‘Get jabbed’ plea as ‘wave of covid’ predicted in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire health bosses are urging people to get their flu and covid vaccines ahead of the winter period.

NHS officials say they are preparing for a busy winter of respiratory illnesses, which may overwhelm hospitals.

Dr Bruce Willoughby, Harrogate GP and part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, said he expected to see more cases of covid in hospitals in the coming weeks.

He said:

“Health and care services in North Yorkshire and York, like everywhere, are already extremely busy. We do expect to see more cases of covid in the coming weeks as people mix freely again and spend more time indoors as the weather gets colder. The risk of catching covid is highest indoors and in crowded places.

“More people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the pandemic. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before it starts spreading. 

“You can help though. Your actions during the pandemic made an enormous difference and we need people to look out for each other in the same way again.”

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, added that there was also a risk of a wave of flu hitting hospitals.

She said:

“We expect to see a wave of covid in North Yorkshire during October/November and possibly another in January.

“There’s also the risk of being hit with a wave of flu cases at the same time so it’s particularly important that people take up the offer of vaccinations as soon as they can.

“Please also remember the basics – hands, face, space and fresh air. They protect against covid, flu and lots of other nasty viruses that can make you feel quite unwell.”

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People aged 50 and over, pregnant women, carers, frontline health and care workers, care home residents and people of all ages who are vulnerable are eligible for a covid booster jab now.

Those who are able to book their vaccinations can do so via the NHS website.

Most groups are eligible for a flu vaccine and have been offered a free vaccine. People do not need to wait to be invited for a flu jab and can book at their GP surgery.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Drivers should be aware of upcoming roadworks on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

Meanwhile, long term works in Harrogate town centre remain in place this morning.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Traffic is moving as normal in the Harrogate district during rush hour this morning.

However, motorists should be aware of temporary traffic lights which are expected to be put in place on Skipton Road.

North Yorkshire County Council is carrying out work to replace light columns on the road. According to the authority’s roadworks map, the lights will be in place until October 25.

Temporary traffic lights on the A61 near Daleside Nurseries in Killinghall remain in place. Drivers should expect delays in the area this morning.

The lights have been put in place by Yorkshire Water and are expected to end today.

In Harrogate town centre, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.

Work to to reconstruct the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, has been delayed and is now expected to start on Monday (October 24).

North Yorkshire County Council said this is so the authority can “finalise legal arrangements around access across private land to facilitate the work”.

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The scheme requires the road to be closed and a diversion will be in place via Pateley Bridge; the B6451 Dacre; Menwith Hill Road; Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.

Also, lights will be installed on the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley. The road suffered a landslip during storms in February 2020 and a weight limit has been in place since.

It was expected that the work will be carried out until December 9.

Details of the scheme are here.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

The Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting cancellations on its 7 and 36 services this morning. You can get updates here.

Boroughbridge couple’s three-year new build nightmare

A Boroughbridge family has been left in limbo for three years after ongoing problems with a new build property.

Chris and Katie Eve bought the house on Hockley Croft estate in December 2019.

But they still have items stored in a shipping container outside because of unresolved issues.

The new build estate, constructed by Harron Homes, consists of eight properties.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Mr Eve said his family, which includes two young children, had looked forward to leaving Harrogate for a new home in Boroughbridge.

He said:

“We moved there because we wanted something slightly more rural.

“We liked the development itself and thought it would be good for the kids.”

Lack of insulation

But numerous problems, particularly with the insulation, has led to a three-year nightmare, including the couple having to store clothes and belongings in shipping containers on their drive. Other properties on the estate also have to use containers.

The Eves’ garage ceiling has been taken down four times because of problems with the insulation and fire board, and damp has also been found in the property.

Mr Eve said the couple could “see their own breath” in the front room because of the cold temperature, and had endured “countless” other problems, including uneven bedroom floors and roof trusses being weathered and warped.

Site managers from Harron, council building control and customer service managers have been to the property to inspect the property.

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On two occasions, the family have had to move items stored in the garage into shipping containers — the latest container has been there for a year.

The couple said they are still waiting for Harron to fix the problems and, as a result, have been forced to employ their own structural engineer to look at the house.

Currently, they are staying in the living area above their garage. But despite the ongoing problems, Mr Eve said the family is determined to make the house work.

He said:

“We like the location and we get on really well with the people around us.

“I do not feel like we should move because Harron would buy it off us and sell it off with the same issues.”

Harron Homes response

The Stray Ferret approached Harron Homes for a response to the complaints made by the family.

Tony Lee, managing director for Harron Homes Yorkshire, said:

“Harron Homes prides itself on creating quality homes so we are disappointed that we’ve not reached that standard on Hockley Croft in the past.

“We are currently working with a small number of residents to agree start dates and convenient times to rectify defects. We are committed to resolving matters as swiftly as possible and I am confident that our operations are robust, and our teams have the resources to deliver the service and quality I expect for our customers.”

Harrogate councillor calls for officer to be sacked over abusive Twitter account

The leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Liberal Democrats has called for the dismissal of a senior council officer after the Stray Ferret revealed yesterday he was behind an anonymous, abusive Twitter account.

Steve Rogers, Harrogate Borough Council’s parking enforcement manager, used the handle @ChippyGlory to send abusive and obscene tweets -— many directed at Liberal Democrat councillors.

Pat Marsh says she will be raising the issue as a matter of urgency with the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson, at a meeting tomorrow.

Cllr Marsh says the revelation that the tweets came from a council officer are deeply unsettling.

“”I am deeply, deeply concerned. The tweets I have seen are deeply offensive. How’s he got away with it without other people knowing it was him?

“I need to know what process he is undergoing. He can’t be in the role he is in. He has lost trust from all sides. Isn’t this instant dismissal?

“This has damaged the relationship councillors have with officers. You start to become concerned – it might be one rogue person but you don’t know.

“It raises issues of whether there is a toxic culture at the council – it is very unsettling. We have got to have a relationship of trust between councillors and officers. “

Many of Mr Rogers tweets were sexist and some explicit and obscene towards women.

Cllr Marsh, said she is angry that Mr Rogers has been tweeting for so long and will asking the council to take the following action:

In yesterday’s report, the Stray Ferret published a particularly abusive tweet Mr Rogers posted about the New Park Liberal Democrat councillor Matthew Webber.  It was done with the consent of Cllr Webber to illustrate the nature of @ChippyGlory’s posts.

Cllr Marsh paid tribute to Cllr Webber and said he was brave to agree to the tweet being published:

“It impacts on people hugely – Matthew Webber has had a difficult year with the loss of his father. His tweets were personal – it is not acceptable.

“It was very brave of him to let the Stray Ferret show the tweet about him. We will give him every support at this time. It is totally, totally unacceptable.

“To have this thrust out into the public arena is not acceptable – let alone if it’s done an officer of the council.”

She added that Cllrs Philip Broadbank and Chris Aldred who were also targeted by Mr Rogers have given years of service to the town of Harrogate:

“Philip has given more than 40 years service to this town. Chris has also worked very hard and I feel really angry on their behalf.”

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Conservative councillor Nick Brown who was also the subject of Mr Rogers’ derogatory tweets has called for his immediate suspension whilst the council investigates him.

“I am totally opposed to anonymous twitter accounts – it is a cowardly thing to do.

“I think he needs help, as do his 146 followers.

“What he is doing is totally obnoxious and he should be suspended immediately until a full investigation is completed.”

The Stray Ferret will ask the council for a response to the councillors’ demands.

Yesterday a spokesperson said:

“The council will consider any concerns in relation to the conduct of any of its officers and where appropriate investigate the matter in accordance with its policies and procedures.

“The council will not be commenting further at this time.”

Investment zones ‘won’t harm environment’, claims Andrew Jones MP

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has rejected claims that investment zones could harm the environment.

North Yorkshire County Council revealed last week it had submitted expressions of interest to the government to create investment zones at three Harrogate district sites.

They are Harrogate Convention Centre, junction 47 of the A1 and Potter Space Ripon, a business park at Junction 50 of the A1.

The zones will benefit from liberalised planning laws and tax incentives for businesses, which has sparked concerns from environmental groups such as the Wildlife Trusts that they will put wildlife and wild spaces at risk.

But Mr Jones told the House of Commons this week:

“These are sites where we have existing commercial activity which were already earmarked for further investment. Investment zones give us the opportunity to lever in funding from the government.

“I understand that individuals and some groups were concerned that the new investment zones would see the development of huge swathes of countryside. I would not have supported their introduction were that the case.

“But it is clear from the sites that are being brought forward that this is far from the case”

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Green Party rejects Mr Jones’ claims

Paul Ko Ferrigno, Green Party.

Paul Ko Ferrigno

But Harrogate and District Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate Paul Ko Ferrigno criticised Mr Jones’ stance.

“Like his government, Mr Jones has had 12 long years to establish his green credentials, and it is on that track record that he must be judged, not some aspirational scheme that has been rushed in so quickly that councillors have not been given time to scrutinise the detail.

“It isn’t even clear that these investment zones are needed because we haven’t been told which regulations are potentially holding schemes back.”

Business support

Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon Business Improvement District, backed the county council’s submission. She said:

“Whilst the Potter Space is outside the Ripon BID area, we welcome any investment into the Ripon city region.

“The potential for more businesses and employment in the area, and therefore further footfall and spend in our BID businesses, can only be a positive and we fully support Cllr Carl Les and North Yorkshire County Council in their submission.”

However, the North Yorkshire branch of Unison took a different view:

We share the concerns of @WildlifeTrusts, and our branch committee has voted unanimously to oppose #InvestmentZones and we arw asking @northyorkscc to withdraw its interest.@AJonesMP @nadams @JulianSmithUK @JulianSturdy @RishiSunak @kevinhollinrake

@ChrisGPackham https://t.co/3oHgEsdb3u

— North Yorkshire UNISON (@NYUnison) October 15, 2022

 

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Harrogate council officer’s abusive and obscene Twitter account

A senior Harrogate Borough Council officer has been using an anonymous Twitter account to insult councillors and send abusive, obscene and misogynistic tweets.

@ChippyGlory is an account with 146 followers. We have established it is run by Steve Rogers, Harrogate Borough Council’s parking enforcement manager.

The Stray Ferret has been tracking the @ChippyGlory account for two years after being told from a source that it was run by a council manager.

Mr Rogers holds a senior position at the council yet his tweets are strongly in breach of the local authority’s own social media policy.

His most offensive tweets are often deleted soon after posting but we have recorded many of them.

In the following section, we have taken the decision to publish a small number of Mr Rogers’ tweets to demonstrate the nature of them. Please be aware the following content is offensive and explicit. 

Offensive Tweets

Mr Rogers has published numerous offensive tweets about councillors from across the political spectrum.

Several of Mr Rogers’ tweets have been directed at the Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park, Matthew Webber.

Cllr Webber has given us his consent to show this tweet.

Cllr Webber said it was upsetting to see the tweet about him.

He told us:

“I’m offended and I will be contacting the chief executive asking for action to be taken. It brings disrepute to the council.”

Some of Mr Rogers’ most misogynistic and obscene tweets are targeted at Carrie Johnson, wife of the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Rogers has posted several sexist tweets about Harrogate Residents Association’s Anna McIntee, giving her the nickname ‘Barbie’.

Following the Sarah Everard case last year, Mr Rogers tweeted the following message to a serving police officer:

Attacking councillors:  

Despite being a public servant employed by the council, Mr Rogers has frequently published tweets attacking or mocking councillors.

After a council planning committee meeting last year @ChippyGlory tweeted “It’s always great to see Tories kicking Tories” and following the recent council elections he referred to the Conservatives as “Tory scum”.

He recently tweeted about North Yorkshire County Council’s Conservative executive member for highways Cllr Keane Duncan.

Mr Rogers is responsible for parking enforcement which gives him an active role Harrogate. Yet as ChippyGlory he has posted derogatory tweets about many well known figures in the town such as former Christmas market organiser and rail campaigner, Brian Dunsby.

One person who did not want to be named, but had a high profile role in Harrogate and was the subject of Mr Rogers’ abusive tweets, has told the Stray Ferret of the hugely detrimental impact they had on their mental health.

Mr Rogers tweeted this in an exchange on pedestrianisation about William Woods, Robert Ogden and Bob Kennedy – all well known, long-standing independent retailers:

Council’s social media policy

 As the anonymous ChippyGlory, Mr Rogers has had regular non-offensive exchanges with the council’s Twitter feed on various issues.

The Stray Ferret has obtained a copy of the council’s social media policy. It applies to all council employees using social media either in a business or personal capacity.

It says:

“Do not post anything (including text, photographs or videos) that your colleagues, councillors, customers, clients, business partners, suppliers, vendors or other stakeholders would find offensive, including discriminatory comments, insults or obscenity.”

It warns that any breach of the policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

Mr Rogers has said he is sorry for his actions. When contacted by the Stray Ferret he told us:

“I regret any offence that I may have caused. I would like to think I have moderated my persona over recent months.

“I apologise for my previous behaviour.”

We asked the council for a comment and if anyone knew that Mr Rogers was behind the ChippyGlory account.

A council spokesperson said;

“The council will consider any concerns in relation to the conduct of any of its officers and where appropriate investigate the matter in accordance with its policies and procedures.

“The council will not be commenting further at this time.”

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‘Use it or lose it’ warning as bus passenger numbers fall across Harrogate district

Bus services across the Harrogate district are under “unprecedented” pressure thanks to dwindling passenger numbers, leaving some routes at risk of being cut.

North Yorkshire County Council has issued a stark warning that, faced with passenger numbers of only around 80% of their previous levels, additional funding would be needed to maintain services.

The authority’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said unless more people travel by bus, the new North Yorkshire Council may be unable to maintain the existing services.

A planned cut of funding from the Department for Transport has been delayed from October until March, but local authorities face reduced income and rising costs even before the money runs out.

Cllr Les said:

“We are in a time of immense pressure for bus services nationally and North Yorkshire is no exception.

“Throughout the pandemic, the government has provided significant support to commercial companies to keep services running in North Yorkshire that would otherwise have been lost.

“While it is very welcome that this has been extended until March, we know many routes are continuing to struggle and companies tell us it will be impossible for these to continue operating without significant additional funding.

“The stark reality is that the survival of many services across the county are on a knife edge. We know how important public transport is for many residents but we are in a use it or lose it situation.”

The drop in passenger numbers follows the covid pandemic, with more people now thought to be working from home or using other modes of transport.

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NYCC has already tried to mitigate the impact of the pressures on bus services by setting up an enhanced partnership agreement, which met for the first time in August.

It sees the council work with bus operators to improve facilities and introduce measures to enhance operating conditions.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said the problems were down to the drop in passenger numbers, making many more routes unsustainable. He said:

“This is an unprecedented situation with around a third of the network at risk of seeing a reduced level of service or ceasing altogether unless patronage levels improve.

“We have already seen several routes cease, often at short notice, and the unfortunate expectation is that others may follow unless usage improves.

“While the council uses £1.6m each year to support services that are not commercially viable, this cannot meet the scale of the challenge we are now experiencing from routes operating without council subsidy.

“The council has been successful in lobbying government for extra financial support, but we accept this will not continue in perpetuity. We are working closely with operators to encourage passengers to use services and protect them for our communities.”

Harrogate district’s latest crime hotspots revealed in new report

A report has revealed the Harrogate district hotspots with the highest number of reported crimes over the last five months.

North Yorkshire Police has published a breakdown of the top offences in each ward area between May and September – and one location which has become an increasing crime concern features prominently.

Low Harrogate includes most of the town centre and perhaps unsurprisingly is named in all the top five areas for crimes including domestic violence, drug offences, robbery, burglary, sexual offences, hate crime and fraud.

But what might not come as a surprise is the fact that the ward has the highest rates of anti-social behaviour not just in the Harrogate district, but across the whole of North Yorkshire.

Despite this, police officers have insisted the town centre “is safe” and that crime overall is on the decline.

Here we look at the top hotspots broken down by each offence:

Anti-social behaviour 

Low Harrogate – 96
High Harrogate – 43
Starbeck – 35
Ripon Spa – 28
Ripon Minister – 26

North Yorkshire Police said in its report that although there are some hotspot areas, the latest crime figures “really cement that there are large parts of Harrogate which are unaffected by ASB”.

Outside of Harrogate town, the force said that Ripon Minister is “by far the busiest ward” for officers responding to reports of ASB.

It also said officers have and will use powers to deal with offences, including an ability to disperse people from a certain area for up to 48 hours.

The report added:

“Continued work is also being done across the night-time economy to ensure that those people out enjoying a drink can do so without the often-associated ASB that alcohol can attract.

“This has included use of drug dogs, increased patrols dedicated to the bars and a joint effort with licensing officers who can utilise their own powers.”

Drug crimes

Low Harrogate – 34
High Harrogate – 25
Granby – 19
Rossett – 15
Starbeck – 15

Low Harrogate again features at the top of the list for this crime and police said most drug offences tend to be within the town centre and with CCTV being used to identify individuals.

Offences in High Harrogate – which covers the area around Skipton Road north of the Empress Roundabout – tend to be vehicle stops, the report said, adding:

“We are aware there is a constant flow of drugs into the area from both home-grown dealers and those from other cities.

“Since May to the beginning of September, just within the Expedite team there have been 64 arrests and nearly 200 safeguarding visits.”

Sexual offences

Low Harrogate – 23
High Harrogate – 22
Granby – 17
Starbeck – 13
Stray – 13

North Yorkshire Police said there has been a “steady decrease” in reported sexual crimes across the district and that the vast majority of reports involve the victim knowing the suspect as a friend or family member.

The force went on to highlight concerns over nightclub spiking incidents and said there have been some suspected cases in the Harrogate area. It explained:

“We have not had any confirmed cases of drug spiking in the area despite treating several cases as possible cases.”

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Hate crime

Low Harrogate – 36
Granby – 15
Ripon Minister – 12
High Harrogate – 10
Starbeck – 10

Across the Harrogate district, a total of 183 hate crimes have been reported between May and September, and almost half are still under investigation.

Most reported incidents involved racial hate crime, whilst others included hateful comments over people’s sexual orientation, disabilities and religion.

The report said just under 9% of incidents have resulted in court outcomes, while around a quarter were not progressed due to the victim’s wishes. The force said:

“North Yorkshire Police takes all instances of both hate crime and hate incidents extremely seriously given their hugely impactive and personal implications.”

Domestic violence

Starbeck – 99
High Harrogate – 96
Low Harrogate – 93
Granby – 91
Woodfield – 84

Starbeck had the most reported incidents of domestic violence, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate following closely behind.

North Yorkshire Police has stressed that it takes domestic violence against both females and males seriously, adding:

“There are specialist officers that are either involved or review every incident and we take a supportive partnership approach to every incident.

“We now have a wider range of powers and tools that we can utilise to support victims and tackle offenders including domestic violence protection orders and notices.”

Robbery

Low Harrogate – 7
Starbeck – 7
High Harrogate – 6
Granby – 5
Ripon Minister – 4

There have been few robberies reported over the five-month period – and North Yorkshire Police said the joint-top hotspot Low Harrogate saw a 50% reduction in its figures when compared to the last reporting period. The force added:

“There are no linked robberies that have gone unnoticed and equally we have no repeat locations/victims or suspects that are causing increased areas of concern.”

Burglary

Low Harrogate – 31
Woodfield – 22
Saltergate – 21
Starbeck – 20
Ripon Minister – 17

Burglaries are much more common than robberies, and following national criticism on attendance and detection rates, North Yorkshire Police said it has committed to attend “all reports of dwelling burglaries unless exceptional circumstances would dictate otherwise”.

Fraud

Ripon Moorside – 47
Low Harrogate – 30
Woodfield – 29
Granby – 28
Saltergate – 27

The final crime listed in the report is fraud and Ripon Moorside – which covers the south-west of the city – comes out on top by some margin for its size.

North Yorkshire Police described fraud as an “ever evolving and growing issue” which is being driven by the reliance of technology in day-to-day lives. The force added:

“Due to our modifying world, fraud has now become the UK’s most common crime, and as a result of this, North Yorkshire Police have already committed and retained fraud as one of its force priorities.”

North Yorkshire spends twice as much as other areas on HRT, figures show

North Yorkshire spends nearly twice as much as other areas on Hormone Replacement Therapy for women aged between 45 and 60.

According to analysis by the BBC Shared Data Unit, North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group spent a total of £621,387.40 on the drug between April 2021 and June 2022.

The figure amounts to £12.04 per woman aged 45 to 60 in the county — more than double that of the lowest spend in Leicester at £5.56.

However, it is lower than the highest area in West Suffolk NHS, which spent £14.09.

The data comes as experts said the decision-making of local health boards had contributed to a postcode lottery and that some women were not being offered the full range of options because their local health board did not fund them.

HRT replaces hormones that are at a lower level approaching the menopause. Not every patient will need or want HRT, and clinicians advise against it in some circumstances, including for patients with a history of certain types of cancer or blood clots.

Diane Danzebrink, of the Menopause Support charity, said GPs’ “hands were tied”.

She said:

“Often we will hear from women who are being prescribed oral tablets as a first line, and they’re not being offered options.

“Sometimes that is because those options are purely not available on their local CCG formulary. So that sort of ties the hands of their doctors to be able to offer them choices. But we do definitely see that it seems to be in some parts of the country rather than others.”

An NHS England spokesperson said:

“The NHS has a Menopause Pathway Improvement Programme, which includes increased learning for clinicians in how they can best support menopausal women, and working with clinical colleges and menopause organisations to improve awareness and understanding.

“A new Menopause Optimal Pathway will also guide clinicians and help women in the workplace during peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause.”

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Harrogate district MPs silent on emergency statement

The three Conservative MPs whose constituencies include the Harrogate district have declined to comment on today’s emergency statement.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reversed almost all of Prime Minister Liz Truss’s tax cuts, which were announced in the government’s mini-budget three weeks ago.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, welcomed last month’s growth plan, saying on his Community News website:

“There are a huge number of measures, many focused on our productivity and investment which are the platforms for future growth. So, plenty to be positive about here in Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

Today we asked Mr Jones, along with Julian Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon, and Nigel Adams, who represents Selby and Ainsty, to comment on today’s announcement by Mr Hunt.

We also asked them whether the Prime Minister should resign, after three Conservative MPs called for her to do so.

Neither Mr Jones nor Mr Smith had replied by the time of publication.

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Mr Smith was critical of the tax cutting agenda in last month’s mini-budget. He said at the time:

“In a statement with many positive enterprise measures this huge tax cut for the very rich at a time of national crisis and real fear and anxiety amongst low income workers and citizens is wrong.”

Maire Crosse, Mr Adams’ senior parliamentary assistant, did reply but only to say:

“Nigel is away today and not contactable. Therefore, he will not be providing a comment.”