Harrogate Borough Council charged North Yorkshire County Council £28,000 last year to view CCTV related to parking fines, according to a report.

The report, which will go before councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council tomorrow, outlines the financial performance of parking enforcement in the county.

It includes details of how much money the now-abolished North Yorkshire County Council spent on traffic management and on-street parking in 2022/23.

Harrogate Borough Council, which was also abolished last week, manned its own CCTV centre which had control over a network of 212 cameras across the district.

However, if another organisation wanted access to its video they had to pay an hourly fee. This included North Yorkshire County Council, which had responsibility for on-street parking in Harrogate.

The council also charged North Yorkshire Police to obtain footage to support prosecutions in court. This led to comments from some councillors and members of the public who felt public bodies should share footage free of charge.

Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the issue of who pays for the CCTV control centre in Harrogate has been “a bit of an historic running sore”.

He said:

“My understanding is that North Yorkshire County Council used to contribute to the CCTV provision across Harrogate district until a few years back, then they rather unceremoniously and at the last minute in one particular round of budget cutbacks, took the decision to pull out of an annual commitment to assist with their funding.

“It’s quite expensive to provide, not the actual kit, although that’s not cheap, but the officers who have to do the monitoring and then provide the footage for court — and they only pay for what they actually use.”

Read more:

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But the debate over which council should pay for CCTV in Harrogate is now over with the introduction of the new unitary council that launched on April 1 and now owns the control centre.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for local engagement, Rachel Joyce, said:

“North Yorkshire County Council was previously charged to access open space cameras in the Harrogate district in order to assist its highways team with day-to-day operations such as traffic monitoring. This made best use of an extensive CCTV infrastructure.

“In the new council, we have the opportunity to look at our CCTV network across the county. Our aim is to maximise the existing CCTV infrastructures, explore opportunities for enhanced partnership working including how CCTV control rooms are funded.”

The chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has given assurances that patients will be safe during an upcoming junior doctors strike.

Doctors union the British Medical Association announced that its members will take part in industrial action from today until 7am on Saturday, April 15.

The strike will be longer than the 72-hour action by junior doctors that took place at Harrogate District Hospital last month and follows other strikes this year by nurses and ambulance workers.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the hospital trust, told a meeting of the trust’s board members that the hospital has a “robust plan” in place to deal with any disruption should the junior doctors strike goes ahead as planned.

He said:

“Lots of work went into preparing for the last junior doctor’s strike. The biggest learning we found was the role of other professionals to cover roles.

“The strike is obviously concerning but I’m confident we’ll have safe services. There’s a cost of people covering the work and planning it and the cost to the patients who have work delayed. Services will be safe and let’s hope theres a solution relatively quickly.”

It’s estimated that more than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures had to be cancelled in England during the last junior doctors strike.

The BMA is asking for a pay-rise of 35%, which it says will reverse 15 years of real-term cuts. However, the government says this demand is unaffordable.

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital trust spends £9m on agency staff
• NHS places to be lost as Ripon dental practice closure announced

The trust says outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected at Harrogate hospital but patients will be contacted if appointments need to be rearranged.

It has asked people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting A&E to contact 111 first unless it’s life-threatening or a severe injury.

Why are the junior doctors striking?

Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.

The British Medical Association says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.

A BMA spokesperson said:

“If junior doctors are forced out of the NHS because of poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to look after our loved ones will suffer.”

A NHS spokesperson said:

“Our door remains open to constructive conversations, as we have had with other health unions, to find a realistic way forward.”

People attending A&E at Harrogate District Hospital are experiencing much shorter waiting times than earlier in the year when some patients were forced to stay at the hospital for 12 hours or more.

The department has been under-pressure throughout the winter due to a higher average number of admissions as well as a fresh wave of covid and flu inpatients that has saw the hospital almost completely full every day.

Harrogate has also been a high number of patients aged over 70 attending A&E compared to nationally.

While attendance figures have returned to near pre-covid levels, many patients have experienced longer-than-usual stays due to the high bed occupancy.

It meant some A&E patients had to stay overnight, which has put further strain on staff who have had to conduct medicine rounds, serve meals, wash patients and conduct ward rounds.

Industrial action by paramedics, nurses and junior doctors has also put pressure on the hospital.

To improve the situation in A&E, the hospital introduced a new streaming model for minor injuries so staff can focus on patients with more serious conditions.

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital trust spends £9m on agency staff
• NHS places to be lost as Ripon dental practice closure announced

Speaking at a public board meeting of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust last week, chief executive Russell Nightingale said the changes have worked.

Mr Nightingale said the number of people waiting for 12 hours was down to the single figures in March.

He said:

“It’s come down hugely and we’re aiming for zero by August. It’s been driven by improvements in the streaming model. That’s been the primary driver.

“We’re working through some of those sticky admittance issues plus the industrial action.”

As the hospital moves out of its most challenging winter period, next week’s junior doctors strike means there is likely to be some disruption for patients.

The strike is set to take place from 7am on Tuesday, April 11, until 7am on Saturday, April 15.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of HDFT, told the meeting the hospital has a “robust plan” in place to deal with any disruption should the strike goes ahead as planned. 

He said:

“The strike is obviously concerning but I’m confident we’ll have safe services. There’s a cost of people covering the work and planning it and the cost to the patients who have work delayed. Services will be safe and let’s hope theres a solution relatively quickly.”

While Easter egg hunts in the garden and eating chocolate eggs are always a nice way to spend the bank holiday weekend, your children may require something more to burn off the sugar rush.

From bunnies and forests, to dragons and the Mad Hatter, we have collated a list of eight Easter-themed activities taking place in the Harrogate district over the holidays that will keep you and your children hopping.

Free craft workshop at Fountains Abbey

If your child is looking to get creative, an Easter craft workshop could be for them.

Swanley Grange, at Fountains Abbey, is hosting a free workshop where you and your children can make your very own sheep badge.

The workshops will be held daily from 11am – 3pm, until Sunday April 16.

All ages are welcome. The event is free, but normal admission prices to Fountains Abbey apply.

Family tickets start at £27.

Find more information on the National Trust website.

Make decorations for free

Ripon charity, Jennyruth Workshops, is inviting visitors to Fountains Abbey to join them in creating an Easter decoration.

Jennyruth provides adults with learning disabilities with a variety of valuable skills, including crafts.

The workshop is free and welcomes families to drop in for some seasonal fun.

Join them at Swanley Grange on Wednesday April 12, from 11.30am – 2.30pm.

The event is free, but normal abbey admission charges apply.

Children’s entry starts at £9.

Click here for more information.

Mad Hatter & Friends Tea Party

If your children fancy a taste of wonderland this Easter, Rascal Entertainment’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a good option.

The event will take place at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate on Good Friday.

Children can expect cookie decorating, on-stage entertainment, face painting and a visit from the Easter bunny – all under the same roof as the Hatter himself.

Family tickets start at £47.

The tea party will run from 12pm – 2pm.

Find more information here.

Mother Shipton’s Easter Bunny Tipi Trail

Mother Shipton’s Easter Bunny Tipi Trail is a place where “every bunny’s welcome”

Children are invited to follow the clues, peep inside the bunny houses and even discover giant eggs.

The trail will also include Easter stories, told by a storyteller, as well as the chance to plant spring seeds.

The trail will run every day until Sunday April 16, from 10am to 5.30pm.

Dogs on leads are welcome everywhere, except for the playground.

Admission prices can be found here.

Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park: The Dragon Egg Quest

For those hoping for a mythical Easter, The Dragon Egg Quest at the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park in Ripon may be a good option.

Children are invited to help storyteller, Dragonella, find a dragon’s egg hidden somewhere in the Himalayan Garden.

The activity will weave a tour of the gardens with some mystical Easter fun.

The quest is suitable for children ages 4 to 10 – children must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets cost £10.

Adventure walks at RHS Harlow Carr

Whether your children need to let off a little more steam, or simply enjoy the beauty of nature, the adventure walks could be a good solution for all the family.

Families can immerse themselves in a guided walk of the grounds of the RHS site, accompanied by the Garden Detectives.

The activity is included in garden admission and is suitable for ages 3+.

The walk will take place on Tuesday April 11 at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Click here for more information.

The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt

The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt is a family-friendly way to keep your little bunnies hoppy this Easter.

Ceramic bunnies are hidden in local business around the town centre for you to find.

Families purchase a map to find the bunnies for £3 and all profits go to Lauren Doherty Road Safety talks, New Beginnings and The Memory Lane Café, Knaresborough.

Bunny-finders can expect a sweet prize in return, as well as an entry to win a £50 voucher for event organiser, Painting Pots.

The event will run daily until April 16 and maps can be purchased from Painting Pots.

Find more information on social media.

Birchfield: Easter at the Farm

Birchfield Farm’s Easter at the Farm activities could be a good way to entertain your little lambs.

Children can expect lamb feeding, an Easter trail, and a bouncy castle.

The Easter bunny will also be making an appearance over the bank holiday weekend.

Farmer Tom will be offering farm rides to visit the outside animals, including newly hatched chicks and ducklings.

The family-friendly farm will be offering seasonal activities until April 16, from 10am to 4pm.

Prices start from £6.95.

Find more information here.

The Dales Bus summer service will begin its season this weekend.

The bus company provides access into and around the Yorkshire Dales on a not-for-profit basis.

It operates on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays throughout summer until October.

The 74 service from York Railway Station, which goes through Knaresborough and Harrogate and onto Ilkley, Bolton Abbey, Burnsall and Grassington, starts on Saturday.

Another Saturday route, the 59, will help people travel from Harrogate to Blubberhouses, Bolton Bridge and Skipton.

The 875 will depart from York every Sunday and Bank Holiday, starting this Easter weekend.

This year, an additional Sunday and bank holiday service – the 876 – will run from York to Leeds, Otley, Ilkley and Grassington, with onward connections to Upper Wharfedale and Hawes.

The national £2 single bus fare cap, which has been extended until June 30, will apply to Dales Bus services.

Find more information on services and timetables here.

High Birstwith artist Clare Granger has become the first High Sheriff of North Yorkshire to be appointed by King Charles III.

Ms Granger succeeded James Lambert at a ceremony at York Crown Court this week in the presence of the deputy lieutenant, Philip Ingham, Lady Justice King and Sean Morris, the Recorder of York.

High sheriffs represent the monarch in matters relating to law and order whereas lord-lieutenants are the sovereign’s personal and military representatives.

Ms Granger will seek to raise awareness of the value of the arts in the areas of mental health and the criminal justice system.

In her declaration speech, she said:

“We are all aware how many people are suffering with their mental health particularly following the pandemic. The arts have a huge role to play in helping people to find a way of coping.”

Clare Granger (left) and Lady Justice King

Ms Granger qualified as a solicitor and worked in York before changing career to become a professional artist. She trained in Florence and has been represented by a London gallery for 20 years.

She is also a school governor, a champion of IDAS, the domestic violence charity and a patron of Henshaws, a charity which supports people with disabilities.

She said:

“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to this role and I look forward enormously to meeting, thanking and supporting, where I can, the judiciary, those who work in the emergency services and the wonderful volunteers who are working so hard in our county.”

Main photo shows (left to right), Simon Hickey, Edward Granger, Mark Granger, Clare Granger, Lady Justice King, Philip Ingham,  James Lambert, Peter Worth and Sean Morris, Recorder of York

Read more:

• ‘Broken’ system prompts closure of Harrogate hair and beauty training school
• Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin

The MP for Ripon has backed a campaign to raise £250,000 for villagers to buy a Skelton-on-Ure pub.

The Black Lion, on Skelton Lane close to Newby Hall, between Boroughbridge and Ripon, was bought in December 2019 by Admiral Taverns.

However since then it has stood derelict, leaving locals questioning its future.

After the pub was put up for sale, residents called on people to pledge to buy a share in the pub in order to raise funds to buy it and revitalise it.

Now, Julian Smith, Ripon and Skipon MP, has backed the campaign after meeting with villagers aiming to buy the pub.

Sandy Delf, one of the residents involved in the Black Lion Community Hub and Pub group, said:

“Potential is fantastic for this venue. The village is shared with Newby Hall and is in an ideal position between the Dales, York and North Yorkshire Moors. The pub is on an ideal cycling route and so the opportunities are endless.

“The target is within sight and so the group are wanting to attract new pledgees and also ask existing pledgees to think about increasing their pledge amount.”

Great to visit Skelton-on-Ure and meet the Community Benefit Team trying to save the @blacklionpubhub– an Asset of Community Value. The group is collecting pledges to be able to re-open the pub, more info here, https://t.co/ECPKsoFeae pic.twitter.com/Z3iouStHq6

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) April 3, 2023

The group has currently raised £160,000 towards its £250,000 target.

The group, which has received support from rural community charity the Plunkett Foundation, aims to reach the goal in order to access government match funding as part of the community ownership fund.

Shares in the pub cost £250 each and are open to people and businesses to submit an expression of interest.

Read more:

• Much-loved Skelton on Ure pub up for sale
• Skelton on Ure residents plead with owners to save ‘eyesore’ pub

The pub was recently listed as an asset of community value by Harrogate Borough Council, which gives the group a six-month window to raise cash.

For more information on how to pledge a share in the pub, visit the Black Lion Community Hub and Pub website here.

Councillors have criticised North Yorkshire Council after it confirmed not all meetings will be live streamed online.

North Yorkshire Council replaced the seven district and borough councils, including Harrogate, as well as North Yorkshire County Council on Saturday.

It is the largest council area in England, spanning over 3,000 square miles with most of its meeting taking place at County Hall in Northallerton.

During the covid pandemic, the government passed legislation to allow council business to continue online. Meetings took place on apps such as Microsoft Teams and were live streamed for residents to watch on YouTube.

Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, Harrogate Borough Council continued to live stream all of its meetings whereas North Yorkshire County Council only routinely live streamed executive and full council meetings.

Following a question by a councillor, a senior officer at the new council confirmed in an email that the previous North Yorkshire County Council live streaming arrangement will continue.

County Hall in Northallerton

This means that at the moment, the only chance residents will get to see what is happening in a host of other meetings, including those concerning public health, education and transport, is if they travel to Northallerton.

However, meetings in Harrogate, such as planning committee, licensing committee and area constituency committee, will be streamed using equipment bought by Harrogate Borough Council.

But they will no longer include developments affecting Ripon, Masham and Pateley Bridge as meetings in Harrogate will cover the Harrogate and Knaresborough parliamentary constituency.

The email concludes by saying the new council is reviewing “what is possible and practicable” regarding live streaming meetings in the future.

Three-hour round trip

In some parts of Craven such as Ingleton or Bentham it’s a three-hour round trip to County Hall.

Andy Brown, Green Party councillor for Aire Valley, said residents should not be expected to travel to Northallerton to “watch democracy in action.” He added:

“Working online can save hours of travelling and make the meeting more efficient. It is crazy that I am travelling for 90 minutes to attend meetings that could be done online.

“It is wrong that meetings which could be steamed into the homes of every interested member of the public are not conducted as openly as possible.”

Andy Solloway, Independent councillor for Skipton West and West Craven said:

“The outgoing Craven District Council have been recording meetings for years, and live streaming them, especially decision making ones, would be a good thing for local democracy and for public participation and engagement.”

Read more:

• The Harrogate district councillors saying goodbye
• Plan to demolish Harrogate tempietto approved

Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn, also said he was in favour of the council live streaming all meetings:

“Someone should be able to open their laptop in their house and see what the council is up to. Sometimes it’s like watching paint dry but you can have it on in background. That is transparency and engagement.

“The meetings should all be streamed if we’re serious about carbon and the impact we make ourselves. There’s a lot of support for it.”

What the council says

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for democratic services, Cllr
David Chance, said:

“We are committed to ensuring that the new North Yorkshire Council has local
communities at its heart, despite serving such a vast area across the county.

“The online streaming of council meetings has been an important way of making sure that access is available as widely as possible to both councillors and members of the public.

“Meetings of full council and the executive will be routinely streamed online, and we will continue to record and broadcast planning and licensing meetings that were previously overseen by district and borough councils.

“We will consider broadcasting or recording other meetings when there is a strong public interest or where there are facilities in place that enable it to be readily done.

“The new council is the third largest in the country, and now oversees services that were previously delivered by eight authorities in North Yorkshire. There are therefore a significant number of meetings each year, which is in the region of 200.

“We are reviewing what is possible and practicable regarding the recording and broadcasting of meetings, taking into account the facilities which are available across the county, the IT and democratic support that is needed as well as investment in IT infrastructure.”

Harrogate Fire Station demonstrated the capabilities of its aerial ladder platform in an exercise at York Minster today.

The platform, which is the longest in North Yorkshire, was utilised on Saturday during a chimney fire at the Castle Inn in Knaresborough.

It was in action again today as part of a training exercise in which Harrogate firefighters were joined at the minster by crews from York, Huntington and Acomb.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Risk and Reward Model 2022-2025, which describes how fire resources will be deployed, the only other aerial ladder platforms in the county are based at Huntington, near York, and Scarborough.

However, the other two are only capable of extending 32 metres, whereas Harrogate’s can reach 45 metres.

The platform can extend to 45 metres.

Read more:

• Firefighters called to Knaresborough pub
• Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin

Almost half of the land allocated for the 4,000-home Matkiln scheme has been removed after a landowner pulled out, the Local Democracy Reporting Service can reveal.

Two sources familiar with the matter told the LDRS that fields that would have formed the development’s ‘village centre’ around Cattal train station have been removed.

They also estimate that up to 2,000 homes would have been built on the removed land.

Harrogate Borough Council said in January that one of the landowners had pulled out, without saying which parcels of land were affected. Wetherby-based developer Caddick Group called the decision by the landowner “regrettable” but said it was confident the scheme would continue.

Plans for Maltkiln have been in the works for several years and also include two primary schools. The homes would be built off the A59 towards York near the villages of Cattal, Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Whixley.

Cattal station is on the York to Harrogate railway line.

Map of Maltkiln, including the removed land.

Last month a meeting was held involving all of the affected parish councils to discuss the proposals. It was also attended by a representative of Caddick Group plus officers from Harrogate Borough Council.

At the meeting, officers confirmed the location of the large section of land that has now been removed from the scheme.

This means the developer will likely have to rethink its village centre because it was due to be located on the land. The Maltkiln website states:

“A new village centre is proposed for Maltkiln, located next to Cattal station with a range of spaces suitable for retail, leisure, health and hospitality uses.

“These will evolve as the community grows and we will encourage local businesses to take up space in the village centre, as well as participating in farmers’ and seasonal markets held in the central village square.”

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Concern over lack of secondary school at new Harrogate district town
• Councillor ‘absolutely amazed’ Maltkiln landowner able to pull out

Since the landowner pulled out, Harrogate Borough Council paused work on a development document that was due to be submitted to the government for approval.

The LDRS understands council officers are now looking at whether a scheme can be delivered in the same broad location while still meeting the aims and objectives of the new settlement, which forms part of the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Kirk Hammerton parish councillor Alex Smith said the situation at Maltkiln was a “consequence of choosing the wrong location for a new town.”

Cllr Smith said:

“They’ve had to spend a long time chopping and changing preferred options, trying to fit a distinct new settlement into a very constrained area. It was time they didn’t have, given that a key land agreement – almost half the proposed area has expired.

“Local residents have endured years of uncertainty over this project even when Harrogate Borough Council claimed to be following due process. The last thing we need now is for them to start improvising at the eleventh hour.”

A Caddick Group spokesperson said:

“As promoters of the Maltkiln settlement, Caddick Group continues to have positive and constructive discussions with all parties. We are confident that we can deliver proposals, which not only meet the housing needs of the area, but also deliver the requirements set out in the adopted local plan and meet the policy objectives of the draft Development Plan Document.

“We are currently working closely with our consultant team to update our proposals, taking into account the revised boundaries. We remain committed to developing Maltkiln and look forward to being able to share our revised proposals in more detail.

“We continue to talk constructively with the current and successor local authority planning teams regarding how best to progress and deliver Maltkiln. Throughout this process, we have engaged with stakeholders and local communities, and as soon as we are in a position to publicise revised proposals, we will do so.”