Boroughbridge news from the Boroughbridge district - Page 68 of 205

Met Office issues another heavy rain warning for Harrogate district

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in the Harrogate district for two days this week.

The weather alert is in place from Thursday (November 2) at 6am until Friday (November 3) at 6am.

It comes as Storm Ciarán is forecast to bring heavy rain to the UK this week.

The Met Office said the rain could cause disruption in the north of England, including flooding and delays and cancellations to public transport.

The warning comes as the district was hit by heavy rain on October 20 due to Storm Babet.

A further weather alert was issued for October 24 for heavy rain in the wake of the storm.

MPs Watch: HS2, Yorkshire Water and maiden speeches

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 October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the northern leg of HS2 would be scrapped and Yorkshire Water unveiled a £7.8 billion investment plan.

Meanwhile, Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP which includes south Harrogate, made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

We Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

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

On October 3, Mr Jones welcomed a £7.8 billion investment plan being submitted by Yorkshire Water.
On October 4, Mr Jones attended the Conservative Party conference and was present for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s speech.
Following the speech, Mr Jones said he was “disappointed” with the decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 project.
On October 5, he met with the owners of the former McColls store in Starbeck who are expected to unveil plans for the building this year.
On the same day, Mr Jones attended the opening of the Rachel Daly pitch at Killinghall Nomads JFC.
On October 18, Mr Jones called for a 138-home development on Water Lane in Knaresborough to be cancelled. He also raised the issue in the House of Commons on October 16.
On October 19, he hosted the Street Works UK awards in Parliament.
Mr Jones announced on the same day that he would be objecting to a planned asphalt plan at Allerton Park near Knaresborough.
On October 21, he visited Harrogate synagogue to discuss events in Israel and Gaza.
On October 28, he met with the Harrogate Imam to discuss events in Isreal and Gaza.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for September.

They included attending a roundtable with the British Dental Association and a Northern Powerhouse Partnership Transport Reception. He also with members of Zero Carbon Harrogate and met a local dentist to discuss NHS dentistry.

Others included visiting Yorkshire Cancer Research’s new facility at Hornbeam Park, chairing a meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee and meeting leaders from Luminate Education Group at a reception in the House of Commons.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in October.
On October 11, Mr Smith tweeted that he had met residents and North Yorkshire Council to discuss recent deaths on the A61 at South Stainley and to campaign for a lower speed limit.
On October 16, Mr Smith visited the Ripon Inn ahead of its opening.
Mr Smith posted on his website on October 22 that he had visited Sharow Church of England Primary School to meet with its headteacher and answer questions from pupils.
Mr Smith updated his website 11 times in October, which included posts promoting government initiatives and visits within his constituency.

When we contacted Mr Smith’s for comment, his office sent a roundup of his engagements for October.

Among them included visiting local schools and businesses in Skipton and Ripon, including Cundall Manor School.

Meanwhile, he also visited The Beer Engine in Skipton and met with Bentham resident, Viv Barclay, who will attempt to become the oldest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:

Mr Mather posted 11 times on his Facebook page in October. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
On October 16, Mr Mather made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
On October 23, Mr Mather asked the minister for environment, Rebecca Pow, how she would be working with the Environment Agency to support people during Storm Babet.
He joined a debate on the sustainability of rural post offices in Westminster Hall on October 25.

Business Breakfast: ‘Invest in a garden shed where you can blow things up’, says Dragon

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 30.

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.

Former Dragons’ Den star Piers Linney was the keynote speaker at the York & North Yorkshire Business Summit on Friday.

He told more than 200 attendees they needed to be audacious in embracing technology as part of devolution and argued that new technology such as artificial intelligence offered the chance to level up the workforce, making background and disabilities irrelevant. He said:

“Take some of the £750 million (devolution funding) and invest in a garden shed where you can blow things up. Play with the technology, see how it can augment all of us, play with education and then connect the talent to the technology. Invest in cutting edge and bleeding edge technology.

“Superpower and empower the people in your region.”

The summit was organised by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNY LEP) in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Linney headed a roster of 13 regional business speakers at the event, which was held at the Radisson York Hotel and hosted by YNY LEP chair Helen Simpson. They shared their business vision for the region, ahead of devolution and an expected mayoral election in spring next year.

James Farrar, interim director of transition for the proposed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, backed the call for businesses and innovators to be bold. He said:

“We need to crack on with devolution and make sure the process gets through parliament as soon as possible.

“We are not Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds. We must be York and North Yorkshire and we must recognise our assets. We must be bold and clear about where we see our competitive advantages. No sector can rest on its laurels.

“Let us know what infrastructure and support you need in place to invest and grow. Our job as a combined authority will be to put that in place – yours is to invest and grow.”

Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Malton and Thirsk, addressed the summit by video and told delegates that devolution was a great opportunity for the region. He said:

“First and foremost it must be about economic development. That drives everything else. It’s right that we try to make York and North Yorkshire the best place in the UK to do business.”

Menopause Matters event

A day-long event this month will feature expert speakers tackling various aspects of the menopause.

Menopause Matters: What You Need to Know, In and Outside the Workplace will be presented by Wetherby-based Hartlaw LLP in collaboration with the Harrogate & District Law Society.

The event, which will take place on Friday, November 17 at Bowcliffe Hall near Wetherby, is intended to “shed light on the implications, challenges, and nuances surrounding menopause, both within professional settings and in personal lives”.

The speakers include: Dr Laura Reid, a GP and menopause specialist; Sally Leech, training director of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace; Vicky Richardson MSc PGDip PGCE BA, a core nutritional therapist; Emma Tailby, a highly specialist women’s health physiotherapist and founder/owner of Emma Claire Physiotherapy; and Claire Morley-Jones, managing director of HR180.

Tickets cost £85 per person and include refreshments and lunch, as well as a goodie bag to take away. The proceeds will go to Daisy Network, the charity for women with POI (premature ovarian insufficiency, commonly referred to as early menopause) and Harrogate & District Law Society.

Firefighters use breathing apparatus to tackle Knaresborough house blaze

Firefighters using breathing apparatus tackled a fire at a home in Knaresborough this afternoon.

Crews from Knaresborough, Harrogate and Wetherby were called to Park Grove at 4.17pm.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log, fire started in a ceiling fan in the bathroom.

The report added firefighters used a hose reel and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

Today’s incident log also said firefighters were called to an electrical fire in Marton-cum-Grafton, near Boroughbridge, this afternoon.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough attended an industrial premises in the village at 2.15pm.

They responded to a report of a smell of smoke in an industrial premises. The fire suppression system had also activated.

The report added:

“Due to low oxygen levels in the room where the fire took place – the server room – fire crews used breathing apparatus and a thermal camera to investigate.

“They found that a small electrical fire had occurred, but this had been extinguished by the installed fire suppression system.”

Green Party selects candidate to stand for North Yorkshire mayor

The Green Party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Kevin Foster as its candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Mr Foster currently represents the Hipswell and Colburn division on North Yorkshire Council.

Before being elected a councillor, he worked in the civil service for 30 years.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.

The role will also take on the powers of police and crime commissioner. An election is expected to be held for the position in May 2024.

Following his selection, Mr Foster said:

“Your mayor cannot wave a magic wand and solve every problem but they can stand up and fight for the issues that matter in this region. In the reserve forces I learned to work with and on behalf of others and I will use this knowledge and experience to do my best for people in this area.

“Being mayor will be my one and only job and I will devote myself to it, representing residents and businesses to the best of my ability.”

The Conservatives Party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Keane Duncan as its candidate for the position. Cllr Duncan is also the executive councillor for highways on the authority.

Meanwhile, Pateley Bridge businessman Keith Tordoff has announced he will stand as an independent candidate for mayor.

Stray Views: Does big Harrogate Xmas light switch on help businesses? Perhaps not.

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.

Although it may be a tad disappointing not to have a formal switch on of the Christmas lights, it’s reassuring to hear that the BID are listening to members and thinking about return on investment. They don’t have money to waste.[No Christmas lights switch-on event in Harrogate this year]

It may be a “nice to do” but does it actually help local businesses? Perhaps not. Whereas street cleaning, murals, lighting, flowers, window dressing and advertising does feel (and look) as though the BID is doing a good job.

I don’t run a local business but as a resident, I can see the impact and it does feel notably better than the lacklustre efforts from whatever was being done (or not) several years ago.

So if ever businesses are questioning their investment in the BID, please be assured that from someone who lives in the town centre, it’s making a positive impact.

But FYI – please sort the dangling lights that have been brought down by the recent weather (especially Montpellier Hill), before some morons decide to vandalise them instead. Thank you!!

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

I note that the cost of the garden waste collection will rise next year to £46.50 and that a member of the Council stated that those people who do not use the service should not be expected to pay towards it. [Harrogate district garden waste fees set to increase by 7%]

I can think of many service’s I pay towards that I do not use but am happy to pay for.

Paul Smith, Knaresbrough

I have a great deal of sympathy with the residents of Nidd and the speed of motorists passing through. I do not think it helps to have a 40 mph speed limit on the sharp S bends. It is clearly too high. [Council removes anti-speeding scarecrows in Nidd for ‘safety reasons’]

I have tried to negotiate the bends at 40 mph but it is very close to the limit of my cars ability to do so and I suspect many drivers ability as well. A 20 mph limit would be much more in keeping with the road conditions.

Eric Buckland, Knaresborough

Solar farm at Wetherby Services could power EV charging points

Wetherby Services has submitted plans for a solar farm on land next to the A1 (M) service station — with the renewable energy it generates used to power the site’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

The land north of the service station, which is currently used for agricultural purposes, spans more than five hectares but it would be turned over to solar panels under plans submitted by Moto Services to North Yorkshire Council this month.

According to planning documents, the proposal forms part of Moto’s strategy to bring forward solar farms on land next to Moto’s existing service stations.

Moto Services is the UK’s largest motorway service station operator with 59 sites.

It is expected the solar panels would be able to generate up to 7MW of renewable energy.

The screening opinion application asks the council if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be submitted for a future full planning application for the solar farm.

The majority of the site is in a zone with a low flood zone risk. However, as part of it is also located in areas with medium to high risk of flooding, North Yorkshire Council has recommended that its flooding department is consulted on the proposal.

The solar farm application follows the launch of 12 EV charging points at Wetherby Services last year.

Planning documents state:

“The proposed development is deemed crucial for the ongoing functionality of the associated Wetherby MSA. Electric vehicles will play a big part in the transition to zero emission transport, but to achieve these targets, it is imperative that suitable infrastructure is provided to support electric vehicles.

“The proposed development forms part of Moto’s wider strategy to bring forward solar farms on land adjacent to Moto’s existing MSAs, which will generate much needed electricity to power the EV Chargers at their services.”

In May, neighbouring authority Leeds City Council approved plans for 762 homes just 600m south of the site.

However, Moto says considering the “scale and nature” of the proposed solar farm development it would “unlikely lead to significant adverse effects” on the housing development.

Tickets for 2024 Great Yorkshire Show set to go on sale

Tickets for next year’s Great Yorkshire Show will be available to buy from Wednesday, November 1.

Since 2021 tickets are only sold in advance with visitor numbers capped at 35,000 a day.

Next year’s 165th show will run from Tuesday, July 9, to Friday, July 12. Last year tickets sold out a week before the event started.

The Great Yorkshire Show 2024 will be the final one for current show director, Charles Mills, as he comes to the end of his tenure.

Mr Mills said:

“This will be a very special show for me personally as it will be my ninth and final show as show director.

“Be sure, it will be full of entertainment, superb competition and the best animals in the UK coming together to celebrate farming, food and agriculture.”

Ticket prices for 2024 have risen for adults from £32 this year, to £35, children’s tickets remain at £13 – a family ticket has risen from £80 to £86. Under 5’s are free.

Police and fire HQ evacuated after person hands in grenades

North Yorkshire’s police and fire service headquarters was evacuated when a member of the public handed in a box of grenades yesterday.

The unnamed person is believed to have found the grenades while clearing their house, North Yorkshire Police said in a brief statement today.

When they were handed in to reception, staff were told to leave the Alverton Court building at Northallerton and bomb disposal experts called in.

The statement does not give further details on how the mix-up occurred other than to say they believed the grenades were handed in “in good faith”.

Staff returned to their desks more than two hours later.

Between 400 and 500 staff from North Yorkshire Police transferred from the previous headquarters at Newby Wiske Hall to Alverton Court in 2017 in a £7 million move. The building was previously home to the Rural Payments Agency.

Here is the police statement in full.

“The headquarters of North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Northallerton was evacuated at around 1.50pm on the afternoon of Friday 27 October.

“In good faith, a member of the public handed a box of what were believed to be grenades, found during a house clearance, into the police station reception.

“North Yorkshire Police evacuated the building, put a cordon in place to protect staff and members of the public, and contacted the army’s explosive ordnance disposal team.

“The EOD team arrived and removed the items, and staff were able to return to the building. No-one was injured during the incident that concluded at around 3.45pm.”

Campaigners face high legal bill in bid to stop motorway services near Ripon

Campaigners in Kirby Hill have claimed North Yorkshire Council has threatened high legal costs to dissuade them from proceeding with a judicial review over a new motorway services near the village.

Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services told the authority they intend to press ahead with legal action over a move to grant permission for a 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.

However, campaigners say the decision was flawed and that they intend to challenge the approval.

In a letter to Kirby Hill RAMS, the council said the decision was lawful and that it would contest any claim.

It added that it reserved the right to apply to the court to raise the claimant cost cap, which is set at £5,000 under the Aarhus Convention.

The convention, which is an international agreement, grants the public rights in accessing information and participation in government decision making on environmental matters, such as planning decisions.

The council’s letter said:

“We note that your pre-action letter does not address the claimant’s position on costs and the Aarhus Convention.

“Any such application will require the disclosure of the claimant’s finances and the defendant reserves the right, on consideration of said information, to apply to the court to raise the claimant’s Aarhus costs cap above the starting limit of £5,000.”

Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill RAMS, said the authority was using a threat of high costs to dissuade residents from challenging its decision.

He said:

“It feels like the council doesn’t want its decision to be challenged in the High Court and is saying ‘try it and we’ll have your house if you lose’.

“This is the reality of our new council, which told communities that it would listen to and work with them in the way it makes decisions and improves its delivery of services.

“In practice, at the first sign of a challenge, the council is prepared to ask the court to set aside the rights of residents to environmental democracy, to protect its decisions from proper scrutiny.”

Mr Owens added that campaigners have responded to the council calling for a dialogue with the authority “to resolve the matter without recourse to legal proceedings”.

The Stray Ferret asked the council whether it had a response to the suggestion that it was threatening high costs to dissuade legal action over its decision.

Barry Khan, assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services at North Yorkshire Council, said:

“We have responded to the letter we received setting out our position. This asserts that the decision was lawfully made and we will contest any claim that is made.

“The section regarding the cost cap is a standard response, simply reserving our position in case a claim is issued as we need to protect taxpayers’ money at all times.”

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