Harrogate Borough Council prevented from any major new spending schemes

North Yorkshire’s seven district and borough councils have been told any new major spending schemes they approve will not be ratified before they are abolished.

North Yorkshire County Council has written to the second tier councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, stating there is insufficient time before the new unitary North Yorkshire Council is launched on April 1 for it to consider the raft of large-scale schemes being submitted.

The decision is likely to come as a blow to many of the district authorities, which had been told they would continue to have a significant jurisdiction until Vesting Day, operating and making significant decisions for their residents, businesses and visitors.

Under the structural change order for local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire, which was laid down by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last May, the district and borough councils were given a legal requirement to request approval for some financial decisions.

It was underlined the district councils would be given “general consent” to approve smaller scale schemes, but the sanctions for not complying with the consent regime would be “severe”.

District and borough council schemes in recent months have seen elected members discussing a range of proposals to boost housing, leisure facilities, infrastructure and financial support for communities, many of which involve using their reserves ahead of the councils being scrapped.

For example, last week Richmondshire District Council approved a move to spend up to £240,000 on further repairs to Richmond swimming pool, a scheme which will need the county council’s consent.

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Numerous district councillors have spoken openly in meetings about their determination to spend their council’s coffers in the area in which they were raised, rather than allowing North Yorkshire Council to inherit and distribute them across the expansive county as it sees fit.

However, the county council’s leadership says the district council’s reserves could be needed to cover the costs of providing essential services for vulnerable people, such as social care.

The letter to the districts states the county council had expected giving general consent for smaller schemes would reduce the bureaucratic burden on it, but instead the district authorities had continued to submit a large and unmanageable number of spending requests for approval on a weekly basis.

It states: 

“We are now less than three months from Vesting Day for the new council, so the majority of schemes that were requested, and were not foreseen as part of the general consent, are likely to be capable of being delayed until post Vesting Day, when the new North Yorkshire Council can consider the matter.

“In addition, there is a duty on all councils to prepare for the new council and additional schemes at this stage are likely to seriously erode the capacity of councils and their staff to be able to provide the level of support desirable.”

The letter highlights how North Yorkshire Council is facing a large revenue deficit again next year and beyond, as well as unquantifiable risks on hundreds of millions of pounds of infrastructure plans.

It adds: 

“It is therefore important that resources are able to be directed to those principal area of responsibility including those commitments, deficits and projetcs bequeathed by all eight councils across North Yorkshire.”

‘Petty and wrong’

The letter says it has “been determined that no new section 24 requests will be considered, unless it is exceptionally urgent spend which endangers normal service delivery…”.

Nevertheless it adds: 

“This does not mean that those schemes are rejected, merely that they are subjected to full consideration by the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 onwards. Those that have already been submitted will be considered in due course.”

Leader of the opposition on the county council, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, said the county council’s move was short-sighted.

He said: 

“Blocking the districts and boroughs using their own monies to fund schemes, which will support their own residents, is I feel just petty and wrong.

“It smacks of the Tories at County Hall not being democratic and trying to cream off the districts’ and boroughs’ money to shore up their own pet projects. They are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”

Cut-price deals for diners during Harrogate district’s first Restaurant Week

Several restaurants and bars will be offering cut-price deals next month as part of the Harrogate district’s first Restaurant Week.

The offers include three courses for £20 at Harrogate’s West Park Hotel and lunch and a drink for £10 at The Inn at Cheltenham Parade in Harrogate. Other venues taking part include Manahatta and Cosy Club in Harrogate and The Inn South Stainley, which is offering two cocktails for £10.

Restaurant Week, organised by tourism organisation Destination Harrogate, will take place from February 6 to 10.

Manahatta

Manahatta is among those taking part. Photo credit: Think Harrogate

Businesses that sign up will offer set-price menus to customers who quote the offer. It is hoped the initiative will enable them to attract new customers and get a publicity boost.

John McGivern, destination events manager for Destination Harrogate, which is part of Harrogate Borough Council, urged people to “book in and tuck in”, adding:

“Excellent food and drink is a firm offer within the Harrogate district’s visitor experience, and through focusing on our tourism strengths, we’re showcasing our best stories to attract more visitors and to set us apart from our competitors.

“The initiative also supports our commitment to sustainable tourism, encouraging visits during times of the year when, traditionally, visitor numbers have been lower. Spreading visitor footfall across the year lowers impact to the environment, and offers new opportunities to our local businesses, along with great deals for our visitors and residents alike.”

A list of restaurants taking part is available here.

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Business Breakfast: Final hours to submit entries for the Stray Ferret Business Awards

Today is the final day to submit entries for the prestigious Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

The award night on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate promises to be a glittering event which will celebrate success and best practice across the business community in the Harrogate district. The guest speaker will be the Chief Executive of the new North Yorkshire Council, Richard Flinton.

A distinguished, independent, judging panel made up of key business leaders in the district will meet on Wednesday to make decisions on ten categories – ranging from Unsung Hero and Business Growth to Sustainability.  Competition in each category will be tough with entries submitted from large organisations to very small operations.

With the deadline for entries closing at midday it is not too late to submit for an award. All entries are free.

Now is your time to shine with the Stray Ferret Business Awards. Get your entry in now!

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Women’s Business Club is launching a ‘Coffee & Co-Working’ initiative in Harrogate to bring more working women together.

The three hour event at Manhatta will be monthly and free to attend.  Women can come along, work and chat – there are also more structured sessions based on the needs of those who attend.

Founder of the Women’s Business Club, Angela De Souza said:

“The pandemic and various lockdowns has had a greater negative effect on women in business.

“Many women run businesses from home and had to shift their focus on to home-schooling and caring for children. Many women also did not qualify for any kind of government funding or support and therefore their business plans were put on ice or were stopped in their tracks from March 2020.

“It will take years for some women to get back to where they were while some women have realised throughout the pandemic that they want a different career path.

We believe collaboration is the key to this and we want to bring these women together.”

Pre-booking is required.

 

Stray Views: Concern over Harrogate’s expansion and healthcare

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

I refer to your recent article entitled ‘GPs ‘extremely concerned’ about new housing in Harrogate’. I have accessed the planning application mentioned and have read the letter from the NHS in detail.

The more I read the more concerned I have become over the existing and future healthcare provision in Harrogate.

If the NHS is advising that the primary care and community services are already in crisis when considering an application for just 49 dwellings then what of the future and the many large housing developments currently under construction in Harrogate and those remaining within the Local Plan.

Clearly, this is a major admission by the NHS that it cannot cope with the rate of expansion of new housing developments yet the planning authority is continuing to grant planning permission for more and more housing in Harrogate.

The NHS letter specifically states:

“Primary Care and Community Services within the area are already running at, or far beyond their existing capacity.”

Furthermore, it goes on to state:

“In conclusion it is difficult to envisage any rationale for Harrogate Borough Council to consider recommending this application without taking into consideration the impact of further residential development in Harrogate on the delivery of local Primary Care Services.”

The letter also refers to capital funding from developer contributions but these are normally made when planning permission is granted. It is highly unlikely that the building of new facilities will commence when the funding is available and it may be years before these facilities come into operation due to land acquisition and the planning process.

At the time of the public consultation for the Local Plan, numerous comments were made regarding the lack of health infrastructure to support this large increase in population not only for doctors but for the availability of NHS dentists and the lack of capacity at the general hospital.

The NHS has highlighted a very serious ongoing problem and the HBC must act now to put healthcare provision as a major priority ahead of any further large scale planning applications. It must ensure that adequate healthcare infrastructure is in step with the number of new dwellings being permitted. 

Roger Jestice, Harrogate

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Daughter’s concert one to remember

I am writing to thank you for reporting my daughter Jo’s concert at the Wesley Centre in the Stray Ferret.

Jo was delighted to see so many there. We still haven’t quite come down to earth. We were all totally overwhelmed by the support on a Monday lunchtime in January.

To have Jo’s 93 year old primary school teacher who taught her recorder, as well as Stephen Price, her first horn teacher, and Brian Hunt, the ex-head of music at Harrogate Grammar School there to hear her was quite emotional for us all.

Brian Hunt, the one who got her started on the French horn (she was originally a violinist) was someone we had lost touch with.

He retired 17 years ago and when I phoned the school they were unable to give me contact details. However another teacher saw the article in the Stray Ferret and told Brian about it.

I think both Jo and our elder daughter Sarah have only recently come to realise how loved they were by those they were fortunate to come into contact with while growing up, and who influenced their lives so much.

A day to remember forever.

Maureen Greenberg, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Why are nurses going on strike in Harrogate?

Nurses working at Harrogate District Hospital will take part in industrial action on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 due to a pay and conditions dispute with the government that has rumbled on all winter.

It’s taking place after members of the Royal College of Nursing union who work for Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust voted to strike last year.

Harrogate is one of 70 trusts in England that will strike as part of the largest organised action in NHS history.

Here is everything you need to know about the nurses strike.

When is the strike?

The strikes will take place from 7.15am to 8.15pm on both days and there will be a picket line outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road.

Two days of strikes were held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20 but Harrogate nurses did not take part.

What services will be affected?

During the December strikes, thousands of appointments across the country were cancelled or postponed. A trust spokesperson said the hospital will contact patients that have appointments on strike days to let them know if they are still going ahead.

All life-preserving treatment must be provided and nurses in intensive and emergency care will be expected to continue working.

Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.

Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.

However, routine operations such as hip or knee replacements are likely to be affected.

A trust spokesperson said:

“We are working to ensure there is safe patient care and that emergency services continue to operate during any industrial action, and have plans in place to mitigate the impact of disruption on direct patient care.

“If you have an appointment or operation that is scheduled on a proposed strike day we would kindly ask you to be patient and we will notify you as soon as possible to confirm if your consultation or treatment will be affected.

“The industrial action will see a picket line outside our hospital in Harrogate and we will be working with local RCN representatives to minimise any disruption this may cause for residents in the vicinity and visitors to our hospital.”

Why are nurses striking?

According to the royal college, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register last year. It’s left hospitals with staff shortages which the union feels has compromised patient safety.

The union argues that many people are leaving the profession or deciding to work for private providers due to low pay within the NHS. It has repeatedly called for a pay increase of 5% above inflation.

However, the government says this increase would be unaffordable to tax payers.

Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullan, said: 

“The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January. I do not wish to prolong this dispute but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.

“The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.

“The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in.”

When will the dispute be resolved?

The royal college is yet to reach an agreement with the government over the dispute but talks have been ongoing since December’s strikes.

The government has raised the possibility of a one-off hardship payment to nursing staff but an offer has not been made.

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In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“The door has always been open to talk about the things that nurses want to talk about.”

A trust spokesperson said:

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.

“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.”

Freemason grants totalling £94,000 given to district charitable organisations

Eight organisations in the Harrogate district have benefitted from a share of £94,000 worth of grants provided by the Freemasons.

Freemasonry is a male only, fraternal organisation that traces its origins back to the local guilds of stonemasons.

A total of 40 grants have been distributed to organisations across Yorkshire, with many charitable organisations, including youth clubs, food banks, community groups and schools.

Those Harrogate District organisations benefiting from the latest round of grant giving were:

James H Newman, OBE, The Provincial Grand Master of The Province of Yorkshire West Riding, said:

“With these grants we are able to financially support 40 organisations, which are each integral to the local area in their own way, is something I am very proud of.

“Each year, we donate some £200,000 from this specific fund to good causes around the Province, with the money coming directly from our members, keen to help support the community they live and work in.

“These grants were a superb way to end 2022, and the money each of these 40 recipients is receiving will help them continue the work they do in their own individual communities.”

Based on the old West Riding, the Province has around 5,000 members and reaches from Sheffield in the South to Ripon in the North, Goole in the East to Bentham in the West.

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Stray Ferret Business Awards: Does your business deserve the Best Digital Marketing Campaign Award?

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

In these final few days before entries close, we are revealing the last of what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

The final category up is the Best Digital Marketing Campaign Award, which is sponsored by Next Chapter.

Digital is clearly the way forward. This award recognises the work of businesses that have run incredible campaigns on purely digital campaigns.

Companies looking to enter need to provide information on the digital marketing plan, including its aims and objectives. Also provide statistical information on why the campaign was a success.

Does your business deserve to win the Best Digital Marketing Campaign Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close at 12pm on January 16. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

Cyber-attack contributes to major Harrogate district firm posting £4.1m loss

A major Harrogate district employer has posted a pre-tax loss of £4.1 million after one of its most difficult years ever.

Boroughbridge-based Reed Boardall, which employs 800 staff, grew turnover by 6.2% In the year to March 2022 from £69.8m to £74.1m. But the temperature-controlled food storage and distribution business sustained a £4.1m loss compared with £705,000 profit in the previous year.

The company faced a raft of industry challenges, including rising fuel and energy costs, covid and driver shortages. But it also had to contend with other issues, including a cyber-attack.

Chief executive Marcus Boardall said:

“Our financial performance was adversely affected by Reed Boardall being the victim of a criminal cyber-attack, resulting in our IT systems being out of operation for six days.

“The costs associated with the interruption, loss of revenue and subsequent recovery, were substantial. The situation was exacerbated by bad debt as one of our largest transport customers was placed into administration, although the contract has been taken over by a major retailer.”

Mr Boardall added:

“There’s no question that it has again been a very difficult year for the industry. We have seen the challenges of rising employment costs and inflation forcing up prices for most operators, while coping with continued disruption as a result of reduced staff levels due to covid, along with the problem of driver shortages.

“Looking to the future, the pandemic disruption appears to be settling, and we are starting to bear the fruits of the proactive initiatives we have undertaken to establish our own in-house team of drivers – for example, over the last year, we have trained over 20 new recruits from scratch at our own academy, enabling them to become qualified drivers.”

Mr Boardall said he was “confident that better times are ahead”, adding:

“We have established a strong position in the marketplace and we will continue to prove the success of our single site strategy where we are able to serve all our customers’ needs efficiently.

“I would like to thank our 800-strong team and loyal customers for their continued support as we continue on our growth journey.”

‘Resilient performance’

Based on a 55-acre site just outside Boroughbridge, Reed Boardall has grown to become one of the largest temperature-controlled food distribution businesses in the UK.

With a fleet of 200 vehicles operating 24 hours a day, year-round, it delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily from manufacturers across Britain, Europe and further afield to all the UK’s best-known supermarkets. It also provides blast freezing, picking and packaging services.

Finance director Sarah Roberts said:

“Given the myriad of pressures on the business over the last 12 months, we have once again put in a resilient performance and are pleased to say that we are now on a much more even keel.

“Having completed the multi-million pound expansion of one of our cold stores in spring 2021, we have the largest and most modern facility of its kind in the UK. With a capacity of 168,000 pallets, we have continued to see volumes rise since the year end.

“We have also secured additional business in the new financial year and our ability to adapt to an ever-changing industry is enabling us to attract new customers with very specific requirements while still ensuring their integration into our operations complements our existing customer base.”

 

 

More than half of violent crime in North Yorkshire is against females

More than half of recorded violent crimes in North Yorkshire and York are against women and girls, it was revealed today.

North Yorkshire Police chief constable Lisa Winward told a meeting the under-reporting of such offences meant the known incidents were “just the tip of the iceberg”.

Ms Winward told the area’s police, fire and crime panel watchdog the force was aiming to expose what has been a hidden crime by talking with victims even if they do not wish to report an offence.

Chief constable Winward, who has led the force since 2018, was speaking following a report by police, fire and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe about the force’s progress against its strategy for addressing violence against women and girls, particularly in the wake of the murder of York woman Sarah Everard.

Last October, a year on from her predecessor Philip Allott being forced to resign after saying women needed to be more streetwise, the commissioner outlined various initiatives launched to improve women’s safety and ensure that they are listened to.

Ms Metcalfe told the panel a new victims’ centre was being developed on the outskirts of York to house North Yorkshire’s sexual assault referral centre and child sexual assault assessment services alongside a video-recorded interview suite for victims.

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However, members of the panel said without details about the scale of the violence against females it was impossible to assess the actions of the commissioner in holding the force to account.

Speaking on behalf of the commissioner, her office’s chief executive Simon Dennis said in York 2021/22 there had been 5,615 violent crimes, of which 52 per cent were linked to a female victim and 34 per cent were marked as domestic abuse.

He said the statistics for North Yorkshire were almost exactly the same.

Mr Dennis said a full picture of the scale of violence against women and girls was difficult to outline due to under-reporting, which was a known issue being addressed by public sector organisations across North Yorkshire and York.

Lisa Winward

Chief constable Lisa Winward

Chief constable Winward added:

“This is a hidden crime across society, nationally and in North Yorkshire, predominantly in domestic settings we find a significant amount of under-reporting because of the fear of police involvement, the fear of reprisals on the victims and this is why we are very closely linked to the national agenda violence against women and girls agenda.

“I think it is the tip of the iceberg, the figures that we have talked about. I think it is about engaging with the victims, sometimes privately, even though they might not want to publicly report or speak about it, so we can get to the root cause of the problem.”

After the meeting, the panel’s chairman, Cllr Carl Les, said despite evidence of improvements in the police response to violence against women and girls the panel would continue monitoring the force’s progress in “ensuring that they are doing what is right for the female members of our community in particular”. He added:

“Clearly this is still a matter of interest and of great concern.

“I think Commissioner Metcalfe has made some good advances on this, but as the chief constable said it’s almost like the tip of an iceberg. Police are now starting to understand more about the problem and therefore they’re putting some mitigating actions into place.”

Is Harrogate district set for snow next week?

The Harrogate district could be set for its first significant snowfall of the winter.

According to the BBC’s weather forecast, which is provided by MeteoGroup, light snow will fall on Monday followed by heavy snow showers on Tuesday. Further snow is possible later in the week.

But the Met Office forecast for next week does not include any snow for the district.

Both sites, however, agree there will be a return to icy conditions with some areas struggling to get above sub-zero temperatures until Thursday.

Despite today’s drier weather, some roads remain flooded.

Group manager Bob Hoskins, who works for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, tweeted about three cars getting stuck at Cattal.

Further flood related incidents today.
3 cars stuck in flood water at Cattal, who had followed each other into the water.

Can I remind people the Fire Service DO NOT recover people’s cars

Whilst at the scene 3 further cars drove past appliance and into the water??????? pic.twitter.com/vXoFfX43ku

— Group Manager Bob Hoskins (@Golf_One4) January 12, 2023

 

Environment Agency flood alerts remain in place for the Lower River Nidd catchment area and the Lower River Ure, which burst its banks yesterday.

However, the flood warning for the caravan park at Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge, has been removed.

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