Harrogate Town Council: Key questions answered

Harrogate residents will soon again be asked for their views on creating a Harrogate Town Council.

They’d be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja-vu as it will be third time documents have been dropped in letterboxes with information and questions about how it should be formed.

For some, creating another layer of local democracy so soon after the demise of Harrogate Borough Council is an unpalatable thought.

But Harrogate, along with Scarborough, are the only two areas in the county without a town or parish council and proponents say the council will give the town a voice and help hold North Yorkshire Council to account.

How much will it cost?

Perhaps the most pertinent question for residents during a cost-of-living crisis is how much the new council will cost them.

If it’s created then an annual sum, called a precept, will be added to every council tax bill to help pay for services.

The council has said that households would initially be asked to pay between £40 and £60 to allow for an annual budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The budget would be spent on accommodation, employment costs, office and IT equipment, insurance, professional fees, the mayor and delivering services.

The precept would be lower than Ripon City Council, which charges £70.77 for band D properties, but higher than Knaresborough Town Council, which charges £25.27.

However, another cost that has alarmed councillors is the combined cost of the three public consultations. It was revealed at a recent meeting that the bill for these is likely to come to £140,000.

What powers will it have?

The council would be a statutory consultee on planning applications in Harrogate, which would give it a voice if it felt strongly about a particular application.

But it would not have power to make decisions as applications would still in the hands of North Yorkshire Council.

When the new unitary council was formed, it pledged to hand back some powers to parish or town councils through a project it has called double-devolution.

It could mean Harrogate Town Council is much more powerful than it would have been without this pledge.

It could bid to run services in the town such as looking after its parks or the Stray, operating car parks or managing the Royal Hall.

But this will only be decided once the council has formed and councillors have been elected.

How many councillors will there be?

There are set to be 19 councillors on the council and they will represent wards based around the former Harrogate Borough Council boundaries.

These are not used by North Yorkshire Council, which decided to use larger divisions.

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Councillors considered having two councillors per ward after it was backed in the previous consultation but the Conservatives said accountability to residents would be better served with single councillor wards.

Councillors who already sit on North Yorkshire Council are able to stand in town council elections.

In most parish councils, councillors sit as independent members, however, they can also stand for political parties.

When will elections take place?

If residents approve the proposals laid out in the next consultation, the council would likely form in April 2025 with elections taking place in May, although this has not been confirmed yet.

This is a year later than originally planned but it’s been put back in order for the third consultation to take place.

Harrogate’s Archie Gray could be in line for Leeds United debut

Harrogate’s Archie Gray could be in line for his senior Leeds United debut.

Leeds are set to take on Cardiff City in their EFL Championship opening match at Elland Road at 2.30pm today.

Gray has been involved in all of the club’s pre-season fixtures in preparation for the new season.

The 17-year-old could feature in central midfield alongside Ethan Ampadu, who he partnered with in Leeds’ final friendly against Hearts last Sunday.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the opening game, Leeds manager Daniel Farke sought to relieve pressure on the youngster amid his first team prospects.

He said:

“I don’t like to praise young lads too early. I’ve spoken about his development. 

“I’m happy with him. But before he has played the proper amount of games I’m not willing to sing the high praise of Archie Gray because I don’t think it’s healthy.”

Gray completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate last year.

He signed his first professional contract with Leeds United in March this year.

He is also great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.

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Destination Harrogate future unclear as council set to bid for tourism body

The future of a Harrogate tourism body remains unclear as North Yorkshire Council reveals plans to create a new organisation to attract visitors to the county.

Destination Harrogate, which is the destination management organisation for the region, was set up by Harrogate Borough Council.

However, North Yorkshire Council is set to table a bid to government in September for a local visitor economy partnership — which will replace destination management organisations following a review by ministers.

The new body would be responsible for promoting tourism in North Yorkshire and attracting events.

The council has also published a 88-page tourism strategy for the county, which includes aims to grow the tourist economy.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council whether the move would mean that Destination Harrogate is scrapped as a result of the single tourism strategy.

In response, David Caulfield, the council’s assistant director for tourism, said:

“The new destination management plan will bring together all areas of North Yorkshire to provide a single strategy for the council and key partners to support the strong tourism offer within the county to flourish further and offer even greater value to the local economy.

“This will put North Yorkshire in an excellent position in its application to become a local visitor economy partnership.

“All the tourism teams previously within the former district and borough areas, including Destination Harrogate staff, have been brought together as one North Yorkshire tourism team to support the development of the strategy and ensure the strong local brands are represented.

“Given Harrogate’s well-defined tourist offer, we expect the area to be an integral part of the overall framework.

“Harrogate has been identified as among the strongest brands within North Yorkshire along with the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the coast.”

Questions over future

Questions were raised over Destination Harrogate’s future ahead of the establishment of North Yorkshire Council in April.

At a Harrogate Borough Council meeting in February, Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said a government review into destination management organisations would likely mean only such bodies from cities or large regions will be able to receive funding from central government.

She suggested Harrogate would have to amalgamate into a wider, yet-to-be created North Yorkshire destination management organisation to qualify for the funding.

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Meanwhile, borough council chief executive Wallace Sampson told councillors the new authority could look to “identify savings” with Destination Harrogate after it is handed control of the organisation.

He added:

“[Destination Harrogate] is a discretionary service and against the background of a challenging financial environment for the new council, every discretionary service will be subject to financial scrutiny.”

Mr Sampson warned of the possible pitfalls of Destination Harrogate being merged into a county-wide tourism body, which he suggested could dilute the focus on individual places.

Yorkshire Tea blender, Warren Ford, dies aged 90

The man behind the blend of Yorkshire Tea, Warren Ford, has died aged 90.

Born in Lewisham, South London, on May 16, 1933, Warren went to school in London before leaving aged 16.

He worked at Tetley’s tea as a senior buyer, before being sought at by Victor Wild, who built up Betty’s tea room in Harrogate, in the 1970s.

By 1976 Warren had been appointed as a director of Taylors and the following year, along with Victor, Jonathan Wild and Eddie Hardie, was one of the original ‘gang of four’ responsible for the creation, launch and early success of Yorkshire Tea.

Warren became fundamental in establishing the foundations for the future growth of Yorkshire Tea. He even suggested the colour orange for the packaging, recognising that it was the most unused colour on the tea shelf. 

Jonathan Wild remembers that Warren’s ability gave him confidence in the product.

He said:

“Yorkshire Tea took over our lives and compelled us to stretch ourselves beyond the limits of our experience – and inexperience. 

“What gave me confidence was belief in ‘The Tea’ and in Warren’s ability.  We rode our luck well and tempered our ambition with stealthy patience, but I’m not sure that at any other moment in time – before or since – we could have created something so unique and ultimately so successful as Yorkshire Tea.” 

The brand, Taylors Yorkshire Tea, was launched in 1977 and became popular. It received royal warrant in 2009.

Reflecting on the gang of four and the creation of the brand, Warren recalled:

“it was a team effort from the start: Victor’s creativity and prudent financial control, Eddie Hardy’s relationship with supermarkets and determination that we invest in packaging technology, Jonathan’s youthful energy and ambition, and, of course, all the advantages that I brought: an experienced, integrated approach to buying and blending in which we competed to our advantage by selecting rather than collecting our teas. 

“It required all these elements to create success.” 

Warren Ford died on June 21, 2023. 

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Minister opens new offices at Harrogate energy technology company

A government minister has opened the new offices of a Harrogate energy technology firm.

Lord Callanan, minister for energy efficiency and green finance at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, opened the new headquarters of Chameleon Technology at Central House on Otley Road in Harrogate.

The company specialises in technology for energy suppliers, including manufacturing in-home displays to link up to smart meters.

Lord Callanan visited the new office space this morning and met with Mike Woodhall, chief executive of Chameleon Technology, and some of the firm’s engineers.

He also presented a plaque to announce the opening of the new headquarters and gave a short speech.

Lord Callanan said:

“We have already made good progress in rolling out smart meters, with more than 32 million now in homes and small businesses across Great Britain.

“Seeing how much energy they are using in pounds and pence is putting people in control of their use and helping them save money on their bills.

“Working closely with industry partners, we’re well on our way to a more efficient energy system. I was delighted to open Chameleon Technology’s new Harrogate offices and meet the team helping us become a nation of smarter, cleaner energy consumers.”

Pictured: (from left) Mike Woodhall; Jennifer Woodhall, Sustainability Director at Chameleon Technology; Lord Callanan; Jonathan O’Donnell, Senior Hardware Engineer at Chameleon Technology

 Pictured, from left, Mike Woodhall; Jennifer Woodhall, sustainability director at Chameleon Technology, Lord Callanan, and Jonathan O’Donnell, senior hardware engineer at Chameleon Technology

The move to the new office space comes as the company recently manufactured its 10 millionth in-house display system.

Mr Woodhall added:

“Manufacturing and delivering 10 million IHDs to UK households is a milestone to be proud of. Continued uptake of smart meters, alongside the real-time data provided by IHDs, will help build a flexible, decarbonised and digitalised energy system, one that will benefit both the environment and consumers through lower energy bills.

“Smart meters and integrated IHDs are an integral part of our future energy system.”

Main picture: Lord Callanan, third from left, with Chameleon Technology’s Jennifer Woodhall, chairman Steve Mitchell, COO Mike Pyke, Mike Woodhall, general council Wendi Higgins, special partnerships director Rachel Possgate, and operations director Ethan Yu.

New salon opens in Harrogate as longstanding one bids farewell

A new salon will open in Harrogate on Tuesday — days after a longstanding one closes.

Charles Hanson, a unisex salon, will welcome customers in Westminster Arcade on Parliament Street.

Owner Marcus Charles Hanson was previously style director at Dangerfield & Keane on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road, which will close tomorrow after 15 years.

Several staff at Dangerfield & Keane, including owner Gerri Dangerfield, are involved in the new venture.

Charles Hanson’s premises in Westminster Arcade.

Mr Hanson said:

“For my entire hairdressing career, I have wanted my own business. From when I was just a Saturday boy to recent months as a manager and trainer with a loyal clientele, telling clients that my dream was to have my own salon.

“I have worked at Dangerfield & Keane in Harrogate with some of the most talented hairstylists and I have watched them progress through their journeys. After watching them its now time to start my own. I cannot wait to open the doors to Charles Hanson.”

Gerri Dangerfield and stylist Gill Hawley-Jefferson are renting chairs in the new salon. Two other Dangerfield & Keane staff have also transferred to Charles Hanson.

Mr Dangerfield announced in May he planned to close the salon “to address my work-life balance and spend more time with my husband, Andrew”.

The business was expected to continue until October but Mr Dangerfield said on Instagram “while this is ahead of our previous schedule, the time is now right for the next move”.

He added:

“We want to assure you that we are all very excited to be moving to the next chapter of our careers and lives.”

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Polish prisoner jailed after absconding to UK to work in Harrogate hospital

A Polish prisoner who absconded from his homeland and used his criminal brother’s identity documents to land a job at Harrogate District Hospital has been jailed for nearly two years.

Przemyslaw Poltorak, 39, used his brother Lucas Poltorak’s Polish identity cards and driving licence to find work as a cleaner at the hospital, earning over £40,000 during his employment there, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Charlotte Noddings said Poltorak, from Harrogate, had a criminal record in Poland but the UK immigration authorities had not yet managed to ascertain the details.

According to Poltorak, his previous convictions were for fraud, theft, drug offences and robbery. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail in 2004 for a “range of offences” and had served seven years when he fled to the UK under a false identity while on day release in 2011. 

Ms Noddings said if Poltorak were jailed by a UK court, the normal procedure would be deportation to his homeland “to answer whatever matters he has to answer for”.

Ms Noddings said:

“He was serving a prison sentence there, was on day release, and never returned to prison.

“He has no legal basis to be here.”

She added, however, that despite his record, if Poltorak had entered the UK under his own identity at the time in question, when the UK was still part of the European Union, he would have been able to get into the country without a hitch.

In fact, Poltorak, trying to disguise his criminal convictions in his own country, chose instead to use his brother’s identity documents to firstly get into the UK and then land a job at Harrogate District Hospital, where he worked without anyone suspecting a thing.

Poltorak admitted fraud in that between June 2013 and June 2023 he used another person’s ID documents to gain employment and thereby make a gain of £150,000 – his earnings at the hospital and a car-manufacturing company in Knaresborough.

He also admitted using identity documents in March 2023 to obtain a driving licence – which meant he was also driving on the UK’s roads illegally – and using those same documents to obtain employment.

Using brother’s identity

Poltorak, of Malham Drive, Harrogate, appeared for sentence yesterday (Thursday, August 3) after being remanded in custody.

Ms Noddings said Poltorak, who was using his brother’s name and identity, was arrested at Harrogate District Hospital.

Ms Noddings said:

“His brother Lucas Poltorak – the real Lucas Poltorak – is a sex offender in Poland who was arrested at Leeds/Bradford Airport and refused entry to the UK.”

On that same day in November 2022, immigration officials converged on Przemyslaw Poltorak’s home and arrested him. They seized a “driving document related to Lucas Poltorak”.

Ms Noddings said that a driving record in the name of Lucas Poltorak was created on March 9, 2020. Przemyslaw Poltorak had used his brother’s details on his application for a driving licence.

She added:

“Enquiries were made about how he obtained a job at Harrogate hospital.

“He made an application (for a job) in the name of Lucas Poltorak (and) provided a Polish identity card, a provisional driving licence and a utility bill in the name of Lucas Poltorak.”

Poltorak was paid £42,337 during his employment at the hospital. 

However, further enquiries revealed that between 2013 and 2020, he had also been employed by a car-manufacturing firm in Knaresborough which he had secured by using the same false identity cards.

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During his seven-year stint at the car company, he earned £111,631, said Ms Noddings.

Home Office officials reviewed his records and downloaded text messages from his phone which had been seized at the hospital. They showed that Poltorak had been passing himself off as his brother Lucas.

When the real Lucas Poltorak was identified, it transpired that Border Force officials had refused him entry to the UK when he landed at Leeds/Bradford Airport in November 2022. 

Further scrutiny by immigration officials revealed that Lucas Poltorak had been granted the right to settle in the UK in June 2021 but was then refused re-entry a year later when his previous convictions were discovered.

‘Hard working man’

Kevin Blount, Przemyslaw Poltorak’s solicitor advocate, said his client had left prison in Poland on day release and used his brother’s identity cards to travel to the UK with his wife and children, but that in fact he could have done so legally when the country was part of the EU and borderless travel. 

He said that Poltorak had since lived a “law-abiding life” in the UK, “save for the fact that it was in the wrong name”.

Mr Blount added:

“He used his brother’s (name) not to avoid British passport control, but to avoid Polish emigration authorities because he was due to return to serve the end of his sentence.”

He said that a European arrest warrant for Poltorak had still not been issued despite his detention and during the transition period when the UK was in the process of leaving the EU, he still had a right to work in this country “under his own name”.

Mr Blount said that Poltorak was a “hard working man” and even though he had lost his legal status in the UK, his family still had a right to live here.

Judge Simon Hickey said it appeared that Poltorak had fled Poland not just for a “better life for your family”, but also because he would have served a whole jail term for his previous offences in his homeland, whereas in the UK he would have been released at the halfway point.

He said that the “real seriousness of (Poltorak’s offences in the UK) was “working for that vast amount of time and concealing who you were”.

Poltorak received a 20-month jail sentence but will only serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence, although his deportation is still in the offing. 

Plan approved to convert Harrogate listed building into a flat

Plans have been approved to convert the upper floors of a grade-II listed building in Harrogate into a flat.

Mercer House on Swan Road towers above the adjoining Mercer Art Gallery.

Under plans lodged by Colston Trustees Limited, the building would be changed from offices to residential and create a single flat. The ground floor retail unit is not included in the plan.

A previous proposal submitted in November 2022 would have seen two flats created.

However, in documents tabled to North Yorkshire Council, the developer said the revised plan would have “less impact upon the building than previously approved and be acceptable”.

Mercer House is historically and architecturally significant due to its gable-fronted, white and blue appearance.

North Yorkshire Council has approved the proposal.

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It will see the first, second and third floors turned into a single flat with living, dining and kitchen space and a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor.

The second floor would have three bedrooms, two en-suites and a bathroom while the third floor would be storage space.

In documents to the council, the developer said:

“The alterations required to the building are less than the previous approved scheme and retain more of the original openings and minimal alterations to original internal walls.

“The external alterations are limited to those at the rear of the building and are the same as those already approved, there are no changes to the front or sides of the building.”

Business Breakfast: Scheme offers Harrogate entrepreneurs chance to access £2,500 grants

Budding entrepreneurs in the Harrogate district are being invited to sign up for a business support scheme with the chance of accessing £2,500 in grants.

The free scheme is being run by the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub and is called the Strive Live Start-Up Incubator.

The programme includes live online training, personalised one-to-one advice and on-demand online learning for those wishing to start their own business.

The scheme lasts for seven weeks and will start on September 12, 2023.

It will include sessions held online during the evening, featuring access to more than 20 interactive e-learning modules and a supportive network of like-minded peers. 

Daniela Genova, the founder of Cafe Lago di Como in Harrogate who has taken part in programme, said: 

“Strive is an amazing place to learn absolutely everything you need to know about business. 

“But most importantly the team work very hard and they are always available for any questions or concerns. We really enjoyed it and we have learned a lot from the project.”

For more information on how to sign up for the scheme, visit the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub website here.

Harrogate lawyer awarded industry qualification

A partner at a Harrogate law firm has been awarded a coveted industry qualification.

Haroon Quayum, who works in the LCF Law family business unit, has achieved an advanced certificate in family business governance, which is recognised by the professional body the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Haroon Qayum, LCF Law

It means Mr Quayum is able to offer further technical advice, such as helping family businesses plan for succession.

He said:

“Having been through the examination process and passed this qualification, I have been able to expand my technical knowledge, develop my professional competence and build on my experience and skills that I have developed over my many years in practice, helping families plan for succession, as well as identify and define appropriate governance structures.”

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Lucky escape as tree falls outside Harrogate school

A Harrogate resident has spoken of her relief that nobody was hurt today when a tree from her garden fell outside a school.

The 50-foot beech tree crashed across Oatlands Drive at about 1pm, glancing the wall of St Aidan’s Church of England High School opposite.

Fortunately it happened out of term time. However, Oatlands Drive is still a hive of activity at that time of day, with numerous pedestrians and vehicles passing by but fortunately nobody was doing so when the tree came down.

It fell from a garden belonging to Rowena Wright, who said:

“I’m just so grateful nobody was hurt.”

Pedestrians navigate the fallen tree.

Ms Wright said she was working upstairs when she heard a noise and assumed it was caused by a workman next door.

Minutes later a motorist, who ironically turned out to be a tree surgeon on his way to a job, knocked on her door to tell her what had happened.

Oatlands Drive was blocked to traffic and pedestrians had to climb over the tree.

The tree looked healthy and Ms Wright, who has lived in the house for 30 years, thinks a combination of heavy rain weakening its roots and the weight at the top may have contributed to the incident.

The roots of the tree.

She added:

“We have regular tree care. If it had looked like it was dying we would have had it cut. It’s quite bizarre.”

See the Stray Ferret’s Facebook page for a video of the scene shortly after the incident.

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