More parking fines issued at Valley Drive than any other Harrogate street

More parking fines have been issued at Valley Drive than any other street in Harrogate, with the council collecting over £73,000 from motorists since 2021.

Valley Drive, which runs adjacent to Valley Gardens, has topped the list for the most on-street PCNs issued in the town during each of the last three years.

North Yorkshire Council, which controls parking in the county, supplied its parking fine data for Harrogate to the Local Democracy Reporting Service following a freedom of information request.

In 2021, there were 1,402 penalty charge notices (PCN) issued on Valley Drive which generated £35,153 for the council.

The number fell to 978 PCNs last year worth a combined £23,814.

So far in 2023, the council has issued 672 PCNs which has brought in £15,070.

Valley Drive is in a disc zone which is when motorists display a paper disc with the clock set to the time of arrival in order to receive free parking.

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However, if motorists do not display a disc after they park, or they stay longer than their allotted time, they are liable to receive a PCN worth £50 — which is reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days.

North Yorkshire Council said it has stepped-up patrols on Valley Drive which has reduced the number of offences.

The street with the second-highest number of parking fines is West Park, which is next to a section of the Stray and hospitality venues including Weetons, the Coach and Horses and the Yorkshire Hotel.

There have been 1,399 PCNs issued on West Park since 2021 generating a total of £30,382.

Other streets to make the top 3 include St Mary’s Walk, James Street and Station Parade.

Steve Brown, North Yorkshire Council’s head of parking services, said:

“Our parking officers patrol areas with both waiting and stopping restrictions. The patrolling is random, but the areas that appear to cause the most breaches are patrolled more often until more motorists comply.

“The statistics for Valley Drive show that our tactic is working, as the number of notices has dramatically decreased in the last few years.”

The full figures are below:

2021

1. Valley Drive: 1402 PCNs generating £35,153.

2. West Park: 463 PCNs generating £10,037.

3. St Mary’s Walk: 390 PCNs generating £9,977.35

2022

1. Valley Drive: 972 PCNs generating £23,814.

2. West Park: 543 PCNs generating £12,382.

3. James Street: 505 PCNs generating £13,700.

2023 (up to September)

1. Valley Drive: 672 PCNs generating £15,070.

2. West Park: 393 PCNs generating £8,005.

3. Station Parade: 343 PCNs generating £5,260.

Harewood Bridge closure postponed due to Storm Babet

Planned repairs and overnight closures of Harewood Bridge near Harrogate have been postponed due to a weather warning.

The specialist works to the grade-II listed bridge would have seen an upgrade to the surfacing on the road. A 15-mile diversion would have also been in place.

Leeds City Council was due to close the bridge overnight on Wednesday (October 18) and Thursday (October 19) between 9pm and 5.30am.

However, in an email from Connecting Leeds, people were told the plans have been delayed due to “Storm Babet and heavy rain forecast”.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council added:

“For the works to happen, conditions must be absolutely dry for the period of treatment to the road surface.

“Alternative arrangements are being looked into by the contractor about how we carry out this work with wetter and possibly unpredictable weather ahead.”

The Met Office issued a weather warning on Monday for rain in the Harrogate district from 9pm on Wednesday to 6am on Saturday.

The grade-II listed structure carries the A61 Harrogate Road over the River Wharfe and is a busy route between Harrogate and Leeds.

The plans at Harewood Bridge followed four weeks of works to the bridge over the summer holidays.

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Man arrested after incident outside Harrogate McDonalds

A man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article in Harrogate town centre.

North Yorkshire Police were called to Cambridge Road outside McDonalds at around 1.40pm this afternoon.

Officers said an 18-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of breaching bail conditions, possession of a bladed article and obstructing police.

A statement from police this afternoon said the man remained in custody at this time.

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Seven Harrogate district charities receive National Lottery grants worth £450,000

Seven voluntary organisations in the Harrogate district have received National Lottery cash injections totalling nearly £450,000.

They are among 300 organisations in Yorkshire and Humberside to receive a share of more than £13 million awarded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Dementia Forward, based in Burton Leonard, was awarded almost £240,000, which was the largest donation made to a North Yorkshire charity.

The grant will provide three-year funding for its time out together group for people aged 35 to 65 with young onset dementia.

The group enables younger people with this rare form of dementia, who receive little support, to socialise and go on day trips.

The time out together members at Dementia Forward.

Debby Lennox, community liaison manager at Dementia Forward, said:

“The real testament to the success of this project and the need for it to continue is the difference that it is making to the people we support and their families – it truly is life changing.”

The other local groups rewarded were:

Ripon Community Link — £170,000

Ripon Community Link supports adults and young people with learning disabilities.

The charity offers members the chance to work in a café or shop based at Ripon Walled Gardens, and aims to boost self-confidence and employability skills.

The funding will be used to employ more staff to support members working and encourage them to serve customers.

Emerging Voices — £5,780

Emerging Voices is a Harrogate-based project which uses music to improve mental health.

Members can receive mentoring from musicians and teachers. They are offered support with songwriting, singing and playing instruments.

It will use the donation to restart a wellbeing choir and mentoring services.

It hopes the choir will bring people together and reduce isolation.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Harrogate — £10,000

 St Joseph’s Catholic Church, on Skipton Road, will use its award to contribute towards the replacement of a boiler in the church hall.

The hall is used by groups to host community events and private functions.

Starbeck Community Library — £6,000

 Starbeck Community Library, located on the High Street, will use the donation to improve the children’s reading area.

It hopes a new and improved reading area will encourage families to stay at the library for longer and, in turn, improve children’s development.

Autism Angels — £10,000

 Summerbridge-based charity Autism Angels offers horse riding sessions to children with autism.

It also offers support to parents, siblings and carers.

The grant will be used to fund additional support sessions for parents and carers. It hopes to start a father’s support group and a parenting programme.

The charity also hopes the funding will reduce isolation and increase awareness and knowledge.

The Robinson Library — £7,500

The Robinson Library in Timble is used as a village hall to house community events, as well as health and wellbeing activities.

The money will be used to refurbish the kitchen.

Joe Dobson, head of funding for Yorkshire and Humberside at the National Lottery Community Fund, said:

“We’re delighted that local groups are using our funding to strengthen communities and improve lives in our region.

“Their passion, creativity and commitment are making a real difference to local people’s lives, and this deserves recognition.”

The fund aims to distribute at least £4 billion by 2030 to support community activities, inclusivity and improve the environment.

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North Yorkshire fire service improving, say inspectors

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is making “significant steps” after requiring improvement, say inspectors.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services inspected the service in spring 2022 for effectiveness and efficiency.

They rated it as “requires improvement” for effectiveness and “inadequate” for its efficiency in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risk.

However, following a visit in September this year, inspectors said the service was now making progress.

In a report published today, Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire Services, said there was evidence that the service had improved.

She said:

“I am pleased to see the significant steps that the service has taken in response to the causes of concern we issued. 

“The strengthened working relationships between the enabling services have helped to change the working culture and improve staff understanding of the benefits that the collaboration can provide. 

“We saw evidence that showed the improvements made are sustainable and that they will continue to be monitored at a senior level.”

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for comment but not yet had a response.

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The move comes as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel raised concern last week that the service’s response times had increased.

A meeting of the panel was told that people had to wait for an average of 13 minutes and nine seconds for firefighters to respond to incidents.

This compared with 11 minutes and 37 seconds the year before.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the figure as “worrying”.

However, Zoe Metcalfe, Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the service had been working “at pace to make considerable progress”.

Jobs on offer with growing brand for hairdressers who listen

This story is sponsored by Allertons.

A hairdressing brand due to open new beauty rooms in Harrogate this month is looking to recruit more staff across all its branches. 

Allertons’ flagship salon is the highest rated in Leeds, and it also has concessions in John Lewis stores in Leeds and Nottingham, with a third due to open in Southampton in November. The Harrogate salon is due to open its brand-new beauty rooms by the end of October. 

The company currently has 19 vacancies for hairdressers and beauticians, as well as six client concierge roles. 

Nick Nicola, who founded the company in 2014, said there was a constant requirement for hairdressers and beauticians, but that they needed to be attuned to the company’s ethos: 

“We’re looking for people who want to look after their clients. It’s not so much about the service you provide – that’s going to be excellent anyway – it’s more about how you make people feel. We want people who will calm and pamper our clients.” 

Allertons gives 30% of the profit generated for the company to the person who generated it, so a good hairdresser can earn up to £40,000 a year. 

In addition, employees receive health insurance, funded training on new techniques and equipment, free hairdressing and treatments, and a ‘friends and family’ discount. Those working in one of the concessions also get discount at John Lewis. 

Nick said it was important that candidates were able to ditch their ego and maintain an “old school” approach to customer service: 

“Some salons promote certain personalities above others. That’s not us – we want to take a sledgehammer to all of that. We’re not about ego and flashiness, which is why we get on so well with John Lewis. 

“We want to debunk that image of the hairdresser who judges clients and thinks they know best what their client should have. People come to us because we listen when they tell us what they want. We’re not fashion and trend-led – we’re 100% customer-led.” 

More information about the vacancies available can be found on Allertons’ website.

If you’d like to apply for a vacancy at any of Allertons’ salons, email nn@allertonsonline.com, or call 0113 359 3420.

Details of Stray bonfire and fireworks revealed

The organisers of Harrogate‘s annual bonfire and fireworks on the Stray have released further details about this year’s event.

The event, which is organised by Harrogate and District Round Table, will return on Saturday, November 4, for its 52nd year.

The bonfire will be lit on the Oatlands Stray near to St Aidan’s Church of England High School.

It will take place from 5pm until 8.30pm and include fireworks and live music.

The event is free to attend but the round table, which is a charity, will raise funds for Harrogate Homeless Project.

Ut has set up a GoFundMe page and urged people to text BONFIRE to 70560 to donate £5.

Matthew Firth, who has helped to set up the event, said:

“It is important that we help end homelessness on the streets of Harrogate. 

“Especially going into wintertime when the mercury regularly drops below freezing and these poor people, often through no fault of their own, end up on the streets.”

Visitors on the night will be able to buy burgers, sausages, hotdogs and vegetarian options served by local scout groups.

Vintage Event Bars will run a licensed bar at the event, serving a selection of alcohol. Soft and hot drinks will also be available.

Toilets will be available on site.

Live performances will be held on the pop-up stage throughout the night — with Three Strikes Band already confirmed — and more to be announced.

Organisers have asked people not to bring sparklers to the event for safety reasons.

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CCTV appeal after phone stolen at Harrogate bus station

North Yorkshire Police has issued CCTV footage of a man they want to speak to following the theft of a mobile phone in Harrogate.

The incident, which took place in Harrogate bus station, occurred at 12.40pm on Friday, September 15.

Officers are urging people to get in touch if they recognise the man in the images, as they believe he may have information that will help the investigation.

The force said in a statement yesterday:

“Anyone with any information is asked to email joanne.bell@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

“Ask for PC1488 Joanne Bell, Initial Enquiry Team, York.”

If you wish to remain anonymous when passing on information, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230176273 when passing on information.

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Business Breakfast: Masham brewery announces leadership changes

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8am to 10 am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Masham brewery T&R Theakston has announced changes to its leadership structure.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director of the family-controlled business, will become company chairman from January 1, 2024.

Mr Theakston will continue to be actively involved in the brewery and supporting the board in his new position.

Meanwhile, Richard Bradbury will assume the role of sole managing director.

Mr Bradbury has been a director of T&R Theakston since 2015 and joint managing director with Mr Theakston since November 2020.

Mr Theakston said:

“This is a natural evolution from how Richard and I currently work together. 

“Having jointly charted the company through the challenges of the covid pandemic and the current cost inflation impacts on the brewing and hospitality sectors, this new structure will ensure Theakston’s continued growth as we look forward to its bi-centenary in 2027 and beyond.”

Council offers businesses net zero project grants

Business grants have been made available to firms across North Yorkshire.

As part of the government’s shared prosperity funding, North Yorkshire Council has made grants and support available for companies looking to take on net zero initiatives.

Support will be offered by York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub and grants will be made available for up to £2,000 or 80% of project costs.

More information on the application process can be found on the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub website.

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Police release CCTV image after theft in Harrogate Victoria Shopping Centre

Police have released CCTV images of two people they would like speak to following a theft in Harrogate town centre.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened at TK Maxx in the Victoria Shopping Centre at 10.07am on August 31.

A man stayed by the exit of the store while a woman selected nine designer handbags, valued at almost £480, and left the shop without paying.

Officers have launched an investigation and released CCTV of a man and woman.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the woman or the man, who had distinctive long hair tied up, as they believe they may have information that could help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email hazel.simms@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for PC1338 Simms-Williamson.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12230164126 when passing on information.”

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