Harrogate district reports another 308 covid infections

The Harrogate district’s covid rate continues to climb after another 308 infections were reported today.

Latest figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average stands at 1,544 per 100,000 people.

But it remains below both the county average, which stands at 1,680, and the England rate of 1,853.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available hospital figures show a total of 23 patients who tested positive for covid are currently being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council has stepped up emergency planning to mitigate for what it calls a “significant reduction” in staff across critical care services and the wider care sector amid rising covid rates.

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Care volunteers sought amid omicron surge in Harrogate district

Council staff who work in highways, planning and office jobs may step into care roles amid a shortage in staff caused by the omicron variant of coronavirus.

The Harrogate district has recorded unprecedented levels of case numbers in the last few weeks. The seven-day rate now up to 1,507 per 100,000 population.

An increase in virus spread has meant that many in the care sector have become infected and need to isolate.

North Yorkshire County Council has stepped up emergency planning to mitigate for what it calls a “significant reduction” in staff across critical care services and the wider care sector.

Staff took on different duties and worked extra hours over the holiday period. But now the county council has called on its wider workforce to help out.

Richard Flinton, who chairs the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of emergency agencies, said:

“We believe putting our workforce on an emergency footing in this way is vital to ensuring our partners in the NHS can function. It is about enabling patients to be discharged from hospital into care settings.

“These emergency plans will only be used if needed but will hopefully provide sufficient volunteers to get us through the Omicron wave. The wave may see as much as a 40% reduction in available care staff.

“Staff would be deployed in such circumstances on a range of different duties supporting care delivery in our elderly person’s homes and extra care settings to free up care colleagues to deliver direct care.

“So we are looking for colleagues to help with roles such as cooking, cleaning, helping people eat and drink and social activities.”

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The county council has said it will provid training and support as needed. It will also match new duties to normal working patterns.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, said:

“These rates are unprecedented, higher than any since the start of the pandemic. But there is much we can do to protect each other.

“The priority is for all eligible people to get boosted and vaccinated and also to follow essential public health guidance as we head into the difficult winter months.

“Wear face masks when required, keep rooms ventilated and open to fresh air when meeting indoors, wash hands regularly and take a test when you go out to meet people.

“We need to pull together on this and each and every one of us can play our part. Please act now to protect yourselves, your loved ones and the county’s businesses and public services.”

People urged to get booster vaccine

Health bosses in the county have also urged people to continue to come forward for booster vaccinations.

Amanda Bloor, Accountable Officer for the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said:

“There are lots of walk-in and booked appointments now available for booster vaccinations as we go into 2022. I would encourage everyone to take up the offer and make arrangements as they become eligible.”

Walk-in covid booster jabs are still available at Yorkshire Showground, Ripon Racecourse and the Chain Lane vaccination site in Knaresborough.

Both the Chain Lane and Yorkshire Showground sites will also be open this weekend for walk-in appointments.

Councillor claims Harrogate vaccine staff ‘bored stiff’

A Harrogate councillor has claimed that staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground were “bored stiff” because not enough people are coming forward to get jabbed.

Cliff Trotter, a Conservative who represents Pannal and Lower Wharfedale division, urged more people to get vaccines, saying that Harrogate was in a “bad place” due to the virus.

Speaking at a council meeting yesterday, Mr Trotter said he spoke to a tenant who works at the showground in Harrogate. He added:

“She said yesterday she was absolutely bored stiff. She jabbed 34 people only and there should be hundreds coming in because there are a lot of people in Harrogate that aren’t jabbed — all ages.”

He said central government was pushing the message daily on TV to get jabbed and pleaded with council colleagues to do the same.

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Cllr Trotter said he was concerned by talk that covid could be over by March. He said:

“Talking to experts, this virus could go on for five, six, eight, 10 years and we have to educate the people to get jabbed to stop it spreading because it’s really serious.

“So please can you just tell everybody and plead with them to just get jabbed because Harrogate is a bad place at the moment.”

Cllr Trotter’s comments were made during a meeting today of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

More than 103,000 boosters

According to government figures, 103,149 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of yesterday.

A total of 135,730 have had first jabs and 126,645 have had second jabs.

The district’s seven-day covid average stands at 1,507 per 100,000 people.

This is a record high but below both the county average, which stands at 1,623, and the England rate of 1,799.

Walk-in covid booster jabs are still available at Yorkshire Showground, Ripon Racecourse and the Chain Lane vaccination site in Knaresborough.

Both the Chain Lane and Yorkshire Showground sites will also be open this weekend for walk-in appointments.

Bid to tackle ‘inadequate’ funding of Harrogate district secondary schools

A Harrogate councillor has questioned why secondary schools in the county receive less funding per pupil than most other places.

North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 138 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding per pupil.

On average, a school in North Yorkshire has received £5,570 per pupil for 2021-22 compared to the national average of £5,935.

A report to councillors at today’s meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee said that for a 1,500-pupil secondary school, this equated to a difference in funding of £0.5m.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the county council, described the situation as unacceptable and wanted to know why the figure for North Yorkshire was “way below” that of other local authority areas.

He told the meeting:

“I just wondered what we as councillors can do to help because this clearly is not an acceptable position.”

Andrew Jones to be asked to help

Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck, suggested Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, could lobby national government on behalf of local schools.

Mr Jones is due to attend the council’s next Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in March.

Mr Broadbank said:

“Our MPs are there to lobby. This is something we can ask Andrew about at our next meeting.”

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Sally Dunn, head of finance for early years and high need at the council, said school funding was based on the Department for Education’s national funding formula.

She added the formula was based on factors such as deprivation and prior attainment and the DfE was in the process of transitioning the criteria.

Ms Dunn added it was “an issue we continue to lobby on and we continue to speak to the DfE on a very regular basis”, adding that there was most concern for small rural secondary schools, which faced “significant financial pressures”.

Primary schools fare better

North Yorkshire primary schools fare better: they are placed 35 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding.

Primary schools in the county receive on average £4,715 per pupil compared to the national average of £4,611.

Free haircuts and manicures to Harrogate district jobseekers

Harrogate College is offering free haircuts and manicures to jobseekers.

The college, at Hornbeam Park, is providing the treatments to anyone who has secured a job interview.

Haircuts can be booked now between 3pm and 7pm on Wednesdays. Manicures will be available on Thursdays, starting on January 27, from 10am.

Students will provide the services at the college’s professional standard training salons.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said he hoped the initiative would boost the participants’ job prospects. He added:

“We are proud to show that we are living our values by being nurturing towards our community, and giving people the best chance to progress into a positive 2022 with a new job.”

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Steph Keedy, programme manager for hairdressing and beauty therapy, said:

“We really enjoy working with the local community and initiatives like this are very rewarding for our students – while also helping them complete their qualifications.

“We hope that by offering someone a new haircut and manicure it will give them a confidence boost that may help them on their way to finding a new job.

Places must be booked in advance, and applicants should be able to show proof of their upcoming interview.

To book a place in the salons, which close during half-term and national holidays, email katie.sharman@harrogate.ac.uk or call the college’s reception on 01423 879466.

Plan to build 23 affordable homes in Scotton rejected

A plan to build 23 affordable homes in Scotton has been rejected.

Harrogate Borough Council turned down the proposal from Jack Lunn (Properties) Ltd, which was earmarked for a site on Ripley Road in the village.

The plan would have seen a mix of one, two and three-bedroom affordable homes built on the site.

Affordable housing is defined as housing for people who cannot afford to buy or rent homes on the open market. The price varies locally.

The council estimates the district needs 6,600 affordable homes built between 2014 and 2035, which is the equivalent of 313 per year.

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However, the council turned down the application on the grounds that the site was outside the development boundary for the village.

In its decision, the council said:

“The proposal would result in an incongruous projection out of the existing settlement into open countryside. 

“The proposed development is not small in scale and is not an infill development that relates well to the existing built form of the settlement.”

The proposal also received 20 letters of objection from residents calling for the application to be turned down.

Scotton and Lingerfield Parish Council said in its objection that the scale of the development was not justified for the village.

It said:

“The National Planning Policy Framework is quite clear how exceptions sites should only be released for local affordable housing needs and not to meet general affordable housing needs. 

“The level of local affordable housing need has not been identified within Scotton and Lingerfield parish area to justify the scale of development being proposed.”

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said that the homes would make a “positive contribution” to the area.

It said:

“The design proposal intends to provide a sympathetic response to the surrounding context.

“The homes use materials indicative of the local area whilst the layout seeks to provide a range of homes as part of the development to allow for a positive contribution to the local community.”

Convention centre forecasts £510,000 profit ahead of decision on major redevelopment

Harrogate Convention Centre is forecasting a £510,000 profit this year ahead of a decision on whether a major redevelopment should go ahead.

In what is set to be one of its biggest decisions in recent history, Harrogate Borough Council will this summer vote on a potential £47m redevelopment of the venue, which is fighting to keep its national appeal.

The latest forecast comes after the convention centre struggled financially during the pandemic when it was used as an NHS Nightingale hospital and also had its bookings severely impacted by lockdown restrictions.

Yet the success of the venue is not always measured on whether it makes a profit, but also its economic impact on the district.

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said the convention centre makes a “significant contribution” to the district’s economy and should be supported. He said:

“In a typical year – when the calendar is full of events and conferences – it attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact of £35m and supports thousands of jobs across the Harrogate district.

“Many local businesses also rely on the convention centre for their income. And for every £1 most attendees spend on their event, another £5 is spent locally, benefitting the wider hospitality trade; from the hotels and B&Bs to the many cafés, restaurants and high street businesses.

“By redeveloping the ageing facility, as well as introducing much more flexible spaces, we will be able to attract a broader customer base and substantially strengthen this economic impact, which will be needed even more so in the future as our economy recovers from covid.”

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When the redevelopment plans were revealed in 2020, the council said the 40-year-old convention centre was in “critical need” of investment and that there is “very real risk” it will not survive without.

£1.5m spent on plans

More than £1.5m has already been spent on the plans which if approved will see the project delivered in stages with a major refurbishment of the centre’s studio two coming first.

After this, three exhibition halls could be demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, said while the party had criticised a “lack of investment” in the convention centre in the past, it was supportive of the latest plans. She said:

“Without investment the convention centre will really fail and the impact on the local economy will be huge. There has been under investment in the last 20 years, so this is long overdue.

“The aim and ambition is for the convention centre to make a profit, as it did when the Lib Dems ran the council.

“If this does not happen then of course a serious review would have to be undertaken.”

Bilton caravan park bids for 250 solar panels to produce green energy

Bilton Park Village Farm hopes to install 264 solar panels to produce green electricity for its park homes and caravans.

The site, on Bilton Lane, is a popular holiday location for people wishing to explore Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The owner of the site has now submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for the solar panels, which would cover 454 square metres of a field next to the site.

They would be capable of producing 90,471 kWh of electricity a year.

Planning documents say the park wants to improve the environmental impact of the business and the solar panels would reduce its carbon footprint by around 31 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

It also says that around 30% of the electricity generated will be exported back to the National Grid so it can be utilised by the public.

It adds:

“This means that the public can also utilise electricity which has been generated by renewable energy, further reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and power stations.

“The installation of the solar PV system would not solely serve the applicant but would also benefit other households.”

Harrogate Borough Council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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‘So beautiful I can’t believe it’s real’: TikTok video of Knaresborough goes viral

A Russian TikToker has racked up a million views with a video of Knaresborough that she described as “a place in England so beautiful I can’t believe it’s real”.

The clip by alievskaya.uk was taken at Knaresborough Castle overlooking the River Nidd as a train crosses the viaduct.

The TikTok user, who is based in London, travels around the UK each weekend filming with her husband to post short videos on the social media platform.

She writes on her website:

“Despite the coronavirus, we managed to visit dozens of British villages and many cities. I adore exploring the British countryside and taking pictures of it!”

Watch the video below:

@the.wanderlust.blonde

#northyorkshire #visitengland #visituk #traveluk #traveltiktok #best_places_uk #northyork #uktravel #exploreengland #knaresborough #ukgetaway #england

♬ Chiquitita x Twilight – twibytez

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TikTok is a social media app used primarily by young people, and the video is priceless publicity for Visit Harrogate, the council’s tourism body for the district.

One person commenting on the video said:

“Oh my god I’ve been there! I always remember it as one of the most beautiful places I’ve been”

Another said:

“Knaresborough is fantastic, it’s absolutely stunning.”

Harrogate district covid rate continues to climb

The Harrogate district’s covid rate continues to climb after another 342 infections were reported today.

Latest figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average stands at 1,472 per 100,000 people — another record high.

But it remains below both the county average, which stands at 1,566, and the England rate of 1,769.

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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However, latest available figures show the number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has increased.

A total of 23 patients who tested positive for covid are currently in hospital.

The figure is almost three times as high it was mid-December when the Omicron variant was first detected in the district.

Meanwhile, the Stray Ferret reported yesterday that nearly 200 staff at Harrogate District Hospital are either absent with covid or self-isolating.