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Explained: What happens to Harrogate taxis after devolution?

A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in three weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Under the new council, how taxi drivers operate and how they are licensed will change.

In this article, we will explain how taxis are currently licensed and what will change from April this year.

Who currently licences taxis?

Currently, Harrogate Borough Council licences taxi drivers within the district.

Those drivers who wish to operate a taxi in the borough must be licensed by the council.

Once they have a licence, they can drive their vehicle and operate anywhere in the district.

Similarly, the borough council is responsible for licensing wheelchair accessible cabs.

Who sets the fares?

As well as issuing licences, the borough council also sets the fares and fees for drivers.

The council reviews fares for taxis annually.

What will happen from April?

From April, the new North Yorkshire Council will implement a single taxi zone across the county.

The existing seven district councils, including Harrogate, currently have their own hackney carriage and private hire licensing policies.

However, under the new policy, drivers will be able to operate in any area of North Yorkshire.

The plan has proved controversial with local cabbies, who described it as a “disaster”.

They argue that the move would lead to taxis crowding out busier areas and leave rural communities without a service.

What about fares?

The council is currently considering how to set fares for taxis under its single zone policy.

A proposal over fares for North Yorkshire cabs is expected to go before councillors on Tuesday (March 21).

Call for parents to share maternity experiences in Harrogate district

A group of volunteers is calling for parents to share their experiences of maternity services across the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) is an independent group of volunteers aiming to use feedback from parents to ensure maternity services are the best they can be.

From community midwifery to the hospital’s delivery suite and postnatal care at home, the MVP wants to hear from anyone who has experienced the maternity services provided through Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The group’s chair, Jen Baldry, took up the role in early 2022. She said:

“I’ve had three children in Harrogate and I think I’ve had really positive experiences throughout my maternity journeys. However, I always think there’s room for improvement.

“I have a passion for developing local maternity services, in particular focusing on personalised care and informed choice.

“I had a baby during covid so that massively impacted me wanting to do this role and give my experience of that, compared to having two before covid.”

The MVP holds regular coffee mornings around which any parents are welcome to drop in to. They offer space for children to play while the parents can chat to each other, MVP volunteers and maternity professionals about their experiences.

There are also regular, free information sessions, such as one next Friday evening on the biomechanics of birth, led by a hypnobirthing teacher and a student midwife. It will cover how different positions and movements can be used during labour and childbirth.

Feedback over the last year has seen the MVP work with maternity professionals to look at the language they use, the birthing environment at the hospital, and delivering personalised care to suit each person going through pregnancy and birth.

As well as giving feedback, people who have experience of maternity care in Harrogate are always welcomed as volunteers with the MVP. Jen said:

“We have over 40 active volunteers. I ask everyone for one to two hours a month, and that could be for reviewing leaflets or coming to a coffee morning, or even going in to the unit for a ’15 steps’ review, when we look at what the experience is like for someone arriving there.

“Anybody who has had experience with maternity services or worked in a field related to maternity can join us.”

Pilot project

While the MVP will operate long term with all parents, at the moment it is working on a pilot project with the maternity department in Harrogate.

Across the NHS, midwives will soon be required to undertake more training each year. Harrogate’s involvement in the pilot project will see it help to produce training based on feedback from people using its services.

The MVP is helping to find parents to take part and is particularly seeking those who have experienced pregnancies with twins and multiples, surrogacy, their child being cared for on the special care baby unit, or giving birth outside NHS guidance.

It also wants to hear from anyone from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who has been cared by for through Harrogate’s maternity services.

Two focus group events are being held at the end of March – one online and one in person in Harrogate – to gather feedback from those parents.

Jen said:

“The biggest challenge for the MVP is hearing the voices of people who don’t necessarily speak up.

“People tend to get in touch if they’ve had an amazing experience or a really bad experience. We don’t often hear from that middle ground, where it was fine, but there are some areas that could be improved.

“All those tweaks, we’re here to help with. Was there anything that would have made it even better?

“We also want to ensure we represent everybody in the community, from all different types of background – anybody who has had an experience of maternity services.”

For details of upcoming events, visit the MVP Facebook page.

To contact Harrogate MVP, or give feedback on your experiences of maternity services, visit its website.

The incredible rise and rise of Knaresborough tractor run

It started with a few mates from Knaresborough riding a dozen tractors around Tan Hill in 2012.

It is now one of the biggest annual events in the Harrogate district, involving almost 400 vehicles and thousands of well wishers along a 25-mile route.

How did the Knaresborough tractor run become such a beast?

Ramsgill sheep farmer Steve Brown, chairman of the tractor run committee, ponders the question a week after the event’s latest success, which saw 374 vehicles convoy around Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge last Sunday to raise more than £23,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. He says:

“I think it’s a lot to do with the cause. If you work in a rural setting you don’t know when you might need an air ambulance. It’s a cause close to the heart.”

Advertising the cause. Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

That might explain why farmers and other rural workers get involved, but why do so many people line the route all around Nidderdale? Steven says:

“Where else can you see 400 tractors in a line? I think it’s that simplicity. Plus it keeps the kids occupied for a couple of hours and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Whatever the reasons, the tractor run has become as much a part of local life as the Great Yorkshire Show, the Knaresborough Bed Race and Harrogate pantomime.

How it started

A family photo of Mike Spink

The fun nature of the event belies its sad foundations.

Mike Spink, a member of Knaresborough Young Famers who took part in the early tractor runs, died in a road accident in 2017 after moving to New Zealand six months earlier. Steven recalls:

“Mike was a dairy farmer and a very big believer in the air ambulance. When he died we got together and thought ‘why don’t we make it a bigger event and raise money in his memory?'”.

So what until then had been a bit of fun on tractors around Tan Hill and Whitby each year suddenly became a more serious affair.

Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Eighty tractors took part in the first event in memory of Mike and next year 134 lined-up. Soon the tractor run had outgrown Knaresborough and the start had to be moved to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to accommodate all the vehicles.

This year’s total was 10 fewer than last year’s record 384 and Steven thinks the total has plateaued between 350 to 400. But the tractor run never fails to surprise.

Passing Knaresborough House. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Not all the surprises are pleasant. This year’s decision to introduce a free livestream, which enabled people to see where the first and last tractors were so they knew when the convoy would be passing, attracted scammers who cloned the tractor run website and urged people to give their bank details. One person lost £1,500 before the ruse was spotted.

There’s also the constant issue of safety, which has put such a big insurance risk on Knaresborough Young Farmers that the committee is increasingly running it as a standalone event. Steven says:

“I always think of the most idiotic thing that can happen and work back from that. We do the best we can —that’s all we can do. Fortunately we’ve never had a major incident but you can never be lackadaisical. Safety is paramount.”

The committee meets about 10 times a year to plan for the event, and its first get-together to discuss the 2024 gathering was due to take place yesterday.

Steven says a “colossal amount” of work goes into planning and trying to work out the best route. The template doesn’t change much but there are always minor improvements and things to consider. Last year the food ran out at lunchtime in Pateley Bridge.

These children brought their own tractor to watch the start at the showground.

But it all comes together gloriously each spring: excited children jump up and down and cheer and even gnarly old farmers get a tingle as they parade like rock stars down Pateley Bridge High Street or through Markington, tooting their horns to large crowds.

It’s seven hours of pure tractor power with a touch of theatre set against the glorious Nidderdale backdrop and there is nothing like it. Whether it’s the biggest tractor run is debatable but few would dispute it’s the best. Steven says:

“We are led to believe it’s the biggest tractor run in the country. Some have more tractors but they don’t do a run like ours, they just go a few miles down the road.”

You can still donate to the air ambulance on behalf of the tractor run here.

Passing through Hampsthwaite. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

North Yorkshire Police officers sacked after racist WhatsApp messages

Two North Yorkshire Police officers have been dismissed after sending racist text messages between each other.

Detective constable Danielle Kirby and police constable James Mills were alleged to have breached the force’s standards of professional behaviour.

Both were dismissed following a gross misconduct hearing at the force’s headquarters in Northallerton.

The pair exchanged WhatsApp messages which were found to be racist between December 2018 and March 2019.

Mabs Hussain, deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“The racist language and sentiments contained in the series of WhatsApp messages are repulsive.

“It has no place in society, let alone from people who have sworn an oath to uphold the highest standards of fairness, integrity and respect to all people.

“The evidence in this case was damning, and it is only right that the panel upheld the gross misconduct and the officers have been dismissed from North Yorkshire Police.”

Gerry Sydenham, who chaired the panel, said:

“The messages exchanged by former PC Mills and former DC Kirby contained appalling racist comments which were egregious in nature and content.

“The corrosive effect of such racist gross misconduct upon public confidence in policing cannot be understated.

“It is intolerable and devastating to the good work of other police officers who try daily to build the public’s trust and confidence in policing.

“Both officers undermined the public’s trust and the trust of their police force in themselves in a grave and shocking manner, causing very significant and potentially lasting damage to public confidence in policing.”

Harrogate cabbie criticises council after taxi licensing meeting

A Harrogate district taxi driver has criticised North Yorkshire County Council over a licensing policy following a meeting with a senior councillor.

Cabbies from Harrogate, Ripon and the GMB Union met with Conservative councillor Derek Bastiman, executive councillor for open to business, over the new single zone policy in North Yorkshire yesterday.

Under the plan, the new North Yorkshire Council will create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It will mean drivers in Harrogate can operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

After the proposal was announced, drivers predicted it would cause “chaos” and called for a meeting with the council over the policy.

Following the meeting with Cllr Bastiman, drivers criticised the council over the continuing with the proposal.

Richard Fieldman, who has run his taxi company for 28 years in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret that he felt the council “did not know what it was doing”.

He said:

“The top and bottom of it is they have not got a clue what they are doing. I have said before, this is going to cause destruction for the trade.”

Mr Fieldman added that some drivers would lose out under the new system.

He said cabbies raised concern over the policy and potential new fees and fare with Cllr Bastiman.

However, Mr Fieldman said he felt that the trade was “fighting a losing battle”, but that added they would continue to oppose the changes until the new system begins next month.

In response, Cllr Bastiman told the Stray Ferret:

“I can confirm that the meeting was very cordial.

“Driver’s comments were taken away with an assurance that following a meeting that I will arrange with the relevant officers hopefully next week, a full response will be provided to the representative from the GMBU who offered to circulate to those operators present at the meeting.

“Those present were happy with this proposal.”

Government overlooks Harrogate district for coronation big screens

The government is to spend more than £1 million showing the coronation on big screens across the country — but the Harrogate district is not included.

Ministers revealed today a dozen sites in Yorkshire and Humber will get big screens to show the coronation of the King and the Queen Consort on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. Not a single one is in North Yorkshire.

The closest one to the Harrogate district will be at Millennium Square in Leeds.

Although the selection of Leeds and other major cities, including Sheffield, Bradford and Hull, is not unexpected, some smaller places such as Dewsbury and Halifax are on the list while the likes of Harrogate and Ripon are not.

The decision to choose five places in West Yorkshire — Bradford, Halifax, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Leeds — and not a single one in North Yorkshire, England’s largest county, may raise eyebrows particularly as many of the places chosen are close to each other.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the locations today.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

The Coronation will be a magical moment that brings people together to celebrate the best of Britain over a special weekend in May.

These big screens, in major locations in towns and cities in the four nations of the UK, will make it easier for everyone to take part and have a memorable experience to mark this exciting and historic event.

Big screens location in Yorkshire and Humber

City Hall, Hull
Trinity Market, Hull
City Park, Bradford
Piece Hall, Halifax
St Peter’s Parish Church, Huddersfield
Dewsbury Library, Dewsbury
Millennium Square, Leeds
Pontefract Castle, Wakefield
Peace Gardens, Sheffield
The Glass Works, Barnsley

Free entry to Harrogate district attractions starts tomorrow

Several Harrogate district attractions will be offering free entry in the days ahead as part of National Lottery Open Week.

The lottery has raised more than £47 billion for good causes since it started in 1994. To thank players, it runs an annual week in which organisations it has funded are invited to provide free entry and special offers.

This year’s open week begins tomorrow (Saturday) and ends on March 26.

The following offers in the Harrogate district apply to anyone who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard, digital or physical.

For the terms and conditions click here, and check the venue listings for dates, times and other terms and conditions. You can search for events here.

Fountains Abbey near Ripon — free entry from March 18 to 26
Nidderdale Museum in Pateley Bridge — free entry tomorrow (Saturday)
Beningbrough Hall — free entry tomorrow and Sunday and from March 22 to 26
Ripon Museum Trust — free entry for a family or group of up to six people at its workhouse, prison and police and courthouse museums in Ripon on March 25
Harewood House — £5 entry tomorrow and Sunday

Concern over North Yorkshire Police’s ability to keep people safe, say inspectors

Inspectors have raised concern over North Yorkshire Police’s ability to keep people safe and reduce crime.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services undertook an inspection of the force in October 2022 for its effectiveness and efficiency.

The report, published today, rated the police as inadequate in good use of its resources.

Meanwhile, the force was rated as requires improvement for responding to the public, investigating crime, protecting vulnerable people and developing a positive workplace.

However, it was assessed as adequate for preventing crime and managing offenders. It was rated as good for treatment of the public.

Concern over police performance

In his report, Roy Wilsher, inspector of constabulary, raised concern over how the force kept people safe and reduced crime.

In particular, he said senior leaders did not have enough oversight of human resources and IT or of the “impact that failures in these areas have had on policing services”.

Mr Wilsher said the force did not have enough trained detectives and pointed out there was “only a limited plan to address this”.

He added that the force should improve the speed with which it answers and responds to emergency and priority calls.

North Yorkshire Police force control room

The speed of responding to 999 calls was criticised.

However, Mr Wilsher said that North Yorkshire Police worked well with other organisations to safeguard vulnerable people.

He said:

“I have concerns about the performance of North Yorkshire Police in keeping people safe and reducing crime. In particular, I have serious concerns about its strategic planning and organisational management.

“Senior leaders in the force need to ensure they have effective oversight of its enabling services, such as IT and HR functions. Failures in these areas impact the service the force provides.

“North Yorkshire Police also needs to improve the speed with which it answers and responds to emergency calls. The force is well below the national standard, with only 41.9 percent of 999 calls being answered within 10 seconds.

“However, we did find that the force works well with partner organisations to safeguard vulnerable people. We found good examples of the force working with other organisations to divert young people away from offending and to reduce the vulnerability of people who may become victims of crime.

“Although I have concerns about corporate processes, I am pleased that the force has accepted our findings and is engaging with us and other partner organisations to ensure improvements are made. I remain in regular contact with the chief constable and will monitor the force’s progress towards addressing the cause of concern and areas of improvement I have established.”

In response, Lisa Winward, chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, said the force had recently approved a £1.8 million investment in its force control room to help tackle call response times.

She said:

“The report highlights a number of areas that the force delivers well but also reports on a significant number of areas that require improvement. A number of these relate to the corporate capacity and capability of the organisation linked to workforce planning, governance, performance management, financial planning, and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our shared enabling services.

“They told us that while the right actions might be taking place on the ground by our people, they were not able to find sufficient evidence of how this was directed and overseen through our governance structure.

“The inspectors told us that every single person they spoke to was committed, fully engaged in their work and doing a really good job in difficult circumstances. They told us that our people take pride in being part of North Yorkshire Police and that there is a strong sense of belonging in the force.

“Since we received the hot debrief from HMICFRS in October 2022, we have been working at a pace to address the issues that they have raised so we can focus on our core responsibilities to the public.

“The Organisational Improvement Plan that we have put in place focuses on achieving the standards required to deliver a good service to our communities. The force has been through a significant period of change since our last inspection in 2018, and in particular to our corporate services where our inadequate grading has been identified. We are investing heavily to make these changes.”

Commissioner ‘more than disappointed’

Zoe Metcalfe

Meanwhile, Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said she expected to see “immediate change” in police response to call times after approving a £1.8 million investment in the force control room.

She added that she was “more than disappointed” with other findings in the inspector’s report.

She said:

“I’m more than disappointed with other findings in the report and I’m sure members of the public will be too. It’s unacceptable that North Yorkshire Police requires improvement in multiple areas, in particular its strategic planning, organisational management and value for money – clearly more needs to be done and is being done as I continue to hold the chief constable to account. Our police force needs to do significantly better.

“I’m confident that the chief constable is overseeing significant transformation work within North Yorkshire Police to improve these outcomes, and that since October 2022 has implemented a trusted organisational improvement plan that can be effective at pace.”

Business Breakfast: Swinton Estate announces staff promotions

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

The Swinton Estate in Masham has announced a raft of staff promotions

Kevin Sansom, John Lawrence and Jordan McPhillips will be taking on new roles as Samuel’s Restaurant manager, head concierge and assistant financial controller respectively.

Meanwhile, Louise Dermott and Helen Pritchard have been promoted to spa guest services manager and therapist trainer within the country club and spa team.

The estate has also hired Nicolay Araujo as Terrace Restaurant manager.

Swinton Estate said on its Facebook page:

“A huge thank you to all the team for their continued hard work and the important part they play in our Swinton family.”

Government minister visits Harrogate Bus Company

Buses minister Richard Holden (second left) at Harrogate Bus Station with (from left) Transdev operations director Vitto Pizzuti; Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones; Transdev commercial manager Matt Burley; and network manager Alex Spencer.

The government’s buses minister paid a visit to Harrogate Bus Company this past week.

Richard Holden visited the firm’s training centre in Starbeck where he spoke with trainee drivers, before visiting the bus station in Harrogate town centre.

The minister also met younger colleagues starting out in the bus industry, as well as older recruits taking up bus driving as a change of career.

Accompanied by Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, the minister then attended the operator’s headquarters with operations director Vitto Pizzuti, training manager Dale French and commercial manager Matt Burley.

Mr Pizzuti said:

“We’re delighted to have welcomed the buses minister, who saw for himself the lengths we go to during wintry weather to keep our buses on the road serving our customers.

“The minister was also impressed to learn of the success of our government-supported £2 price drop, which has helped us to attract record numbers of motorists to leave their car keys at home and choose the bus instead.”

Mr Holden said:

“Having invested more than £2 billion to support bus services since the pandemic, it’s fantastic to see so many people using the bus here in Harrogate.

“Our £2 bus fare cap is helping to turbocharge the return of passengers, and we will continue to work hard with local authorities and operators like the Harrogate Bus Company to get even more people to hop back onto the bus.”

Value of Harrogate district tourism up by £31m, new figures reveal

Visitors to the Harrogate district are staying longer and spending more than they were pre-pandemic, according to new statistics.

However, the number of visitors over the same 2019 to 2022 timeframe fell by 650,000 from 6.47 million to 5.82 million.

Destination Harrogate, the Harrogate Borough Council tourism organisation, said today visitors contributed £637 million to the local economy last year, compared with £606 million three years previously.

The organisation also said the average length of stay increased from 2019 to 3.5 days, compared with 3.3 days three years previously. This is despite the fact the UCI Road World Championships took place in Harrogate in 2019, leading to high hotel occupancy rates in September that year.

John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate said it was “fantastic news for our local businesses and residents”, adding:

“The fact that people are staying longer and spending more aligns directly with our objectives of a sustainable tourism model, attracting more revenue into the local economy, whilst minimising the impact on the environment.

“Together with our partners, with whom we share this achievement, we can celebrate the significant impact that our visitors are making on our local economy and can we look forward to further successes going forward.”

The figures are based on a tourism economic impact modelling process called STEAM that uses local supply-side data and visitor survey data. More information on the Harrogate district data is here.

Destination Harrogate aims to grow the visitor economy to £836.7 million by 2030, however its future is unclear after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council in two weeks’ time.

Rudding Park Spa. Pic: Charlotte Gale

Cllr Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council, applauded Destination Harrogate for “boosting the economic impact of visits to the area”. He added:

“Harrogate’s visitor economy is the largest driver of the local economy second only to the property sector, and its value cannot be underestimated.

“With such a positive set of results we can look forward to a prosperous future for Harrogate as a major tourism destination within North Yorkshire.”

Since its launch a year ago, Destination Harrogate has delivered activities including a health and wellbeing campaign under the Visit Harrogate brand to attract higher spending visitors to stay longer for healthy breaks, Harrogate Christmas Fayre; events on the Stray marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee and the return of Harrogate Carnival.

Who currently licences taxis?

Who sets the fares?

What will happen from April?

What about fares?

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Pilot project

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How it started

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Big screens location in Yorkshire and Humber

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Concern over police performance

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Commissioner ‘more than disappointed’

Government minister visits Harrogate Bus Company

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