The recent rapid decline of the Harrogate district’s covid rate of infection appears to have halted, with the rate beginning to nudge up again.
A total of 226 cases were confirmed in today’s government figures, taking the seven-day infection rate to 1,073 per 100,000 people.
This is slightly up on yesterday’s figure of 1,059 and remains above both the county and England averages of 974 and 992 respectively.
Central Harrogate is worst affected, with 127 infections in the last seven days. Harrogate East has had 123 cases while Harrogate West and Pannal has had 120,
It was also revealed today that a total of 106.735 booster or third jabs have been administered in the district.
From Thursday, venues and events will no longer be required by law to use the NHS covid pass and face coverings will no longer be required by law in any setting.
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Man in hospital after being struck by thieves’ getaway van in Ripon
A man is recovering in hospital after being struck by a van driven by thieves at a Ripon supermarket.
The incident happened at 6.40pm last night at Morrisons.
According to North Yorkshire Police, a white utility van failed to stop after striking the unnamed man, who is in his 40s.
The extent of his injuries us now known.
A police statement said:
“The van did not stop at the scene and so we are appealing for information to help identify the vehicle and its occupants.
“Anyone who was in the area of Morrisons between 6.20pm and 6.50pm and has any dashcam or video footage, is asked to contact police.
“Dial 101, press 1 and pass information to the force control room, quoting reference number 12220012344.”
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Hampsthwaite doctors’ surgery conversion finally approved
A plan to convert Hampsthwaite’s former doctors’ surgery into a house has been approved at the second attempt.
Dr Bannatyne and Partners, which was based at Winksey Cottage, High Street, in the village, closed in March last year.
The surgery was part of Church Avenue Medical Group and shut down after practitioners felt the cottage was no longer a viable place for a medical practice.
Mozaffar Nami, a developer, lodged plans to convert the building into a house.
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Harrogate Borough Council initially rejected the proposal in November on the grounds that the applicant had not demonstrated that the site had been empty for more than three months.
Now the developer has had plans approved after resubmitting proposals for the former surgery.
Mr Mari said in documents submitted to the council that the building had been previously used as a house before becoming a surgery and could be “readily converted back” into a home.
Harrogate charities host care recruitment event today
Two Harrogate charities have joined forces to host a care recruitment event in Harrogate town centre today.
Staff from Disability Action Yorkshire and The Avalon Group will be answering questions at the Everyman Cinema from 11am until 1:30pm, discussing the work they do and the roles currently available.
The recruitment drive comes as North Yorkshire suffers from a shortage of care workers, with over 1,000 estimated vacancies in the sector across the county on any given day.
Disability Action North Yorkshire operates a care home on Claro Road in Harrogate and has a training centre in Hornbeam Park, providing services for disabled people to live their lives fully.
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Jackie Snape, Disability Action Yorkshire’s chief executive said:
“As two Harrogate-based charities operating in similar fields, we’ve decided to partner for this social care recruitment event.
“For those considering a career in social care, this will be an ideal opportunity to find out about the importance of this sector, what we as individual charities do, and the jobs that are currently available.”
The Avalon Group works across the north of England to support anyone who needs additional care and support, including those with dementia, learning or physical disabilities, mental health difficulties and more.
In depth: What is the economic case for Harrogate’s Station Gateway?
The saga over Harrogate’s Station Gateway took another turn this week when council officers revealed they were set to press ahead with the £10.9 million project.
North Yorkshire County Council, which is expected to vote to continue with the scheme on Tuesday, included an economic case for the scheme in documents sent to councillors ahead of Tuesday’s crunch vote.
The report says the initiative represents the “biggest investment in decades” in the town, will save shops from decline and make the town centre more attractive.
It was published without fanfare after the second round of consultation had finished, prompting business groups in Harrogate to criticise the county council for a lack of consultation. Business groups have long called for an economic impact assessment to be published.
The Stray Ferret has looked at the council’s economic case in detail to see why it is pressing ahead with the project.
Harrogate faces ‘economic challenges’
According to the county council’s economic case, the authority believes the gateway scheme will tackle “some of the economic challenges facing the Harrogate economy”.
The report cites a number of areas that need addressing, including job creation and access to education and skills.
Much of the 18-page paper centres around growing the Harrogate economy so it is “fit for the future”.
It argues that better access to the town centre will help to create jobs and increase the creation of businesses in Harrogate town centre.
The report cites an Office for National Statistics study which shows the number of new businesses set up in the town increased by 4% between 2014 and 2021 – below the Yorkshire and national average.
Graph of median annual earnings in Harrogate district compared with the national and regional average, as included in the report.
It goes on to say that residents in the district have higher than the average annual earnings, meaning there is a chance to “diversify” the town centre by encouraging more people into town.
Both of these areas could be tackled by improving access to the town centre and making it more attractive, council bosses say.
The report adds:
“Harrogate’s higher paid resident base suggests that there is potential to diversify the local economy, attracting high value, innovative businesses to invest in the town centre, opening up further employment opportunities in the town.”
The number of retail units in Harrogate town centre, as cited in the gateway report.
The report also warns that the town’s retail sector is at risk of decline.
It points to Harrogate Borough Council figures showing a reduction of 12% in retail units in the town centre in the last seven years.
It adds that the town needs to “diversify” in order to adapt to consumer behaviour – something which council bosses believe the gateway can address.
The report says:
“Evidence suggests that the town centre retail sector is at risk of decline in the medium term.
“Consumer behaviours and expectations are evolving and towns must diversify and advance to maintain health and vibrant visitor economies. the scheme is seeking to do just this.”
But, while the report addresses some of the town centre challenges, its critics say it offers nothing on how proposals in the gateway scheme will effect trade.
Businesses ‘not listened to’
While the county council has made efforts to push its economic case through an 18-page report and press releases to the media, it has not convinced local business groups.
In a joint letter to the county council leader, Cllr Carl Les, co-signed by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate BID and Independent Harrogate, the groups argue that the report fails to address any of the concerns of businesses.
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The letter says the study is not dated and fails to take into account the impacts of covid on businesses. It goes onto say that next week’s vote on the scheme should be delayed until traders have had chance to scrutinise and comment on the report.
It says:
“Because of this lack of opportunity to comment on the economic impact study, we are now asking that the vote on the Project is postponed until your next executive meeting, allowing us, and others, time to digest its contents.
“However, having had a cursory glance through it, it appears the authors have looked to cities for case studies and not towns comparable to Harrogate. Also, they give examples from as along ago as 2007. The world has moved on a lot since then.
“It fails to take into account the impact of covid, out-of-town shopping centres with acres of free parking, and online shopping. And again, we say what of those residents living in our surrounding villages whose only way of getting around is via their car, or the tens-of-thousands of visitors who live outside the district?”
How James Street will look.
It also questions whether any impact of delivering the scheme on local businesses has been taken into account.
“It also appears the work to deliver this project could now creep into 2024. We were told it would take a year.
“Judging by the delays to ‘phase one of the Otley Road cycling path’, we have no confidence in your timescale. Does the economic impact study take into account the disruption delivering this Project will have on businesses already on their knees through to the ongoing impact of covid?”
What happens now?
Senior councillors have been recommended to approve the gateway project to be taken to the detailed design stage.
Councillors will make a decision at a meeting on Tuesday. The move would mean that work on the project could start in spring or summer.
The Harrogate district has reported another 244 cases in to today’s UK Health Security Agency figures.
Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average has dropped to 1,060 per 100,000 people, down marginally on yesterday’s figure of 1,061.
However, it is above the county average, which is 970, and the England rate of 977.
No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.
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The number of positive covid patients currently being treated at the hospital stands at 20.
According to government figures, 106,292 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.
Environmental charity Zero Carbon Harrogate has received a grant of £125,422 to make buildings more energy efficient.
The organisation, which promotes a low carbon sustainable economy in the Harrogate district, was awarded the funding this week from energy regulator Ofgem‘s energy redress scheme.
The scheme, which collects money volunteered by energy companies who may have breached Ofgem rules, has awarded over £34 million to nearly 200 organisations since 2018.
In this latest funding round, Ofgem said it focused on projects that would relieve the ongoing energy crisis, choosing “new initiatives that support vulnerable households with energy bills and projects that will help homes reduce their long-term household carbon emissions”.
Zero Carbon Harrogate’s award will go towards its retrofit training and engagement programme, which aims to reduce the climate impact from domestic energy use in the Harrogate district by accelerating the delivery of local retrofit services.
It will improve the accessibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy services for local households by addressing issues with both supply and demand for retrofit services.
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In a statement on Twitter, Zero Carbon Harrogate said:
“We are absolutely delighted to secure this funding and we’re really excited to deliver our retrofit project to the Harrogate district.”
How retrofitting helps buildings
Zero Carbon Harrogate has previously run a retrofit awareness event in collaboration with Harrogate College and subsidised the college’s Foundations of Eco-Retrofit course.
Buildings make up 17% of UK emissions, and retrofitting homes by adding insulation, reducing draughts, and installing heat pumps can reduce energy consumption by up to 80%.
Graham Ayling, senior project manager for the energy redress scheme, said:
Harrogate set for colourful fountains and WiFi-charging benches“The latest round of grant funding comes at a crucial time, with UK households facing exceptional rises in energy costs, alongside the ongoing climate emergency.
“National and regional charities have a key role on the frontline, particularly in supporting those most at risk from high energy prices and in ensuring that the transition to zero carbon energy happens quickly, sustainably and leaves no-one behind. These funds will support more charities to do just that.”
Harrogate town centre is set to get water fountains and smart benches where people can charge their phones as part of the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme.
North Yorkshire County Council is expected to approve the controversial gateway project next week.
Most of the focus has been on how the scheme will reduce traffic to single lane on a stretch of Station Parade and part pedestrianise James Street to encourage cycling and walking.
But documents sent to councillors ahead of next week’s executive meeting also reveal proposed changes to the public realm close to the train station.
They include creating a dry plaza water jet feature surrounded by new trees and seating at Station Square, where the Victoria monument is located.
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One of the documents says:
“The fountain jets can be switched on and off by the council to cater to year-round events in the plaza. Lighting can also be controlled by visitors using a smart phone to connect.
“Smart benches are proposed in the plaza to allow visitors to enjoy the space whilst charging their devices. These smart benches can also have built-in WiFi and lighting so you can enjoy your time in the plaza.”
Other proposals include new lighting columns with built-in insect hotels for wildlife along with other green measures. The documents says:
“We want to celebrate how green Harrogate is by adding in new colourful planting and new trees along streets and in the new plaza at the station.
“Some areas of planting will be rain gardens. These are special planting areas that love collecting rain water to reduce the likelihood of floods around the town.”
Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus.
The hospital reported the death on Tuesday, according to NHS England figures. It takes the covid-related death toll at the hospital to 207.
Meanwhile, the number of patients who have tested positive for covid and being treated at the hospital has fallen to 20 – down by seven on last week.
Today’s figures from the UK Health Security Agency show that another 313 infections have been recorded in the Harrogate district.
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Government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,061 per 100,000 people, slightly down on yesterday’s figure of 1,078.
It remains above both the county average, which is 976, and the England rate which is 971.
The data also shows that 106,176 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.
Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce has said it is ready to “build back” after a tumultuous two years tackling covid and the divide left following the vote against setting up a BID.
The chamber has begun the new year with a slimmed down executive board, new projects and a commitment to rebuild relationships and collaborate with businesses.
Over the past two years the organisation launched various projects to help businesses through lockdowns and encourage people to visit the town.
But it also found itself at the centre of a bitter debate over the setting up of a Business Improvement District, which divided the organisation. Businesses voted against creating a BID.
The fallout from the BID vote had a lasting effect on the chamber, executive member Peter Lacey said, leading it to reassess how the organisation is run.
Now, instead of having a board with over 10 positions and multiple titles such as chair, secretary and treasurer, the not-for-profit organisation operates with an executive board of five members taking on various responsibilities.
Mr Lacey added a few businesses had left the chamber following the BID vote and it now wanted to re-establish itself as a forum for businesses rather than being overshadowed by political divides. He said:
“There is still an overhang of bad feeling following the BID vote. Sometimes it can take time to build back but we’re happy to work with any business or group that will benefit Knaresborough.”
Read more:
- Knaresborough’s bitter battle for a BID
- In Depth: To BID or not to BID? Divided opinion in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon
Members have been sent a survey ahead of the first full meeting next month to ask what they think the focus of the upcoming year should be for the chamber.
It has also asked for feedback on ideas, such as more networking events, support for those making working from home permanent, summer events, the local banking hub and devolution.