A group supporting the siblings of disabled children is set to have its first meeting in Harrogate this month.

The Sibling Group is an organisation offering a safe space for children with siblings who are disabled or have special needs. The first event in the area is set to take place January 20 from 10am-12pm at Christ Church.

The group for children aged six to 11 aims to “support their wellbeing and happiness”. The event will include activities and games to build positive relationships.

Grace Williams, founder of The Sibling Group created the organisation to support families who have children and siblings with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

She has a younger brother with special educational needs who is non-verbal, has a learning disability and autism. Grace has become devoted to supporting other families in a similar situation. She has a degree in special education, is pursuing a masters degree in autism and inclusion, and currently works as a specialist key worker for the NHS.

She said

“Growing up there was not much support available and there was a lot of stigma around this. It was very challenging for my family and I, as we had to take on a care giving role and adapt to my brother’s needs very quickly.”

Grace grew up in Harrogate and her brother attends Springwater School. She says that despite the large SEND community in the area she has always been “aware of the lack of support for families”, so when creating The Sibling Group, she “thought it would be a good area to work in.”

“Siblings are not thought about when services are created and offered to families, and I want to change this. Siblings experience extreme stress, isolation and miss out on things other children their age are doing.”

“The Sibling Group offers a safe space for children to come and meet other children with similar experiences. We offer fun activities such as arts and crafts, singing and dancing, sports and games.”

The meetings are free of charge and will be running during the school holidays and on Saturdays. To book a place at the event click here.

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The past 12 months have seen major decisions made on development across the Harrogate district.

However, there are some schemes which remain uncertain and 2024 may hold the answer as to whether they progress or continue to stall.

Maltkiln

The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for the new settlement project which promises up to 3,000 near Green Hammerton and Cattal.

However, in January, news broke that a landowner had pulled out of the project threatening the scheme’s existence.

The landowner owns fields around Cattal train station, making up around half of the proposed site.

Now, North Yorkshire Council, which took over responsibility for the major housing scheme in April, has threatened to compulsory purchase land as a “last resort” so the 4,000-home Maltkiln settlement can be built.

Whether the authority follows through on that pledge is a development to keep an eye out for in 2024.

Harrogate Convention Centre

Perhaps one of the biggest question going into the new year is what will happen to the long promised Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment?

North Yorkshire Council inherited a £49 million refurbishment scheme for the convention centre on Kings Road from the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April.

However, it has yet to decide whether to progress with the project.

Harrogate Convention Centre.

A contractor has been appointed to draw up more detailed plans for the redevelopment and a final decision was expected this year.

The convention centre opened in 1982 with conferences providing a boost to the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels, however, it has struggled to turned a profit.

The council failed in bids to the government’s Levelling Up Fund for £20 million to help pay for the project – the latest of which was turned down in November.

A previous bid, which was rejected in January, received feedback from ministers stating that it lacked evidence and rationale and may have over-stated the economic benefits.

Government feedback on the bid, released following a freedom of information request by the Stray Ferret, revealed several areas of concerns with the bid.

This is despite the fact the council, which was abolished at the end of March, paid consultants £45,000 as part of its submission to ministers.

The whole saga leaves the future of the convention centre and its refurbishment uncertain and a decision on it being pushed into another year.

Ripon’s Clotherholme development

One of the last acts of Harrogate Borough Council before it was scrapped in April 2023 was to approve a major 1,300 housing scheme on a former Ripon barracks site.

Homes England, which has been developing the plans for several years alongside the Ministry of Defence, has earmarked the Clotherholme site for new homes and facilities.

It was approved in February 2023, just over a month before the council was scrapped.

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Concern over lack of secondary school at new Harrogate district town
• Government says council’s £20m bid for Harrogate Convention Centre lacked ‘evidence and rationale’

Since then, a total of £10 million has been budgeted to cover items in a Section 106 agreement for the project.

The money will fund a number of areas, including off-site highway adjustments and contributions towards primary and secondary education provision and primary healthcare.

Now, residents in Ripon and the wider district await for the news that spades will hit the ground.

Kirby Hill services

The 25-year saga which is Kirby Hill took another turn in 2023.

Dublin-based company Applegreen, which wants to build a motorway service station near the village, tabled final plans for the project.

The proposals were approved in September – however, campaigners threatened to take the decision to a judicial review.

Designs for the service station near Kirby Hill, as proposed by Applegreen.

Applegreen, which is based in Dublin, applied for amendments to the proposal, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.

But, Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, said the move amounted to “significant change” to the scheme and confirmed the campaign group would challenge the approval.

It seems the saga which has been a quarter of a century in the making may yet go on for another year.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look back at an eventful year for politics in the Harrogate district.

The Harrogate district was a political battleground for much of the last 12 months.

From parliamentary by-elections to council party alliances being formed, the theatre of politics was never far from the headlines.

Perhaps the biggest story of the 2023 was the shaking of the political landscape in Selby and Ainsty.

The constituency, which includes Green Hammerton, Spofforth and Follifoot, found itself at the centre of the national picture as the Tories looked to keep a grip on what once was a safe seat.

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre was the culmination of the downfall of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre.

Nigel Adams, a key ally of Johnson and Selby and Ainsty MP, resigned with immediate affect in June amid a flurry of resignations at the time, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

Fast forward to July and the Tories were hoping to hang onto the seat.

Standing in the party’s way was 25-year-old former public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry, Keir Mather.

Mr Mather did the unthinkable and overturned a 20,137 Conservative majority to win.

Political alliances

Away from the national picture, the local political scene was also offering its own drama.

The balance of power at North Yorkshire Council was finely poised in July this year, with the ruling Conservative group having precisely half the 90 seats on the council.

The defection of Cllr Mike Jordan left the Tories looking elsewhere to shore up their grip on the authority.

The party looked to Ripon.

Cllr Andrew Williams had been elected to North Yorkshire Council in the May elections as a Ripon Independent.

Cllr Williams and two other unaffiliated independents agreed an alliance with the Tories in what Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said would “secure the stable and sustainable governance” of the authority.

However, the move was not without controversy. In the wake of the news, Liberal Democrat councillor, Barbara Brodigan, criticised Cllr William’s decision and described him as a “Tory puppet”.

He hit back and said:

“There needs to be stability and governance on the council. With a £30 million budget shortfall to resolve and local government reorganisation in its infancy, the last thing that’s needed is complete chaos in the council chamber.

“That would suit the the Lib Dems fine, but it doesn’t do anything for local residents. I haven’t agreed to do anything else. The only commitment I’ve made is to join a group for the stable governance of North Yorkshire.”

Andrew Jones and Tom Gordon.

Elsewhere, with the prospect of a general election on the horizon, the race to become Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP heated up this year.

Tom Gordon threw his hat in the ring for the Liberal Democrats, while Conservative Andrew Jones is hoping to win his fifth election in the constituency.

While further candidates have yet to come forward, Labour appears to have gone cold on its prospects of winning the seat.

This month, it was revealed that the national party had designated it as a “non-battleground” constituency.

The Lib Dems proclaimed this to mean that Harrogate and Knaresborough is now a two-horse race.

2024 will be another battleground year for politics.

Read more:

• Labour overturns huge Tory majority to win Selby and Ainsty by-election
• Harrogate heavyweights out in force at Selby by-election

Temperatures have plummeted this week across the Harrogate district as winter begins to bite.

The cold weather, which has in some areas dropped to -3 degrees, has left many worried about how to keep warm.

Netmakers, a movement of churches formerly known as Harrogate Hub, has provided a list of churches and community organisations offering support during the cold weather.

The list includes organisations in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Starbeck offering space Monday to Friday.

You can find the list below.

Resurrected Bites and Harrogate District Food Bank are also offering space amid the freezing temperatures.

If you know of any others in these places or in Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham let us know and we will add them. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Further information on warm spaces can also be found on the Harrogate and District Community Action website here.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales pub in Starbeck has also invited people to use the pub as a free place of warmth this winter.

Landlady Alison Griffiths told the Stray Ferret previously that “inflation has caused everything to go up – I just hope to save some people money”.

People don’t have to declare they’re using the service, she added, but instead can just take a seat, chat and enjoy themselves for as long as they like.

Read more:

• Starbeck pub opens as warm space this winter
• Knaresborough Heritage Centre to open next year

The Harrogate district has been adorned in poppies in the lead up to this weekend’s Remembrance Day.

Scores of poppies have been put up in Ripon, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and Masham and in villages in between in honour of the fallen.

Bilton Community Centre is among the organisations to mark remembrance with a wall display.

Neil and Sonya Milsted Funeral Directors, which is based on Hookstone Chase, has created a display in the shape of a poppy featuring old photographs of servicemen.

Meanwhile, Ripon Spa Gardens and Knaresborough Station are also adorned in poppies ahead of Sunday.

Remembrance services will be held across the district this coming weekend. You can read a list of the commemorations here.

Ripon Spa Gardens

Bilton Community Centre

Bilton Ladies Forum members have made many of the poppies on Bilton Community. Centre.

Knaresborough rail station

Neil and Sonya Milsted Funeral Directors’s display.

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023: Let’s not forget those who need our help this Christmas
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The Environment Agency has issued two flood alerts in the Harrogate district.

The alerts have been put in place overnight for the Lower River Nidd catchment near Kirk Hammerton and the lower River Ure, which affects Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.

It affects low-lying land including agricultural land and local road on the Lower River Ure and land around the Lower River Nidd and its tributaries including Sand Beck, Sike Beck, Pool Beck and Great Gutter.

The alerts said:

“Flooding is possible in this area.

“Monitor local water levels and weather conditions. Avoid using low lying footpaths or entering areas prone to flooding. Start acting on your flood plan if you have one.”

The move comes as a yellow weather warning is in place in the Harrogate district until 6am on November 3 amid forecast heavy rain due to Storm Ciarán.

The Met Office said rain could cause disruption in the north of England, including flooding and delays and cancellations to public transport.

Read more:

• Met Office issues another heavy rain warning for Harrogate district
• High levels of faecal bacteria in River Nidd confirmed

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in the Harrogate district for two days this week.

The weather alert is in place from Thursday (November 2) at 6am until Friday (November 3) at 6am.

It comes as Storm Ciarán is forecast to bring heavy rain to the UK this week. 

The Met Office said the rain could cause disruption in the north of England, including flooding and delays and cancellations to public transport.

The warning comes as the district was hit by heavy rain on October 20 due to Storm Babet.

A further weather alert was issued for October 24 for heavy rain in the wake of the storm.

Read more:

• Harrogate hotel employee rewarded for 35 years’ service
• High levels of faecal bacteria in River Nidd confirmed

This story is sponsored by LCF Law.

The importance of using a quality conveyancing solicitor in a slowing property market by Lynn Wilkinson, a director at LCF Residential (pictured above). 

It’s no secret that both house prices and sales activity in the property market are under pressure, predominantly due to rising interest rates pushing up the cost of borrowing.  

However, the Bank of England’s recent decision to hold the base rate at 5.25% was a relief for mortgage holders and fuelled optimism that the market could see an autumn pick-up. 

We work with homebuyers, sellers and estate agents throughout Yorkshire and beyond, as well as with nearly every UK mortgage lender, across all price brackets.  

Although it’s certainly true that the market has been more subdued during 2023, and especially in comparison to the furore that we’ve seen in recent years around the pandemic, it’s not all doom and gloom.  

Around Harrogate and North Yorkshire there has been less of a slowdown than in many other parts of the UK. Homes here are still selling and from what we’re seeing, interest rates are having less of a negative impact the higher up the market you go.  

We’re still working on high numbers of transactions in the local area and in the same way that it’s often when market conditions become sticky that a good estate agent really adds value, the same can be said for a premium conveyancing service.  

Where some conveyancers pile it high and sell it cheap, but often with lots of hidden last minute add-on costs, our clients continually tell us that they value having a named point of contact, local offices that they can visit and crucially price transparency, which is especially true during more uncertain market conditions, when every penny counts.  

A deep knowledge of the local market also means we can provide valuable insights into current conditions, helping clients make more informed decisions. Plus, in a slowing market, the risk of a property not selling or the deal falling through can be higher. We help clients minimise this possibility by advising on contingencies and contract terms, as well as identifying and addressing any possible hiccups before they arise.  

Ultimately, in more testing market conditions, the role of a conveyancing firm becomes even more critical in protecting clients’ interests and achieving a successful property transaction. It’s often our expertise, negotiating skills and ability to manage risks that make a significant difference to our clients.  

Find out why clients value Harrogate’s leading conveyancing solicitors at LCF Residential. Click or tap here to speak to the team and get a quote today.

RAF Leeming has warned of additional aircraft activity which may cause disturbance in the Harrogate district.

In a social media post, the North Yorkshire airforce base, which is 12 miles from Masham and 22 miles from Harrogate, said it will conduct several exercises in the run up to Christmas.

The activity is likely to be heard in nearby Ripon, Kirkby Malzeard and Masham as well as the wider Harrogate district.

The station added “every effort” would be made to keep disturbances to a minimum.

The base said in its post:

“The station is about to enter a period of significant additional aircraft movement, with several exercises operating from here in the run-up to Christmas.

“From the beginning of November, RAF Leeming will host multiple aircraft types for sorties which will include low flying and some periods of 24 hour operation.

“We understand our responsibility as good neighbours to inform the local community of movements which are additional to our normal flying activity and every effort will be made to keep the disturbance to a minimum.”

Read more:

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• Maintenance work starts on Ripon bypass bridge

A man has been fined after hiring people to remove waste which was later found fly-tipped in the Harrogate district.

Jimmy Nicholson, 32, of Lyneburn Cottage caravan site in Northumberland, was prosecuted for failing in his duty of care for waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He appeared before York Magistrates Court on September 29, where he pleaded guilty to the charges.

Nicholson was convicted after failing to check if the people he transferred the waste to had an upper tier waste carrier’s licence, or a scrap metal collectors’ licence, and he did not obtain a waste transfer document to show what waste had been taken and by whom.

North Yorkshire Council’s environmental protection team launched an investigation into Nicholson in January this year after they were notified by a traffic sergeant from North Yorkshire Police of a large amount of waste fly-tipped on Ox Moor Lane in Cattal.

The tip comprised of broken and dismantled furniture, black leather sofas, plasterboard, dining chairs and other household waste. Within the waste was documentation in the name of Nicholson and a name and address of where the waste had come from.

On the same day, the council’s street cleansing team attended a fly-tip on Springs Lane, Hutton Wandesley, which included plasterboard, broken wood, and within that tip was documentation with the same address as that found within the Ox Moor Lane tip.

It was discovered Nicholson had been employed to clear the property of waste and carry out renovation work. He had used skips for some of the waste but had stored a large amount on the driveway of the property.

In court, he was fined £461, a victim surcharge of £184 and ordered to pay a contribution to North Yorkshire Council’s costs of £850.

Cllr Greg White, executive councillor for managing our environment, said: 

“This prosecution is another example of how our environmental protection and street cleansing teams are taking a strong stance against fly-tipping.

“They work tirelessly to prosecute those who dump waste illegally, which is not only a blight on our beautiful countryside but poses a potential health risk to the public.

“This case should be a lesson to all businesses that they must ensure whoever they give their waste to is authorised to accept it, be that an authorised site or a waste carrier who should have an upper tier waste carriers licence issued by the Environment Agency.”

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