Runners from across the Harrogate district will descend on the capital this weekend for the 42nd London Marathon.

Held in October for the third time because of the impact of the covid pandemic, it will see 40,000 people cover the 26.2-mile route around the city, with a further 10,000 expected to take part virtually around the country.

The Stray Ferret is sharing the stories of local participants in the run-up to the event on Sunday, October 2.

If you’re taking part and would like to be included, email details to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Record attempt for unicorn runner

Jeremie Maillard from Harrogate will have two challenges in front of him as he crosses the start line on Sunday.

First, he will need to complete the distance – and second, he hopes to become the fastest runner to complete the course dressed as a mythical creature.

The Guinness World Record attempt is not his first foray into costumed running. Jeremie said:

“Having run London Marathon several times over the years, having completed it once dressed as a Ninja Turtle, I absolutely love the support from the crowd. So why not combining the running experience whilst fundraising for a great cause?

“If you see a unicorn on a practice ride ahead of the big day in October, you are not dreaming. You might not recognise the runner under the mask, but be sure that I will be sweating whilst struggling to see through my nostrils.”

Jeremie has already surpassed his £250 fundraising target for the Alzheimer’s Research UK, and donations are still coming in. To sponsor him, click here.

Early Bird runner takes on challenge for hospice

A Harrogate man will show his gratitude to the hospice that cared for his father by raising funds this weekend.

Nick Page’s father Warren was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and underwent treatment for more than five years.

In early 2021, he was placed under the care of the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice community team, who provided help to Warren and his wife. Nick said:

“As his health deteriorated, it was November that year he recognised the need for more specialist care and was admitted to the hospice for what turned out to be his last two weeks.

“At that time, for us as a family, the word hospice had negative connotations and it was initially a battle to be able to talk about.

“The reality was very different from what I had envisaged. Yes it is a medical setting but with a calm and empathetic atmosphere and the staff were incredibly kind and supportive.

“Covid restrictions were in place at that time, however, we were always welcomed and had great comfort knowing that Dad was in safe hands and I believe that his last days and hours were peaceful.”

Nick’s daughter India, now nine months old, was born just two weeks after his father’s funeral in January this year. The whole family has continued to receive support from Sue Ryder this year.

Nick has also found comfort from a running group in Harrogate, which has helped to inspire his marathon training too. He said:

“I joined the Early Bird Run Crew, who run every morning in Harrogate. It was established with the primary goal of improving mental and physical health and has given me the opportunity to use exercise as an outlet.

“The crew are a really encouraging group of people and this has helped me push myself with my training and preparation for running the marathon.

“Through the friendships that have been formed I’ve not done a long training run alone and one of the crew, Andy, will be running the marathon with me. With mental health now being a regular topic of conversation, we will sometimes go for a coffee (or a beer) and talk openly about mental health.

“It’s been a great support and the driver behind me completing a Mental Health First Aid course as well as becoming a wellbeing ambassador at my place of work because I want to channel my experiences into helping others in a similar situation.”

To donate to Nick’s fundraising, click here.

Marathon efforts for friends of young cancer patient

A former Ripon Grammar School pupil will run the London Marathon this weekend to support her friend who has been going through gruelling cancer treatment.

Lucy Verity, who left the school in 2018, was diagnosed with the rare bone cancer Ewing Sarcoma in January last year. She has undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as having 21 blood transfusions.

The young Masham resident has already raised more than £35,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which has supported her through her treatment, and the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

Her friend Ruby Beardsall, right, will run the marathon this weekend, while her brother Oliver will take on the York Marathon later in October.

Lucy’s mum Gaynor said:

“Bone cancer is a brutal cancer and needs a very aggressive treatment regime.

“We couldn’t have got through the last 19 months without the support of the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and its dedicated link nurse. At the moment the charity can’t reach all the patients it would like to due to lack of funding.

“The Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT), based in Leeds, receives no government funding and every penny raised counts towards research and providing support and information on bone cancer.”

To donate to Lucy’s fundraising, click here.

Running in memory of Dad

Knaresborough runner Tom Kilmurray will be raising money for the MS Society in memory of his father, Bob, who died from the illness last year.

Bob had been diagnosed with MS 16 years earlier and was cared for by his wife, Tom’s mum. In his younger days, Bob was a runner too, and Knaresborough Striders member Tom is following in his footsteps.

Bob Kilmurray, left, completing the London Marathon in 1983 and son Tom in training this year

Tom said:

“I really wanted to do something in memory of my dad and show support to other carers out there like my mum. Like me, running was big part of my dad’s life and in 1983 he ran the London Marathon in three hours and six minutes.

“It has been awful to see someone who was so active and energetic slowly deteriorate, plus watch the strain it put on my mum, who was my dad’s full-time carer for the last few years of his life. Running London has been a long-held ambition but running in my dad’s footsteps for this charity will be extra special.”

A familiar face at local Parkruns, Tom has set himself a target of £2,000. To sponsor Tom, click here.

Former Ripon pupil supporting women’s rights in Afghanistan

A former Ripon Grammar School pupil is preparing to run the marathon on Sunday to help protect some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

Edward Lyons, who left the school in 2016 for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics at King’s College, London, is raising money for Afghanaid.

Having since worked as a Treasury economist, he said the charity is close to his heart:

“Afghanaid works with marginalised groups in the Afghan community, helping to provide emergency aid, and assisting communities with resources and education to help support them through political turmoil, human rights atrocities, and other devastating challenges.

“Having experienced first-hand the monumental effort of colleagues in Her Majesty’s Treasury to support vulnerable citizens from Afghanistan via the Afghan Resettlement Scheme, this is something I feel extremely passionate about.”

As well as hoping to raise more than £1,500, Ed is aiming for a sub-three hour marathon. He said his own experiences of fundraising events at school have helped to inspire him to continue doing what he can to support good causes.

His passion for economics and politics led him to set up the RGS Politics Society while in sixth form, driving him towards his future career.

Harrogate’s high care costs are being compounded by the cost of living crisis as bosses warn that they have no choice but to pass on some of the “colossal” price rises to residents.

With care homes being hit by huge increases in energy and food prices, the average weekly cost of a residential care home in the district is now £1,029.

That figure remains the highest in North Yorkshire and is equivalent to almost £54,000 a year.

The climbing costs come at a time of significant workforce pressures as care homes continue to rely upon agency staff and constantly recruit to try to fill vacancies.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of care charity Harrogate Neighbours, described the price rises as “colossal” and said further increases in insurance costs and workers’ wages were adding to the pressures of keeping care services running.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours

She added that the only way for care homes to be able to keep their costs down was for the government to provide more funding and support for services.

Ms Cawthray said:

“There is a serious shortage of funding in health and social care.

“This has been going on year after year and the situation is only getting worse as more people get older and need to go into care.”

After years of funding cuts and promises to fix the broken care system, the government earlier this year announced a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone will have to spend on care over their lifetime.

This was due to be funded by a 1.25% rise in National Insurance, however, the tax rise was reversed by prime minister Liz Truss and funding will now come from general taxation.

The price cap and other measures are to be tested out as part of a “trailblazer” scheme which has seen North Yorkshire County Council chosen as one of six local authorities to introduce the reforms several months ahead of elsewhere.

Read more:

• Reassurances issued over ‘onerous’ social care revamp across Harrogate district
• Social care pilot scheme in Harrogate district ‘could bankrupt council’ without more funding

There are, however, questions over when this will begin next year and if it will entail a huge bill for the county council.

Aside from the trial, Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services at the authority, said it was doing “everything possible” to support the care sector, although he added these efforts were being made “within the constraints of the funding allocated by central government”.

He said:

“We continue to make the case to the government for comprehensive reform and funding of social care.

“The council is implementing a three-year deal to address the actual cost of care provided by care homes, ahead of many other local authorities.

“We are now working with the sector on a similar long-term plan for home care.”

Meanwhile, the county council has further plans to build an extra care facility after purchasing a £1.8 million plot of land at Harrogate’s Cardale Park, and there are also proposals to introduce “micro-providers” in more rural areas.

Cllr Harrison added: 

“In the Harrogate area, we are pursuing several projects to try to improve market conditions, including identifying potential new opportunities to provide care directly.

“We are also hoping to see the introduction of micro-providers in rural areas and are working with care providers to pilot new workforce models, attracting people to the sector with the prospect of the rewarding careers which can result from caring for others.”

A holiday operator has announced new flights to Turkey and Croatia from Leeds Bradford Airport following the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

TUI said it would now operate flights to Antalya and Dalaman, both in Turkey, and Dubrovnik in Croatia from Leeds-Bradford.

The airport, which is used by people across the Harrogate district, described the announcement as “exciting news”.

https://twitter.com/LBIAirport/status/1574427245481005057

TUI added the destinations from LBA after it was announced that Doncaster Sheffield Airport would close.

The last flights are due in November and the new Leeds Bradford destinations are expected to start in summer next year.

The holiday operator has also increased flights at Manchester and East Midlands airports following the decision.

Peel Group, which owns DSA, announced the closure after it said the airport was “not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs”.

Read more:

• Harrogate couple spend 3 days in vain calling Jet2 to rearrange £824 holiday
• Leeds Bradford Airport scraps plans for £150m terminal

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.

Concerns over Scotton Weir removal

Over the last few years, ecologists and others have been busy building dams and weirs in streams throughout the UK in order to slow the flow of water into river catchments thereby reducing the impact of flooding. It’s been pretty successful, dams and weirs are well known to help in lessening the impact of flooding. Indeed, in some areas we now employ beavers to do it for us.

Why then has Scotton Weir on the River Nidd been removed?

Scotton Weir has, for over 200 years, held back thousands of cubic metres of flood water that will now race down the catchment increasing flooding and the risk of flooding in Knaresborough and downstream communities.

The work, as I understand it, is to help fish migrate upstream towards Harrogate North sewage treatment works outfalls and west which is great news for the fish but not so for those at risk of flooding.

I did ask the scheme promoter for comment, he didn’t have the courtesy to respond. I spoke to North Yorkshire County Council’s flood and water management team who describe themselves as “the lead local flood authority” — they batted it on to the Environment Agency quicksticks and I finally got a lengthy and rather tedious phone call from a chap at the EA who assured me I was wrong and that there would be no impact on downstream flooding.

I hope he’s right but I fear he isn’t.

David Howarth, Bilton

Call for Knaresborough cemetery group to be formed

Responding to Jayne Jackson’s letter regarding the cemetery in Knaresborough, I think it would be really helpful if a ‘Friends of the Cemetery’ group was formed.   

It could then formulate policy and practice about how the cemetery is managed.  Personally, I’m always aiming to maximise biodiversity and wildlife havens, since humans destroy so much nature all the time, so we need to find places where we can give nature a home.  

It seems to me that cemeteries are an ideal place to have wild areas, as long as there are pathways so that it’s still possible to get close to the graves.

Many cemeteries have this policy, such as the wonderful York Cemetery,  Sharow Church, and now also St John’s Church in Knaresborough.

Shan Oakes, Knaresborough

Read more:

• Stray Views: Noisy cars in Harrogate should be monitored at weekends
• Stray Views: Station Gateway ‘will degrade things’

Queen’s great-grandchildren were well behaved

The most important part of a funeral if you have to take your children, for them to pay their, respects to their great grandma the Queen is that they know how to behave in the service and try to follow and understand what is going on.

I congratulate William and Kate on their upbringing of their children. It was a very long day for two young people. Their behaviour was impeccable when required.

If the children outside of the service behaved as children do, it doesn’t matter. They are human children

Any grown up does not have the right to criticise any parents about the behaviour outside the services their children have had to go through.

Margaret Beckingham, 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.

North Yorkshire County Council is set to review leisure services in the county as part of a drive to promote health and wellbeing

Cllr Simon Myers, planning for growth executive member, said the in-depth study would feature an examination of what the authority’s role should be in promoting public health as it faces financial pressures over spiralling social care costs.

A meeting of the authority focused on the transition to a new unitary council in April heard while existing leisure centres and charges would be looked, a study of the county’s community and grassroots facilities was also underway, to examine alternative ways of enabling rural residents to be physically active.

The meeting was told after the closure of the seven district and borough councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, the unitary authority would take on responsibility for 28 leisure centre premises across North Yorkshire, including 16 swimming pools.

Leisure services in the Harrogate district recently underwent a major overhaul led by Harrogate Borough Council. It saw the creation of a new council-owned company, Brimhams Active, to oversee facilities across the district.

The meeting heard there are glaring differences in access to leisure facilities across the county, with just one council-backed swimming pool in Richmondshire, which is in Richmond, so there was very little way people living in Hawes could use it, given that it would be a 54-mile round trip.

Councillors heard while leisure services in each of the districts were in “very different states”, Cllr Myers said some councils, such as Hambleton, had “state of the art” leisure centres.

Read more:

• Harrogate Hydro renovations a long-term gain, says diving club
• Hot Seat: Leading the Harrogate district’s leisure revolution

He added he did not believe it was right for councils to compete with private leisure facilities, saying it was not the best use of public money.

However, the unitary authority would be unable to harmonise leisure services across the county until 2027 due to continuing contracts.

Cllt Myers said he wanted to harness the county’s leisure services to tackle issues such as childhood obesity and mental health.

He said: 

“I think it’s very important when we consider that as a council we spend 53 per cent of our budget on social care one way or another, to look at investing in our residents, customers, so they don’t require social care so soon, they are kept fit and healthy, independent for longer.”

The committee’s chairman, Cllr Malcom Taylor, added:

“Prevention is better cure and if we can reduce our expenditure in adult social care I think that would be a massive benefit.”

The authority’s scrutiny of health committee chairman, Cllr Andrew Lee,  said it was clear providing access to leisure facilities across the whole county was going to be very difficult.

He said: 

“I support the delivery and provision of leisure but these facilities have got to, in my opinion, pay for themselves. I don’t want to see public money chucked at them if they’re not being used by a reasonable amount of the population.

“At the end of the day I always believe we have a responsibility to the taxpayers, value for money. Let’s look at things in a business-like way and not just say we must have these facilities, Harrogate’s got x so somewhere else must have the equivalent.”

Cllr Myers replied: 

“One man’s subsidy is another man’s investment. I think investing in the health of our residents is a really important thing to do. You either pick up the tab in social care and NHS spending or you invest it to keep people fitter and I think we have a role in that. I’m not in favour of simply chucking money at things.”

“It’s 175 years since the first public health board was set up. One of the very beginnings of local government, people’s involvement in public health. I think we should celebrate that and have a role to promote that, we owe that to our residents.”

North Yorkshire’s transport chief said the next six months will be “sink or swim” for some bus routes amid a lack of funding from central government.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said while £336,000 from government for bus services was “better than nothing”, it was a fraction of the £116 million previously asked for by the county council.

The Department for Transport awarded the council the funding to help with staff capacity in its enhanced partnerships team, which helps to draw up funding bids and works with operators.

The figure is significantly less than the £116 million bid made under the council’s Bus Services Improvement Plan earlier this year, which ministers turned down.

Cllr Duncan said the authority would continue to “face up to immense challenges” of maintaining bus services. He added that for some routes, it will prove to be “sink or swim”.

Cllr Duncan said:

“£336,000 is obviously better than nothing. But putting this into perspective, this is equivalent to less than 0.3% of our original £116 million Bus Services Improvement Plan bid.

“This is a pretty gutting state of affairs for the team who worked on our bid. I can’t hide that. Sadly, the fund was significantly oversubscribed and we were one of several authorities to miss out.

“The task now is to make the most of where we’re at. The enhanced partnership met earlier this month for the first time. This was a very positive meeting, with representatives of all of the county’s operators in attendance.

“We are facing up to immense challenges over the next six months, which will prove to be a sink or swim period for many routes.”

Read more:

• Harrogate park and ride ‘still possible’ despite £116m funding failure
• Harrogate park and ride plans could finally be revealed next year
• Government awards North Yorkshire £336,000 bus grant

Cllr Duncan added that the council would continue to look at improving bus services, despite having its multi-million pound funding bid rejected.

He said:

“It is only by the council and operators working closely together and sharing intelligence that we will be able to face up to these immediate challenges facing our network, protecting existing services as far as possible while making steps forward to improve the service provided to the public.”

Ahead of awarding the council staff capacity funding, the government said the grant would help it continue to work with bus companies.

In a letter to council officials, it said:

“We understand that this funding does not replace Bus Services Improvement Plan funding to spend on transforming your bus services.

“But we do hope it will help to support your ongoing work with operator partners, especially working through an enhance partnership or franchising arrangement, to deliver better bus services (whether they are commercial or tendered) and enable you to use local bus funding to best effect and attract future bus funding as it becomes available.”

Liz Truss may have only just entered Downing Street but opposition parties in Harrogate and Knaresborough have begun manoeuvrings for the next general election.

This week the Green Party became the first to name its prospective parliamentary candidate. The Liberal Democrats are expected to follow suit by the end of the year.

Conservative Andrew Jones has won four successive elections in Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010, securing 53% of the vote at the last campaign in 2019.

The next election is widely expected to take place in 2024 — and some think his biggest threat comes from opposition parties working together rather than splitting the vote. But the early signs are this is unlikely to happen.

There was little appetite for a pact at a Green Party hustings event this week. Paul Ko Ferrigno, the only candidate standing for leadership, insisted he was fighting to win, and even if he didn’t he was more interested in shaping the debate than doing deals.

Asked if he was willing to risk letting the Tories in with this approach, Mr Ko Ferrigno said:

“Yes — but if what I’ve done is shift the conversation so the next time round the Tories are being more green in their approach, more forward in their approach, because of the way we have been campaigning, then that’s OK.”

The Greens still harbour ill feeling from the last election, when their candidate, Shan Oakes, stood down.

Green Party members at this week’s hustings.

Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn for the Greens on North Yorkshire County Council, told this week’s meeting:

“We had a national agreement with Lib Dems. Shan agreed to stand aside. The problem with that is you have to trust the people you deal with.

“The trust for us has disappeared. That’s not good for a future progressive alliance.”

Cllr Warneken added, however, that a final decision on pacts would be taken locally.

Labour and Lib Dems

The Stray Ferret asked Chris Watt, vice-chair, Harrogate & Knaresborough Labour Party, which took 11% of the vote in 2019, if it would consider an opposition pact. He replied:

“Being a much larger party, Labour operates a national system with local parties making the final decision on their candidate.”

Mr Watt added Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour “have asked to move forward with selecting a candidate as soon as possible”.

Read more:

• Green Party chooses man to fight Andrew Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough
• Andrew Jones MP hits back over sewage vote

The process to select a Liberal Democrat candidate is being re-run after the national Lib Dems upgraded Harrogate and Knaresborough to a target seat.

“I’m hoping to have the procedures completed Christmas time.”

A Porsche driver who killed a cyclist while allegedly using his phone has been found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

James Bryan, 37, was rushing to get some shopping for his parents during the covid lockdown when his Porsche Carrera 911 ploughed into the back of a bicycle ridden by married father-of-two Andrew Jackson, 36, on the A168 between Wetherby and Boroughbridge, York Crown Court heard.

The prosecution claimed that at the time of the collision, Mr Bryan had been using his mobile and pointed to evidence that showed his Facebook and Instagram accounts were open.

A jury essentially had to decide the case on the single issue of whether Mr Bryan had been using his phone at the time of the fatal crash, which occurred on the afternoon of May 10, 2020.

Mr Bryan denied he was using his phone.

After deliberating long into the afternoon today (Friday, September 23), the jury found him not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. However, he had already admitted causing death by careless driving and will be sentenced for that offence in October.

Social media claims

During the trial, which began earlier this week, prosecutor Anne Richardson alleged that in the moments before the crash at Allerton Park, Mr Bryan must have been distracted by “something” because Mr Jackson was clearly visible.

She claimed that evidence showed he must have been looking at, scrolling through, or reading posts on social media.

Mr Bryan had taken cocaine and been drinking at his friend’s house in Cheshire the night before the fatal collision at Rabbit Hill Park.

A roadside test in the aftermath of the crash showed that although he wasn’t over the limit for either drink or drugs, there were traces of cocaine, or a cocaine breakdown product, in his system.

Ms Richardson claimed that Bryan, who celebrated his 35th birthday just two days before the accident, would have been impaired by the drugs in his system and from being hungover and tired from the alcohol and festivities the night before.

Read more:

• Harrogate Porsche driver who killed cyclist was ‘scrolling’ through social media
• Harrogate district planning rules could be ‘radically streamlined’

He was on the way to drop some groceries off at his parents’ house who were isolating during the covid lockdown when the accident occurred at about 1.40pm. Ms Richardson said:

“The front of the Porsche collided with the rear of Mr Jackson’s bike and Andrew Jackson came off his bike, went up in the air and hit his head on the windscreen and roof of the car, and landed on the road behind the car.

“He was pronounced dead at the scene by an off-duty intensive-care consultant.”

“This is an incredibly sad case. A young mother has lost her husband and father to two (very young) children. Her in-laws have lost their only son.”

Mr Bryan, of St Mary’s Avenue, Harrogate, was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He denied the allegation but admitted causing death by careless driving in that he didn’t leave enough room to drive around the bicycle.

Ms Richardson claimed Mr Bryan’s driving was dangerous because he “wasn’t looking at the road ahead of him” as his car approached Mr Jackson.

Died from head injuries

Mr Bryan – who had been at a birthday barbecue in Wilmslow the night before and set off for home early the following morning – called 999 moments after the accident and told a call operator he thought the cyclist was dead.

Other motorists, including the off-duty doctor and his medically trained wife, were on the scene in minutes and called police and an ambulance, but Mr Jackson had already died from head injuries.

Forensic analysis of Mr Bryan’s phone showed that it was unlocked in the moments before the crash and the Instagram and Facebook apps were open.

Mr Bryan was taken in for questioning and told police that Mr Jackson, who lived locally, “came out of nowhere” but then claimed the cyclist had veered into the middle of the road and that he had tried to overtake him, only for the cyclist to “swerve into my path”.

An accident investigator who carried out a reconstruction of the accident said the bike was not in the middle of the road, but on the edge of the carriageway, near a grass verge, and that Mr Bryan had not tried to move around the bicycle.

In one message found on Mr Bryan’s phone on the way back from Cheshire, he told a friend he was hungover from the night before and was “concerned about being late for his parents with their shopping”.

In another sent by Mr Bryan to a female friend while he was at the birthday party the previous night, he told her: “I’m so drunk I can’t see.”

Defence barrister Sophia Dower claimed that Mr Bryan was in a “fit and proper state” to drive and was not using his phone at the time of the crash.

She claimed that Mr Jackson’s bike had veered right from the edge of the road into the path of Mr Bryan’s black Porsche, and that her client “didn’t have enough time to react”.

The off-duty doctor who was at the scene said Mr Jackson had suffered a serious head injury and his helmet was broken.

Mr Bryan will be sentenced on October 21.

Jackson family statement

The Jackson family issued the following statement yesterday after the verdict:

“The outcome from today doesn’t change anything for us; we are still learning to live with the gaping hole in our lives left by Andrew.

“However, it is important we were here to represent Andrew, to get justice for him and to show just how much he is still loved and missed.

“We all deserve to feel safe on our roads and to make it home to our loved ones.

“We respectfully ask for time and space for our family to process the events of this week as we continue to grieve for our husband, father, son and friend.”

Businesses in the Harrogate district could receive major tax cuts and fewer restrictions on building as part of a government announcement today.

Ministers revealed North Yorkshire County Council is one of 38 local authorities it is talking to about becoming investment zones.

The government has said the zones will “will drive growth and unlock housing across the UK by lowering taxes and liberalising planning frameworks”.

However, a union has warned they could lead to poorer public services and a race to the bottom on employment terms.

The government has written to local leaders in every part of England inviting them to begin discussions on setting up zones in their area. Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire County Council was today confirmed as one of 38 that are keen to be involved.

The government has said the zones will receive lower taxes and ‘radically streamlined’ planning rules.

Businesses will get 100% business rates relief on newly occupied and expanded premises, full stamp duty land tax relief on land bought for commercial or residential development and a zero rate for employer national insurance contributions on new employee earnings up to £50,270 per year.

To incentivise investment, there will be a 100% first year enhanced capital allowance relief for plant and machinery used within designated sites and accelerated enhanced structures and buildings allowance relief of 20% per year.

Kwasi Kwarteng

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“That is an unprecedented set of tax incentives for businesses to invest, to build and to create jobs right across the country.

“If we really want to level up, we need to unleash the power of the private sector.”

‘Race to the bottom’

But the zones, which build on the government’s freeports initiative, was criticised by the North Yorkshire branch of Unison.

A spokesman for the union said:

“Our nervousness, which is probably shared by residents of North Yorkshire, is around a race to the bottom by deregulation.”

The spokesman said the zones set local authorities against each other and would be bad for public services, as well as ushering in a “lower standard of planning”.

He also warned it could lead to businesses in non-zone areas cutting wages and standards to compete. He added:

“I don’t blame local authorities for applying but what we need from government is a strategy that goes for a high skill, high wage economy rather than pitting one local authority against another.”

North Yorkshire County Council has been approached for comment.

Artificial intelligence is to be employed on Harrogate district roads this winter to keep traffic moving during severe weather.

North Yorkshire County Council revealed yesterday it was working with Finnish weather technology firm Vaisala to improve monitoring of its network of 5,800 miles of road.

Vaisala will use a combination of artificial intelligence, computer modelling and live data to survey road conditions more quickly.

A council news release said:

“As highways officers drive the network, the video technology automatically surveys the roads and identifies defects. It processes the data within a few hours.

“This gives the highways team a visual snapshot of the whole network, capturing useful data about the road condition and road signs very quickly and enabling them to target resources most efficiently.”

The authority is trialling Vaisala Wx Horizon, which uses real-time weather information, historic weather and road condition data alongside computer modelling to help identify required winter treatments.

It is also investigating Internet of Things sensors to provide feedback on road surface temperatures and moisture levels.

Read more:

• More weather stations give North Yorkshire ‘best coverage in UK’
• Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire

Last year the council spent £500,000 on measures including installing 27 weather stations across the county to provide up-to-date information to help the council make decisions about when and where to grit roads.

The B6265 at Greenhow near Pateley Bridge and the B6267 Low Burton near Masham are among the areas with weather stations.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the former executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, pictured at a weather station last year.

The stations include solar-powered cameras that relay live images of road conditions to the county council’s website, where they help people plan their journeys.

‘Vital to everyday lives’

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said:

“North Yorkshire’s extensive highways network, which includes many rural roads, is vital to the everyday lives of the county’s residents, its businesses, tourism industry and wider economic prosperity.

“That’s why we have a strong track record in putting ourselves at the forefront of technological advances that enable us to make quick, well-informed decisions to help to keep our roads open and people on the move during winter weather.

“These latest developments with Vaisala continue that long-standing approach and demonstrate our commitment to ongoing improvement to enable our dedicated teams to support residents, businesses and visitors across the county.”

Jarkko Sairanen, Vaisala’s executive vice president for weather and the environment, said:

“I am convinced the county and its people will benefit from the latest advances in mobile and Internet of Things technologies to help keep the road network safe and accessible, while minimising the cost and carbon footprint of efficient winter maintenance operations.”

The Stray Ferret has asked the council how much the new measures cost but has yet to receive a figure.

Picture: At one of North Yorkshire’s weather stations are (from left): Mike Francis of NY Highways; Erik Sucksdorff, sales director at Vaisala; Jo Wright, sales manager at Vaisala; Richard Marr, highway area manager at North Yorkshire County Council; Nigel Smith, head of highway operations at NYCC; Barrie Mason, assistant director, highways and transportation at NYCC; Jarkko Sairanen, Vaisala’s executive vice president for weather and the environment; and Alan Palfreyman, technical officer at NYCC