Court orders Harrogate builder James Moss to pay £11,000

A court has ordered Harrogate builder James Moss to pay £11,495 to a woman who was unhappy about the quality of his work.

The Harrogate Justice Centre held a virtual hearing yesterday with claimant Anna McIntyre, which Mr Moss failed to attend.

District judge Helen Wood said at the hearing:

“I understand that you have limited your claim to £10,000 to get this small claims court hearing and that it would cost £22,705 to put this right.

“I have no difficulty giving you what you have asked for. As well as the £10,000 for your claim I can give you £745 for your court fees and £750 for your expert fees.

“The company has filed a counter claim without any supporting documents so I am striking that out.”

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The judge added enforcement of the claim was “a different matter”.

In a separate case last month, Harrogate Justice Centre adjourned another civil claim against Mr Moss after he told the court he was self-isolating.

Karen Macgillvray-Fallis claimed £9,996 through the small claims court, which is close to the maximum threshold of £10,000.

The court said Ms Macgillvray-Fallis’s case would be held in January but it has yet to be heard.

Harrogate BID votes in new chair

Harrogate BID has elected a new chair for the next 12 months, with a unanimous vote in a virtual meeting.

Sara Ferguson, who co-owns Sasso and Caffe Marconi, had been the acting-chair since last May.

She stepped up into the role when former chair Bob Kennedy resigned along with three directors in April last year.

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As well as the appointment of Sara Ferguson as the chair, six new directors have joined the board.

Bokmun Chan, Studley Hotel & Orchid Restaurant, Nick Hubbert, Hoopers, Dan Siddle, the Crown Hotel, and Wayne Topley, Cedar Court Hotel have just joined.

Jim Mossman, Cold Bath Brewing Co, and Lesley Wild, Bettys, have been co-opted members since last summer.

Existing board member Richard Wheeldon, Berwins Solicitors, has taken on the position of Harrogate BID deputy chair.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“I’d like to thank my fellow directors for placing their faith and trust me for the coming 12 months, and I’m proud to become Harrogate BID’s chair.

“I’m also delighted Richard Wheeldon, who has been involved with Harrogate BID since its inception, has agreed to become deputy chair.

“In officially welcoming the new board members, who bring with them a wealth of business experience, I’d like to thank those directors who stood down at the AGM, for their contribution over what was an exceptional 12 months in many ways.”

Harrogate district trains and buses to run reduced timetable

Trains and buses in the Harrogate district are operating reduced timetables during the third national lockdown.

Northern announced yesterday it will begin its new timetable on Monday, with the company warning there will be fewer trains.

From Monday there will be 30 daily departures from Harrogate to Leeds on Monday to Friday, compared to 38 before the new timetable.

Tricia Williams, the chief operating officer at Northern, said:

“We will focus on delivering services during the morning and evening peaks so those who need to travel can get to where they’re needed and have the space to maintain social distancing.”

“We’re therefore calling on people to check carefully before they travel and behave responsibly on our trains.”

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The Harrogate Bus Company started its new timetable on Sunday and said it will run eight out of 10 journeys. The following applies:

(The 1) Harrogate to Knaresborough:

(2A) Harrogate to Bilton and Dene Park:

(2B) Harrogate to Bilton and The Knox:

(3) Harrogate to Jennyfield:

(6/X6) Harrogate to Pannal Ash:

(7) Harrogate to Wetherby and Leeds:

(36) Ripon to Harrogate and Leeds:

The Harrogate Bus Company’s chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“Our message to our customers is that we are still very much here for you – our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, just as they have always been throughout the pandemic.

“We know from experience that our buses provide a vital service for key workers and others who depend on us to reach essential shops and services.”

Staff let go as Harrogate Debenhams will not reopen

Debenhams has announced today that its store on Parliament Street in Harrogate will not reopen and staff will therefore lose their jobs.

It marks the end of the department’s store’s long history in Harrogate.

Debenhams had planned to reopen all of its stores to sell off stock but has changed its plans in light of the third national lockdown.

Harrogate is one of six sites where the company has been unable to agree a lease extension and its store will therefore close.

A total of 320 staff across the six sites will lose their jobs. The Stray Ferret has asked Debenhams how many staff are affected in Harrogate but had no response.

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Debenhams announced on December 1 that it would wind the business down after entering administration in April.

FRP Advisory, the administrator for Debenhams, said it was continuing to engage with third parties about the sale of all or parts of the business.

Geoff Rowley, a joint administrator to Debenhams and partner at FRP Advisory, said:

“We continue to engage with interested parties over alternative proposals for the future of Debenhams.

“Inevitably the latest lockdown has had an effect on our plans for the wind-down of the business.

“We regret the impact on those colleagues affected by today’s announcement.

“We would like to thank all those who continue to keep the business trading in very difficult circumstances.”

Coronavirus surge forces Harrogate hospital to postpone surgeries

Harrogate District Hospital has announced it is to postpone some non-emergency surgeries to free up space and staff to deal with coronavirus patients.

There are currently 46 coronavirus inpatients in the hospital — more than double the figure of 19 just a week ago.

The hospital has said previously it has the capacity to care for up to 100 coronavirus patients. But this is only possible if the hospital frees non-covid wards.

It is not clear yet how many appointments will be affected by the news.

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Tim Gold, the chief operating officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“Clearly, this past week has seen a very significant increase of people needing inpatient care.

“This is placing a significant strain on services at the trust.

“In response to rising numbers we are increasing the number of beds available for patients with covid on wards and in critical care.

“We will be continuing to provide urgent and cancer care during this time.”

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, the executive medical director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The trust and the wider NHS remains open to all who need us. My colleagues here at the trust are working extremely hard to ensure your safety is paramount.

“The vaccine means there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we have still have some way to go.

“We know these next week few weeks will be very tough, it impacts on all of us here as people.”

M&S buyout set to bring closure of Harrogate Jaeger store

Marks & Spencer’s buyout of Jaeger is expected to lead to the permanent closure of the fashion brand’s remaining stores, including the one in Harrogate.

M&S workers were seen this afternoon clearing stock from the Jaeger store on Cambridge Crescent and removing objects from the windows.

The future of the Harrogate store has been uncertain since November, when Jaeger and its sister company Peacocks went into administration.

Other brands have been in talks with Jaeger’s administrators for months but no deal had been reached.

The deal with M&S is still being finalised but is expected to include Jaeger’s intellectual property and not its 63 stores, leaving jobs at risk.

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M&S did not confirm, when questioned by the Stray Ferret, whether its deal would save Jaeger’s existing stores.

In a M&S statement, Richard Price, managing director of M&S clothing and home, said:

“We have set out our plans to sell complementary third party brands as part of our Never the Same Again programme to accelerate our transformation and turbocharge online growth.

“In line with this, we have bought the Jaeger brand and are in the final stages of agreeing the purchase of product and supporting marketing assets.

“We expect to fully complete later this month.”

 

Harrogate homeless units still not used this winter

Harrogate Borough Council’s temporary accommodation units for homeless people have still not been needed this winter, despite heavy snow and ice over the weekend.

The four yellow units were installed in Harrogate’s Tower Street car park at the start of last month.

Councils are obliged to provide accommodation for rough sleepers under the severe weather emergency protocol.

The protocol is usually activated by sub-zero temperatures but other forms of extreme weather, such as high winds, heavy rain and heatwaves can also trigger it.

A council spokesman told the Stray Ferret:

“The units have not been used because they were only ever there as a back-up, or perhaps to provide immediate shelter for someone presenting homeless at 2am, when sorting an alternative would be a challenge.

“We’ve not needed them as a back-up and no-one has required emergency help at 2am. It’s a positive that they have only ever been on standby.”

Some people have raised concerns about the suitability of the units for people but the council has defended their use and highlighted the fact they are heated and insulated.

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Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, told the Stray Ferret last month the units were “comfortable and appropriate for someone who needs some shelter for a couple of nights”, adding:

“Each of the shelters has windows, heaters and toilets. We have several hostels and we are an exemplar council for looking after homeless people.”

New government guidance this year warned of the dangers of coronavirus in night shelters. It also asked local authorities to consider “self-contained accommodation options”.

No plans to close Valley Gardens amid concern over gatherings

Harrogate Borough Council has said it has no plans to close the open spaces it manages amid concerns about the number of people using them.

City of York Council closed Rowntree Park on Saturday after police and council officers received reports of groups gathering, in contravention of social distancing rules.

Government ministers have also urged people only to visit parks to exercise.

Some claimed on social media that people in Harrogate also broke social distancing rules over the weekend when they were enjoying the snow in Valley Gardens.

However, a Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“We’ve not had reports of people mixing against the rules. As you know enforcement of the law is an issue for the police rather than us.

“There are no plans to close, or restrict access to, the open spaces we manage.”

We also asked Yorkshire Water, which manages Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs whether it had any plans to restrict access but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Update – A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water has since sent the following statement:

“Currently our car parks remain open but we are continually reviewing in line with the most recent Government advice.

“We would urge anyone thinking of visiting our reservoirs during lockdown to follow Government advice and stay local to their area.”

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the government press conference yesterday:

“People should only be meeting with one other person. We have seen some large groups mixing. We do not want to change the rules, it can be the only contact for some.

“It is OK to go for a walk with one other person if you stay two metres apart. Just don’t say you are exercising when you are socialising.”

More snow warnings for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district is bracing itself for yet more travel disruption after the Met Office today issued another weather warning for snow.

Snow has just melted around the district but could make a comeback as early as Wednesday as today’s milder weather, which reached eight degrees centigrade, makes way for much colder temperatures of around freezing.

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A Met Office yellow warning for ice is in place tonight and another yellow warning for snow has been issued from 5am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

The Met Office said:

“There is a chance of a period of heavy snow across this region; should it occur it is likely to cause significant travel disruption.

“There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel

“There is a slight chance that some rural communities, mainly those at higher elevations, could become cut off.

“There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.”

Heavy snow caused significant disruption and chaos on the roads and for schools on Friday and Saturday.

Snow started falling at about 8am on Friday and did not stop in some places until after sunset.

North Yorkshire County Council’s gritting teams will be out in the Harrogate district tonight and tomorrow.

Bettys to close shops and takeaways ‘until further notice’

Bettys is to close all six of its branches at 5pm tonight because of concerns about the rising number of covid infections.

The closure will also affect its order and collect service as well as takeaways and will be in force until further notice.

Bettys online shop will remain open.

The cafe’s tea rooms were forced to close at the beginning of the third lockdown but management today announced the new measures.

Simon Eyles, Bettys managing director, said:

“Given the severity of the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently witnessing, Bettys has decided to close its Yorkshire branches completely. This means our café tea rooms and now our shops too will be shut until further notice.

“For us all at Bettys, our colleagues, customers and communities are our main priority. We will continue to do what we feel is right to keep people safe and to shoulder our social responsibility as a business.”

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