Ouseburn councillor Arnold Warneken has welcomed today’s announcement that plans to house 1,500 asylum seekers at Linton-on-Ouse have been scrapped.
The government planned to create a reception centre at the former airfield, which is close to villages in the Harrogate district including Great Ouseburn, Little Ouseburn and Nun Monkton.
The airfield is also just nine miles from Boroughbridge and 13 miles from Knaresborough.
But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today he had withdrawn the offer to the Home Office for the site.
Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, said withdrawing the offer was the “right thing to do”. He said:
“It was an ill-thought plan that caused distress and sleepless nights for residents. The consequences would have been huge.”
Read more:
- Ripon refugee charity joins calls opposing 1,500 asylum seekers at Linton
- Home Office accused of ‘disgraceful actions’ over Linton asylum plan’
Cllr Warneken said the episode revealed was a concerning lack of consultation by the government.
He said he suspected the reason was because a consultation “would have provided a different answer to the one they wanted to hear” but nevertheless this was not the right way to proceed.
Linton on Ouse Action Group, which was set up to campaign against the Home Office’s plan, welcomed the news.
Group member Kelly Kirby said it was “absolutely delighted” but also concerned that the same scheme could be dropped on another community soon.
She said action group members has spent “tens of thousands of hours” opposing the scheme.
By no means a victory but some movement. We will continue to hold @ukhomeoffice to account for their failings in processing and their hostile treatment of asylum seekers. It is by no means over.
— Linton on Ouse Action Group (@LintonAction) August 9, 2022
Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, also welcomed the news that Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak had no plans to revive the Linton scheme.
Wonderful News! @RishiSunak Sunak pledges to axe 'inappropriate' Linton-on-Ouse asylum centre plan @LintonAction https://t.co/O0EwPCc3QS
— Kevin Hollinrake MP (@kevinhollinrake) August 9, 2022
Eight reasons to switch from traditional to digital advertising
It is rare for someone to not own at least one form of digital device. The majority of people including Grandma own either a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer. This creates huge opportunities for advertising. So why not use this to your advantage?
Here are eight reasons why you should capitalise on digital:
Lower cost
Digital advertising provides a number of price points which can be minimal compared to traditional advertising spend, meaning whatever your budget is, you can reach your target audience.
Greater Return on Investment (ROI)
Digital advertising can deliver excellent return on investment (ROI). It is important at the outset that you are clear on what you want your digital marketing to achieve, eg brand awareness, increased footfall, more hits to your website etc. Advertising digitally means your target audience is only one click away from your business giving you far greater ROI.
Easy measurement
Digital advertising makes it far easier to measure the performance of your adverts. With traditional advertising you must make assumptions on who has seen, remembered and acted on your advert. With digital, you receive instant analytics on how well your activity is performing including how far it has reached, how many people have seen it and how many people have reacted/engaged with it.
Flexibility
Unlike traditional advertising, which is difficult to change once it has been printed or aired, going digital gives you the advantage of being able to stop or tweak a campaign. If something isn’t quite working, you can make adjustments to improve it. This is only achievable due to the data you receive from digital advertising channels.
Better engagement
Engagement is vital for a successful digital campaign. On social channels, the more engagement a post receives, the more people will see it due to how social media algorithms work.
Precise targeting
Going digital enables you to target your audience far more easily than traditional advertising, especially when advertising on social channels. Targeting your audience means you do not waste money putting your brand in front of people who are not interested in it.
Easy to share
With the click of a button your advertisement can be shared by one person to their network, who then share it to their network and so on. With traditional advertising methods, it is more difficult to expand the audience without it costing money.
Make the switch
The idea of changing from traditional advertising to digital advertising can seem daunting, however the benefits to going digital should not be ignored. Going digital gives you a measurable, flexible and cost-effective way to advertise your business to a targeted large audience.
Find out how the most-read news service in the Harrogate district can help your business grow today.
Temperatures to soar to 30 degrees – but no weather warning for Harrogate districtTemperatures are set to soar close to 30 degrees in the next few days — but today’s extreme heat warning does not include the Harrogate district.
The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning for much of southern and central England from Thursday.
The warning, which predicts temperatures of up to 35C, extends north as far as Leeds.
Although the Harrogate district is not included, it is still set to be very warm for the rest of the week.
The Met office is forecasting temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade in Boroughbridge tomorrow, with the rest of the district a degree or two cooler.
Temperatures are not expected to fall until Monday to Tuesday next week when there could be thunderstorms.
Many farmers are praying for rain.
Yorkshire Water said today average stocks in its reservoirs were 51% last week, which is around 20% less than usual for this time of year.
https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1556941086316236800
Read more:
- Image gallery: 72 hours of wild weather in Harrogate district
- Harrogate climate change scientist warns of more extreme heatwaves
Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update
Traffic is moving normally in the Harrogate district this morning.
Drivers should expect the usual delays on Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road during rush hour.
Roads
Temporary lights remain in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays during rush hour.
The lights are due to remain in place until September 2.
A road closure is in place from today on Knapping Hill as the county council resurfaces the footpath. This work is scheduled to last until August 16.
Meanwhile, a road closure is also in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.
Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.
The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.
Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.
A diversion route is in place in the village.
Trains and buses
Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 1, 1A, 1B, and the 36 this morning.
The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.
You can find out more on the disruption to services here.
Read more:
- Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days
- Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station Gateway
‘It’ll take more than a scumbag chancer to bring us down’
The owners of The Dale Stores in Birstwith have pledged to continue serving the village after suffering a “sickening” burglary.
Andrea and Matthew Walwyn were sleeping next door when thieves smashed two panes of glass on the front door to gain entry to their shop and post office at nine minutes past midnight on Friday.
They took stamps worth £3,000 and a quantity of cash.
The couple, who have run the Nidderdale business for 17 years, told the Stray Ferret the incident had shaken them and the community but they had been overwhelmed by messages of support.
Read more:
- Thieves steal cash and stamps from Birstwith post office
- Firefighters called to blaze at factory in Birstwith
The shop has reopened and although the post office is currently closed Ms Walwyn said they would be back at full capacity as soon as possible.
She said:
“We are really shaken. It’s just sickening. We live next door and think of the shop as part of our home.
“People have come in saying they have never locked their doors but they are now.
“But we want to fully re-open as soon as possible.”
Last year The Dale Stores won an award in the Rural Oscars competition organised by the Countryside Alliance, receiving praise for its ‘great service and great produce’ and for maintaining a village post office.
Ms Walwyn said she had been taken aback by the kindness shown by villagers in recent days. One man arranged for builders to sort out the damaged door straight away.
A customer arranged to fix the door.
Mr Walwyn put a post on their Facebook page saying, “It’ll take more than a scumbag chancer to bring us down. Andrea and I are here this morning. Nice people are very welcome”.
It prompted nearly 300 likes and a barrage of supportive comments.
One said:
Thieves steal cash and stamps from Birstwith post office“After all you both went through yesterday to see you smiling today is what makes Birstwith village shop the best.”
North Yorkshire Police is investigating a burglary at a rural post office in Nidderdale.
Thieves entered the Dales Stores Post Office in Birstwith at nine minutes past midnight on Friday (August 5).
The suspects smashed two panes of glass on the front door and stole cash and a large amount of stamps with a high value.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they have any information, saw anything suspicious or can identify the person recorded on CCTV.
“In particular, offices are asking local residents if they have any CCTV or dash cam footage of vehicles in the area at the time of the burglary.
“Anyone with any information is asked to email leah.fitzsimons@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC 950 Fitzsimons.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please quote reference number 12220137553 when passing on information.”
Read more:
- Harrogate mental health crisis team remains in Ripon
- Ripon’s Jack Laugher wins second gold medal at Commonwealth Games
Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update
Some road closures come into force in the Harrogate district this week which may cause disruption for drivers.
Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.
Roads
This morning, drivers should be aware of roadworks on Wedderburn Road in Harrogate as North Yorkshire County Council refreshes double yellow lines on the street.
A road closure is also expected to be put in place from Tuesday on Knapping Hill as the county council resurfaces the footpath. This work is scheduled to last until August 16.
Meanwhile, a road closure is also in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.
Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.
The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.
Temporary lights are also in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays.
This will remain in place until September 2.
Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.
A diversion route is in place in the village.
Trains and buses
Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 1, 1A, 1B, 1D, 7 and 36 morning services.
The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.
You can find out more on the disruption to services here.
Read more:
- Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days
- Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station Gateway
The new top local politician in the Harrogate district
The local political landscape is being utterly transformed.
A new unitary authority is coming; eight existing councils, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, are going.
A devolution deal this week paved the way for a countywide mayor and the creation of a combined authority overseeing £540 million.
It’s not just the institutions changing. So too are the politicians.
Richard Cooper and Graham Swift, the long-serving Conservative leader and deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, will step down when it is abolished next year.
Don Mackenzie, the Conservative councillor previously in charge of transport at North Yorkshire County Council, did not seek re-election in the local elections on May 5.
Since then a new man has emerged as the most senior local politician and although he too is a Conservative he is a somewhat different beast.
As executive member for health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, Michael Harrison is the only person from the Harrogate district sitting on what is effectively the 10-person cabinet making key decisions on spending in the county.
Cllr Harrison (far right), sitting on the county council’s cabinet.
Cllr Harrison’s portfolio is responsible for more than half of the county council’s £380 million annual budget. But most people aren’t interested in social care until they need it, so his role attracts far less attention than the transport brief Keane Duncan inherited from Don Mackenzie, even though the sums are higher.
Cllr Harrison, who lives at Killinghall Moor, is far from unhappy about his low profile. He says:
“I enjoy contributing in an executive capacity. Adult social care is a complex area — you are dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society.
“I feel I have a lot to offer there. It’s completely different to being the local face of the council.”
From Killinghall to Northallerton
Born in Sunderland, and with the accent to prove it, Cllr Harrison, 52, moved to the Harrogate district in the mid-1990s with his job at Lloyds Banking Group. He still works for the bank in risk management.
He joined Killinghall Parish Council in 2002, was elected to Harrogate Borough Council in 2004 and nine years later was also voted on to North Yorkshire County Council.
While some of his Conservative colleagues fell by the wayside at May’s local election, he received a commanding 54% share of the vote to ensure he will represent Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on the county council and its successor, the new North Yorkshire Council, until at least 2027.
Many people think councillors are full time professionals, but most combine politics with full-time jobs. Each county councillor receives a basic allowance of £10,316. Executive members, like Cllr Harrison, also receive special responsibility allowances of £15,939.
County Hall in Northallerton, home of North Yorkshire County Council.
Cllr Harrison often takes his laptop to County Hall in Northallerton to work on his day job between meetings. Juggling the two isn’t easy, but he says:
“I think it’s important that councillors are drawn from society itself. It wouldn’t be healthy if only retired people could do it. But it is difficult to do it alongside a full-time job. You need the support of your family and employer.”
Pragmatism over politics
Although he’s a lifelong Conservative, Cllr Harrison does not come across as overtly political. He doesn’t name any political heroes and claims not to be ambitious.
“I’ve never had any particular political ambitions. I get a lot out of delivering quietly behind the scenes. I adopt a pragmatic approach to problems.”
He is backing Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, saying he wants someone who can “reintroduce honesty and integrity into central government”.
Read more:
- Reassurances issued over ‘onerous’ social care revamp across Harrogate district
- Social care pilot scheme in Harrogate district ‘could bankrupt council’ without more funding
County Hall in Northallerton operates like Whitehall in London. The politically elected executive members set the direction of travel and professional civil servants carry out the day-to-day work.
Cllr Harrison seems more comfortable talking about the nuts and bolts of North Yorkshire politics rather than banging the drum for the Tories.
He says the new unitary authority will deliver services more efficiently than the current two-tier system by removing bureaucracy and will also end confusion over which council does what. But he admits there are challenges:
“Can the new council demonstrate it understands local needs? Tensions will be there within the district. The key is to understand priorities in each area.”
He says some services, such as gritting and waste disposal, are best handled centrally in Northallerton, but other services, such as leisure and tourism, require a more local focus.
Unusually for a leading Conservative, he’s a member of the banking union Accord and talks warmly about it. He says:
“Unions have a key role to play in representing employees.”
He also has rheumatoid arthritis, which he says is under control. Typically, he doesn’t make a fuss about it and is soon talking about social care again. He seems happy with it this way:
Farming life on display as Tockwith Show returns on Sunday“Prior to getting into local government I said to people ‘I’m not into politics’. I’m more interested in delivering services for residents and hopefully being a common sense voice around the table.”
A one-day show attracting around 8,000 visitors is set to make its return this Sunday, August 7.
Tockwith Show has not been held since 2019 thanks to the covid pandemic — and organisers have said this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever before.
Committee chair Georgina Watson said:
“Basically we are an educational charity and a huge part of why we hold the show is to showcase the range of farming activities that make up such an important part of this region’s economy and community.
“One of our main themes this year is sheep. We have performances of dancing sheep, demonstrations of sheep shearing, and a chance for younger visitors to work with wool.
“But we also have pigs, horses, pigeons, rabbits, falcons, dogs, tractors, classic cars and even our very own sandy beach for children to play in. So hopefully we have got something for everyone.”
Read more:
The one-day event features more than 300 prize classes for everything from farm animals and show jumping to crafts and cookery.
It is held on Tockwith Show Field, on Cattal Moor Lane on the edge of the village. Entry is £12.50 for adults and teenagers, either via the website or on the gate, while children aged 12 and under go free.
For show president Michelle Lee, the return of the event on Sunday can’t come soon enough. She said:
Missing Masham girl found“Being chosen as the show president is a great honour, and I had that honour back in 2019. But then covid struck and the 2020 and 2021 shows had to be cancelled so hopefully Sunday will be third time lucky for me!
“It’s always a really fun day. It takes a huge amount of work but it’s worth it and our aim is to ensure that our community is able to share in the rich agricultural heritage we have and also have a great day out: in short, to educate and entertain.”
A missing teenager from Masham has been found, police said today.
North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal yesterday morning to locate the girl, after she failed to return home the previous day.
It urged anyone with information to come forward.
This morning the force said the girl has been found.
We have consequently amended our website and social media posts to conceal her identity.
The 15-year old girl who went missing from Masham on Wednesday 3 August has been found.
Thanks to all who shared the appeal.
12220136810.
— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 5, 2022