Local children face waits of up to two years after being referred by a doctor for autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, a meeting has heard.

North Yorkshire’s scrutiny of health committee heard there were 377 children currently waiting for an autism spectrum disorder assessment, of which 27 had been waiting more than 12 months.

Councillors were told a further 400 children had been waiting for a ADHD assessment, 76 of which have been waiting for more than a year.

The figures from Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust follow it revealing three months ago that the number of children in contact with its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in York had jumped by more than 40 per cent over the previous two years.

A Healthwatch report into the service showed young people are facing delays, lost paperwork and other issues when trying to get support.

Brian Cranna, care group director at the health trust, told the scrutiny committee meeting at County Hall in Northallerton the last 12 months had seen 9,000 referrals into CAMHS across North Yorkshire and York.

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He said while 5,000 children were active referrals or currently receiving interventions, the service was facing challenges over assessing developmental disorders.

Mr Canna said the length of wait depended on which part of North Yorkshire a child lived in, adding It could be up to two years for an assessment.

Community mental health teams

The meeting heard the trust had created mental health teams working in schools to prevent the need to access specialist services, and referrals to them were being seen within four weeks.

He added while people could expect to be seen by community mental health teams within eight weeks of routine referral, the majority of children and young people were being seen within 28 days.

Mr Canna underlined 86% of children referred to the crisis team were being seen within four hours.

However, the meeting heard the delays were being exacerbated by a struggle to recruit staff, ranging from consultant psychiatrists and psychologists to administrative staff.

He said raised public expectations of the service had increased the pressure on staff.

He added: 

“People expect a better level of care. They expect a level of support that’s tailored to their individual needs and that increases the demand on the services.”

Mr Canna said staffing pressures varied across the county. 

He said Harrogate had a range of healthcare providers who people living there could work for instead, while it had proved difficult to attract people to move to Scarborough.

Nevertheless, he said the trust was examining what it could do to attract people into the area and following some success recruiting staff for its eating disorders team the trust was hopeful that “this positive trajectory” would continue.

He said: 

“Maintaining staff wellbeing in a pressured environment is a significant challenge for us and a challenge we are responding to.”

An appearance by TV historian Lucy Worsley will be among the highlights of this year’s Northern Aldborough Festival.

The line-up for the nine-day festival, which is one of the annual highlights of the Harrogate district arts scene, was revealed today.

Ms Worsley will give a talk on crime writer Agatha Christie on June 19.

Trumpeter Matilda Lloyd, pianist Sunwook Kim and the Armonico Consort will also head to the Roman village for the festival, which runs from June 15 to 24.

Now in its 29th year, the event offers audiences the chance to experience performances normally seen in the world’s biggest concert halls in a rural village setting.

Tickets went on sale for Friends of the Festival today and will be available to the wider public on March 27.

Italian opera and Beethoven

BBC Young Musician of the Year brass winner, trumpet-player Matilda Lloyd will perform a programme from Italian Opera.

Matilda Lloyd. Pic credit: Benjamin Ealovega

The first Asian winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition, Sunwook Kim will play Beethoven’s final sonatas in St Andrew’s Church.

There will be a rare double bill of Haydn’s comedies, The Diva and The Apothecary, presented by the nationally-renowned, Bampton Classical Opera company.

This year also includes the inaugural New Voices Competition, a nationwide hunt for the best classical vocal talent.

Festival director Robert Ogden outside St Andrew’s Church

The jazz ensemble, The Tim Kliphuis Sextet, will perform at the Old Hall in North Deighton and the vocal ensemble, Armonico Consort, will perform Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 in St Andrew’s Church.

Further details are available here.

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Junior doctors formed a large picket line on Wetherby Road in Harrogate this morning as a 72-hour strike got underway.

Up to 61,000 junior or trainee doctors began a walkout at 7am today in a dispute over pay.

Many cars sounded their horns in support of those taking part in today’s action on Wetherby Road, close to Harrogate District Hospital.

The British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association have defied calls from Health Secretary Steve Barclay to call off the strike.

They are calling for a 26% pay increase to “reverse the steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008/9”, according to the BMA.

A statement on Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust‘s website says the strike will impact services to patients. It says:

“Outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority.

“We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, and key services will continue to operate.”

The full statement is here.

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Thousands of people turned out across the Harrogate district today to support the Knaresborough tractor run.

The event, which is believed to be Britain’s biggest tractor run, has become one of the district’s most popular annual events.

Almost 400 tractors, including some vintage open station models with hardy drivers braving the elements, tooted their horns, waved and revved their engines to the delight of the crowds.

Organised by Knaresborough Young Farmers, the event raises money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Tractors set off just after 9am from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and headed to Ripley and Knaresborough.

Today’s start at the showground.

The convoy then passed Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses before stopping in Pateley Bridge for lunch.

The drivers and passengers then continued to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough late this afternoon.

The organisers arranged live tracking of the front and back tractors for the first time, which led to some scammers posting a link online asking people to give bank details to follow a live stream.

Some people reported losses before the organisers deleted the links and issued warnings not to use them.

The number of tractors taking part and the sum raised has yet to be confirmed but the event appears to have been another big success.

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Voluntary organisations that helped North Yorkshire communities during covid could benefit from a share of £1.5 million funding.

The funding will be available following the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council in just under four weeks, on April 1.

It will allow community and voluntary groups to increase their capacity to act as so-called “community anchors”. 

The funding, spread over the next three years, will be available to organisations to act as hubs for the public to access advice and support and to increase resilience in communities. 

The project is building on the work that was undertaken by all of the current eight councils in North Yorkshire, including Harrogate Borough Council, to develop close working relationships with a network of community and voluntary groups which were instrumental in providing support to residents during the pandemic. 

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for stronger communities, Cllr Greg White, said:

“Volunteers and community groups have always played a hugely important role in North Yorkshire, but their work came even more to the fore during the covid crisis. 

“These organisations became a trusted voice for communities and helped us to publicise key public health messages and provided support at a grassroots level by co-ordinating the delivery of food and other essential items while checking on the most vulnerable members of society.”

Community anchors

While the concept of community anchors has been employed elsewhere in the country, the scheme in North Yorkshire is thought to be among the biggest of its kind nationally. 

The vast swathes of rural North Yorkshire which are home to some of the most isolated communities in the country present significant challenges in ensuring that the 615,000 residents in the county are given the support and services that they need. 

Groups that are already established in North Yorkshire can apply for £15,000-a-year in funding to become a community anchor ahead of a deadline on March 20. 

To qualify for the funding, organisations need to be established in communities with an existing base where they are delivering services, while also demonstrating a proven track record that they are financially sustainable. 

The funding is being made available to broadly increase the capacity of the groups, rather than being targeted at a specific project, and to strengthen the resilience of communities to build on the solid foundations that developed during the pandemic. 

The investment would be available to finance a range of activities such as building partnerships with organisations including the council and health services and increasing their capacity to deliver physical and mental well-being programmes for communities. 

The money could also be employed to help develop projects such as community transport services, running social enterprises and delivering skills and education. 

The funding would also be potentially used to help communities to respond to emergencies, and improve people’s financial resilience, especially in relation to food and fuel. 

Nidderdale Plus and Ripon Community House

Groups which could apply for the funding and played a key role throughout the covid pandemic include Nidderdale Plus, the Upper Dales Community Partnership and the Grassington Hub as well as the Community Care Associations in Stokesley, Thirsk and Easingwold. 

Ripon Community House, which is based in part of the city’s old workhouse and celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, was another of the community support organisations established in the pandemic, and staff are due to apply for funding to become one of the new community anchors. 

The venue, which provides meeting rooms for the community as well as a food bank and activities such as chair-based exercise classes, currently houses a base for Harrogate Borough Council to offer services such as waste and housing, and this will continue with the launch of North Yorkshire Council. 

Ripon Community House’s chief officer, Suzanne Bowyer, said:

“The legacy of covid has meant that we have become a real trusted voice in the community, and people come to us for advice – if they don’t know which organisation to go to, then we can invariably help. 

“To have the chance to build on this work by becoming a community anchor is so important, and the launch of the new council in North Yorkshire will undoubtedly help ensure the public can access services even easier by knowing there is one single organisation to deal with.” 

Funding from the government has already been used for North Yorkshire’s voluntary sector as part of financial support provided nationally to help the country recover from the pandemic. 

However, the new funding is being provided via North Yorkshire County Council’s Stronger Communities Achieve Together programme and is aimed at supporting about 30 different organisations over a three-year period. 

North Yorkshire County Council and the seven district and borough authorities will merge from April 1 to pave the way for a devolution deal, which is set to transfer decision-making powers and millions of pounds of funding from Westminster to local political leaders. 

The new council will retain a main office in each of the former district areas, supported by additional customer access points in public locations.

Information on how to apply for the community anchors project is available online on the county council’s website.

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A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in three weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

The move throws up questions over housing and planning in the district – in particular, who will make the decisions?

In this article, we will explain how key decisions over housing, new businesses and a Local Plan for the Harrogate area will be made.

Who currently makes planning decisions?

Currently, any decision over permission to build new homes or businesses in the Harrogate district is made by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council is the local planning authority – meaning any applications must be submitted to it.

Officials at the council then make decisions on whether to approve or refuse permission for a development.

Some applications may go to a council planning committee, which is made up of local councillors, to make a decision.

What will change from April?

From April, the borough council will no longer exist.

This means that the new North Yorkshire Council will become the local planning authority.

Any proposals to build new homes of businesses will have to be submitted to the new council.

It will then make decisions on new developments in the Harrogate district.

How will it make decisions?

North Yorkshire Council has proposed setting up two committees to deal with planning applications.

The first will be a strategic planning committee in Northallerton which will deal with major proposals, such as plans for 500 or more homes and employment sites.

There will also be a sub-committee on the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee, which will deal with proposals of 500 homes or less.

Similarly, plans for Ripon would be overseen by the Ripon and Skipton Area Constituency Committee.

What about the Harrogate district Local Plan?

Under the new council, a fresh Local Plan will be drawn up.

The plan will show where land can be used for housing and employment over the next 15 years.

It means that the current Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 is set to be scrapped.

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About 400 vehicles are expected to take part in tomorrow’s 25-mile Knaresborough Tractor Run.

The tractors are due to set off from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate at 9am before snaking around the district.

The spectacular convoy will head to Ripley and Knaresborough before travelling to Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses.

It is expected to arrive in Pateley Bridge at midday for a hog roast and then continue to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough at 4pm.

The number taken part won’t be known until tomorrow as drivers can turn up on the day.

Participation costs £20 and an extra £10 for each passenger. You can enter here or turn up at the showground.

All proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the hearts of many farmers taking part because of the way it helps people in remote and rural areas.

Last year, a total if 383 tractors took part and the event raised £21,000.for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Although the route uses some minor roads, the convoy takes about an hour to file by and traffic delays are possible for vehicles caught up in the event.

The route snakes around Nidderdale

Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said: 

“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.”

Prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern. 

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Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh will chair the new Harrogate & Knaresborough planning committee on North Yorkshire Council, it has been confirmed.

The Liberal Democrat member for the Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone division on the new council has been a councillor in Harrogate for over 30 years and sits on the current Harrogate Borough Council planning committee.

Because the Liberal Democrats is now the largest party within the Harrogate & Knaresborough constituency area it gets to pick the chair of the new planning committee.

The vice-chair will be Conservative councillor for Bilton & Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam.

The committee’s other members will be Chris Aldred (Liberal Democrat), Philip Broadbank (Liberal Democrat), Hannah Gostlow (Liberal Democrat), John Mann (Conservative) and Robert Windass (Conservative).

The committee will meet every month and will have the final say over large or significant planning applications in Harrogate & Knaresborough. It’s first meeting is on April 25.

Upcoming schemes include the 770-home Windmill Farm development on Otley Road and the controversial expansion of Harrogate Spring Water’s bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

Cllr Marsh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she feels “very honoured” to have been asked to take on the role. 

She said:

“I am keen to make sure Harrogate and Knaresborough get the right planning decisions.

“It is about having local knowledge that can make all the difference. I have done 33 years of planning none stop and been involved in formulating four Local Plans.

“I have never chaired a planning committee but I think I have a few years’ experience to bring to the role and I am looking forward to that new role.”

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A separate planning committee will be formed for Skipton and Ripon which will be chaired by Conservative councillor for Washburn & Birstwith, Nathan Hull.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee is chaired by Conservative member for Harlow & St Georges, Rebecca Burnett. It has one more meeting on Marsh 28 before the authority is abolished on March 31.

The Harrogate district has woken to its worst snow of the winter. Amber and yellow weather warnings remain in place all morning and roads are treacherous.

Please send news of how the weather is affecting your school, roads and neighbourhood so we can add it to the blog. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

12.39pm: Ice warning for tonight

A @metoffice warning for ice is in place across #NorthYorkshire until 10am tomorrow. A warning for #snow and #ice is also in place from 3pm tomorrow until 6am on Sunday.

Please take care when out and about.

Find out more at https://t.co/hUMWZu9ntv pic.twitter.com/6zjLqfCNjJ

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

12.08pm: Council says it ‘stood down’ today’s bin collections

Due to the weather conditions overnight, and the sub-zero temperatures predicted tonight and into tomorrow, we have made the decision to stand down today’s (10 March) household waste and recycling collections…

Find out more at: https://t.co/F9iIHqV6GD

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) March 10, 2023

11.42am: Minus nine degrees tonight?

The BBC weather forecast is currently forecasting a minimum temperature of minus nine degrees tonight. The Met Office, however, is predicting no lower than minus four degrees.

Either way, it is going to be cold and with standing snow conditions could be treacherous.

11.31am – Commercial Street in Harrogate ‘passable’

Commercial Street is “open for business” and “passable”, say businesses.

❄️Commercial Street is quite passable & OPEN for business❄️

☕️Don’t forget we’ve got 2 fab indie businesses to keep you warm with delish hot drinks – Bean & Bud and Lilly’s Cafe! ☕️

Find out more on our website https://t.co/UoImSxseXl#shoplocal #indie #Harrogate #snow pic.twitter.com/HWcapDPjsV

— Commercial Street (@Commercial_St) March 10, 2023

11.20am – More Harrogate pictures

More pictures of Harrogate covered in snow this morning on Montpellier and the Stray.

11.10am – Household waste recycling centres reopen

North Yorkshire County Council has announced its household waste recycling centres in Harrogate have reopened.

All of our household waste recycling centres have now reopened, except for #Leyburn. pic.twitter.com/A8Ldz5u5t2

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

11.05am – Ripon covered in snow

A nice aerial shot of Ripon market square and the cathedral sent into us by Paul Smith.

10.55am – Picturesque Knaresborough

Knaresboroughphotography has shared this picture with us on Instagram. Perfect for a postcard.

10.45am – Stray pictured in the snow

Ian Wilkie has sent some beautiful pictures of the Harrogate Stray pictured in the snow, along with a snowman.

10.35am – RHS Harlow Carr to reopen at midday

RHS Harlow Carr is set to reopen at midday today. However, play areas will be closed.

⚠️ Garden reopening at 12pm – 10 March ⚠️

We'll be reopening at noon today with a limited route around the garden – play areas will be closed. It will be half price tickets for payers.

Grab the camera and snow boots to enjoy a winter wonderland ❄ pic.twitter.com/S6Yr3HPku5

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) March 10, 2023

10.24am – West Harrogate recycling centre closed.

The West Harrogate recycling centre at Pennypot Lane is also closed this morning due to snow.

Thornton-le-Dale and West #Harrogate household waste recycling centres are also currently closed due to the #snow. pic.twitter.com/6038uUcNPK

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

10.15am – Belmont Grosvenor headmaster gives snowman advice

With pupils learning from home, Nathan Sadler, headmaster at Belmont Grosvenor School, has issued the following advice to parents:

In terms of learning from home, if you get the opportunity with your children, please can you:

• make snow balls
• roll in the snow – make snow angels!
• build a snowman
• sledge
• drink hot chocolate
• HAVE FUN!

Here he is pictured with his family and their snowman.

10.05am – Harrogate recycling centre is closed

North Yorkshire County Council has announced the household waste recycling centre on Wetherby Road is currently closed due to the snow.

The following household waste recycling centres are currently closed due to the #snow:
– #Harrogate Stonefall
– #Leyburn
– #Settle
– #Skipton pic.twitter.com/EfrQRGm9yS

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

10am – The view from Pateley Bridge

Joyce Liggins has sent this picture in of Pateley Bridge covered in snow this morning.

9.25am – No waste and recycling collections this morning

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that its waste and recycling teams currently are not collecting this morning.

Due to this morning's conditions, our waste and recycling crews aren't currently collecting.

We are keeping a close eye on the weather and road conditions and will provide an update later in the day. pic.twitter.com/o4pc5wNSGF

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) March 10, 2023

9.15am – Snow pictures from across Harrogate

9am – Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal closed

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal has announced it will be closed today.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is closed this morning due to the snow. Please don’t travel here as the car parks are closed and the paths are not safe. Take care on the roads and keep an eye on the website for all live updates. https://t.co/tyiQ88giPV pic.twitter.com/x0cdXUG7eS

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) March 10, 2023

8.30am – Full list of school closures

Here is the full list of school closures in the Harrogate district.

6.39am: Bus service cancellations

The Harrogate Bus Company is warning of problems and providing a link to more information.

⚠️ Due to the current weather conditions we have a number of diversions and cancellations in place.

ℹ️ Please see the link for further details: https://t.co/0dCzYc3pFH

We apologise for any inconvenience@MetroTravelNews pic.twitter.com/7VEpbzFYdP

— The Harrogate Bus Company (@harrogatebus) March 10, 2023

6.34am: Pannal school closes

6.30am: Two schools announce closures

Admiral Long Primary School, Burnt Yates and Belmont Grosvenor School in Birstwith have emailed to tell us they have closed today.

Has your school closed? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will include it in this blog.

Harrogate Borough Council will write-off over £83,000 of debt it’s owed from businesses, residents and housing tenants.

Cllr Graham Swift, the council’s cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, approved two reports that said the debts would be “uneconomic to pursue further.”

The first report includes details of £44,167 worth of miscellaneous debt with the largest being two Harrogate Convention Centre invoices from Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd worth £19,940.

The report says the exhibitions firm has been wound up and “there is little hope of any remuneration”.

The company was due to organise The British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and British Craft & Design Fair at the convention centre until 2025.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the event owner affiliated to Kerrison Craft Exhibitions Ltd has died.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:

“We are deeply saddened by the untimely death of the event organiser. We are hopeful the event will be purchased by an alternative organiser in the future.”

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The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the company’s liquidator, Opus LLP but it declined to make a comment.

Of the £44,167, there is also £3,717 worth of debt related to planning and £3,854 to waste and recycling.

The council will be able to recover £6,460.94 in VAT.

The report explains why HBC has decided not to pursue these debts any further:

“The costs involved are too great, the probability of success is too slim or there are simply no further legal options available.”

Meanwhile, a second report was approved by Cllr Swift related to writing-off £39,059.11 from former council housing tenants.

However, it says the ‘substantial majority’ of this sum will be written-off because the tenant has died.

Although the report adds that some debts are from tenants who “abandoned their homes and remain untraceable.”