Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has told Parliament visits to care homes should be allowed.

Speaking in a Covid debate yesterday, Mr Jones said several constituents “desperate to see their loved ones” had raised concerns about current restrictions with him.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate woman Judy Bass had joined a group called Rights for Residents that campaigns against restrictions.

Mr Jones said Ms Bass, along with Dr Joanne Ridpath, Helen Owens, Anna McIntee and others had raised the matter.

Mr Jones said:

“These families are just desperate to see their loved ones and have truly heartbreaking stories.

“Balancing wellbeing and isolation is very difficult but the emotional consequences of no visits are absolutely profound.”

North Yorkshire County Council this week advised care homes in the county to end routine visits in October. Thousands more care homes nationally are also forbidding visits.

Read more:

• Andrew Jones MP enters devolution debate
• Harrogate care homes urged to end routine visits in October

The Conservative MP suggested visits could be allowed through glass or windows.

“While this is impersonal, it is clearly better for people to see their loved ones than not.

“Perhaps designated very close family members in limited numbers could be given staff status, which would allow them access to testing and could then allow a degree of home access.

“Nobody is suggesting an open-door policy, but right now, the restrictions are profound.

“The capacity for residents to understand what is going on and why they cannot see their loved ones is almost inevitably limited, yet the need to see their loved ones is so important.’

Mr Jones also said told the debate that civil liberties were being compromised during Covid and decisions needed parliamentary scrutiny. Some backbench Tory MPs have expressed similar concerns. He said:

“A transparent approach to the science and decision making is necessary to ensure that we take people with us. If we do, and if they understand why a decision has been taken, I think we will see greater compliance, allowing people to resume their lives safely.”

A comedy night, which raised £13,000 last year for a fund set up in memory of a 14-year-old Harrogate schoolboy, will be staged online this year.

Frank Ashton’s family set up Frank’s Fund to raise awareness and funds for Ewing’s sarcoma, which is a rare form of bone cancer,

A comedy night at St Aidan’s school in Harrogate last year raised over £13,000 for the fund, which has achieved total donations of £158,000 so far.

The comedian Maisie Adam, who like Frank attended St Aidan’s, performed at the event and is a patron of the charity. This year’s online event is set to go ahead before the end of the year although a date has yet to be confirmed.

The charity has missed several fundraising events this year due to Covid.

Supporters have found other ways to raise funds, such as running a marathon throughout the month of September.

Maisie Adam, who is among those running marathons, said:

“It’s all about keeping Frank at the forefront of people’s minds. I am devastated the plan isn’t going ahead in Harrogate.”

Maisie is one of several people running a marathon this month to raise money for Frank’s Fund.

She added:

“What shocked me in particular is just how underfunded Ewing’s sarcoma is. Everyone assumes when money is donated to big charities it is distributed evenly but it definitely isn’t.

With Frank’s Fund, all of the money goes to research for this disease.”

To support Maisie’s marathon, click here.

Read more:

• An ice cream shop in Knaresborough has been doing its bit to raise money for Frank’s Fund. 
• Women, from Harrogate and Knaresborough, will swim the English channel for charity. 

A “substantial” cash reward is being offered by the owner of two motorbikes stolen from a home in Harrogate last month.

The two Triumph motorbikes were taken from Firs Drive between 10pm and midnight on August 19.

Police believe the bikes were ridden away towards the Leeds area. They had the number plates AV52 KWS and WX56 EKY, but these are likely to have been changed since the theft.

The 52-plate bike had damage to its front right fairing and a messy fibreglass weld running through it, as well as a crack to the rear left seat fairing.

Read more:

• Police release footage of high speed chase through Knaresborough
• Arrests after heroin and crack cocaine seized in Harrogate

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for information about a Ford Focus seen in the area around the time and any sightings or adverts of the bikes for sale.

“The owner of the bikes is offering a substantial cash reward for information given to the police which results in the safe return of both bikes.”

Anyone with information that could help the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two, and ask for James Skaith. You can also email James.Skaith@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200144624.

Nidec SR Drives will relocate across Harrogate from its current premises on Otley Road to Hornbeam Park.

The company, which is part of the Japanese electric motors firm Nidec, has signed a long-term lease on an 8,184 square foot unit at Hornbeam Park.

It will be adding additional offices, lab space and upgrading the power supply.

The company employs 18 people in Harrogate. It has been at its Otley Road site since 1996 after relocating from Leeds.

Paul Rawlins, financial director at Nidec, said:

“It’s a perfect location for the business to relocate to due to its close proximity to our existing workforce.”

Read more:

• Harrogate council to hand back up to £530,000 in business grants

• Harrogate BID aims to bring town centre businesses together

A Harrogate mum lost £100 on a deposit for a Labrador puppy that she later discovered didn’t actually exist.

Jade Lockyer initially wanted a mobility support dog for her daughter Lacey, seven, who has spina bifida.

However, after struggling to find one she decided to get her daughter a puppy that could then be trained.

Ms Lockyer found an advert on the website Pets4Homes for puppies for £1,000, which she thought was a good price.

Read more:

• Family heartbreak over dog poisoning in Pateley Bridge
• Harrogate dog rescue worried about post-lockdown pets

A picture Jade received from the seller over WhatsApp

The seller said she was in Wakefield and when Ms Lockyer inquired she was told there was only one puppy left –  a golden female. She agreed to buy it, subject to viewing. She added:

“She said that I had to pay a deposit otherwise the puppy would go, as they are in such high demand at the moment.

“I didn’t feel too happy about this but my daughter had fallen in love with the photos and the woman really reassured me on the phone. She wanted £250 but we agreed on £100. I paid it and then asked for some more videos as we were so excited. She went very quiet on me and then when she did send a video, I just sensed something fishy.

“My daughter looked on YouTube and the same video was on there from 13 years ago. As soon as I asked her about it she blocked me.”

Lacey was “devastated” when she was given the news, said Ms Lockyer:

“She had named her and everything. Thinking back I actually think the scammer played up to the fact that my daughter was disabled, as I had told her all about what we wanted the puppy for and she knew how badly we wanted one.”

Miss Mollies Rescue charity said puppy scams were increasing due to covid.

Jeanne Thompson owner of the Harrogate dog rescue charity Miss Mollies Rescue, said covid had caused an increase in puppy scams. She added:

“It has risen because people are at home with more time on their hands, decide to get a puppy and there are not enough puppies to match the demand, so scammers are trying to profit on this.”

Ms Thompson advised potential owners:

• Don’t part with any money until you take the puppy home.
• Make sure the puppy is with its mother when you view.
• Remember that anyone who asks for a deposit upfront is probably a scammer

She added:

 “Most of the puppy scammers don’t actually have the puppies but the ones that do actually exist are being brought over from Ireland and abroad, so make sure the mother is there.”

With coronavirus cases set to rise this winter, the charity is urging puppy buyers to be vigilant.

A Pets4Homes spokesperson said more than seven million users looked for a pet on its website each month and it had the most rigorous systems in place of any comparable marketplace in the UK.

The spokesperson added:

“Pets4Homes has a zero tolerance approach to the unethical sale of animals and to any individuals behaving inappropriately.

“More than 225,000 animals were rehomed through Pets4Homes between June and August, and of the 0.1% of issues (concerning various matters) that were raised with its trust and safety team during this time, following investigation, there has not been a single confirmed report of puppy farming.”

This week marks one year since the end of the UCI World Championships and the serious damage to West Park Stray.

It has taken almost a year for it to turn green again. Harrogate Borough Council said as the repair works began that West Park Stray would “return to its former glory” – however the Stray Defence Association (SDA) has said it believes the work has not fully repaired the damage and said it remains “dangerous” with surface stones and ruts.

West Park Stray: A year at a glance

• UCI World Championships – September 2019
• West Park Stray pictured as a quagmire – October 2019
• Partial recovery but problems remain – March 2020
• Heavy machinery moves in to work – May 2020
• Green shoots of hope – July 2020
• West Park Stray opens to public after 316 days – August 2020
• Debate rumbles on about West Park Stray – September 2020

A year to forget on West Park Stray.

When restrictions were lifted for the UCI Championships to be held, the council was given a legal duty to return the Stray to how it was before the event.

The council said it would spend £130,000 on the restoration and outsourced the work to Lancashire-based contractors Glendale Services.

Yorkshire 2019, the organisers of the UCI World Cycling Championships, agreed to pay £35,500 to help restore the Stray.

A 20-year-old man and 16-year-old boy were arrested in Harrogate on Saturday after being found carrying large quantities of class A drugs.

North Yorkshire Police said the pair were seen acting suspiciously in the Library Gardens area of town.

Officers from the force’s Operation Expedite team, which tackles drug crime, stopped the males.

A large quantity of suspected heroin and crack cocaine was seized and the pair were arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

The 20-year-old was later released on bail and the 16-year-old released while under investigation. The police said enquiries are continuing.

This arrest was part of North Yorkshire Police’s attempts to disrupt county lines drug dealing.

The drugs found on the pair were suspected class A drugs.

Read more:

• The police have released footage of a high speed chase through Knaresborough. 
• During its week-long crackdown on county lines activities North Yorkshire Police made 15 arrests and visited 64 vulnerable people. 

County lines dealing is when dealers travel from outside the county to bring drugs into its towns. Vulnerable and young people are often forced to sell the drugs.

To report information of drug dealing in the area, call North Yorkshire Police on 101. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or contact them online here.

Care homes in Harrogate have been advised to halt routine visits throughout October to protect residents from covid.

North Yorkshire County Council director of health and adult services Richard Webb has written to every care provider in the county asking them to introduce the restriction from Thursday due to rising coronavirus infection rates.

Mr Webb recommended that families and friends visiting residents at the end of their lives should still be allowed to do so.

A similar restriction was brought in earlier this month for seven days.

Mr Webb tweeted:

“This is a step I was very reluctant to take but against a backdrop of rising community infection rates, we need to act now.”

Read more:

• Care home visits to be restricted across Harrogate

• Boroughbridge Community Care calls for more volunteers and funding

Mr Webb said in future he would like care homes to operate a nominated visitor scheme whereby a named visitor gets tested regularly so they can continue visiting.

However, he said national problems with testing availability “make that unrealistic at the moment”.

Mr Webb added on Twitter:

“We will look at alternative options to see what we can do to help providers find a better way forward. Balancing #Covid protection versus residents’ #mentalhealth is one of the toughest dilemmas.”

Mike Padgham, chair of the provider organisation The Independent Care Group, said:

“It is regrettable that home visits have to stop but we have to do everything we can, with North Yorkshire County Council, to prevent the spread of coronavirus to the older and vulnerable people we care for.”

A week of free digital events for businesses across the Harrogate district gets under way today.

Harrogate Digital will cover digital connectivity, sustainability of data and how to grow a start-up during lockdown. It concludes with a round-table discussion about ways to grow the tech community in the Harrogate district.

The events form part of the wider Leeds Digital Festival, which began last week.

Harrogate Digital has previously run face-to-face events, but decided to move online to enable more people to attend and avoid coronavirus restrictions. All events are free and can be booked via the Harrogate Digital website.

The events have been organised by Harrogate Borough Council’s SME growth manager Alistair Forbes, along with Martin Whincup from Berwins, and tech entrepreneur and mentor Sanjay Parekh.

Read more: 

• Harrogate hospitality businesses welcome Chancellor’s winter support
• Second lockdown would see Harrogate businesses face battle to survive, says chamber

The week will also see the launch of Co-Lab, a new incubator hub being run by Harrogate Borough Council from Springfield House. While use of the offices has been delayed by covid, support is being offered to new and growing businesses in the tech and digital sector.

Mr Forbes said there is already evidence that new businesses are being formed during lockdown and people are using their time creatively.

“We have had all sorts of different enquiries and ideas come forward from existing businesses I was already working with for new businesses or divisions.

“There are also people who have been made redundant from previous roles and want to start up a new tech-related business. That appears to be as strong as ever.

“Harrogate has been well-known as a place to start a business even if it’s based from home, but there has been a resurgence over the summer in terms of people with new ideas and starting businesses.”

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

Something different this week from me this week.  A bit of a manifesto actually.

Having spent the last two weekends in the company of my adult daughters, I’m struck by the uncertainties they now face.  When covid struck, Daughter 1 was furloughed; then, when it was realised that her employment had commenced too late to participate in the scheme, she was placed on 50% salary. And then, perhaps inevitably, she was made redundant.  In the past month she has applied for more than 100 jobs, but to no avail; I suspect her experience is no different from that of hundreds of thousands of young people across the country.

Daughter 2 is now well into her third year of drama school; a middle-class child at a private university.  She’s a worker (her father is from mill working stock) and earns money in her spare time working behind the bar at a pub.  I’m afraid she’d better get used to it. As things currently stand, little opportunity for graduates is afforded by the arts and culture sector.  In common with so many others, her sector is in crisis.

As a parent, I encourage, I console and I subsidise.

So, instead of sounding off from the cheap seats about the actions and intentions of others I feel compelled to set down some of my own views, such as they are, about how, in the age of covid, we need to think about repairing and renewing ourselves, each other and our society.  And make no mistake, the economic and knock on social consequences of the pandemic will last at least a generation.  We are emphatically not “post” covid and we won’t be for a very long time.

My view is that we need to take this time to think on and think deep, to re-examine the beliefs we have lived by heretofore and to ask ourselves whether or not they are fit for purpose, let alone fit to create a world we would want for our children and theirs.

My daughters, and yours, face a new reality.  Their vista is nowhere near as pretty and compelling as my own was, thirty years ago.  Surely we have a responsibility to ask ourselves what can we do to make things better for them?

In this column I want to outline three broad subject areas – inclusive growth, health and wellbeing and justice – to which I’ll return in future weeks, to explore in more detail and to place in local context.  Additionally, in the age of the NHS Test & Trace App, I will touch on the dangers of the disruption caused by data and technology, if its benefits for capital are not balanced by a consideration for people.  Technology is here, let’s give it a purpose.

So, for the record, I believe a good and prosperous society is one where economic growth is not, de facto, good.  Inclusive economic growth – in which people can participate and engage actively in meaningful work, benefit fully from the fruits of that work,  and be valued by both employer and government, with true agency in their economic and social relationships – builds better communities. Communities that thrive, rather than simply grow.

I believe that good health and wellbeing for people and children is a right to enjoy; governments and business are responsible for that achievement. Those rights bring responsibilities, so people must play their full part in looking after themselves.  If covid has taught us anything, we must cherish our NHS, it’s our first and foremost democratic privilege. It is not simply an entitlement.

And I believe that justice should be available equally and for all, unconstrained by means, social standing or personal health histories. In turn, people have a responsibility to do the right thing.  During lockdown most of us behaved properly (most of the time).  Now, as we begin to feel the vice grip of restriction tighten on our movements and liberty; behavioural compliance is slipping – part fatigue, part defiance, on any view, wrong.

As we seek to build a good society, technology, data and artificial Intelligence are revolutionising democracy, the work of government, public service provision, human relationships and community fabric (whether these are ‘place-based’ or ‘of interest’). Further, data and technology are revolutionising traditional business models, their fundamental economics and the value-exchange (what we each get from the deal) they provide with consumers like you and me.

At the moment, technology is being harnessed almost exclusively for the good of capital.  This balance needs to change; because technology offers us opportunities to make things better for all by connecting people through technology to tackle social exclusion blight, solitude and unwarranted loneliness; by using data insights and understanding  to strengthen the human “ties that bind” people together in community; and by promoting data rights and agency to empower people in our new digital economy and in their relationship with government.

I could be wrong. I often am. But if we don’t anchor our values and the way we behave in new modes of thinking, the future looks bleak indeed.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Next Sunday Paul will be taking a break –  Strayside Sunday will return on October 11th. 

Read More:

• Strayside Sunday: Covid testing should be handled locally
• Local MP supports chancellor’s latest steps but the Lib Dems say it’s “too little, too late”