Editor’s Pick of the Week: Mass surveillance, fuel frenzy and culture wars

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Many companies might be struggling to make ends meet but the surveillance market looks set to boom in North Yorkshire. 

This week, North Yorkshire Police firstly announced it planned to introduce fixed speed cameras. Then it revealed it was to deploy live facial recognition cameras. 

If, like me, you’ve spent a fair bit of this week circling the district’s forecourts hoping to find affordable fuel, you will have had plenty of time to ponder life’s big questions, such as: which place is more cultured — Ripon, Harrogate or Knaresborough?

Ripon has a cathedral and a World Heritage Site; Harrogate has the Royal Hall and the Turkish baths; and Knaresborough has a castle and one of the most famous views in Yorkshire.

All three places submitted bids this week for the UK Town of Culture competition, which carries a £3 million first prize.

Some cried foul at Ripon’s entry, as it has been a city since 1836. But the criterion is population size, and Ripon actually qualifies for the small town category for places with fewer than 20,000 people. Harrogate is the only place in North Yorkshire eligible for the large town division.

Harrogate mayor Chris Aldred turned up for the launch of the town’s bid on the Stray looking brighter than a daffodil, decked in a matching yellow combo of Harrogate Town shirt and shades.

Will any of them make the shortlist, and have a shot at landing the £3 million top prize?

Drake’s fish and chip shop is unlikely to feature in Knaresborough’s submission, but its re-opening this week was celebrated as much as any drama at the Frazer Theatre.

Its new pink façade has brightened up Silver Street. Our reporter discovered the reason for the unmissable new look when he visited this week.

The four-day Easter weekend could see Harrogate Town slide towards the relegation trap door, as they face matches against Grimsby and Bristol Rovers.

The prospect of relegation was hardly softened this week when Town’s financial results for the 2024/25 season were revealed this week and showed growing dependence on chairman Irving Weaver. It could be a long road back from the National League.

In other sports news, the Tour of Britain is returning to North Yorkshire. The route has yet to be determined but if it returns to the Harrogate district, locals will be hoping it turns out to be more like the 2014 Tour de France than the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.