Diners in the Harrogate district who took part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme got a discount of more than £1.9 million in August.

New figures out today from HM Treasury also revealed that people in the Harrogate and Knaresborough and Skipton and Ripon constituencies ate 314,000 meals in the scheme.

The scheme was designed to help the struggling hospitality sector get back on its feet. The Stray Ferret reported that many cafes and restaurants saw a big spike in interest last month.

Some restaurants were fully booked and were forced to turn some diners away who were trying to take advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out discount.

Read more:

• Harrogate restaurants fully booked for final week of government scheme
• Discount scheme extended in district restaurants
• ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ fills restaurants across the Harrogate district

In Harrogate and Knaresborough 153 restaurants signed up compared with 205 restaurants in Skipton and Ripon.

Some restaurants across the Harrogate district have seen such a boost that they have extended the discount without any government backing to fund it.

Lydia Hewitt-Craft, supervisor at So! Bar and eats Harrogate, said:

“It’s been massively helpful and it’s a relief because it was hard at the start when everyone was worried about coming out but this has been great for us.”

Nertil Xhallo, manager at Sarando on Station Bridge, said:

“It has been really busy, we’ve had a lot of bookings. Most people have returned which is good. The offer has been helpful for the business.”

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of Harrogate BID and owner of two Harrogate restaurants, said:

“I think it’s been a massive help, everyone I have spoken to says it’s been worth doing. I think with the uncertainty going forward its given all those places a boost.”

North Yorkshire Police is urging for vigilance following an increase in burglaries on new home development sites across the district.

During the past 24 hours, two incidents have been reported. One at a new site one in Langthorpe, near Boroughbridge, and the second in Penny Pot Gardens in Harrogate.

Boilers are the main item to be stolen. The perpetrators are cutting the gas and water pipes before removing the boilers, meaning some of the homes are left flooded.

Other targeted locations in the district include Knaresborough and Ripon. Furnishings valued at £70,000 were stolen from two show houses at a site in Knaresborough. In Ripon, a dumper truck was stolen from a site in the nearby village of Markington.

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• A police operation to combat drink driving in the district encouraged over 20 arrests on local roads in one weekend.
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The police are asking local residents to keep an eye out and report any suspicious activity.

It has also asked if any CCTV overlooking any of the targeted sites is checked for activity such as large vans driving around the sites.

Information can be reported using the 101 number, dial 1 and pass the information onto the Force Control Room.

A devolution deal is yet to be agreed but how do you want the future of North Yorkshire to look?

Harrogate people have mixed feelings on the subject of devolution and whether the district council should be scrapped.

The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, want to see two councils for North Yorkshire: one for the east of the county and one for the west.

But North Yorkshire County Council would prefer a single unitary authority.

We canvassed views in Harrogate yesterday.

Devolution split opinions for people in Harrogate yesterday.

Extra buses will be provided by North Yorkshire County Council next week to reduce the risk of coronavirus among pupils using public transport go back to school.

The local authority has also introduced additional bus safety measures, such as asking pupils aged over 11 to wear face coverings.

Most buses will operate according to their usual timetable. But some additional journeys will take place on public service routes from next week to minimise contact among passengers as the number of pupils and commuters increases.

In Harrogate, the following additional services will be in place from September 7:

• Service 36 Leeds – Harrogate – Ripon: Extra journeys between Leeds and Harrogate will occur during morning rush hour to accommodate additional commuters and students.
• Service 1 Harrogate – Knaresborough. An additional journey has been added to this service from Harrogate to King James’ School, which is reserved for pupils only. It will depart from Harrogate at 7.56am and return from King James’ School at 3.25pm.
• Service 24 Pateley Bridge – Harrogate. A new timetable and journey to Nidderdale High School has been added. An additional bus, 24S, is reserved for school and college students. It will depart Pateley Bridge at 7.20am to Harrogate and continue to St Aidan’s and St John Fisher schools. A journey from St John Fisher and St Aidan’s schools to Pateley Bridge will return in the afternoon.

Read more:

• Schools across the district are set to reopen next week, staggered finish times and year group separation are some of the safety measures being imposed. 
• Parents in the district have said they are “delighted” to have their children’s education resume next week. 

Different safety measures will apply on school buses to those on public transport.

Social distancing is not required on school buses on the grounds that the vehicles will carry the same group of children regularly and no members of the public travel with them.

But school bus users will be asked to avoid unnecessary contact with other pupils by, for example, trying to sit in the same seat with the same group of pupils every day. Pupils aged over 11 are also encouraged to wear face coverings.

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education at NYCC, said:

“We would like to reassure parents and pupils that everything possible is being done to enable children to return to school and education as swiftly as possible, as well as minimise the risk of spreading the virus. The instructions for travelling on school buses and straight forward and largely the same as if you were visiting a shop or other public place.

“We expect that things will soon feel second nature to pupils and they can settle back into their school routine quickly.”

The Crown Hotel in Harrogate has had its operations taken over by a new management company.

RBH has added the historic building to its portfolio of 45 other hotels in the UK.

The Crown is one of the oldest hotels in Harrogate, dating back over 300 years. It has 114 bedrooms and seven conference rooms.

The hospitality sector was hit hard during lockdown, with hotels having to remain closed. But London-based RBH is optimistic booking levels will resume now that lockdown restrictions have eased.

Andrew Robb, RBH’s chief business development officer, said it was “an exciting new chapter for this unique venue”, which is owned by Singapore-based developer the Fragrance Group.

Read more:

• The Ripon Spa Hotel has now closed after failing to find a new buyer. 
• A top Harrogate hotelier has said he hops the cut in VAT for hospitality will be a boost for the sector.

Mr Robb added:

“Our ethos is very much based on developing and nurturing our people, and this will be extended to The Crown as we look to maximise the potential of the team and in turn offer an outstanding experience to guests.

The covid pandemic has resulted in an exceptionally challenging time for the hospitality sector, however RBH has emerged from lockdown in a strong position and we are eager to help guide The Crown through this period and on to continued success.”

Harrogate residents have joked that “someone is getting sacked” for a printer error in a new bus shelter advertising campaign.

North Yorkshire County Council has put up posters encouraging people in Harrogate to run, bike and walk to work but there’s a small problem.

The poster has four symbols and while the ‘walk it’ and ‘love it’ match up there has been a mix up with the ‘bike it’ and ‘run it’ lines.

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Some eagle-eyed residents noticed the mistake and took it to a Harrogate community Facebook page to poke fun at the council.

Rachel Webster snapped a picture on Knaresborough Road and shared a post which said: “When you see it…Bravo North Yorkshire County Council, bravo.”

Others commented that it “took a while to see the mistake,” that “someone was getting sacked” and that the proof reader “had one job”.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council how many of these posters it had printed, how much it cost and what they plan to do now. The council did not respond to those questions but said it was happy for the publicity.

Fiona Ancell, Road Safety Team Leader, said:

“While we can see there is a mistake in their poster, the messages are still clear and we are glad for the extra publicity the posters are receiving.”

Open Harrogate is a North Yorkshire County Council project aimed at encouraging people to use more environmentally-friendly ways of travelling.

The police treatment centre in Harrogate will reopen on Monday.

The centre, which provides physiotherapy and psychological rehabilitation services for police officers, has been closed since March due to coronavirus.

The St Andrews treatment facility in Harrogate, previously known as the Northern Police Convalescent Home, has operated on the same site on Harlow Moor Road since 1903.

It is one of two sites run by the Police Treatment Centres charity. The other is located in Perthshire. 

The charity supports the recovery of both serving and retired police officers. Its patients primarily serve in the forces of northern England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

The organisation is funded by a voluntary levy of £1.80 a week by police officers.

It will restart its psychological wellbeing programme next week. Physiotherapy services will also recommence but at reduced capacity. 

A new wing, scheduled to open in spring 2021, will offer 20 new beds and space for group activities.  

Read more:

• Assaults on police increase
• Damaged sculptures set to be replaced

The Stray Ferret recently reported that assaults on police officers and police staff in North Yorkshire rose by almost 60% during lockdown. 

In 2019, the charity supported 215 officers from North Yorkshire. 

Harrogate Borough Council is looking to loan its housing company Bracewell Homes £10m to invest in shared ownership homes.

A report is due to go before HBC’s cabinet next week to rubber-stamp the move, which would see the authority make more investments like its recent unprecedented £4.5m spend on 52 homes on Whinney Lane.

With shared ownership, people buy between a quarter and three-quarters of a property from the council but then have the option to buy a bigger share in the property at a later date. The scheme is aimed at people who don’t earn enough to buy a home outright.

The council sees shared ownership as a way for people earning a modest salary to get on Harrogate’s notoriously unforgiving housing ladder.

HBC’s draft housing strategy 2019-24 said the town was one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the town.

Read more:

• A new era for social housing in Harrogate?

• Harrogate councillors back £4.5m social housing investment

HBC asks housing developers to include 40% “affordable” housing in every development, which can include shared ownership homes.

When the council formed Bracewell Homes in 2019, a key part of its business plan was to purchase affordable shared ownership homes from developers, as it is doing on Whinney Lane.

With several major developments planned for the district over the coming years, HBC now says it wants to accelerate these types of investments.

Bracewell Homes has also earmarked other sites in the district to develop, including Frogmore in Knaresborough, on vacant and derelict land behind some council homes.

A council spokesperson said:

“The report going to cabinet next week is to seek approval for Bracewell to borrow £10m to acquire properties. If approved, this will include 16 shared ownership at Whinney Lane.

“Bracewell Homes has sold three properties and offers accepted on a further six.”

Harrogate Town’s stadium on Wetherby Road has been renamed the EnviroVent Stadium ahead of the new season kicking off next week.

EnviroVent is a Harrogate-based manufacturer of ventilation equipment to homes and social housing, employing over 230 people at its Hornbeam Business Park headquarters.

The firm has a long-standing relationship with the club and has sponsored a stand for the past seven seasons.

2020 marks 100 years since the opening of the stadium, which was previously known as the CNG Stadium.

EnviroVent’s managing director Andy Makin said:

“We are delighted to extend our sponsorship of the club and obtain the naming rights. We are extremely proud of our local club, they have come very far over the past few years and have achieved so much recently.

“The club is an important part of the local community and it’s an honour to be able to play a part in its journey at this monumental time.”

A new main stand was recently constructed at the ground with close to 1,000 seats, boosting capacity to 5,000.

Garry Plant, managing director at Harrogate Town, added:

“We would like to thank EnviroVent for their continued support and look forward to working to making them proud!”

Read more:

• Harrogate Town to stream games online for £10 a game
• Harrogate Town could be heading to Wembley….again!

The first few home games of the season will be played at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium as Harrogate’s artificial 3G pitch is replaced with grass due to English Football League regulations.

The club aims to be back at its ground by early October.

The club kick-off their first-ever campaign as an EFL club with a trip to Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Cup on Saturday.

House sales in Harrogate virtually halved in the first six months of the year but estate agents say a “manic” July and August means 2020 will end strongly.

The Stray Ferret analysed Land Registry data, which shows when and where houses with a Harrogate postcode were sold.

From 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020, 442 homes were purchased, compared with 872 in the same period in 2019. This represents a decline of 49%.

Estate agents were forced to close from 23 March until 13 May and the figures show how lockdown hit the previously buoyant sector hard.

However, Alex Atkinson, sales manager at Linley & Simpson estate agent in Harrogate told the Stray Ferret that despite the sluggish figures for January to June, it had experienced a “manic” July and August, with several homes sold for above the asking price.

He said this has been driven, in part, by the stamp duty holiday that was announced in July.

Mr Atkinson said:

“The market has been brilliant. I cannot remember the last time we agreed five sales above the asking price in one week.”

Read more:

• Harrogate estate agents relieved at stamp duty holiday

• District estate agent reports a surge in home-buyer interest

UK house prices are at a historic all-time high but Mr Atkinson said it’s unlikely the housing boom will last into 2021 as the long-term economic impact of coronavirus deepens.

He said:

“The furlough scheme is still yet to end and there will probably be an economic downturn with redundancies, then the stamp duty holiday will end after Christmas. It won’t last forever but my hope is it will quieten down for a little while before picking back up next year.”

Mr Atkinson said about 30% of people currently buying a home in the Harrogate district are from out of the area. He said people from cities like Leeds were being tempted by the large gardens that houses in the district can offer, especially after being cooped up indoors during lockdown.

He added:

“Since lockdown we’ve seen a massive shift in our village and rural properties. Anything with land or outdoor space is selling like hotcakes at the moment.”