criticised the Lib Dems in the letter saying the purposes of the petitions put forward were not fulfilled:

“My contention is that these petitions breach data protections rules because there is a pattern of behaviour which demonstrates that people’s details were collected for a purpose and then not used for that purpose.”

Read more:

The Liberal Democrats have called his accusations “ridiculous and laughable”.

The party says three of the petitions were not submitted but insists the Stray FM petition was sent to Bauer Media.

The campaign manager for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, Conor McKenzie, said:

“Let’s set the record straight though. The Stray FM petition was submitted, while other petitions achieved a u-turn before we even had chance to submit them.

“No data has been collected improperly as only those who explicitly told us they would like to will hear from us in future. To falsely suggest otherwise is a blatant attempt to put people off signing any group’s petitions in future. Doing so would be hugely damaging to community engagement and council scrutiny.”

Harrogate district pubs fear closure as tier announcement looms

Pubs in the Harrogate district have said they are being “demonised” and fear some will not survive if tier two restrictions are announced tomorrow.

Tier two and tier three restrictions stipulate pubs that do not serve “substantial” meals will be unable to reopen when lockdown ends next week.

North Yorkshire public health officials suggested today the county could be placed in tier two, although the national government will decide.

But unless the county is in tier one, there will be no end in sight for the enforced closures of many bars and pubs.

Read more:

Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA fears more than 70% of pubs will close in the district under tier two or tier three.

Rural pubs and those in smaller towns will be the ones to suffer most, it added.

Megan Fairweather, social media secretary of Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA, said:

“After the hardest year that pubs have ever faced, the uncertainty of the new tier system does not bring much hope.

“One Harrogate pub informed us just last week that in the first lockdown, they threw away £7,000 worth of alcohol.

“If we are lucky enough to be in tier one, pubs then face the uncertainty of changing tiers. Beer cannot just be served as soon as it arrives in a pub.”

The group has written to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones asking him to support its campaign against further restrictions on pubs.

‘Safer than shops’

Richard Park, owner of The Little Ale House in Harrogate, said:

“Pubs should not be demonised like this. We are not aware of any infections in our pub, we think it’s much safe here than the shops.

“We are not going to go under but I fear what will happen to other pubs in the area. Pubs try hard to be safe and then we are closed down.”

Alan Huddart, club treasurer of Bilton Working Men’s Club, said:

“We are ready to open but it all hinges on us being in tier one. We don’t serve substantial meals so would be unable to open if we were in tier two.”

Jack Woodruff, co-owner of Harrogate’s Disappearing Chin, echoed his sentiments:

“If we are in tier one it would be tough but it would be okay. But if we are in tier two then we would have to close.

“This has been quite frustrating. We have worked hard and invested a lot in keeping the pub safe.”

£20,000 costs a month

Paul Kinsey, who owns the Viper Rooms, said:

“We can get £3,000 a month from November. My rent, insurance, maintenance and finances cost £20,000 a month.

“So I am not sure what bill that is meant to pay. We still don’t know what a ‘substantial meal’ means and night clubs are still ignored.”

 

Tier one hopes for Harrogate district fade away

The Harrogate district’s hopes of remaining in tier one at the end of the national lockdown seem to be fading away.

Local public health officials, who manage the coronavirus response in North Yorkshire, have been speculating ahead of an announcement tomorrow.

In a weekly coronavirus press briefing this morning, those officials said coronavirus rates can give you a feel for what tiers different areas will be in.

The average case rates in North Yorkshire is 195 per 100,000. England’s average case rates are currently 207 per 100,000.

Areas like Scarborough and Selby are the only areas above the national average at 296 and 240 per 100,000 respectively.

The Harrogate district has seen a drop in case rates in recent weeks. It now has the second lowest rates in North Yorkshire at 157 just above Ryedale at 131.

What tier restrictions will we be under?

The national lockdown ends next week on Wednesday, December 2. When the lockdown ends we will return to restrictions based on three tiers.

North Yorkshire was in tier one before the national lockdown. The government will confirm tomorrow which tiers each area will be under.

Read more:

However, local public health officials also said today that they would favour a system where North Yorkshire is split into different districts.

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

“We don’t have those details on tier restrictions yet. All we have at the moment are the speculation and the drafts we had before lockdown.

“If we look to the criteria that will potentially be in place we hope that most of the county would be in tier two. But we know that some areas could be in tier three.”

What are the three different tiers?

The government has strengthened the tiers. They still range from tier one at medium through tier two at high and tier three at very high.

Tier one:
Tier two:
Tier three:

What about Christmas?

Coronavirus restrictions will be eased across the UK between December 23 and December 27 to allow for a Christmas closer to normal.

It will mean that three households will be able to form a temporary bubble. It must be fixed but there will be no limit on numbers joining bubble.

Those who are self-isolating should not join one of these so-called Christmas bubbles.

If someone is in an at-risk group the government has said they must their their own judgement and consider the risks of mixing over Christmas.

Help give homeless and elderly people free Christmas hampers

The Wesley Chapel in Harrogate is fundraising to buy hampers for people who are alone this Christmas after covid prevented its usual lunch from taking place.

For the past 35 years the Methodist chapel has provided Christmas day lunches for up to 100 people.

All guests are offered a full Christmas dinner, entertainment, carol singing, and a snack before being transported home.

It has given mainly elderly, lonely and homeless people not only a hot meal but also company.

Now it has set up a crowdfunding campaign to buy a minimum of 120 hampers.

Esther Hitchen, a volunteer helper for the Wesley Chapel, said:

“Sadly, this year we are unable to provide a Christmas Day lunch due to the covid restrictions.

“Instead, we are organising hampers, which will be delivered to the door of our guests on the 25th of December.

“We hope it will brighten up their day and help them feel less alone this Christmas.”

Any funds that don’t get used will go towards next year’s Christmas dinner.

You can support the appeal here.

Read more:

 

Harrogate’s community woodland starts to take shape

The people behind the campaign to buy Harrogate’s first community woodland have appealed for volunteers to help plant trees after achieving their fundraising target.

Rick Brewis and Trish Sanders have been part of the Long Lands Common Ltd committee from the beginning of the ambitious venture.

The pair are local landowners and were passionate about stopping plans for a bypass through green land.

They supported the move to buy 30 acres of local land for £300,000 and turn it into a community woodland.

So far the initiative has raised almost £320,000, allowing the group to begin planning the next steps.

Rick and Trish say plans are in place to begin infrastructure work in Spring 2021 – this will include footpaths and working on a disability access point. Tree planting is due to begin next autumn.

Long lands Common

Trish and Rick are looking forward to starting work on the woodland.

The committee has been blown away by the response and is now encouraging shareholders to volunteer to help with planting.

Long Lands Common Ltd is continuing to fundraise until December 20 to try and reach its final target of £375,000.

The initial £300,000 target enabled the group to buy the land; funds raised beyond that will go towards the infrastructure work.

Read more:

 

‘Thoughtless horse riders’ damage Bilton boardwalk

Bilton Conservation Group has criticised horse riders for damaging a boardwalk in Nidd Gorge.

The group, whose responsibilities include repairing footpaths and boardwalks, has urged dog walkers to avoid the area until repairs are complete.

George Moore, membership secretary of the group, said a witness saw horses crossing the boardwalk on the cross path intersection of Milne’s Lane. He added:

“This was thoughtless damage caused by unknown horse riders in the Nidd Gorge.
“Bilton Conservation Group has a backlog of repairs to carry out in Nidd Gorge and this unwanted damage will cost us dearly in time, effort and cost.
“Whilst the boardwalk is still passable with due care it is not recommended for folk with dogs to use at this present time.”

The group, which was set up in 1982 to protect the rural environment of Bilton, hopes to complete the repairs next week.

They are predicted to cost £50 and require 20 hours of work.

In the meantime the group has asked walkers to be wary in the vicinity.

Read more:

The repair work comes at a busy time for the group, which faces a backlog of repair work due to the pandemic.
Mr Moore has been unable to identify the riders but asked those responsible to offer a donation towards the repairs.
New report reveals additional £1.6m civic centre cost

A new council report has revealed it cost £1.6m to fit out the interior of its civic centre at Knapping Mount.

The report, set to go before cabinet next week, sets out the final construction cost at £11.5m and the new figure of £1.6m. The council says that the overall project came under its £13m budget.

It comes after the contractor, Harry Fairclough Ltd, went into administration – delaying the final construction bill.  The report also reveals that the delay was partially caused by negotiations over defects.

The Stray Ferret investigated the overall cost of the move from Crescent Gardens to Knapping Mount in July and put the figure closer to £17m.

We revealed that the council’s calculations for the costs of the civic centre did not take into account the value of the land at Knapping Mount. The land had originally been earmarked for housing.

Read our investigation for a breakdown of how we reached that figure.

Read more:

We also reported on how the decision to build a circular building could have added up to 20% onto the build cost – making the design and construction expensive.

In our calculations in July we had a figure of £400,000 for the fit out costs and £865,000 for design expertise. The newly confirmed figure of £1.6m for fitting out the building makes the true overall cost to the tax payer at more than £17m.

The council disputed our figures. It argued that the overall cost was lower because of money received in the sale of its other premises.

From the sale of its other council buildings, this new report identifies an extra £2.47m saving which the council has described as a “massive saving”.

The Stray Ferret’s investigation has not disputed the council’s figures.   We argued that the council could have also benefited from the sale of the land at Knapping Mount which we estimated at £4.5m with outline planning permission and built a cheaper building in a cheaper location.

Cllr Graham Swift, the deputy leader at Harrogate Borough Council, said ahead of the cabinet meeting:

“Cabinet made a strong commitment to publishing the overall costs of the civic centre project, but this has not been possible before now.

“We have an amazing new civic centre which we can all be proud of, and we have achieved significant savings against the original overall budget in the process.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries partially reopen

Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries are set to resume their reduced lockdown services this week.

The libraries closed last week after a member of staff in each one tested positive for covid.

The buildings have been given a deep clean and staff who needed to have self-isolated.

Harrogate library will resume services tomorrow and Knaresborough is expected to be back in operation on Saturday.

Library members will be able to use the select and collect service, which allows them to order books by phone or email and pick them up from the library entrance.

Library computers will also be available for essential use, but must be booked in advance.

Read more:

Harrogate will open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

Knaresborough will open from 9.30am to 1.30pm on Saturday, 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9.30am to 1.30pm on Thursday and 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 7pm on Friday.

North Yorkshire county councillor Greg White, executive member for libraries, said:

“We have robust safety measures in place, including collecting contact tracing details, strictly limited numbers and plentiful hand sanitiser, so customers can continue to use our select and collect and to book public computer sessions with confidence.”

All libraries in the county are currently closed for browsing.

Sneak peek: new organic food shop in Harrogate

Fruit and vegetables fresh from the ground are front and centre at Joy, a new organic food shop that opened on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate today.

Nicola Mawdsley, who is behind the venture, wants to expand the range to compete with smaller supermarkets.

Nicola got the keys to the building five weeks ago and has managed to pull her vision together despite the coronavirus lockdown:

“It has had its challenges. The local traders and suppliers have really stepped up to help make this what it is.

“I am excited to open the doors. I cannot wait to start welcoming people through the doors.”

The idea behind Joy is to be a one-stop shop. The stock will change with the seasons but it will always be as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Currently it has plenty of fruits and vegetables, pastas, pickles, chocolates, herbs, teas and coffees. All sourced as locally as possible.

Read more:

Now the doors are open Nicola will expand the range, with organic wines and gluten-free beers high on her agenda.

It is not just about the produce: the shop also has baskets to rent and plenty of eco-friendly and reusable bags.

Would you like to spread the word about your shop opening? No matter how small the shop get in touch with the Stray Ferret.