Ripon’s parish precept, which is charged to council tax payers in the city, is being frozen at its current level for the third year in succession.

It means Ripon residents living in a Band D property will pay a parish precept of £70.77 for the financial year 2023/24. People in Bands A to C properties will pay less and those in Bands E to H will pay more.

Final council tax bills for the year ahead are calculated by adding the parish precept to the amounts also charged by the new North Yorkshire Council and the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The latter two have yet to finalise their amounts.

Ripon City Council unanimously approved its draft budget for 2023-2024 at its January full meeting after independent council leader Andrew Williams told members:

“Because of the increased number of new houses built in Ripon, there are more properties over which the precept will be charged and we are able to raise a levy of £420,000 at no extra cost to the charge payer.

“This is an increase from the £411,000 raised in the last financial year and will enable us to fund, among other things, the programme of public and civic events throughout the year, further improvements  to the city’s Christmas lights infrastructure and refurbishment of Hugh Ripley Hall to increase its earnings potential.”

In the new financial year that comes into effect from April, monies will also be earmarked from reserves to pay for any professional advice required arising from double devolution and negotiations on matters including the transfer of assets such as Ripon Town Hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and Market Square, to the city council

Cllr Williams said:

“These are very difficult times with the cost of living crisis putting families under greater financial pressure through increased food, fuel, mortgage, rent and other costs.

“Faced with these circumstances we thought it only right and proper to freeze the precept charge for the coming financial year.”

Read More:

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This week’s photograph was taken by Nick Payne, capturing the lights and movement on the Ferris Wheel during this year’s Christmas Fraye.

Nick Payne

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

This week’s photograph was taken by John Shepherd, capturing the moon shining over Fountains Abbey at the Christmas illumination night.

John Shepherd

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Festive spirit will be flowing in Boroughbridge tonight as the town hosts its annual late-night shopping, Christmas tree lights switch-on and a visit from Santa.

The event, organised Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade, will see shops stay open until 8pm.

The night will begin with the official Christmas tree lights switch-on in Hall Square at 5.30pm, followed by carols from three school choirs — Boroughbridge Primary and High School and Roecliffe Primary.

Boroughbridge Lions will host Santa and his sleigh and there will be community stalls, children’s rides and a donkey and miniature horse.

Read more:

• New BBC series pays homage to intrepid Victorian explorer from Boroughbridge
• Time to sparkle: Your guide to Christmas lights switch-ons across the district

Festive food and drink will include the Scouts’ roast chestnuts and Brighter Boroughbridge’s mulled wine and mince pies stall. There will also be a hog roast.

The shop window display competition theme this year is A Christmas Panto, with entries to be judged tonight,

The lights on the Christmas tree will be switched on by BBC Radio York’s Georgey Spanswick and the Mayor, Sean Hynes.

Chamber president Derek Hufton said:

“Anyone coming along will find the town buzzing.

“There will be lots of great independent shops to browse and buy Christmas gifts from.

“Santa and his sleigh, along with the kids’ rides, will be big attractions to the younger generation. But wrap up warm!”

A free daily Christmas lights show lasting 90 minutes will be switched on today.

Computer engineer Dale Hughes said the show will be bigger and even more spectacular than last year’s, which attracted daily visitors to Norwich Drive in Jennyfields.

Mr Dale has installed 42,000 low energy LED lights outside his home, which light up in time with a musical soundtrack.

Following the success of last Christmas’ show, which involved 26,000 LEDS, Mr Dale severely doubted he would be able to organise anything this year when he was hospitalised with a back injury.

Fortunately he recovered in time to arrange a Halloween extravaganza and now he’s looking forward to wowing visitors again.

This year’s lights are ready to go.

The father-of-five was inspired by videos showing lavishly decorated American houses, adding:

“I’ve always wanted to do something different rather than go to B&Q and buy some lights and plug them in.”

The show will run from 5pm to 7.30pm daily. It lasts 90 minutes and at 6.30pm is replayed on a shorter loop.

Mr Hughes has also arranged a New Year’s Eve variation that includes Auld Lang Syne at midnight.

There is a serious side to the fun. Last year’s event raised £1,150 in donations for Martin House Children’s Hospice and Mr Dale wants to generate £2,000 for the same charity this time. QR codes line trees near the lights show and people can pledge donations online. Visit here for more information.

Do the neighbours mind?

“Fortunately they love it. But I only do it from 5.30pm until 7pm because I don’t want to upset them too much!”

An independent panel of judges, braved heavy showers to view and cast their votes for the 23 entries in the Ripon Business Improvement District’s Christmas Windows competition.

The panel, including the city’s Mayor and Mayoress Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda and the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson have had their say, but the final outcome of the competition rests with a public vote and the winning entry will be announced on December 19.

Dean John judging the window at Specsavers

Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst, said:

“Like Strictly Come Dancing, the votes of the public will be added to the marks given by the judges.”

More details on how to vote for your favourite Christmas window click here

Children were involved in producing the window display at Cathedral View Cafe

Ms Bathurst, pointed out:

“The theme that we set was peace and sanctuary and the judges were asked to bear this in mind when assessing the entries.”

She added:

“We are delighted with the number of businesses that took part, as the window displays combined with the city’s festive lights and our free parking after 3pm initiative on the Fridays running up to Christmas, all add to the attraction of Ripon.”

Dean John, said:

“It’s great to see the business community embracing the central Christmas messages of peace and sanctuary in an imaginative way that helps to lift all of our spirits in these difficult times.”

The Christmas lights have been switched on in Harrogate, heralding the start of the festive season for local businesses.

The displays are organised by Harrogate BID, which said the run-up to Christmas is a vital time of year for retailers, especially against a challenging economic landscape.

The organisation has used its levy payers’ money to fund 100,000 bulbs across the town centre, including festive figures and motifs.

Unlike in previous years, there was no official switch-on event, but the lights are now illuminated and will be displayed until after Christmas.

The lights on the trees along the Stray – which are traditionally lit throughout winter rather than for Christmas – were turned on at the end of October.

Meanwhile, a series of festive attractions will be brought into the town centre during the Christmas period. Today saw the arrival of the first signs of the ice rink, which will open to customers on Friday, December 2.

Read more:

• First signs of Christmas attractions appear in Harrogate
• Reindeer head to Ripon for Saturday’s Christmas lights switch on

Work began today to put up the ice rink which will be one of the main features of Harrogate’s Christmas attractions this year.

Crews from Events by Cynosure were on Crescent Gardens this morning setting up the rink, which will open on Friday, December 2 and has been organised by Harrogate BID and Harrogate Borough Council‘s Destination Harrogate marketing team.

The rink will run until Tuesday, January 3, opening every day except Christmas Day, and will be accompanied by an après-ski bar.

It is part of a scheme of attractions around the town which will also see a carousel, a ferris wheel and the Candy Cane Express road train return after a successful first appearance last year. They will all run until January 8.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, running from Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 11, will have 50 stalls put up around the town centre featuring a range of traders, including local charities. Installation will begin on Monday, November 28 and the fayre will be open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays.

Meanwhile, the Christmas lights have been switched on across the town centre, with just over five weeks to go until Christmas Day.

For full information on the ice rink click here.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Christmas ice rink opens for bookings
• York Ferris wheel coming to Harrogate for Christmas

Ripon’s festive season gets into full swing this week, with late night shopping tomorrow and the switch on of the city’s Christmas lights on Saturday.

Tomorrow, eight independent retailers located on North Steet and Fishergate will remain open until 8pm and there is the opportunity for shoppers to win a hamper.

The participating retailers are: The Castle, The GreenHouse, Memorable Moments. Carlton Couture Bridal, Absolute Bliss Health & Beauty, Eastwick, St Michael’s Hospice and  Halls of Ripon department store.

On Saturday, Ripon Market Square will be a hive of activity from 1pm ahead of the Christmas lights switch on, which takes place at 5pm.

Santa’s reindeer return to Ripon Market Square on Saturday afternoon

The reindeer, which proved popular when they visited Ripon for last year’s switch on will be returning with Santa and once again and there will also be free fairground rides and a climbing wall for children to enjoy.

The Ripon City Council event will also provide free musical entertainment from 2pm with singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary followed by Christmas songs from Tamsin and Kaylie, before the Jersey Beyond tribute act take centre stage.

This year, the council’s festive programme in Ripon is being supported by Ripon Business Improvement District, which is paying for the production and distribution of a Christmas brochure, setting out the events that will be happening in the city between now and New Year’s Eve.

Read more:

• City council opens funding scheme to more Ripon organisations
• Bid to save bus linking Ripon, Thirsk and Northallerton

A long-standing Harrogate business has had its Christmas lights vandalised for the first time in 14 years.

The display at Dangerfield & Keane hairdressers has become an annual highlight for families walking along Cold Bath Road.

It went up on Monday — and on Wednesday night was damaged.

A video of a man, appearing to rip the lights off the shopfront, has been shared many times on the shop’s Facebook page.

An image from the Dangerfield and Keane CCTV footage.

Gerri Dangerfield-Keane, who owns the business, said:

“I’m just dismayed – why would anyone do that? It’s senseless.

“This is the 14th year of doing the same thing and it’s never been touched or vandalised before.”

Mr Dangerfield-Keane said the electric circuit had been destroyed but he was determined to get it fixed and restore the display to full power.

He has also offered to give a free set of Christmas lights to the perpetrator:

“Whoever did it must be so bereft of Christmas lights we will give them a free set.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Bettys to unveil Christmas window tonight
• Harrogate rough sleepers are being offered support, says council leader