Stray Views: Dog attack victim says Harrogate owners need to control their pets

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.

Nearly daily the news reports serious dog attacks and fatalities. Almost dying because of a dog attack myself, I know how serious the dog problem in the Pinewoods and Valley Gardens could be. I was about seven years of age, just playing in the street with friends when I was attacked by a Spaniel, a neighbour’s family pet.

In my experience, most dog owners are responsible by always keeping their dogs under close control and removing their dog deposits. Most days, dogs running wild and even out of sight of their owners can be seen in these locations. Poo bags are being left on the ground or hanging in trees which is a health risk and another sign of irresponsible dog ownership. This is bad enough, but my main concern is lack of effective control of their dogs by some owners which could result in a serious incident with life changing consequences. I have owned dogs myself in the past and I know how attached owners are to their dogs. I am sure most owners feel their dogs are harmless and they would never attack anyone. The owners of the dog which attacked me, said the same thing.

I am asking all dog owners to consider what I have said and to keep their dogs under close control, in their sight at all times and to remove their dog deposits. I would like to thank the council’s dog warden who has been very helpful in recent years with dog problems in the Pinewoods and Valley Gardens. Having said that, as the council must accept some responsibility for the safety of visitors to these areas, I am calling on them to take note of this very real threat and to take action to prevent irresponsible dog owners.

Lyndon Wallace, Harrogate

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Bog Lanes closure

Would be interested to find out from the council/NYCC whether the road will be one way or two way when it reopens. Looking at the finished junction to the new housing estate, any vehicle wishing to turn left as they exit the new development on to Bogs Lane is going to find it impossible. 

I can only presume that the final decision when its announced will be a permanent closure to through traffic. Personally, I think a closure would be the best outcome. 

The increasing numbers of pedestrians and cyclists using the road, and the width of the roadway, necessitate its permanent closure on health and safety grounds alone. But is this yet another case of public bodies reluctant to make a decision?

Stephen Huxley, Harrogate

North Yorkshire fire service ‘improving’ despite rising response times, says commissioner

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has said the county’s fire service is improving despite rising response times.

Conservative commissioner Zoe Metcalfe said the service had been working “at pace to make considerable progress” over the eight recommendations linked to concerns highlighted by government inspectors.

Inspectors rated the fire service as “inadequate” and “requires improvement” last year.

Ms Metcalfe told a meeting of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel that following two further inspections to assess progress this year, “initial feedback has been positive” and that the inspectorate was set to publish its findings next week.

She added that areas identified for improvement were on track for completion and the remaining causes of concern were being prioritised.

Ms Metcalfe said following the introduction of a new risk and resource model for the service, “a targeted approach to prevention activities” had been undertaken in the Huntington area, where a controversial move to change the staffing of the station from full-time to on-call is being completed.

However, York councillor Danny Myers told the meeting that according to the latest figures the service had the slowest response time in the country last year.

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In the areas covered by the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, people had to wait for an average of 13 minutes and nine seconds for firefighters to respond to incidents.

This includes time spent on the phone reporting the incident, the crew’s preparation and their journey time.

The response time was up on 11 minutes and 37 seconds the year before.

He told the commissioner: 

“It is a serious concern. The direction of travel is not good.”

Cllr Myers said while Huntington was losing its full-time crew and moving to an on-call station it remained unclear what the impact on response times would be.

He added council tax payers in York paid out more than was spent on the fire and rescue service in the city due to the cost of providing the service across the vast rural expanse of North Yorkshire.

Mrs Metcalfe replied that last year she had consulted widely over the risk and resource model and that she had provided information to the panel in “a very full and transparent way”.

Chief fire officer Jonathan Dyson said “it was very easy to get misled by attendance times” as the North Yorkshire was the country’s largest county, spanning some 2,608 square miles.

He said while the service for Devon and Somerset covered a slightly larger area and had 84 fire stations, North Yorkshire had just 38.

Mr Dyson said he agreed that attendance times were important, but they did not take into account fire engines getting stuck behind tractors on rural roads or that on-call firefighters had to travel to the station before travelling to the emergency.

He said the service was working on “prevention protection” for the most vulnerable.

The chief fire officer added if he had millions of pounds extra he would put them into prevention and protection rather than responses, as he would be “faithfully filing every member of the public by not protecting them”.

Council to bid for government funding to progress Harrogate social housing schemes

North Yorkshire Council is set to bid for government funding to progress five social housing schemes in the Harrogate district.

The authority is set to apply for a grant from Homes England to help fund the projects, which include new build houses and conversion of a former Robert Street homeless hostel.

In a report due before senior councillors on Tuesday, council officers said the move would help to meet “huge demand” for social rented housing in Harrogate.

Currently, the council has 2,196 households on its housing waiting list in Harrogate alone.

Vicky Young, the council’s housing policy and strategy officer, said in her report:

“The tenure of the new build units will be social rent. 

“There is huge demand for social rented accommodation in the Harrogate locality, with 2,196 households currently registered on the Harrogate waiting list.”

Among the projects in the councils bid include new build homes on Poplar Grove and Gascoigne Crescent in Harrogate, Springfield Drive in Boroughbridge and Kingsway in Huby.

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Each of the homes are estimated to cost £375,000 to construct.

Meanwhile, the council also estimates that a plan to convert Cavendish House on Harrogate’s Robert Street into six flats would cost £400,000.

The former homeless hostel will be converted into a shared ownership property.

Councillors approved the conversion of the hostel in September. At the time, the council said in a report that the property would help to deliver “much needed affordable housing”.

It said:

“The building has been empty since November 2021. As such, it has a negative impact on residential amenity and increasingly risks attracting anti-social behaviour.

“The development proposals will deliver much needed affordable accommodation in a redundant building and a highly sustainable location, complying full with national and local planning policy guidance.”

The bid to Homes England would help towards 30% of the total cost of the five schemes.

According to the report, the projects would cost £1.9 million to build.

Senior councillors will discuss the bid at a council executive meeting on October 17.

Yemi’s Food Stories: Let’s ‘mise en place’ this Christmas

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

This summer, I did many demos at food festivals across Yorkshire and Manchester. At every food festival, there is a scramble for ingredients because a chef has left a key item at home or forgotten a gadget; this happens to everyone which means we sometimes have to improvise or hope that another chef or food vendor can bail us out.

For one cook, I forgot my oil by the door as I packed all the ingredients and equipment into the car and this happened on the day when what I was cooking needed to be fried. Thankfully a food vendor came to my rescue.

If you’ve ever watched a cookery show, you will be familiar with the term ‘mise en place’, which is a French term for getting things ready or putting things in place before you start cooking to make it a speedy and stress-free experience.

The concept helps you to organise and prepare the ingredients and all the other components needed before cooking, but ultimately it helps you to also get your space ready to support you.

You will need to anticipate what is needed for all your dishes and get them ready, which will save time and ensure that no ingredient or seasoning is forgotten when cooking. As part of mise en place, you must consider kitchen utensils, cookware, tools for plating, and ingredients.

As home cooks, we don’t always think of mise en place because most things are within reach. However, there are some dishes that can be easily destroyed if we overlook the prep – like an omelette, soufflé and desserts.

Pancakes can get cold while we are faffing about sorting out the toppings, and a self saucing chocolate pudding will keep cooking and turn into a cake if we forget to take the ice cream out at the right time. Sticky toffee pudding batter will have to wait until we have soaked the dates, so knowing the order to prep our ingredients and cook our dishes matters.

I do my food prep in two stages: firstly I get out all the ingredients I need and set them out, then I move onto the ones that need to be prepped, like peeling or chopping onions for example, or grating the garlic and ginger, or whipping the cream. This improves my chance of cooking the dish I set out to make.

Christmas is a time when there is a lot going on in the kitchen with Christmas dinner having many components. There is a reason some shops open on Christmas day for the last minute dash for cream, butter, milk and spices. The season is already stressful enough for most people – we need to find ways to make it less so.

Also, good planning helps us to reduce overspending and food wastes during the season.

We need to ‘mise en place’ our Christmas by putting things in place to ensure we have a stressless celebration with family and friends.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing ideas for Christmas hampers, cheese boards, gadgets I can’t do without and tips that get me through the Christmas season when I am mostly confined to the kitchen.

There will be restaurant recommendations if you prefer to dine out for Christmas and, if like me you are not super keen on sprouts, Christmas pudding or mince pies, I will recommend alternatives for you.

And what about those leftovers? They either get used or buried in the freezer until they get freezer burn. So, in the lead up to Christmas, I will share some recipes that might even prove to be more popular than the dinner itself.

Look out for tips from the region’s chefs about how to make your celebration a tad more special.

This Saturday, I will be joining  Yorkshire Appetite Food Tours for a Harrogate Food tour. You can also join me at the Afghan Kitchen Pop up in Harrogate on Saturday 21 October. I will be at Fodder on Friday 27 at 3pm; come say hi if you’re in the area.

More importantly please share your own tips, wine and cheeses that you want me to consider for my recommended lists, hamper ideas, alternative roast ideas and venues you want me to check out.

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North Yorkshire housing companies estimate end of year profits

Two North Yorkshire Council housing companies are estimating to report a profit by the end of this financial year.

Brierley Homes and Bracewell Homes are expected to post improved performance after completing further sales, according to a council financial report.

Both companies were taken over by North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

Bracewell, which is a former Harrogate Borough Council firm, is forecasting a profit return of £1.52 million by the end of 2023/24.

A report said the company had seen sales of shared ownership properties and the “receipt of rental income on the proportion retained within the company”.

However, it added that Bracewell was still awaiting the completion of purchasing a further two sites.

It said:

“The main challenge for the Company relates to receiving accurate information from developers.

“Bracewell is due to complete on house purchases at two sites this financial year however neither developer has managed to achieve their initial forecast completion dates.”

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Meanwhile, Brierley Homes, which was set up by the former North Yorkshire County Council, is forecasting a profit of £959,000 by the end of the year.

The figure is based on the company completing sales at sites in Marton cum Grafton, Pateley Bridge and Great Ouseburn.

Meanwhile, the firm is expected to start work on another housing site in Kirby Malzeard this year.

It comes as the council reported a “positive outlook” for the company in March amid an increase in sales.

North Yorkshire chief fire officer defends charging for false alarm call outs

North Yorkshire’s chief fire officer has defended a policy to charge businesses which repeatedly trigger false alarm call-outs.

Jonathan Dyson told a meeting of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel the ultimate goal of charging for false call-outs was to protect the cash-strapped service’s resources for incidents where people’s lives were at risk.

The meeting heard automatic fire alarms were the predominant call-out for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the brigade’s policies had always included the option to charge, but it had made that policy clearer recently in its Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025 as it was “starting to see repeat offenders”.

In the 12 months to March 2022, the service was called to nearly 7,600 incidents, of which nearly half were false alarms.

A study of Home Office data in 2021 found only 2% of confirmed incidents from automatic fire alarms were a result of an actual fire.

It found some 90% of false alarms were due to “false apparatus”, with two per cent being deemed as malicious.

Automatic fire alarms send a signal directly to fire services to respond to, but due to the volume of false call-outs some fire and rescue services now also require a confirmed fire before responding.

The meeting heard businesses in North Yorkshire and York whose fire alarms triggered four false call-out a year would be liable for a charge under the service’s policy.

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North Yorkshire councillor Rich Maw questioned whether the policy was “more of a headline rather than actually something that will deter”.

The meeting heard the policy was designed to protect the service’s appliances and firefighters, to ensure time for training, and “to respond to true life incidents”.

Mr Dyson said the service went to great lengths to ensure it was supporting businesses, and only when it was “absolutely required” would the service start charging for false call-outs.

He added while charging had been proven to be effective in energising managers in places such as universities to tackle people who triggered alarms irresponsibly, he did not anticipate the North Yorkshire service having to resort to charging on a consistent or regular basis.

However, Mr Dyson said: 

“The problem being of course, to some companies it is cheaper to pay any charge that we incur on them than making the responsible persons do their job or the changes that are required.”

Call for North Yorkshire police commissioner to delay chief constable appointment

A watchdog has urged North Yorkshire’s police commissioner to delay the appointment of a new chief constable for up to 15 months, partly to ensure the top police officer sees eye-to-eye with an incoming elected mayor.

All but four members of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel voted to recommend to commissioner Zoe Metcalfe that she postpones finding a successor to chief constable Lisa Winward, who announced last month she would retire in March next year.

A meeting of the panel at City of York Council heard Ms Winward’s retirement had come at a particularly inopportune time as she would be leaving the key role just weeks before a mayor, who would set policing priorities, was expected to be elected to an incoming combined authority.

Panel members heard while the commissioner had decided to launch the recruitment process, with a likely appointment date in April, if the process was launched after the expected mayoral election in May, a new chief constable may not be appointed until 2025.

Ms Metcalfe told the meeting she had been independently advised to launch the recruitment as soon as practically possible by a string of national bodies and top officials, including the chiefs of the police inspectorate and the college of policing as well as Unison.

She said: 

“I am not satisfied that deferring the decision to the incoming mayor, which would incur inevitable delay, for many months, and even extending until 2025, is the right decision for the public, delivery of service and North Yorkshire Police.”

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Following concerns that uncertainty over who the incoming mayor would be could deter some candidates from applying to be chief constable, she added the role of leading the force was an “immensely exciting prospect” for any police leader.

She underlined that if the process was delayed until after the election the deputy chief constable would be asked to step up for “a very prolonged period of time”.

She said her experience of working with chief constables was that they were “very professional people” who would go out of their way to make a working relationship with the new mayor and deliver the mayor’s priorities.

Panel member Martin Walker, a former judge, backed the commissioner’s decision, saying one of the main criteria for a chief constable was to be “independent and strong”.

He said: 

“If two people at the top of the most difficult, important and complex jobs can’t get on, and it has to depend on personalities, I think that’s wrong and frankly it wouldn’t be fit to do the job.

“In my own experience, throughout my career, I have had to work with people I don’t like, and I’m sure some didn’t like me, but it’s necessary to do that in life, and in my view you have to get on with it.”

However, several panel members said the relationship between the mayor and chief constable was vital and they wanted to see the priorities of the incoming mayor part of the process for the selection of a new chief constable.

The meeting the commissioner repeatedly pressed to pause the recruitment process until after a mayor is elected.

Cllr Lindsay Burr, who represents Malton, said it would be an incorrect decision for the public to appoint a chief constable when the force’s strategic direction had not been set by the incoming mayor.

Huby councillor and former police officer Malcolm Taylor said while moving ahead with recruiting a chief constable might be a good decision in the short-term, the appointment was a long-term role.

North Yorkshire double devolution ‘will not help vast majority of area’

A flagship scheme to hand extra powers to parishes following the creation of North Yorkshire Council will not benefit the vast majority of the area, it has been claimed.

Opposition groups on the Conservative-run council have expressed disappointment after it emerged just 11 town councils and one parish council had submitted bids to manage more services in their area as part of what the authority has titled “double devolution”.

The offer to hand powers to parish authorities was initially made in former North Yorkshire County Council’s submission to government for the establishment of a unitary council amid concerns that decision-making for local services would become too far removed.

An officer’s report to a meeting of the council’s executive on Tuesday emphasises how the council has pledged to place local communities at its heart while covering England’s largest county, and double devolution would be “a key platform to achieving this aim”.

However, the report states double devolution applications would need to have a solid business case and be cost neutral to the unitary council.

It states of the 12 expressions of interest submitted by town and parish councils, three did not meet the council’s criteria, including the only one from a parish council.

Knaresborough Town Council could be given powers over its market.

Knaresborough Town Council could be given powers over the town’s market.

The report states Little Ouseburn Parish Council applied to manage grass cutting outside some cottages, but the parish “did not evidence legal competence”. 

Stokesley Town Council’s bid to manage off-street parking was rejected as North Yorkshire Council stood to lose income.

Double devolution bids which are set to be approved include Filey being given the power to manage its public benches, Northallerton and Thirsk and Knaresborough town councils their markets, Richmond Town Council being handed the management of Friary Gardens and Malton Town Council its public toilets.

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Elsewhere, Skipton and Whitby town councils look set to be told their bids to manage services such as toilets and parks need “amendments”, while separate project teams will be established to work with Ripon and Selby town councils to shape their bids due to their “ambition and complexity of the expressions of interest”.

Ahead of the meeting, the authority’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said the authority was looking to “progress cautiously, learning from the experience and developing best practice”.

He said: 

“These proposed pilots are just the start of the process, and the hope is that more will be introduced throughout North Yorkshire in the future.”

However, the authority’s Labour group leader Cllr Steve Shaw Wright said for the vast majority of North Yorkshire double devolution was “just lip service” and “managing a couple of flower beds does not require a fantastic business case”.

Cllr Wright said: 

“It was a nice soundbite, but outside some of the larger towns there’s not a lot to double devolve down.

“The issue across the whole of North Yorkshire is that there is only a handful of sizeable councils that could take on and run services. The vast majority of other parishes either haven’t got the capacity to do it, are reluctant to put the precept up to fund it or there isn’t actually anything there to run.

“It was not a particularly well thought through proposal looking at the parishes and towns we have in North Yorkshire. Most parishes are very small.”

When asked if he believed double devolution was proving a success in North Yorkshire, Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Bryn Grifths said: 

“Not at this stage, it has not taken off at all. I’m very disappointed.

“I’m not sure how much engagement the towns and parishes have had or if they understood what was involved. Having said that it is up to North Yorkshire Council to equip towns and parishes to make it happen.

“I feel Stokesley put a good case forward and North Yorkshire Council’s response has been a bit of a slap in the face.”

Knaresborough and Ripon picked to advance double devolution bids

Knaresborough Town Council and Ripon City Council have been picked to advance double devolution bids, which will see them take control of some local assets.

North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.

It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.

In total, 12 expressions of interest were submitted to the council. Of these, three were from the Harrogate district.

The authority has now confirmed it will move forward bids from Knaresborough and Ripon, but Little Ouseburn’s proposal was rejected.

David Chance, executive councillor for corporate services at the council, said:

“Town and parish councils are integral to our county’s vibrant communities, alongside community groups, and we recognise their understanding of the needs, opportunities and strengths within their communities.

“That’s why we are looking at this pilot scheme, working initially with selected town and parish councils, enabling us to progress cautiously, learning from the experience and developing best practice.

“These proposed pilots are just the start of the process, and the hope is that more will be introduced throughout North Yorkshire in the future.”

Ripon City Council bid to control the market place.

Ripon City Council bid to control assets including the market place.

Knaresborough Town Council’s application to manage the town’s markets, storage facility and associated assets such as road closure signs will be progressed to a full business case.

Meanwhile, the council will consider a project team to work with Ripon City Council on its bid as it was deemed “particularly ambitious”.

It included management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.

However, the council rejected to take a bid from Little Ouseburn Parish Council further. It included management of the grass cutting of the green area outside Broomfield Cottages.

Senior councillors will consider recommendations at an executive meeting on October 17.

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Campaigners threaten judicial review to halt motorway services near Ripon

Campaigners in Kirby Hill have given North Yorkshire Council notice of a legal challenge against a decision to approve a motorway service station near the village.

Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services have told the authority they intend to press ahead with a judicial review over a move to grant permission for the service station between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, near Boroughbridge and Ripon.

Councillors on the authority’s planning committee granted approval for the scheme on September 12, which would see a Welcome Break built at the site, as well a filling station and 364 car parking spaces created.

The proposal already had outline permission after the government’s Planning Inspectorate approved the plan on appeal in April 2021.

Applegreen, which is based in Dublin, applied for amendments to the proposal, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.

However, Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, said the move amounted to “significant change” to the scheme and confirmed the campaign group would challenge the approval.

He said:

“The leader of the new council, Cllr Carl Les, told parishes that he wants to work with them and ensure their voice is represented in North Yorkshire Council decisions.

“These laudable principles form the basis of the parish charter that he signed in July 2023. Two months later, planning officers and the strategic planning committee have ridden roughshod over the needs, rights and wishes of the local community.

“This is totally unacceptable. We have written to the council initiating the pre-action protocol for judicial review and giving them 14 days to reconsider this decision and respond, in light of the serious legal issues that we have identified.”

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Mr Owens said the group would challenge the decision on four grounds: unlawful decision, irrational decision, procedural impropriety and unfair decision.

The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire Council for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The move comes after the government approved plans for the service station following a series of public inquiries and planning battles.

In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, Applegreen’s application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

The inquiry, which was held by planning inspector David Rose and streamed onto YouTube, lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies from residents, campaigners and developer Applegreen.

In a decision notice, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.