Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 977 of 1071

Out-of-work benefit claims rise slightly in Harrogate district

There has been a slight rise in the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district.

In August, there were 3,970 people claiming out-of-work benefits, up slightly from 3,885 in July. Of those, 2,270 were men and 1,705 were women.

The figures were published today by the Office for National Statistics and are accurate up to August 13. They reveal that 4.2% of the district’s population was claiming out-of-work benefits, a rise from 4.1% in the previous month.

Harrogate is below the UK-wide figure of 6.5% for people claiming the benefits, which includes Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit.

The numbers for benefit claims in the district have remained stable all summer, with the government’s furlough scheme used for more than 15,000 jobs in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

However, Harrogate’s Citizens Advice Bureau told the Stray Ferret they are “bracing themselves” for a sharp rise in unemployment in the town when the furlough scheme closes at the end of October.

Coronavirus test error could delay Harrogate man’s surgery

A Harrogate man fears a problem with the NHS coronavirus test booking website could delay his surgery.

Terry Jones needs to test negative for coronavirus before he can be admitted to hospital but so far he has been unable to secure a test.

Mr Jones is not exhibiting any coronavirus symptoms but there is no option on the site to book a test because a clinician asks you to do so.

Mr Jones, who asked for details of his surgery to remain private, told the Stray Ferret:

“I could lie on the form but I don’t know how that could impact my treatment going forward if I said I have coronavirus symptoms. I hope that it does not delay my surgery. There will be tens of thousands more people just like me.”

There is no “my clinician has asked me to get a test” option.

Mr Jones said the NHS site had recently removed the “a clinician has asked me to get a test” option as well as the option to book a test before going on holiday.

The Stray Ferret took his concerns to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). A spokesperson said:

“We have always been clear if you have symptoms of coronavirus, or are asked by a clinician or local authority to get a test then you should apply for one.

“We are seeing a significant demand for tests. That’s why we have simplified the booking process.”

The DHSC did not commit to reviewing the booking website to give users the option of saying their clinician had recommended they book a test.

It comes shortly after one Harrogate mum was informed by the coronavirus test website she had to drive to Oldham next month for a test.

Summerbridge author’s new book raises money for cancer charity

A Summerbridge man has written a children’s book during lockdown to raise money for children’s cancer charity Candlelighters.

The author, Joe Bothamley, connected with the charity after wanting to do some fundraising following his father’s cancer diagnosis.

His parents suggested Candlelighters, which works with children and families dealing with cancer in Yorkshire.

The main message of the book, called The Secret of Hartwith Hill, is the value of community. The author was inspired by the new-found community spirit he saw during lockdown.

Joe said:

“The idea came at a time when my daughter wasn’t getting into the bath and I was making up stories to distract her. I wanted to raise money for a cancer charity after my dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The response has been incredible – we raised £1,800 in the first three days and it’s continuing to grow momentum.

“The work Candlelighters do is incredible; the decisions those families are making each day are unthinkable. I just hope the momentum continues to grow and we can raise more for them.”

The author hopes he can continue to raise money for the Yorkshire-based charity.

This is Joe’s first book and was written while he was off work during lockdown.

Today is the first day the books are being sent out. The author hopes the fundraising can continue as he returns to his job as a painter and decorator.

The head of fundraising and marketing for Candlelighters, Leanne Windell, said:

“We’re touched that Joe has chosen to support Candlelighters in such a lovely and unique way. The coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on our fundraising and we expect to lose £865,000 this year.

“It has been an incredibly difficult time for families affected by childhood cancer and it is crucial that, no matter what, we continue to support them, to ensure they are not facing these challenging times alone. Joe has made such a vital contribution to this effort and we are very thankful.”

To buy the book and support Candlelighters, click here.

More than 2,000 call for council to leave tables outside Harrogate bars

Two Harrogate bars are fighting back against the council’s threat to remove their outside tables and chairs with a week’s notice.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to reverse its decision.

Simon and Sharon Colgan run both The Blues Bar and The Empress, and took advantage of the relaxed rules on outdoor dining in recent months.

Now, the council said it will remove any tables and chairs left on the grass after this Thursday. It raised fears that Stray land could be damaged when the weather changes.

Dozens of messages of support were posted after the Stray Ferret shared the news that the outdoor chairs and tables would have to be removed.

Sharon said she has around 2,000 signatures behind the bar and nearly 600 on the change.org website over the weekend. The website reads:

“Please sign a petition to keep the tables and chairs outside The Blues Bar and The Empress. The area has allowed us to keep our patrons safe and our staff employed. Without this space we won’t be able to attract the number of customers we need to keep our staff employed.”

Simon and Sharon Colgan are the owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress.

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:

“Given the time of year and the impending bad weather, we are now asking all businesses who have been using Stray land for tables and chairs to remove them. This is to prevent damage to the Stray and also reduce the risk of injury should it become wet and muddy.”

The owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress have said that they would contribute towards maintenance of the Stray if it became an issue. They are meeting with council officers later in the week to discuss the situation.

North Yorkshire County Council had previously said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for al fresco dining.

No covid marshals patrolling Harrogate’s streets

Harrogate Borough Council has yet to recruit any covid marshals, the authority revealed today.

The government’s new ‘rule of six’ came into force today, forbidding social gatherings of more than six people except in certain circumstances.

Ministers have called for local councils to recruit teams of marshals to monitor compliance.

But many local authorities, including HBC, have yet to do so, saying they need more details about the role and funding.

A council spokesman said:

“The government hasn’t published any guidance to local authorities about the role of the marshals, the powers they will have nor how contact tracing at hospitality businesses will be enforced.

“Until we’ve had the detail, we can’t plan for how marshals may be used in the district.”

Nesil Caliskan, chair of the Local Government Association’s safer and stronger communities board, said the government’s announcement had caused confusion among local authorities and called for “urgent clarity” from ministers.

Ms Caliskan added:

“It is right that councils will be able to choose whether marshals are the best way to manage covid risks in their local areas.

“However, without additional funding to support this proposal, many councils are likely to have to prioritise other activity.

“Even if marshals were rolled out in great numbers, they will not have enforcement powers so it is important that residents do not expect councils to be able to act when they cannot.”

Police warning

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham, silver lead for the North Yorkshire Police covid response, urged people to take personal responsibility for following government guidance. She added that breaches of the regulations should be reported using the online form on North Yorkshire Police’s website.

Ms Bloxham warned, however, that demand for police services was now back at pre-covid levels. She said:

“We will continue to follow our usual approach of engaging, explaining and encouraging people to act responsibly and only resorting to enforcement when absolutely necessary. “

Head appointed to lead new Harrogate district tourism body

A new head of destination management has been appointed by Harrogate Borough Council.

Gemma Rio will create a new destination management organisation (DMO) for the Harrogate district, driving tourism among both leisure and business visitors.

The DMO will bring together Visit Harrogate, Harrogate Convention Centre’s marketing team, and the district’s tourist information centres. It will work with other public and business organisations including HBC, Harrogate BID and Think Harrogate, as well as sector-specific groups including Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association.

Gemma Rio, Harrogate Borough Council’s new head of destination marketing

Ms Rio, who joins HBC from Tees Valley Combined Authority, will take up the new role in early October. She said:

“The Harrogate district is home to some genuinely excellent visitor experiences and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to establish its new destination management organisation to ensure those experiences attract more and more high-spending visitors.

“This is undoubtedly a challenging time for the visitor economy but there are already promising signs of recovery in the Harrogate district, with the Visit Harrogate website seeing record web traffic in recent months.

“I’m looking forward to supporting the sector in navigating these uncertain times, maximising the opportunity in increased domestic travel, and preparing for what we hope will be a robust 2021 spring/summer season.”

‘Not financially sustainable’

Visit Harrogate was established in 2013 as the district’s first DMO, funded through HBC as well as selling private advertising space on its website and brochures. In a report to HBC’s cabinet in September 2019, it was recommended to create a new DMO combining its functions with others including marketing of HCC, operating Tourism Information Centres and more. The report said:

“To maintain the current structures for Destination Marketing and Visitor Services is not recommended. There is a need to streamline and update the Tourist Information Centres, the Convention Centre future business strategy requires the development of a convention bureau and the current Visit Harrogate model is not financially sustainable.”

Ms Rio’s experience at Tees Valley included establishing the area’s first destination marketing service in more than seven years, as well as successfully bidding for a significant group game of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. She has also developed a covid recovery programme for the Tees Valley visitor economy.

Prior to working in the North East, she worked at a senior level in an Australian economic development and destination management organisation. She also had roles in bringing business and leisure events to Townsville, North Queensland, to increase visitor expenditure in the area.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:

“Gemma will bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience having held leadership posts in destination marketing in Townsville Australia and as tourism manager at Tees Valley Combined Authority.

“I am sure the whole district will join me in welcoming Gemma and wish her every success here in Harrogate.”

A spokesperson from Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association said:

“Gemma’s appointment recognises the importance of a strong destination strategy for Harrogate district and can only be good news for the district’s hospitality sector, especially in the current economic climate.”

New six person rule forces Harrogate family to cancel plans again

A Harrogate family who delayed a series of celebrations during lockdown have had their plans dashed once again.

The Wood family had three children’s birthdays and one new baby to celebrate during covid, but were unable to do so and decided to mark them all together later this month.

However, the new six-person rule has forced the cancellation of events planned previously when limits were set at 30 people – leaving the Woods disappointed again. As a family of six, they are unable to meet up with anyone under the new restrictions.

Mum Rosie, who gave birth to their youngest during lockdown, said:

“The family were very disappointed at not being able to share the joy physically that a new baby brings. There was lot of concern over the baby’s health and size, which also caused concern. Thankfully everything is well, but as you can imagine it was a worrying time.

“We’ve had to cancel our birthday plans for mid-September which would have included 20 to 30 family members and friends. My children feel disheartened, they feel it’s just a waiting game. It’s sad children can’t enjoy the things that help make their childhood, like unlimited access to family including birthday parties and celebrations.”

The new rule will become law today, as a further precaution by the government to manage the recent increase in coronavirus cases.

Rosie added:

“I understand the reasoning behind the government’s new guidelines but feel they could be elaborated more clearly. Apparently my daughter’s drama classes can go ahead but she can’t go to her friend’s birthday party in a week’s time. Maybe there isn’t a right or a wrong way but to place new restrictions and then send children back to school with no measures in place is confusing.”

Council accused of obstructing democracy by removing YouTube videos

Harrogate Borough Council is facing criticism over its decision to remove videos of council meetings from YouTube after two weeks.

Because the Covid-19 lockdown forced the closure of HBC’s Civic Centre in March, councillors have met online, with meetings streamed live on YouTube.

In July, HBC published a “remote meetings protocol” document that says all council meetings streamed live on YouTube must be deleted after two weeks, with all recordings stored offline.

However, nearby councils, including Leeds City Council and York City Council, have kept videos of their meetings on YouTube since lockdown began for anyone to watch.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats and HBC planning committee member, told the Stray Ferret that the council’s decision to remove videos after two weeks was “unfair and wrong” and suggested it was obstructing democracy.

She said:

“I don’t see why they need to take them down. They are public meetings so what’s the harm in having them remaining there? It’s unfair and wrong of them to do that.

“You can catch up on YouTube videos from years ago so I’m at odds with it, I don’t like it. It’s public information being removed. Unless there’s a good reason, I just think it’s wrong.”

Harrogate Borough Council's Civic Centre

The civic centre at Knapping Mount has been closed since March because of coronavirus

Cllr Marsh said residents have enjoyed being able to stream council meetings after they have happened, particularly if they have been away on holiday.

She added:

“[Some councillors] are concerned about their exposure to the world but we’re answerable to these people who elected us. They expect to see you. If they have an opportunity through this new method then that’s democracy at its best.”

Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association (HAPARA) told the Stray Ferret that removing the videos was “disappointing” and called on the council to continue live-streaming meetings when the civic centre is able to reopen.

A HAPARA spokesperson said:

“We know that the streaming of meetings has been welcomed by many residents. It has given a valuable insight into the working of our local authority at this challenging time.

“However, it is disappointing that full copies of the questions and debates are not being kept online for future reference. We do hope an archive can be kept and streaming will continue when physical meetings resume.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The remote meeting protocol was formally adopted by council on July 8. It was agreed that two weeks was a reasonable period for the meeting recordings to remain on YouTube.

“Should anyone have any questions about a meeting they can, of course, contact us at any time.”

Harrogate clothing boutique forced online after coronavirus crisis

The owner of a pre-loved clothing shop has closed the doors in order to focus her efforts online.

Carolyn Duggan has been running Still Gorgeous on Cold Bath Road since 2017. The shop offered a selection of pre-loved designer and high street womenswear.

Having closed in March, Still Gorgeous reopened in July as government restrictions eased, but faced multiple challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The shop relied on business from tourists, which has not yet returned to pre-Covid levels, and the owner said she experienced a lack of compassion from her landlord. She said:

“I did not get any sympathy from my landlord. I was just told to pay them the money. I know others who received a 20-30% monthly rent reduction or complete rent holidays for 2-3 months.

“They also increased the rent for the new tenant, so when I was leaving I did not have the option to change my mind.”

The business moves at a time when other Harrogate businesses like A P & K Stothard, Bookstall Newsagents and Gambaru Fitness close their doors.

However, Carolyn still feels positive about the change of direction at Still Gorgeous. She added:

“I’m quite excited, to be honest – it is the way forward. You have to adapt to the situation and diversify. I am changing strategy to reach a more diverse customer base. I am engaging more with different channels like social media.

“I am feeling positive about the next stage. I have already reached people down south and abroad.”

Carolyn’s Facebook page has already received many posts from customers wishing her luck in her new venture.

Strayside Sunday: If our government feels able to break the law then why shouldn’t we?

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

Lament; a noun. As in “a week-long lament for the rule of law and Britain’s standing in the world”.

To lament; a verb. As in “I lament the end of a credible Conservative Government”.

Either way, it’s a sad tale and a sorry state of affairs.

Having focused my attention on the small “p” politics and goings on in Harrogate and surrounds for the past 16 weeks I find I need a refresher, to avert my gaze and take in vistas new. It’s not so much that I’m tired, or that I think that the performance of Harrogate Borough Council is not worthy of attention. Quite the reverse. The great American Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas “Tip” O’Neill had it almost right when he said that “all politics is local” (when in fact it may be that ‘all that’s local is politics’). No, it’s rather that, in respect of the council, I find myself in the first stage of grief; one of shock and denial, in which I inhabit a state of disbelief and numbed feelings. I need to look away for a moment and think of something else, to find some hope.

So to Westminster, to the excitement and derring do of the national scene and to the swashbuckling antics of Enid Blyton character and Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. The mop haired titan must be feeling the pressure. On two fronts, the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and the haunting return of Brexit.

Coronavirus rates of infection are climbing alarmingly again in many of our towns and cities. Published by Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and NHS Test and Trace, the government watchlist, in which places are categorised as places of ‘concern’ (green) as warranting ‘enhanced support’ (amber) or as requiring ‘intervention’ (red), is beginning to resemble New York’s 5th Avenue when the traffic lights turn and stop all north/south traffic. The trend is not good.

In an attempt to avoid a second national lockdown and never one to let a good slogan go to waste, on September 9, the PM announced “The Rule of Six,” which means that, from tomorrow, no more than 6 Englishmen and Women can gather, indoors or out. If we do we will be breaking the law. But, I hear you cry, it would only be in, as Brandon Lewis MP said, a “very specific and limited way.” Hang on. Wait a minute. My apologies, I got my wires crossed there for a moment. When the Northern Ireland Secretary said that he was actually talking about the fact that Britain looks like it is going to break international law by putting a bill to Parliament overriding elements of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. Including parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated and signed during Ripon’s own MP Julian Smith’s tenure as predecessor to Brandon Lewis.

I’m of the opinion that the Conservative Party is the party of freedom. Guardians of a rule of law based on the notion of individual sovereignty and responsibility. Boris Johnson, if he believes anything, is a libertarian who thinks we should all be left alone to control our own lives, in so far as moral conduct and the law allows. So it’s a world turned upside down in which this Prime Minister inflicts upon us restrictions on our movements and associations unprecedented in peacetime. Rather than appealing to our moral code, appealing to our better angels if you will, the government is instead imposing a new penal code. Clearly our government doesn’t trust us to behave properly and wants us punished when we don’t.

I’m also of the opinion that the Conservative Party is the party of law and order. Which is to say that rules and their observance matter if we are to maintain a functioning and civilised society. But Britain’s leaders govern by consent, within a legal framework. We have to trust our leaders to do the right thing, by us. And our leaders have to work to maintain our trust if they are to have our consent to govern. Yet the Rule of Six has a disquietingly fascistic sense to it, if not a black-shirt vibe then certainly brown. Governing by consent this is not.

And breaking international law when it becomes inconvenient cannot be right. The law is not an a la carte menu available only to the few, it’s a prix fixe with set options, for the mass market. If our government feels able to break the law when it chooses then why shouldn’t we? With our international reputation already tarnished badly by our Brexit shenanigans to date, redacting unilaterally the bits of the (already signed) Withdrawal Agreement is dishonourable and edges toward tin pot. The government has lost credibility. The EU says told you so.

Finally, all of this has wound up a bizarre coalition of Tory Big Beasts. Thatcherite, Brexiteer Lords Howard and Lamont are joined, in their spluttering outrage at the latest turn of events and the actions of their own party’s government, by One Nation, Remainer Lords Heseltine and Gummer, as well of course as by Sir John Major. I share their view. So should every Conservative. So should everyone. If we don’t we are all diminished.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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Police warning

‘Not financially sustainable’

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