Schools across the district are preparing to reopen next week, with new measures including face masks and separating year groups in place as covid restrictions continue.

Among those to have announced the adaptations it will make is Harrogate Grammar School, which will reopen on Monday, September 7 with a number of “significant changes” in place to ensure safety and limit coronavirus outbreaks.

The school has re-organised classrooms and the cafeteria, staggered lunch and finish times and put in place a contingency plan for those needing to self-isolate. Additional cleaning staff have also been hired.

The grammar school will open to staff on September 7 and spread the full reopening for students over the next three days. All year groups will return by September 10.

Neil Renton, headteacher of Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“Work has taken place over the summer period to ensure that school is ready to safely welcome our students back in September. One of the most significant changes that students will experience when they return are the year group groupings. In addition, we have developed a contingency plan for remote education where a class, group or small number of pupils need to self-isolate. This plan draws on all our learning and development during lockdown.

“We very much recognise that children will experience a variety of emotions in response to the coronavirus outbreak such as anxiety, stress or low mood. We will continue to support students through a variety of well-being initiatives, pastoral support and our emphasis on positive relationships.”

Students will be spaced out to allow for appropriate distancing between staff and pupils.

Read more:

• Parents say they are “delighted” children can return to school, after worrying about the impact of further delays on learning.
• Harrogate students said they are “panicking about the future” despite A-level grades U-turn. 

Parents in the district had previously called for further information regarding safety measures within schools ready for the new term to begin.

New government advice says children within “hot spot” areas are to wear face masks in congested areas such as corridors. The current number of cases in Harrogate means this is not expected be put into action in local schools next week.

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

MPs were not in Parliament in August due to the summer recess. They return on September 2.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• On August 2, Mr Jones hailed Harrogate Town’s win at Wembley as “the best news in ages”. He also tweeted about Notts County’s non-existent equaliser, which was quickly deleted. This led to the Stray Ferret’s Paul Baverstock suggesting that Mr Jones might not have been actually watching the game.
• According to a tweet from a constituent, Mr Jones wrote a letter about refugees crossing the channel on boats from France. In the letter, Mr Jones said the refugees “shouldn’t be crossing several safe countries” to get to the UK and he’s “working hard to find a solution to stop them”. However, the United Nations says refugees can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries.
• On August 10, Mr Jones published figures on his website that revealed more than 15,000 people in his constituency have been furloughed from their jobs since March.
• He also welcomed news that Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is set to receive an additional £527,000 to support Accident & Emergency (A&E) capacity ahead of the winter months.
• Mr Jones tweeted three times in August.
• On August 4, the MP welcomed £1.5m of government funding for a business park in Harrogate.
• Mr Jones released a statement welcoming the government’s u-turn over A-Level results. He said: “I am sorry for the distress and uncertainty this has caused pupils. In all about 20 students contacted me personally and I am writing to each of them”.
• Mr Jones refused to comment on a Stray Ferret story involving missing Porsche sports cars and Cllr Samantha Mearns, who works as a caseworker in his office.

Read more:

• MPs watch: NHS ‘on the table’ in US trade talks?

• MPs watch: litter picking and lost car keys

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• The Stray Ferret revealed that Mr Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a hydrogen company at a rate of £3,000 per hour.
• On Twitter, the MP for Ripon paid tribute to veteran Northern Irish politician John Hume who died on August 3.
• Fourteen of Mr Smith’s 19 tweets this month were related to Northern Ireland. He tweeted once about Ripon.
• Mr Smith praised Netflix drama The Fall which he said he was “totally glued to” during lockdown.
• On Facebook, Mr Smith complimented Ripon Catherdral’s 11,000 origami angels, which is a project organised by churchgoers to send messages to family members and key workers.
• Mr Smith advertised for a new parliamentary assistant to respond to constituency enquiries, help run his social media accounts and assist with casework. The salary has not been disclosed publicly.

Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty

In rural south Harrogate here is what we found on Mr Adams.

• Mr Adams spoke out on Twitter on a range of subjects including Jeremy Corbyn, the debate over singing Rule Brittania at the Proms, and the sentencing of the Manchester bomber.
• Mr Adams is the minister for Asia and earlier in the month welcomed ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries for ASEAN day. He said UK-ASEAN trade reached a 10-year high of £41.9bn in January.
• He tweeted 14 times in August including several times about Drax Power Station in Selby, which is part of his constituency.
• He visited several restaurants in his constituency that are participating in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

As the Eat Out To Help Out scheme comes to an end today, its success has led some local restaurants to extend it at their own expense.

The scheme has allowed restaurants and cafes to boost their profits after being forced to close during lockdown.

Restaurants in the district extending the scheme include:

• Bambudda Oriental Cuisine, Kirkgate, Ripon – £5 off ‘All you can eat’ buffet Monday and Wednesday.
• Blue Bell Inn at Kirby Hill, Boroughbridge – Two-course meal £10 and three-course meal for £15 on Wednesday and Thursday.
• The Pine Marten, Otley Road, Harrogate – 50% off mains, Monday-Wednesday until mid-September, when subscribed to mailing list
• Graveley’s of Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• Gino d’Acampo My Restaurant, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• La Feria, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• Lucia Wine Bar and Grill, Ripon Road, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks, Monday-Wednesday, until the end of September
• Starbeck Tandoori, Starbeck – 50% off food up to £10 Monday – Thursday, until the end of September.
• The Empress on the Stray, Church Square, Harrogate –  25% off food Monday – Wednesday until the end of September.
• The Grantham Arms, Boroughbridge – 50% off up to £5 per person, Monday – Wednesday, until the end of September.
• West Park Hotel, Harrogate – 50% off food up to £10 until Wednesday, September 2.

Customers should contact the restaurant regarding the offer prior to booking.

Simon Wade, owner of The Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge, said:

“It’s been phenomenal – it’s been like having a six-day weekend. We’ve had to bring in new suppliers as many just didn’t realise it would be this busy.

“In terms of money, we lost £250,000 of turnover during lockdown. The scheme has drastically increased our turnover but we have had to employ more staff.

“We are introducing our own scheme – I just think we can’t not piggy back on the back of something so successful. We know everyone loves a bargain and I am pleased to offer it.”

Both restaurants are extending the scheme in order to capitalise the surge in bookings it has encouraged.

The owner of The Empress on the Stray, Sharon Colgan, said:

“Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout August have been a real success changing people’s perspective on early-week dining. We are hopeful it will continue through September and we will look at possibly extending until the end of the year if it continues to be a success.”

Read more:

• WATCH as restaurants in the district are busy following government discount scheme. 
• Harrogate’s restaurants say they are fully booked for the final week of Eat Out To Help Out.

The West Park Hotel is extending the scheme in celebration of its owner Provenance’s 10th anniversary.

Anthony Blundell, assistant general manager, said:

“It has gone incredibly well – it’s been like having Saturdays at the beginning of the week. Lunch and dinners have been much busier, we’ve had to take on more staff to cover demand.

“We’ve had a lot of people who may not have come before the scheme. We saw a high increase in sales, 120 at night and 60 to 80 diners for lunch, whereas before it was around 20. We lost three months of sales and had renovations so it’s good to start paying that back.

“Extending the discount is a great thing and it gives people who missed out the chance to give it a go.”

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary club is climbing to the peak of Everest, virtually, to raise money for its Covid Relief Fund.

To succeed members have to walk over 1,500 miles and climb 1,000,000 feet.

Over the past few weeks, members have been banking their miles by trekking across Yorkshire Dales, climbing up the steps to Knaresborough Castle or even in a high-rise apartment.

Twenty members have accumulated enough miles to reach Everest base camp. Now, all are working hard towards the President’s final assault to the peak.

The target is £5000 and most of the money raised will go to support two organisations. Carers’ Resource and Wellspring offer a variety of services to help people and communities suffering from the fall-out from Covid.

President of the club, David Hayes, said:

“The Covid pandemic has greatly increased the needs of many in our community. At the start of lockdown Harrogate Brigantes established a Covid Relief Fund to direct money to the most needy people and causes. To raise money for this we have had to think of innovative initiatives. The biggest so far is our virtual expedition to conquer Everest and get me to the top.

This is a great challenge as we’re all past our prime and are having to do a great deal of hill walking and stair climbing to get near the miles along and feet up we need. But I’m looking forward to the final assault.”

The rotary President stands on the peak of “Everest” – ahead of the final assault.

The President is expected to reach the peak over the next couple of weeks.

The Covid Relief Fund has been used to support a wide variety of local charities, projects and causes. Including supply of PPE to local health workers and care homes, afternoon teas for isolated older people, baking packs for young carers.

As lockdown has eased, the focus has changed to helping local charities dealing with the longer term issues such as mental health.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s rotary club gets a new President – she’s a skydiving enthusiast. 
• A local emotional wellbeing charity has received further funding to continue to run workshops for children during the school holidays. 

The club has already raised £2500 in sponsorships. To donate to the cause, you can click here.

After setting up in the face of a crisis 20 years ago, Ripley Scarecrow Pigfest has been cancelled this year – because of the pandemic.

The event was due to celebrate its 20th anniversary with plans to stage the biggest and best festival to date.

It was launched in 2001 to attract people back to the village and wider countryside in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis. Now, in an ironic twist, another crisis means it will not go ahead this year.

Organiser Karen Evans, who lives near Ripon, came up with the idea for a scarecrow hunt, featuring pig-headed characters with imaginative names given by their creators.

For consistency of look she has, in the previous 19 years, made the papier mache heads for each Pigfest character – providing a subtle nod to Ripley’s boar’s head emblem.

Karen told the Stray Ferret:

“Unfortunately, we have become victims of our own success and couldn’t risk public safety, with hundreds of people in the confined space of the village.”

Boarglar Bill, one of the imaginatively-named characters who has featured at Ripley Scarecrow Pigfest

It has also brought another financial setback for the All Saints’ Church fabric fund which, over the years, has benefitted from donations of thousands of pounds raised through the entry fee for participants.

Karen, who is a warden at the Ripley church, pointed out:

“Combined with the fact that we have not been able to have the Wednesday cafe at All Saints’ open this summer, we have seen a loss of revenue totalling around £11,000.”

Read more:

• Plans for new home development near Ripon Cathedral
• Search for hero who saved child from Ripon river

Rather than bemoan the losses, she decided to literally get on her bike to provide another means of raising money, both for the church and the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at Harrogate Hospital, which is dear to her heart, having been treated there herself.

Between September 21 and 24, Karen and friend Judith Nickols will do a 137-mile sponsored cycle ride starting from Whitehaven on the west coast and finishing in Tynemouth on the east coast.

Both are keen cyclists and are training hard in readiness for the challenging and hilly coast to coast course.

Anybody wanting to sponsor Karen can find further details about her fundraising for All Saints’ Church Ripley and The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre on her justgiving page.

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Am I alone is reaching a state of desperation about the current state of our politics? Specifically, politicians who refuse blithely to accept accountability for the decisions and actions of their department and instead sacrifice the careers of civil servants tasked with implementing the policies born from politicians themselves.  Politicians who say or do, either that or what, which would have been indefensible just a few short years ago.  Politicians who seek visibility but hide when they become visible for the wrong reasons.  Politicians who do not measure up to standards set by Anthony Nolan’s “Seven Principles of Public Life.”

This week, two long-serving and, as far as we know, previously high achieving public servant lifers – Sally Collier, Chief Executive of Ofqual, the exams regulator, and Jonathan Slater, permanent secretary at the Department of Education – both lost their jobs in the aftermath of the exam grades fiasco.  The imposition of an untested grading algorithm on a cohort of lesson-hungry students stuck at home because of covid lockdown regulations was never going to end well.  But the decision to proceed with the dreaded algorithm was policy, which is always the result of a political decision and a political direction.  In short, the decision to proceed was made by some combination of the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, “Gav” as his aides call him – it seems to fit somehow – and the School’s Standards Minister Nick Gibb.  They both remain firmly in post, backed by Prime Minister BoJo for reasons surely passing understanding, while Ms Collier and Mr. Slater are dispatched to spend more time with their pensions.

Gone are the days, much lamented, when politicians resigned their posts as a matter of honour if they presided over a total horlicks in their department, or if they dropped a clanger that affected the public’s confidence – think Edwina Currie, a dozen eggs and salmonella, John Gummer stuffing burgers in his young daughter’s mouth during the Mad Cow crisis, or even Lord Lambton, caught smoking a joint in bed with a prostitute, filmed by a secret camera hidden in a Teddy Bear.  For reasons of competence, confidence or perception they all had to go.  And, looking back at them now, their crimes seem comically small when compared with the chaos precipitated by Mr. Williamson in England and (let’s not let the SNP off the hook) by John Swinney north of the border.  In 2002, Labour Education Secretary Estelle Morris resigned because “I judge my performance as not quite good enough.”  Such candour and humility feels quaintly out of step with the shameless norms of today’s politics.  But it shouldn’t be.

And at what point does the responsibility that comes with election to public office end?  Can a politician ever be considered “off duty” in respect of what they say and what they do?  I do believe politicians are entitled to a private life – their families, loves and lives outside politics should be of no interest to the public and, in my opinion, strictly “off limits” to the press.  However, assuming public office ought to bring with it the requirement of certain, higher standards of behaviour.  For example, racism, hate speech and sexism are never ok, in any circumstance.  Ergo, politicians of any party, elected to any office, can’t be afforded the luxury of drawing their own lines of distinction between the public and private realms of discourse when discussing these topics.  Whether they like it or not, in today’s hyper-connected ‘internet of things’ social media obsessed world, they are “always on.”

I’ve written in this column before about the case of Darley Parish Councillor Ernest Butler, whose unreconstructed personal views on immigration created a froideur (think tumbleweed…) among Harrogate’s chattering classes.  I won’t rehash the specifics, save to mention that his views were nonetheless deemed to fall outside the purview of the local Councillors code of conduct.  Which is to say that no means exists to make the public servant  man accountable for the unacceptable private views he expresses.  Saying you have no charter to punish the culprit simply becomes the means to inaction.  It seems to me that the answer is a radical overhaul of the code of conduct, this to recognise the contemporary realities of public life, conducted as it is, in full and transparent view for all to see and hear.

The issue here is that modern politics is as much about perception as it is about reality.  I wish this were not so but it’s not my call, nor is it the call of politicians, drawn to publicity, like moth to flame.  Our own Andrew Jones MP had a great photo op when, in December 2018, he visited Porsche specialist second-hand car dealer Gmund Cars Ltd and hailed “an amazing business.”  What he did not know is that six Porsche owners who talked to the Stray Ferret and who had placed their cars with Gmund for sale

allege that their vehicle’s ownership had been transferred without permission and did not receive a penny for the sale of cars worth over fifty grand apiece.  Gmund went into administration 6 months later in July 2019, with more than £1 million worth of cars missing.  A police investigation followed.  An “amazing” business indeed.

In his photo op, Mr Jones was pictured standing next to Gmund owner Andrew Mearns and his wife Samantha, a significant Gmund shareholder and company secretary until December 2018. Mrs Mearns is a Harrogate Borough Councillor and a case worker in Mr. Jones’ constituency office.  Not quite a Lord Lambton moment, but none too reassuring.  Councillor Mearns has made it clear she has not been questioned by the police.  Andrew Jones has kept his counsel, neither supporting publicly his Conservative colleague and office employee, nor commenting on the alleged irregularities in Gmund Cars Ltd. He does, however, have an irate constituent or two, each light to the tune both of tens of thousands of pounds and their cherished Porsche motor cars.

However we look at all of this, it makes a mockery of The Nolan Principles, to which public office holders are meant to adhere.  For the record the seven principles of public life are Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.  Whether in Westminster or Knapping Mount, these standards seem absent lately; to the point of depressing irrelevance.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Read More:

• MP refuses to answer questions about missing Porsche car investigation 
• Harrogate MP aide and councillor at centre of £1 million Porsche investigation

Bilton will soon get a new tea shop, replacing T C Tanning Centre which closed in February.

The former tanning salon on the corner of Bilton Lane and King Edwards Drive is set to re-emerge as a tea shop after Harrogate Borough Council this week gave the green light to a change of use application.

The cafe will create three full-time jobs and will be open from 8am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.

According to the planning application, the tea shop will provide the local community with “a place to meet in a warm, inviting and modern setting”.

The owners said the cafe will serve drinks and light snacks but will have no on-site cooking.

Read more:

• Independent café opens in Harrogate Next store

• Award-winning Harrogate farm shop to reopen café

• Pub’s old cupboard becomes new venture in Bilton

An aspiring actor from Harrogate has achieved his fundraising target to go to a prestigious drama school – with help from Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe.

Harry Pritchard needed to raise £13,799 in order to pay the fees for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), where he won a place earlier this month for a year-long course.

The former Harrogate Grammar School student’s cause was given an incredible boost this week by actor Russell Crowe. The Oscar-winning actor not only shared Harry’s fundraiser, but donated £2,741 – almost enough to pay the deposit for the course by this Thursday’s deadline.

This morning Harry hit his target and tweeted his thanks

We’ve done it!! I still can’t believe it. There are so many people to thank but I have to say a massive thank you to  @russellcrowe and @TerryGeorge for everything over the past week and thank you to the 244 donors who have helped make my dream a reality.

Russell Crowe also tweeted his delight at Harry hitting his target:

Congratulations Harry.

Looking forward to hear of your success.

thank you to everyone who got involved and gave this young bloke a lift and a helping hand , you are all lovely and brilliant

Get Harry to LAMDA Drama School https://t.co/HigNzD6Hul

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 29, 2020

Read More: 

• Harrogate student hopes to crowd fund his acting dream
• Russell Crowe backs Harrogate student’s fundraising campaign for drama school 

Harrogate Borough Council and its leader have remained tight-lipped about Cllr Samantha Mearns and a police investigation into missing Porsche cars worth more than a million pounds.

Cllr Mearns was company secretary and a person “of significant control” in Knaresborough based Gmund Cars Ltd until December 2018. The company, which was run by her husband Andrew, went into administration in July 2019. There has been a subsequent police investigation into allegations that the ownership of Porsches were transferred without the owners’ permission.

Cllr Richard Cooper, the leader of Harrogate Borough Council, made Cllr Mearns the chair of the General Purposes Committee which oversees the conduct of councillors. She chaired her first meeting in June 2019.

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Richard Cooper whether he has confidence in Cllr Mearns, when he was first made aware of the allegations and whether he has ever asked Cllr Mearns about her role at Gmund Cars Ltd.

Read more:

• Harrogate MP aide and councillor at centre of £1 million Porsche investigation
• How Harrogate Borough Council responded to a complaint around Cllr Mearns and Gmund Cars
• Harrogate MP refuses to answer Porsche investigation questions

We gave him a full day to respond to our request and we also gave Harrogate Borough Council two days to respond to a similar line of questions. Cllr Mearns is a case worker for Andrew Jones MP. He has also refused to answer the Stray Ferret’s questions.

Anthony Place, one of the six alleged victims of Gmund Cars Ltd, lodged a complaint about Cllr Mearns to Harrogate Borough Council in June 2019.

The authority’s monitoring officer, Jennifer Norton, assessed the complaint and said it would not be something she could take further because the councillor was “not engaged in council business” so the rules of the code of conduct did not apply.

North Yorkshire Police is investigating the allegations and arrested a man in his fifties in July last year. He has not been charged and the force released him under investigation.

Residents in the Fairfax area of Harrogate who witnessed a police raid this afternoon have called for more support after weeks of disturbances.

The council flat several police vans attended appears to have suffered extensive damage. All of the windows are broken.

Read more:

• Assaults on North Yorkshire police up 60% during lockdown
• Police reassurance over ‘tragic and isolated’ Harcourt Drive incident

Some of the people living nearby told the Stray Ferret suspect that the man who lives in the council flat has mental health problems and is not getting the support he needs:

“It’s been going every night for about two weeks. The police take him to the hospital but there is no Briary Ward anymore. They leave him at the hospital but he just walks home and starts again. They don’t do anything to help, it takes too long for them to take any action.”

The windows are broken at the council flat.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Shortly after 11am today, police were called to an incident at residential flats in Harrogate. A man was arrested for criminal damage and is now in police custody.”

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust is responsible for mental health services in the district. The Stray Ferret has approached the trust for comment following the calls for support from residents.

A spokesperson said for the health trust told the Stray Ferret:

“Whilst we can’t comment on individual cases, anyone that previously received care at The Briary Unit, Harrogate is still able to access full mental health support through their care team or our crisis services. Our inpatient facilities that were previously at The Briary Unit transferred to our new state of the art hospital, Foss Park in York and anyone requiring hospital admission would be admitted to this site.”

The Briary Unit at Harrogate District Hospital closed its doors in April this year for the final time as adult inpatient mental health services transfer to York. The trust said that it would be spending more money on community-based care.