Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district update

Motorists should be aware of upcoming roadworks on the A1(M) which may cause delays for those heading north towards Leeming Bar.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

National Highways is set to carry out patching repairs on the southbound carriageway between junction 49 (Dishforth) and junction 51 (Leeming Bar) from Tuesday next week until mid-December.

According to the organisation, during full closures a local signed diversion will be in place using the A6055 which runs parallel to the A1.

Meanwhile, ongoing works on Station Road in Goldsborough may cause delays for drivers this lunchtime.

Station Road in the village is closed while a new electrical supply is installed for a new housing development.

The work is due to continue until December 16. Bus services through the village have also been diverted as a result of the roadworks.

Motorists should expect the usual traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road this morning.

Trains and buses

This morning, Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal.

Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting no cancellations on its service this morning. You can get updates here.

Read more:

 

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district update

No trains will run from Harrogate and Knaresborough to Leeds and York tomorrow amid further strike action.

Northern, which runs services from Harrogate and Knaresborough, has warned passengers not to travel as it will not be running any rail replacement services.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic and travel update.

Roads

Ongoing works on Station Road in Goldsborough may cause delays for drivers this lunchtime.

Station Road in the village is closed while a new electrical supply is installed for a new housing development.

The work is due to continue until December 16. Bus services through the village have also been diverted as a result of the roadworks.

Drivers should also be aware that National Highways is to carry out patching repairs on the southbound carriageway between junction 49 (Dishforth) and junction 51 (Leeming Bar) from Tuesday next week until mid-December.

Meanwhile, motorists should be aware that traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 near Goldsborough continue to cause delays for drivers during rush hour.

The three-way lights at the junction with the A658 has seen queueing traffic for motorists over the last few weeks.

Yorkshire Water is carrying out work to lay a new water main for a housing development.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, the work is due to remain until November 27.

Motorists should expect the usual traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road this morning.

Trains and buses

Commuters should be aware of planned industrial action on the railways tomorrow (November 26) as the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLF) plan to walkout.

It will see no Northern services operating on the day. The train operator has warned it will not be running any rail replacement buses.

LNER, which operates services to London King’s Cross, has asked passengers to check train times before they travel.

This morning, Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting no cancellations on its service this morning. You can get updates here.

The bus company has announced that the 21 at Goldsborough will be diverted from today due to electrical works on Station Road in the village until December 16.

The service will miss stops towards Knaresborough at Princess Mead, War Memorial and Greystone Farm.

It will also miss stops towards Boroughbridge at Princess Mead, Midgely Land and Nr Roundabout.

Read more:

 

Motorcyclist seriously injured in Harrogate district crash

A motorcyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision in the Harrogate district this morning.

North Yorkshire Police attended a two-vehicle collision involving a car and a motorbike on the A59 at Moor Monkton at 5.49am.

According to police, the motorbike was travelling westbound along the road and the car — a white VW — was travelling in the opposite direction when they collided.

Further details of the injuries, or the man’s name, have not been released.

The A59, which is the main road linking Harrogate and York, was closed between Station Road to York Road and Maston Lane to York Road.

A police statement said:

“If you witnessed the incident, have dashcam footage or any other information which could help our investigation, please email: Richard.harrison@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option 2 and ask for TC Smith.

“Please quote reference 12220208147.”

Read more:

 

Axing 80 bus services in North Yorkshire would be ‘devastating’, says campaign group

A new campaign group has warned that axing 80 bus services in North Yorkshire would be “devastating”, as fears of a cull grow.

Conservative MP Nigel Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes parts of the Harrogate district, told Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday about 80 bus services in North Yorkshire were under threat.

Last week Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said the county’s bus network was “facing a really grave situation”.

Today Matthew Topham, a campaigner at Better Buses for North Yorkshire, said the loss of buses would have wide implications. He said:
“These cuts would be devastating. Folks might have to get into debt to buy cars, uproot their families to move closer to work, or risk assault walking home with no buses in some areas after 7pm.”
Better Buses for North Yorkshire was founded last month to campaign for reform of how the bus network is run.
Mr Topham said North Yorkshire devolution presented an opportunity to overhaul the system. North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, will be abolished on April 1 and replaced by the new North Yorkshire Council.

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An elected mayor for North Yorkshire and York, with new powers that could include transport, is also set to be appointed.
Mr Topham said:
“The crisis in North Yorkshire’s buses stem from the awful system we use to run them — a patchwork of private companies prevented from integrating their services by competition law. No other European country has such a ridiculous system.
“Compare this to networks in local control where the council coordinates services to maximise the public benefits — for instance, the locally controlled networks in London and Jersey are much more efficient with public subsidy and deliver more frequent and reliable services.
“If we want to protect our services from cuts, our local leaders must seize the opportunity presented by the new devolution deal to bring buses into local control here too.”
Better Buses for North Yorkshire is running a petition calling on buses to be brought under local authority control.
Lane closures and speed restrictions coming to A1 in Harrogate district

Lane closures and a 50mph speed limit are being introduced to a stretch of the A1 that passes through the Harrogate district.

National Highways is to carry out patching repairs on the southbound carriageway between junction 49 (Dishforth) and junction 51 (Leeming Bar) from Tuesday next week until mid-December.

According to a press release today by National Highways, during full closures a local signed diversion will be in place using the A6055 which runs parallel to the A1.

Access to properties and businesses will be maintained at all times. Those affected will be contacted directly.

National Highways project manager Ted Chamberlain said:

“This work will ensure that we continue to provide our customers with a safe, smooth carriageway. We’ll be working overnight using a combination of full closures and lane closures. This will minimise disruption to the peak traffic flows during the day.

“When lane closures are in place there will be a 50mph speed restriction to protect road users and our workers. We advise drivers to anticipate delays and allow extra time for their journeys.”

National Highways is the government-owned company responsible for maintaining England’s motorways and major A roads.

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Rapidly growing Killinghall school praised by Ofsted

Killinghall Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘good’ in its first full Ofsted inspection for 10 years.

The village school has doubled in size from 95 to 183 pupils since its last full inspection in 2012.

Inspectors praised the way it had coped with the challenges presented by rapid growth and said leaders had created “a highly inclusive school community where pupils are valued” and pupils “are happy and feel safe”.

The school was rated ‘good’ in five of the six areas assessed and ‘outstanding’ for early years provision.

The report, published on Tuesday, said:

“Children get off to an excellent start in the early years. Most pupils behave well. They show kindness and consideration for others.

“Bullying is not a problem in the school. Pupils know that they can talk to any of the adults in school if they are worried about something. They are confident that adults will act quickly.”

Leaders, they added, had created “an ambitious curriculum”, staff were described as “skilled” and safeguarding arrangements were found to be “effective”.

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Sarah Bassitt, who has been headteacher for 12 years, said:

“We are really pleased, especially after the challenges presented by covid and flooding to the key stage two classrooms from February to May this year.

“I’m particularly pleased with the early years assessment and the comments saying we are caring and the pupils are happy.”

Areas for improvement

Ofsted identified two areas for improvement: ensuring expectations for pupils’ behaviour “are consistently high across the school” and ensuring “processes for identifying and monitoring pupils with special education needs are consistently strong and that targets are precise”.

Ms Bassitt said the school had already adopted a new plan for pupils with special education needs.

Marion McCormick, co-chair of governors at the school, said:

“We have a great deal of pride in the hard work and commitment that has led to this very good result.

“The report reflects the enthusiasm and high standards that embody all that the school stands for.

“The strength and resilience shown by the headteacher and her team to achieve this following a major flood throughout key stage two deserves huge praise.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district update

Motorists should be aware of ongoing works in Goldsborough which may cause delays during rush hour.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Ongoing works on Station Road in Goldsborough may cause delays for drivers this lunchtime.

Station Road in the village is closed while a new electrical supply is installed for a new housing development.

The work is due to continue until December 16. Bus services through the village have also been diverted as a result of the roadworks.

Meanwhile, motorists should be aware that traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 near Goldsborough continue to cause delays for drivers during rush hour.

The three-way lights at the junction with the A658 has seen queueing traffic for motorists over the last few weeks.

Yorkshire Water is carrying out work to lay a new water main for a housing development.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, the work is due to remain until November 27.

Motorists should expect the usual traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road this morning.

Trains and buses

This morning, Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal.

However, commuters should be aware of planned industrial action on the railways this Saturday (November 26) as the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLF) plan to walkout.

It will see no Northern services operating on the day. LNER, which operates services to London King’s Cross, has asked passengers to check train times before they travel.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting cancellations on its 36 service this morning. You can get updates here.

The bus company has announced that the 21 at Goldsborough will be diverted from today due to electrical works on Station Road in the village until December 16.

The service will miss stops towards Knaresborough at Princess Mead, War Memorial and Greystone Farm.

It will also miss stops towards Boroughbridge at Princess Mead, Midgely Land and Nr Roundabout.

Read more:

 

80 bus services in North Yorkshire under threat, says Harrogate district MP

A Conservative MP whose constituency includes parts of the Harrogate district has said 80 bus services in North Yorkshire are under threat.

Nigel Adams, who represents Selby and Ainsty, revealed the number during Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament today.

Mr Adams, whose constituency includes Spofforth and Follifoot, told Rishi Sunak that last month bus operator Arriva stopped the only bus between Selby and Doncaster, leaving 40 Selby College students having to find alternative transport at short notice.

He added:

“Additionally across North Yorkshire about 80 other bus services are now under threat.

“Can he advise what action he will take to ensure that essential bus services are not withdrawn at short notice and ensure that these continue to be operated across Selby district and wider North Yorkshire?”.

Mr Adams said fellow North Yorkshire MP Mr Sunak, who represents Richmond, knew how “crucial” bus services were.

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The Prime Minister replied:

“I’m pleased that the Chancellor has allocated funding for extra bus services across the country and I look forward to working with him (Mr Adams) to ensure that the money finds its way to rural areas like North Yorkshire to provide the connectivity that’s so important for people to have opportunity and get access to public services.”

Buses on a cliff edge?

Today’s comments by Mr Adams will fuel concerns about the future of many rural bus services in the Harrogate district.

Last week Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said the county’s bus network was “facing a really grave situation”.

He added:

“The message across the county is use it or lose it. We need people to support these services.”

Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge, Andrew Murday, said residents of his division faced having just two services a day to Harrogate.

He said:

“We just have to do something about bus services, and encourage more people onto buses. We need to know how we are going to go about discouraging people from driving and encouraging people on to buses, so bus services can thrive.”

Seven months ago the government rejected the council’s bid for a £116m share of Boris Johnson’s high-profile Bus Back Better initiative, saying the local authority’s plans lacked ambition.

 

 

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district update

Commuters should be aware of upcoming train strikes in the Harrogate district this weekend.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic and travel update.

Roads

Motorists should expect the usual traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road this morning.

Drivers are urged to take care on the roads this morning following low temperatures and heavy rain forecast for the Harrogate district later this morning.

Meanwhile, motorists should be aware that traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 near Goldsborough continue to cause delays for drivers during rush hour.

The three-way lights at the junction with the A658 has seen queueing traffic for motorists over the last few weeks.

Yorkshire Water is carrying out work to lay a new water main for a housing development.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, the work is due to remain until November 27.

Drivers are urged to allow extra time if using the route this morning.

Trains and buses

This morning, Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal.

However, commuters should be aware of planned industrial action on the railways this Saturday (November 26) as the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLF) plan to walkout.

It will see no Northern services operating on the day. LNER, which operates services to London King’s Cross, has asked passengers to check train times before they travel.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Bus Company is currently reporting cancellations on its 36 service this morning. You can get updates here.

The bus company has announced that the 21 at Goldsborough will be diverted from today due to electrical works on Station Road in the village until December 16.

The service will miss stops towards Knaresborough at Princess Mead, War Memorial and Greystone Farm.

It will also miss stops towards Boroughbridge at Princess Mead, Midgely Land and Nr Roundabout.

Read More:

 

Business rates to reduce for majority of Harrogate firms, says BID

A Harrogate business organisation has said a new business rates valuation will see the majority of local firms pay less.

Following a government review, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt decided to progress with new valuations of properties as part of his autumn statement.

An online service is available to show firms whether their rates will increase from April 1, 2023.

Sara Ferguson, chair of the Harrogate Business Improvement District, said she welcomed the review by government.

She added that while some businesses will see their rateable value rise, they will still receive support from government.

Ms Ferguson said:

“For a number of years, Harrogate BID has been asking the government to review business rates, and I’m really pleased this has now happened.

“Looking at the website, it appears that the majority of the business have seen their business rates reduced, which will be a relief to many, particularly with the rise in fuel, raw materials and energy costs.

“And for those that have seen their rate rise, those at the lower end of the scale will still benefit from rate relief, with plenty of small business not paying anything at all.”

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Last week, Mr Hunt announced £13.6 billion worth of business rates relief targeted at businesses that may see their rates increase.

Mr Hunt said the move would help to “soften the blow” for businesses with new valuations.

Business owners can check their valuations on the government website here.