A scarecrow competition in the village of Minskip is set to return this weekend.

The annual event will be held on Saturday (September 3) and Sunday (September 4) with a pantomime theme.

The annual competition sees almost the entire village making scarecrows which then line the main street in a blaze of colour throughout the weekend.

Debbie Hargreaves, one of the organisers of the event, said:

“It’s absolutely wonderful how so many villagers have made scarecrows in the past and I expect the same this year. The competition has really caught the imagination of the village and the standard is incredibly high.

“It’s great fun and all proceeds from the competition go towards our little church, which, like so many rural churches, is desperately in need of money.

“It may still be summer, but the Panto season has come early to the village. I can’t wait to see Buttons, Widow Twanky, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk and even the back end of a horse all fighting it out to win our prestigious competition.”

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The entry fee is £10 and the competition will be judged by Minskip councillor Monika Kaczmarczyk. 

Prizes have been donated by Thorpe Perrow Arboretum and two Minskip businesses The Wild Swan pub and restaurant and the Yolk Farmshop.

(L-R) Minskip villagers Robert Beaumont, Meghan Holmes, Rob Peacock, Monica Kaczmarczyk, Val Tattersall and Beverley Johnson.

The winners of the competition will be announced on Sunday afternoon at 3pm in the garden in front of the church.

Robert Beaumont, senior churchwarden of Minskip Church, added: 

“I’d like to thank Debbie for all her hard work, enthusiasm and imagination in creating this fantastic weekend. It will raise much-needed money for our lovely little church.”

The Harrogate district community is set to come together this weekend to help hungry families struggling with the cost of living crisis.

People are being encouraged to fill a parking space with food at Morrisons, Boroughbridge, which will then be donated to food banks in the area.

The event, which will take place from 10am – 4pm on Saturday, is being led by the supermarket’s community champions, Sue Robson and Karen Cooper.

Ms Cooper said:

“As you are aware, the current financial climate is beginning to affect many local families and further putting already vulnerable households at risk of going hungry. Now, more than ever, people are needing to utilise the services of food banks.

We are joining forces with local food banks to create an event which hopefully should create awareness, and ultimately, provide more food for families in need.

“We hope this event will help to inspire our community to begin, or continue, to donate to local food banks, should they be in the position to do so.”

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Customers, staff, and the wider community are encouraged to come and donate non-perishable food and place it in an empty parking space, which will be cordoned off on the day.

The idea is that the parking space, or spaces, will be filled and then distributed to food banks in the area. These include Resurrected Bites, in Harrogate and Knaresborough, Boroughbridge Community Care and other local causes.

Customers can purchase food from pre-made pick-up packs at the supermarket, or can bring their own from home. They can also buy items off the shelves.

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In August, Parliament was not sitting as it was in recess over the summer. Nonetheless, Conservative MPs faced questions over what the government was doing to tackle the cost of living crisis and allegations that they voted voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Andrew Jones

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

• On August 3, Andrew Jones welcomed the Treasury’s response to his letter which ensured people connected to LPG gas bottles would get government support with their energy bills.
• Mr Jones strongly criticised claims that he voted to allow the pumping of sewage into rivers and the sea. He said the claims were “simply a lie”.
• Mr Jones called on people to get involved with the “national mission” to beat dementia by signing up to Join Dementia Research.
• The former Rail Minister told Transport for the North that investing in public transport was “going to be a main part of how we recover from the economic problems caused by the pandemic and inflation,” as well as reducing carbon emissions.
• Mr Jones also backed York to be the headquarters of the new government rail body Great British Railways.
• On August 31, he held an advice surgery in Knaresborough market.

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• On August 5, Mr Smith welcomed the £11,000 awarded by Historic England to the Ripon Museums Trust to investigate the lives of disabled people in the city’s workhouse.
• Mr Smith regularly tweeted his support for Rishi Sunak in the Conservatives’ leadership election, which ends on September 5.
• Mr Smith held meetings with small business owners in his constituency. He tweeted that it was “clear urgent intervention is also required” for small businesses as well as households.
• On August 1, Mr Smith welcomed the devolution deal signed by North Yorkshire County Council, the City of York Council and the government, as well as Richard Flinton’s appointment as the chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council.
• Mr Smith tweeted that “the new UK PM & the EU need to listen and step up” over work to secure a deal on Brexit-related issues in Northern Ireland.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On August 1, Mr Adams said he was “delighted” by the new devolution deal.
• Mr Adams posted on his website about the consultation to upgrade the A64 near York, on the main route between Harrogate and the North Yorkshire coast.
• Mr Adams also hit back at claims that he had allowed the pumping of sewage into waterways. He tweeted that the “fake news brigade and their gullible followers aren’t interested in facts” relating to the UK’s sewage system.
• It was reported that Mr Adams could be in line for a peerage in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s list of resignation honours. Such a move would trigger a by-election in his constituency. Mr Adams previously confirmed that he would stand down at the next election.

North Yorkshire County Council has put town centres at the heart of its plans to revitalise culture in the county.

The council has begun to roll out its new cultural framework after two years of consultations across the county.

A report for the framework found that the pandemic had a large impact on town centre visitor numbers.

Along with the growth of online shopping, it argued that high streets needed new ways of staying relevant, with cultural attractions seen as key.

The report states that:

“Town centres traditionally serve their rural hinterland’s needs for retail and civic amenities but as shopping and banking move online culture can help in animating spaces through activity or art, driving footfall and creating a buzz and amplifying sense of identity.”

Ideas on how to do this include promoting different towns’ heritages, installing public art and working with local stakeholders.

Over the last year, more cultural events have returned to the district’s towns as organisers recognise the important role they play in attracting visitors.

In July, Harrogate staged its first carnival since 2019, which saw street theatre, international street food and music performances. In September, the Ripon Civic Society is organising Heritage Open Days across the town and the city is also hosting a four day Poetry Festival which is growing in popularity.

A possible redevelopment of the Royal Pump Rooms Museum in Harrogate was also reported to be in the planning stage.

The 2022 Harrogate Carnival

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The consultation on the state of culture in North Yorkshire began in March 2020, before the first Covid lockdown.

The framework also recognises the impact that the lockdowns had on people’s wellbeing. It found:

“During the Covid pandemic issues of social isolation and loneliness have been exacerbated. A key factor in reducing loneliness is the social interaction experienced while participating in cultural activity.”

Other aspects of the framework concern regeneration, developing and supporting cultural industries, improving health and wellbeing, and supporting community development.

The plans are to be discussed at the county council’s area committees, including the one for the Skipton and Ripon constituency next week.

The framework was developed in partnership between the district and county councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.

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.

Selling of council land at Oak Beck

The council have now decided to flog off this last piece of green space in New Park. Apparently to provide a bit of dosh to prop up the
conference centre business in fear of Leeds grabbing OUR visitors.

Piece by piece this lacklustre council having spent lots of dosh on pointless and ineffective plans and schemes, now are evicting wildlife from the final vestiges of natural environment.

This is a lovely area of peace, where we can hear the birds, and listen to the beck gurgling it’s way (sometimes sewage as well).

Where are all these creatures to go? Where can we go to escape the stresses of life in Harrogate? Another rotten plan from a soon to be defunct council.

William B Thompson, New Park, Harrogate

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Starbeck should support KFC expansion – a response

 William Powell makes some good points in his call for Starbeck’s KFC to be expanded, but he is wrong to dismiss the views of local people.

He is right that Starbeck is in a wonderful strategic position between Harrogate and Knaresborough, with excellent transport links. He is right that empty premises on our High Street are a bad thing.

He is right that Starbeck has a vibrant economy, but this is driven by the local residents of our diverse area who use these shops and facilities. But they are also impacted by those businesses, whether its litter, noise, traffic or a range of other issues that local people regularly raise with the Residents’ Association.

So the Starbeck Residents’ Association (SRA) asked people who live locally what they thought about KFC’s plans and others. And views were split. Some thought it was most important to fill empty premises. Others wanted a wider diversity of businesses on a High Street that already has plenty of takeaways. Both are right and not contradictory.

The SRA recognises that we cannot force particular enterprises into a particular area. That’s why we are in touch with the local Chamber of Commerce and others about what more we can do to promote Starbeck. It has a well used library, swimming pool, successful sports clubs and facilities like Belmont Park and a real sense of community, with numerous local voluntary groups attached to our vibrant church communities and many others.

So let’s be ambitious for our area. I know I’m not alone in being proud to live in Starbeck and together we can make it better.

Chris Watt, Chair Starbeck Residents’ Association

The board room at the top of Bettys on Harrogate’s Parliament Street provides panoramic views of the town centre.

Spectacular as they are, it’s impossible not to look down now without a sense of trepidation.

Recession, cost of living crisis, inflation, recruitment problems and energy bills are rarely out the news and you wonder how many of the shops and businesses will still be around in a few months time.

Simon Eyles, a member of the collaborative chief executive at Bettys since June 2016, says it feels like the most challenging time in his career.

“It is a tough time for the High Street and I do worry where things are going. Every retailer needs to be on top of their game in the next six months time.”

Even Bettys? The queue for the flagship tearoom in Harrogate still snakes around the corner but Harrogate’s best-known brand is not immune to the turbulence.

Its latest accounts, published in July, warned of ‘significant trading challenges’ ahead and revealed that although turnover grew by 8.8% in the year to October 31, 2021, operating profit fell by £1.6m to £15.5m.

Mr Eyles says recent accounts are difficult to read because there have been so many one-off costs due to things like covid but accepts these are tough times.

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He quotes ex-boxer Mike Tyson’s famous line that ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’, adding: “It feels like we have been punched in the mouth a lot recently.” But he remains upbeat.

“I’m an optimistic person because if you were a worrier you would get yourself into a pickle right now.

“There’s an insight we have that says ‘there’s nowhere quite like Bettys’. That’s something I want every single customer to feel when they leave.

“We need to ensure our menus keep changing by doing things like making sure we have the best service, more vegetarian options. We don’t need to reinvent ourselves or have a revolution — it’s about how we carefully and skilfully change.”

Northern roots

Born in Stockton-on Tees and now living near Boroughbridge, Mr Eyles has spent his entire student and working life in the north.

He did business studies at Sheffield Hallam University and subsequently held senior marketing and commercial roles with household brands in the food and retail industry, including Asda, McCain and Lurpak.

A Middlesbrough FC fan and former county tennis player who now plays for Boroughbridge Tennis Club, he joined the Bettys & Taylors Group as marketing director for Taylors of Harrogate in 2011.

In 2016 he transferred to his current role at Bettys, which employs about 1,450 staff at its Starbeck bakery and five tearooms. He says:

“This place grabs you. It has deeper connections, deeper history. It can be a weight to carry knowing how precious and valuable it is.”

Outside Bettys’ flagship tearoom in Harrogate.

Five chief executives

My Eyles is one of five chief executives under Bettys’ unusual collaborative structure. He says:

“I find it a supportive model as the five of us have different perspectives and areas of expertise, meaning that we can make better, rounded balanced decisions.

“We can move at pace when we need to but sometimes it’s better to discuss, listen to each other’s views, in order to make a more informed decision.

“We certainly are not a ‘command and control’ business, as we have all worked in organisations that have this power dynamic and believe that this is a more rounded, considered approach to leadership.”

The leadership isn’t planning any fundamental changes. Bettys will continue to operate five tearooms: Harrogate town centre, RHS Harlow Carr, York, Ilkley and Northallerton. Mr Eyles says:

“We are Yorkshire through and through. There are no plans to open in London or anywhere.”

Harrogate town centre and York are the busiest and attract more tourists for afternoon tea. Harlow Carr, he says, does well on the retail side from people popping in as part of a trip to the RHS gardens whereas Northallerton and Ilkley have loyal local followings seeking tea and cake.

There’s also Bettys’ bakery in Starbeck, which is significantly affected by rising energy costs. My Eyles says:

“We have to work really hard as to how we can absorb those costs.

“You can’t just keep putting prices up, you have to find the right balance and the queues are sign we have got that equation right.”

Christmas build-up begins

September marks the start of Bettys’ build up to Christmas, which is its busiest time of year.

The window displays and products are planned and the Christmas catalogue will soon be published.

Last year’s Christmas window display in Harrogate.

Last year the company reported its highest ever sales figures for a Christmas period. Online sales have doubled since the pandemic.

The premium market Bettys serves is to some extent insulated from the recession but equally many people are more cutting back on treats.

Recruitment remains a major headache, especially for kitchen staff. Brexit, he says, is having a delayed effect and making recruitment harder. It’s also prompted the company to stop trading in Europe:

“We ship a lot to the United States and Australia but the complexities that are involved with shipping to Europe means that we are not doing it because it’s not worth it for us. I don’t think Brexit has done us any favours.”

Bettys was founded in 1919 by Frederick Belmont, of Switzerland, whose family still owns the company. Mr Eyles, who has a 14-year-old daughter and two labradors, says the family is not involved in day-to-day business but are regularly updated and make strategic decisions.

“Bettys will be thriving for years to come. We will have evolved but at the heart of it we will always be a magical experience.

His advice for companies struggling to survive?

“If you freeze and wait for things to settle down, that is a big risk. You need to be proactive.”

An eight-week public consultation looks set to start in October asking people in North Yorkshire if they support devolution and the election of a mayor.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive will be asked to agree to the consultation when it meets on September 6.

It will also be asked to pay an initial £600,000 to cover the costs of the consultation exercise and other early implementation costs.

If devolution goes ahead, it will lead to the creation of a combined authority for North Yorkshire and York and the election of a mayor for the region.

A draft deal was signed on August 1, which is Yorkshire Day, in York. The 32-page document promised £540 million over 30 years and more devolved powers over skills, transport and energy.

Now councillors are being asked to move to the next stage of the process.

Councillor Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the county council, hailed the deal as “life-changing for the region’s economy”, adding:

“I have been a huge supporter of the devolution of powers and money from Whitehall to the Town Hall and of local-led decision making set against our own priorities.

“I have no problem in recommending the acceptance of the draft deal and of asking my executive colleagues to agree a public consultation.”

Earlier this month, the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough called for a public vote on the deal saying it gave too much power to one person. 

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If the consultation is agreed, it will run through the autumn and close before Christmas.

York and North Yorkshire councillors will then consider the results and make a decision on a submission back to the UK government in the spring.

The current timeline then outlines the formation of a combined authority for the region in winter 2023, with the public electing a mayor in May 2024.

The deal can be found on the Government’s website, here.

The executive paper can be read here.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has strongly criticised claims that he voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

Mr Jones said in the Conservative run Community News website that the environment was “being weaponised, deliberately, cynically, falsely” and that the claims were “simply a lie.”

Images of raw sewage being pumped into waterways reignited a debate around whether MPs had voted to allow it.

265 Conservative MPs, including Mr Jones, voted to stop Amendment 45 to the Environment Bill in October last year.

The amendment would have forced water companies to reduce the amount of sewage they discharged and pay for its environmental damage.

At the time, he said it had been “poorly planned and drafted”.

He subsequently supported a government amendment to make water companies provide a “costed plan” for how to reduce the amount of sewage.

People boating on the River Nidd at Knaresborough

Nidd concerns

Local criticism has concerned the safety of the River Nidd.

The Stray Ferret reported back in 2020 that it had failed chemical tests and that the water contained unsafe levels of chemical sewage.

More recent data revealed that there were around 1,000 sewage incidents in the river in 2021.

The local Liberal Democrats launched a petition on the issue earlier this year calling for a sewage tax to raise money to clean rivers.

The party’s county councillor for Knaresborough West, Matt Walker, said:

“My colleagues and I have spoken to dozens of parents whose children have become violently ill after swimming in our river, something that should be safe for them to do.

“The Nidd is huge draw for locals and tourists, we need to invest and protect what we have and that means tough action.”

However, Mr Jones argued that the practice of using sewage storm overflow drains had been done for a hundred years.

That, he noted, included when the Lib Dems were in government with the Conservatives.

Knaresborough Liberal Democrat councillors Hannah Gostlow and Matt Walker

To that, cllr Walker responded:

“New figures… show a dramatic increase in the amount of sewage released since 2016 – an increase of 2,553%. An increase under a Conservative Government.”

Shan Oakes, a Green town councillor in Knaresborough, said the town council was planning to apply for designated bathing status for a stretch of the Nidd.

She hoped that it would mean that something had to be done about its poor water quality.

Cllr Oakes blamed the government for the current situation:

“With the current situation where water is privatised, the government does not hold [water companies] to account as it should. The government has decimated the Environment Agency.”

What Yorkshire Water says

Yorkshire Water said sewage is not the only issue which affects river quality and that agriculture, businesses and plastics also have an effect.

The Environment Agency regulates discharges and companies must have permits in place.

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said:

“We know that our storm overflows operate more often than our customers, or we, would like and we’re working hard to make improvements across the region. We’re investing £790m to improve rivers across the region, including £137 million by 2025 to enhance, investigate and increase monitoring on storm overflows.”

The water company made an operating profit of £242 million in 2022.

The Harrogate district’s famous floral displays will soon be looking worse for wear due to the hosepipe ban.

The ban came into force today and Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it won’t be watering plants until it is lifted.

Yorkshire Water acted following months of dry weather, which have depleted water levels in the district’s reservoirs such as Thruscross and Swinsty.

It’s the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995 and means the council’s parks and environmental services team, which looks after floral displays in parks as well as in towns and the city of Ripon, will have to watch its hard work wither until the ban is lifted.

The district’s floral displays are a source of local pride.

Little rain is forecast for the remainder of the month.

A council spokesperson said:

“The Yorkshire Water website states that during the period of the ban councils cannot use hosepipes or sprinklers to water floral beds, displays or hanging baskets in public locations.

“This unfortunately means that we are not able to continue watering the floral beds, hanging baskets, barrier baskets or floral tubs around the Harrogate district.

“Using watering cans is not practical and continues to use water from our water supplies, which are currently in short supply and high demand”.

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The council also runs a subsidised hanging basket scheme in which businesses pay the council to provide the basket and plants. Staff then water and maintain the baskets throughout the summer.

The council says businesses who use the scheme will not be eligible for a refund.

Its spokesperson added:

 “The hanging basket scheme is already subsidised by the council to reduce the price of baskets to businesses in the town centre. 

“The hosepipe ban has come in at the end of the season so hopefully with lower temperatures and a bit of rain over the coming weeks the baskets will last a few more weeks until they are scheduled to be removed late September. 

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is unfortunate, it is also important that as community leaders we play our part in adhering to the restrictions and highlighting the need to conserve water”. 

A new heritage map for the Boroughbridge district has been produced to illustrate the history of the Norman town.

Many iconic buildings of the past no longer exist but the map points to where the remnants are, as well as existing buildings.

They include the Manor House, which was the home of the Tancred family in the 1500s, Langthorpe brewery, the railway station, the old mill, the battle cross and the ancient church.

The map was designed by Mike Tasker and produced by Boroughbridge and District Historical Society with support from Boroughbridge Town Council and the tourist information centre, Langthorpe Parish Council and Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade.

It compliments the recently published book by the society called Boroughbridge, a Yorkshire Town.

Copies of the map are available from the Boroughbridge tourist information centre and the town’s library.

It will soon be available to download here.

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