New technology to tackle weeds in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon

New technology will tackle weeds in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon town centres following the coronavirus lockdown.

In a pilot scheme, North Yorkshire County Council will begin using a machine that uses hot water insulated by biodegradable foam – made from plant oils and sugars – to keep the liquid hot to kill weeds and moss right at their root without the use of harsh chemicals such as herbicide.

The Foamstream machine also sterilises surrounding seeds and spores to stop weeds spreading and then kills or damages the plant to prevent regrowth.

Read more:

As well as killing weeds, the machine is able to clean chewing gum off roads.

If the pilot is a success, the council said they will use the machines across the county.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways at NYCC said the machine will help make town centres more attractive. He said:

“I welcome the use of this new, environment-friendly technological way to get rid of weeds from our roads and footpaths. This is particularly suited to our town centres, where a clean, weed-free streetscene is good for businesses, shoppers and visitors.”

Hospital pop-up launches craft competition to increase donations

A pop-up shop inside Harrogate District Hospital has launched a craft and sewing competition to boost donations.

Volunteers run the Harrogate Hospital Pop-Up Shop five days a week to give donated groceries to hospital staff. It first opened in March to support those working at the hospital during coronavirus who were unable to get to supermarkets or found the shelves bare after long shifts.

Volunteer Fiona Ryan said:

“Since children broke up from schools we have had a drop in support. We reckon that at least 80 hospital staff come to us daily for groceries and we send parcels out to staff at home with covid symptoms. We also send boxes up to the covid wards.”

The Harrogate Pop Up Sewing Bee is asking for photographs of sewn or crafted clothing which represent this year’s pandemic.

Read more:

The competition is split into age categories and entries are to be submitted with a £2 donation. When the competition closes on August 30, all photographs will be arranged into a collage for Harrogate District Hospital.

Entries will be judged by Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District Foundation Trust, Captain Rummage (Chris Powell) from Bettys & Taylors recycling project The Cone Exchange, and Fran Taylor who set up the Harrogate Scrubbers group to address a national scrubs shortage through coronavirus.

All submissions have the chance to win one of multiple prizes donated by Harrogate businesses. These include a meal at The Fat Badger, a Neom Organics candle and other goodies from The Harrogate Cookie Company and Little Breads.

Ms Ryan said:

“People are starting to believe that covid has gone away, which isn’t the case. The hospital is busier than ever. This competition will really support us.”

To enter, donate £2 to the pop-up shop’s PayPal and send your photo to their Facebook group, or for non-Facebook users, email Fiona Ryan at fionaryan2812@icloud.com.

Harrogate Ladies’ College A-level results exceed previous years

Students at Harrogate Ladies College have achieved over 50% more A* to A’s in their A-level results than previous year groups.

Further success was achieved with 85% of the girls achieving A* to C grades across all subjects.

Unlike other schools in the district, the pupils were invited to a socially distant celebration on the lawn after reading their results online this morning.

Sylvia Brett, principal of Harrogate Ladies’ College, said:

“We are enormously proud of the achievements of all our girls who have worked incredibly hard in these exceptional and challenging circumstances. As an all-girls school we make it our business to encourage the girls to be bold and brave in their subject choices away from fear of judgement or embarrassment.

“I’m delighted to see that so many of them have achieved so highly across such a breadth of subjects. The teaching staff at Harrogate Ladies’ College and I are extremely proud of them all.”

As with all schools, the college students were unable to take their exams this year due to coronavirus. The grades have been calculated using a range of factors and then standardised by government body Ofqual.

Read more:

 

Yorkshire councils battle for support over devolution visions

Battle lines have been drawn between political leaders in North Yorkshire over which route to take on local council reorganisation with both sides lobbying in opposite directions for support.

County council bosses want a single council to serve the county and its 610,000 residents and sit alongside City of York Council as part of a devolution bid.

But, in the other camp, the districts, led by Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper, are seeking support for an alternative proposal to put to government.

Simon Clarke, local government minister, made local government reorganisation a requirement ahead of a York and North Yorkshire devolution bid.

Read more:

In a reflection of the political divide over the future of the county, both sides have started to pump out public statements in an effort to drum up support for their visions.

County council sets out its stall

Recently, the county council has put out statements showing support for its plan from other local authorities and one from the local government minister which said a unitary authority would be “within scope”.

On Tuesday, county council bosses released their latest effort to drum up support for their proposal with an endorsement from Durham County Council chief executive, Terry Collins.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Durham became a single council after scrapping its districts 12 years ago. Mr Collins said such a move for North Yorkshire would work as there is “no other way of operating”.

He added that the council has been able to have “strong and effective localism” through its parish and town councils, who have their own plans and deal with their own priorities.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the endorsement shows that the county council plan would be local and not a remote authority from parts of the county.

He said:

“It will be a far cry from the remote ‘mega council’ portrayed by detractors.

“We welcome Durham’s endorsement of our plan at this time. We know our people and our places, we deliver some of the best services in the country right into people’s homes and on the roads outside their front door and you don’t get more local than that.”

The district’s alternative proposal

But, on the other side of the fence sits the districts who have described the proposal for one council as “unworkable”.

The seven district council leaders launched their own campaign on Yorkshire Day for an alternative plan to the county council and are currently seeking comments from the public.

Read more:

In a letter to businesses in the Harrogate district seen by the Stray Ferret, Cllr Cooper said the proposal for one council would be “bad for business and bad for the economy”.

He added that the move to scrap the borough council would lose the connections with the authority and local business.

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council Richard Cooper.

Cllr Cooper said to business leaders:

“The council has been at the heart of the coronavirus response, working to support business recovery and releasing c£50 million in business grant aid. 

“We were only able to do this quickly and at scale because of our knowledge of our local economy, our close links with local businesses, and our long experience of delivering grass-roots services.

“It is essential that we do not lose these valuable qualities in the coming local government reorganisation, as I hope you agree.”

The battle being fought in public by the two camps will heat up as authority leaders edge closer to the deadline for proposals to be submitted to government in September.

As the devolution “asks, which propose a £2 billion deal for York and North Yorkshire, are also submitted, attention will turn to government which is expected to outline its devolution white paper next month.

Harrogate councillors back £4.5m social housing investment

Councillors have backed a major investment into social housing in Harrogate.

Meeting last night on Zoom, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet gave the green light for the authority to spend £4.5m on 52 properties that are currently being built on Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash.

16 of the homes would be transferred to HBC’s housing company, Bracewell Homes, to be sold under shared ownership, and the rest would be made available for social rent.

Developer Stonebridge Homes has planning permission to build 130 homes at the site with work currently underway. The homes earmarked by HBC for purchase are scheduled for completion in November.

Councillors were told that around 1,500 council homes have been lost in Harrogate town centre since Right to Buy was introduced in 1980 which the Whinney Lane purchase will help mitigate.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing, called the purchase “good news” for HBC.

Cllr Graham Swift, cabinet member for economic development emphasised that HBC’s housing stock has been “significantly” reduced due to Right to Buy sales and the investment would “alleviate some of the demand from social housing that is there.”

HBC says it could recoup between £1.18m and £2.37m from the 16 shared ownership properties, with the council turning a profit on the purchase after at least 13 years thanks to the rental income.

Cllr Chambers said the purchase will help get families off the council home waiting list, which currently stands at 1,249 households.

However, the council’s report into the purchase warned there is “uncertainty” over the medium to long-term future of the housing market as estate agents in the district report a “pent up” demand for housing following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Read more:

In related news, almost 50 Pannal Ash residents met on Sunday at the Squinting Cat pub to “mobilise” against hundreds of new houses proposed for Whinney Lane.

It was organised by Whinney Lane resident Mike Newall who wanted the event to be a “wake-up call” for locals who he said will face years of disruption.

Harrogate shops launch team hampers for Horticap

A group of Harrogate shops on Otley Road has launched a hamper raffle to try and raise £1,000 for Horticap.

Nicola Jones, the owner of Harlow House and Beauty, has organised the raffle along with other shops on the street.

Read more:

All money raised will go towards fitting out Horticap’s new cafe. The charity, which helps adults with learning disabilities, hopes to open it in the next few months.

There are six prizes in total which include vouchers, fruits, beauty treatments, hair treatments and cakes in hampers.

Nicola Jones is the owner at Harlow House of Beauty.

People can buy tickets at £2 a strip from the Wharfedale Fruiterers, Harlow House and Beauty, The Kitchen, The Sandwich Deli and Le Salon.

It has been a difficult few months for Nicola Jones from Harlow House and Beauty after she had to cancel treatments. She told the Stray Ferret:

“The first couple of weeks was great because everyone was desperate to get back and we were approaching August 1 when we were expecting to start with face treatments. But we had a day’s notice to tell us that we actually couldn’t start with those treatments again and we still don’t know what’s happening.”

Harrogate council: Dangerous West Park Stray claims ‘simply ridiculous’

Harrogate Borough Council has defended the restoration of West Park Stray after the Stray Defence Association (SDA) labelled the grounds as dangerous.

The council said it has already removed “tonnes of stones” from the area before yesterday’s opening but there are some that still remain.

It comes after the SDA wrote to the leader of the council to say that the opening was premature and urged them to carry out an immediate inspection.

Read more:

Those calls for an inspection do not seem to have not been answered but the council has now responded to the SDA.

Councillor Andrew Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling said today:

“The suggestion that opening the West Park area of the Stray is dangerous is simply ridiculous. You’ve only got to look at the results this week to see the area is better than before and with the addition of the drainage system it can now be used throughout the year. The large stones have always been on this area of the Stray, we haven’t put them there.”

The councillor also said that the project “has not been taken lightly” and that it has been “months of hard work” with the appointment of a “multi-award winning specialist”.

He added: “Again, I’d like to thank everyone’s patience while we have carried out this work and thank them for the hundreds of positive comments we’ve received in just the last two days.”

Extra £1m bid for Harrogate cycle and walking routes

With this second bid for more than £1m from North Yorkshire County Council, comes accusations that it was not ambitious enough when it bid for the first phase of funding.

3 routes in Harrogate have been put forward for significant improvement: Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 road connecting Starbeck to Knaresborough by Maple Close.

The money is part of the The Department for Transport’s  Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) and will be allocated to the county if it can meet strict criteria.

North Yorkshire County Council representatives said:

“This bid had to meet strict DfT criteria, including a maximum allocation of £1.065 million, being deliverable in this financial year, supporting both cycling and walking and replacing a well-used bus route or enabling roads to be closed to traffic. We believe the five schemes we have put forward, three of which are in the Harrogate area, present a strong submission.”

Read More:

The 2 other listed locations are in Helmsley and Whitby.

The EATF is phase one of a five-year £2 billion sustainable travel scheme announced by the government. Its aim is to create more green and alternative ways of traveling across the UK.

In July, North Yorkshire County Council was disappointed to receive only £133,000 from government, half the potential amount available in the first wave of emergency funding.

Harrogate District Cycling Action said that NYCC lacked ambition:

“It’s disappointing that NYCC has only received 50% of the Tranche 1 amount provisionally allocated to it (which was £266,000). It must be because the plans presented weren’t ambitious enough.

North Yorkshire’s Cabinet member Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access, this time round said :

“The bid had to be prepared quickly, with only about four weeks between receiving the DfT guidance and the deadline.”

There’s no doubt the cycling community in the Harrogate district will be waiting for the outcome of this bid. A date has not been announced for when local authorities will hear if they have been successful with funding. The Department for Transport said they will turn decisions round quickly.

Harrogate district event venues light up in ‘red alert’

The Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate International Festival’s HQ and Ripon Catherdral lit up in red last night as part of a national campaign to highlight the plight of the stricken live entertainment industry.

The “Red Alert” campaign aims to put pressure on the government to give financial support to the industry which has been shut down by the coronavirus lockdown with no clear end in sight.

HIF cancelled its summer season events which has left freelancers working in the sector including artists, events teams, crew and technicians with no work until at least next year.

Harrogate International Festivals chief executive Sharon Canavar warned that without government support the sector could collapse.

She said:

“The impact of COVID-19 has taken our industry to near breaking point, and to support this national campaign, we bathed our Cheltenham Parade base in bright red light – sending an urgent ‘red alert’ to the Government.

“Red is the universal symbol of danger and, as an industry, we are in danger of ceasing to exist!

“It’s an urgent SOS that without support, the arts will not survive.”

Harrogate Convention Centre tweeted its support for the campaign.

Tonight we are showing our support for all the UK’s live event venues #LightItInRed and the amazing staff, suppliers and freelancers in our sector who deliver the live events we love #WeMakeEvents pic.twitter.com/dMXhvuT4rJ

— Harrogate Convention Centre (@HgtConventions) August 11, 2020

Read more:

Ripon Cathedral

Harrogate Theatre said they would not be lighting up in red “at a later date” due to concerns over health and safety.

Chief executive David Bown said:

“Of course we want to support the campaign it’s keeping the plight of theatres in people’s consciousness -our technicians are looking into it. The movement is to remind people of what is happening and the impact on the industry.

“It’s the health and safety that we have to be careful with, leaving lights on when no-one is in the building.”

The government said it has launched a £1.57 billion support package for the arts with applications for funding still open.

A government spokesperson said:

“Our £1.57 billion support package is the biggest ever one-off cash injection in UK culture to secure the future of the performing arts and live events, protect jobs in the industry and ensure work continues to flow to freelancers. Throughout this crisis, we have worked with urgency to support the arts and we are committed to delivering this funding quickly and fairly to organisations across the country.”

Harrogate and Ripon cafes win Tripadvisor awards

Two cafes in Harrogate and Ripon have earned a coronavirus lockdown boost with new accolades and a Tripadvisor Award.

Caffe Tempo was started by Tina Whincup and her husband Mike, 21 years ago with a mobile unit on Ripon Market  – just a matter of yards away from its current home, The Arcade, where the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award will be on display.

Tina, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been a difficult year and I was determined that I wasn’t going to let the business we have built up over more than 20 years disappear because of coronavirus.”

The long lockdown days, when customers were not allowed to take their usual seats inside or out, saw early morning starts and late finishes, as Tina turned Caffe Tempo into an order and collect service.

She made brownies, scones, cakes, pastries and other bakery goods, which could be pre-ordered and then left outside her shop door for collection.

This was supplemented by a local home delivery service for customers in self-isolation.

Thug Sandwich in Harrogate also won the Tripadvisor Award.

Read more:

Thug Sandwich Co on Albert Street in Harrogate also celebrating after winning the Tripadvisor Award which means they are also in the top 10% in the world.

After the challenging days caused by covid-19, the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award is a cherry on the cake. It is based on customer comments and the number of top ratings that businesses receive.