Drop in vacant shops boosts hope for high streets

The deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council has said he is “extremely optimistic” about high streets recovering from the covid crisis as he revealed positive economic data boosted by the reopening.

Cllr Graham Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said the percentage of vacant shops across the district had fallen to 6.8% in March – a “significant improvement” from 8.6% around this time last year.

He added data on people’s movements showed the number of visitors to rural areas had returned to pre-pandemic levels, although Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon had not yet reached this point.

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Swift said:

“I’m extremely optimistic. The rural areas are already seeing traffic flow of people movements, as measured by Google, back to pre-pandemic levels.

“The three major conurbations are not back to pre-pandemic levels yet but the fact is retail is looking extremely positive and I’m very hopeful we will see a strong bounce back in the economy.”

Shops classed as vacant are those not paying business rates to the council.

Cllr Swift said the strongest performing areas for this currently are Boroughbridge, which has just one vacant shop, and Pateley Bridge, which has a vacancy rate of 2.5%.

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His comments followed a question from Boroughbridge councillor Robert Windass, who said members of the public were “curious” over the current state of high streets during the pandemic.

Cllr Swift responded:

“We are now seeing considerable extension of the opening up and unlocking of the country. Last week we saw the opening up of non-essential retail on April 12.

“I went into Harrogate on that morning and was overwhelmed by the innovation and creativity that is going on, particularly around the bar and hospitality sector who have used limited spaces to create exciting opportunities to open up.

“I was very, very impressed by the sector but most important to this question is what is going to be happening in the near future.”

He added:

“There has been a lot of talk over the last few months about Harrogate as a district and how its towns and city have responded to retail sector closures.

“A lot of people count the stores to see which ones are open or closed. In a case where we are in lockdown, it’s obvious that people will see things closed and think they have withdrawn from the site.

“But in actual fact, what we record are the business rate activities of these retail sectors and I’m extremely heartened by the fact that as of March 2021 our retail sector has improved.”

The latest unemployment figures for the district show a slight increase with 3,625 people claiming out-of-work benefits in February, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This equates to 3.8% of the population aged 16 to 64 and is up from 3,460 in January.

Meanwhile, the number of people in the district who were furloughed from their jobs was 12,300 in February, according to the latest HM Revenue & Customs figures.

This was an increase from 9,100 in December, before the third national lockdown began.

King’s Cross weekend closure causes disruption for Harrogate trains

No trains will run to or from London King’s Cross today, tomorrow or Sunday April 25 due to upgrade works.

If you have any trains booked for the weekend it may be best to check before leaving the house. The weekend upgrade to the signalling system is expected to cause changes or cancellations to a number of trains.

For today, any LNER trains to and from the north of England and Scotland will now start and end at Peterborough or Stevenage, where passengers can go on to the Thameslink train service or St Pancras.

Any Hull trains have been cancelled today.

Tomorrow and Sunday changes have been made so any LNER trains to and from the North of England and Scotland will start and end at Peterborough or St Neots.

A replacement bus service is in place between St Neots ad Bedford to get to the Thameslink train services and St Pancras.

Any Grand Central and Hull trains will not run.

Railway company Network Rail is asking passengers to check with their train operator before they travel.

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Harrogate cowboy builder James Moss ordered to repay deposit by courts

Harrogate builder James Moss has been ordered by a judge to repay a man from Knaresborough £1,275, after he took a deposit but failed to show up on a job.

The Harrogate Justice Centre held a virtual hearing yesterday with claimant David King. Mr Moss failed to attend.

District Judge William Josling read out an email sent by Mr Moss to the court on April 16. It said the business that he claimed provided the work, DBL Yorkshire, has now ceased trading and he has no association with it any longer.

The judge said he had also submitted a defence of bad weather and supply.

However, this was not accepted by Judge Josling who proceeded to hear the case in the builder’s absence.

Mr King, of Beech Grove in Knaresborough, told the court that he had paid £1,275 in a deposit in June 2020 for building work that was never started.

He said a date was set to begin the work in August 2020 “which came and went”.

He added:

“The excuses came in, he said there was problems with the weather and the scaffolding. Then he ceased communications.”

Judge Josling ordered Mr Moss to pay Mr King the full £1,275 plus costs.

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Three different claimants have now won cases in the county court against Mr Moss in 2021 alone.

In January, he was told to pay £11,495 to a woman who was unhappy about the quality of his work.

In February, he was ordered to repay money after a £30,000 garage conversion was so poor it had to be partly demolished.

Last year, the Stray Ferret heard how two other women also won cases against Mr Moss in the civil court for poor workmanship.

None of them have received any money from James Moss.

North Yorkshire County Council’s trading standards department has been criticised for its response to the builder.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone, traffic is getting busier on the district’s roads now so make sure to keep and eye on our morning blogs.

It’s Leah here with you bright and early this morning, please get in touch with me via social media or email me at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This blog, brought to you by The HACS Group, brings you updates every 15 minutes on the road and rail links near you.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning! I will be back with you on Monday morning bright and early with updates every 15 minutes from 6.30am. Have a lovely weekend.

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7am – Full Update 

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6.30am – Full Update 

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The roads look to be clear so far this morning. No Traffic Hotspots to report yet.

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Harrogate indoor play centre aims to raise £3,500 before reopening

A Harrogate indoor play centre is hoping to raise £3,500 with a raffle before it opens its doors on May 17 as lockdown restrictions ease.

World of their Own, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has been hit particularly hard over the past year: since March 2020 it has only been able to open for 10 weeks.

Although its owners have no intention of closing down and are determined to find the cash somehow, they hope the raffle will cover the costs.

Both Winkies Harrogate, which was based in Starbeck, and Goose, which was based at Hornbeam Park, have permanently closed as a result of the pandemic.

It means that Harrogate now only has two indoor play centres in World of their Own and Little Bees Harrogate, formerly Kidzplay.

Christa and Lee Webber, of World of their Own, have said that while they have made full use of government grants and have a supportive landlord, they still have a funding gap.

To plug that gap they are raffling off a year’s unlimited play pass, afternoon tea in the fairytale parlour for four and a wild west birthday party for 20 children.

There are 700 tickets available at £5.50 per ticket. So far they have sold 185 tickets and the deadline to buy a ticket is at 5pm on May 1. Raffall, the platform they are using, takes a 10% cut.

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Crista Webber told the Stray Ferret how this funding gap is their final hurdle:

“Every ticket sold is a massive help. We have been very frugal over the last year. When we needed to develop more space upstairs Lee built it by hand.

“We will reopen no matter what happens. If we cannot reach the £3,500 then we will need to find the money another way.

“We opened a World of their Own and it was just two months before the pandemic hit. Since then it has been an incredible struggle, which we hope we are coming to the end of.”

Meet Coco: Harrogate’s tea drinking, Only Fools quoting parrot

Donna Greig from Harrogate has wanted a parrot since she was a child and said it was “love at first sight” when she first saw 13-year-old Coco.

After taking the Congo African Grey parrot home from Knaresborough Exotic Pet Rescue in December, it’s been a whirlwind few months for Coco and her new owner.

Some studies suggest that parrots are one of the most intelligent species of bird on the planet. Donna said Coco needs a lot of stimulation and needs to be out of her cage for up to six hours a day.

She said:

“When she wont get the attention she thinks she deserves, she creates absolute havoc.

“They are mini destructor weapons. You don’t need a paper shredder when you have a parrot.”

But Coco has a favourite drink that helps get her head right.

“She likes a nice cup of chamomile tea to help calm her down.”

Donna says she feeds Coco vegetables and fruit but she can be particular.

“I get a dirty look if I don’t give her pine nuts and pomegranates. It’s like being ruled by a mini-dictator!”

What a plonker

Parrots are famous for mimicking human speech which they learn through repetition.

Coco is no different, and when Donna comes home from work she sings away to the radio “having a whale of a time.”

She said she also “has the beep of my washing machine down to a tee”.

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Donna said:

“Coco likes pop music and is a massive fan of Disney. She absolutely loves the song Let It Go and also gets quite excited at Prince and Miley Cyrus.”

“But I’ve have been good not to teach her swear words. I’ve gone into mummy mode”.

Coco has even picked up on a phrase from Donna’s favourite TV show.

“I watch Only Fools and Horses all the time so she calls me a plonker.”

Perfect companion

Donna lives on her own and says Coco has been the perfect companion during lockdown.

She said the bird makes her laugh every day, but bathtime can be difficult.

“Coco is a water dodger and when I take her into the bathroom she says, ‘no, I’m not having this’, and flies into the bedroom.”

Despite the occasional temper tantrums, Donna said she has no regrets and has recently created a Facebook page for fellow parrot owners in Harrogate to discuss their feathered pets.

She added:

“Getting Coco was the best decision I ever made”.

Arrest warrant for former Coach and Horses landlord

A court in Harrogate has issued an arrest warrant for the former landlord of the Coach and Horses pub.

John Nelson, who held the pub’s licence for 33 years until last summer, was due for a hearing at the Harrogate Justice Centre today.

Police arrested Mr Nelson on October 30, the day after the council gave his daughter the licence, on Leeds Road and tested him for drugs.

The test found that he had 30 micrograms of cocaine per litre of blood in his system. Officers also found three bottles of methadone in his car.

As a result, officers charged him with drug driving and with possession of a class A drug.

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Mr Nelson, 65, was due to enter a plea at court today but failed to show. So the court has now put out a warrant for his arrest.

If he does not hand himself in at a police station then officers will attempt to find and arrest him.

He lost his licence after North Yorkshire Police found customers drinking outside the Coach and Horses and not observing social distancing over the weekend of May 30.

Customers of the pub launched a petition to grant the licence to his daughter Samantha Nelson, which the council did in October last year.

She said she would refurbish and reopen but there has been no movement at the pub ever since. The Stray Ferret has made several enquiries but has received no reply.

Harrogate hospital completes second jabs for frontline staff

Today is the last day of second vaccine appointments for frontline healthcare and social worker staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

Meanwhile, Public Health England has announced that only one more case of covid has been confirmed in the district, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 7,643.

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The district’s seven-day rate has declined slightly to 20.5. This is lower than the Yorkshire and the England rate, which both stand at 23.9.

No more deaths were reported in the district today.

The covid death toll at the hospital is therefore still at 179 in total.

Mr and Miss Harrogate cancelled due to low competitor numbers

Bodybuilding barber David Steca has cancelled plans to stage a Mr and Miss Harrogate competition on August 1.

Mr Steca, who is a multi-titled bodybuilder, intended to stage the event in a in a marquee near his home in Menwith Hill.

But he announced on social media the event will not take place. He said:

“After much deliberation, I am sad to announce the cancellation of the show. Competitor numbers are very low, which would not make for an entertaining day.

“It’s a shame but it needed to be entertaining and the numbers need to work.

“Thank you to all the generous sponsors who came forward to support the day.”

Mr Steca, 61, owns Steca No6 in Harrogate and another salon in Leeds.

Besides being a barber, he also trains physique athletes for competitions.

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Wetherby Road newsagent to be converted to hairdressers

The closure of another newsagent during the pandemic has raised concern about the loss of these local community stores.

A planning application has been lodged to change the use of Wilkinson’s newsagent, at 137 Wetherby Road, near Woodlands junction. The newsagent, which closed last year when the owner Alan Wilkinson retired, will become a hairdresser and beauty salon with five treatment rooms.

Councillor Pat Marsh, whose ward the newsagents is located in, recalls that the building was used as a sweet shop as far back as 1956, when she moved to the area. It has been a newsagents since at least 1977.

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Cllr Marsh said that the shop had been a “wonderful asset to the community”:

“There is a problem in Harrogate about a lack of small community shops – but where does the blame lie? It lies with us, we do our shopping in the supermarkets, it’s just the way life has turned.”

Last year also saw the closure of the newsagent at Harrogate railway station, run by Brian Moses. This reflects a national trend of declining numbers of newsagents, driven by lower tobacco and newspaper sales.

The application also includes the demolition of a garage on the premises and an increase in the number of parking spaces, from three to five.

The planning officer will make a decision on the application by 27th May.