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Grants to fund shop front improvements in Harrogate

Businesses around Harrogate town centre could get money towards a spruce-up thanks to money from Harrogate Business Improvement District.

The organisation is offering match-funded grants of up to £750 for members looking to upgrade their frontages, as it aims to make the town centre welcoming and attractive.

Businesses could use the money to update paintwork and signage, or to improve their accessibility, as part of the 2023 scheme.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate BID is delighted to continue its support to members’ paying businesses, helping them make improvements to their street frontages and the accessibility of their premises, thanks to these match-funded grants.

“We are constantly aspiring to make Harrogate a desirable place to do business, as well as an attractive place to visit. Our match-funded improvement grant supports our efforts to make Harrogate ‘safe, clean and welcoming’, as outlined in our business plan.

“As long as the work enhances a façade, or makes it more accessible for disabled customers, we will consider it. As there is a limited budget for the 2023 town centre improvements grant scheme, they will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.”

Last year, jewellery business Fattorinis received £750 towards the refurbishment of its Victorian canopy on Parliament Street, with the addition of a new facia board and signage.

The changes helped to raise the profile of the business after it changed hands last year. Others to benefit from the grant scheme included The Den, Cold Bath Brewing, Drum and Monkey, and the Coach and Horses.

Any business interested in applying for a grant should submit a request to Harrogate BID with a description of the work to be carried out or the equipment needed, along with quotations and an expected completion date.

Harrogate councillors block fellow Conservative from civic title as standards row continues

Six Conservative councillors have denied a councillor from the same party the chance to receive a prestigious civic title.

Harrogate Borough Council has the power to bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwomen to past members who have given over 15 years of good service.

The impending abolition of the council on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire unitary council means a host of councillors can be considered.

The list includes Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, who has been a borough councillor for 15 years but had been the subject of a standards investigation following comments he made.

During a meeting last month, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper proposed a successful motion to change the council’s constitution and effectively ban councillors from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they have fallen foul of the council’s code of conduct but have then refused to take any of the recommended actions such as apologise to members.

The authority’s general purposes committee met yesterday evening and voted on which councillors would be recommended for the title.

Before voting on Cllr Brown, head of legal and governance Jennifer Norton read out a statement on his behalf that said the councillor believed he had no outstanding course of action to take following his investigation.

Ms Norton said:

“The decision notice identifies two actions, the first one being to draw the process to a close as it’s not been possible to reach a satisfactory conclusion or an apology — and the second one is to recommend to Cllr Brown that he reflects on the concerns raised and considers whether the points he was trying to make in a submission were well served by his style of presentation or use of injudicious language.

“Cllr Brown advises me that he’s reflected on the concerns raised and has also informed me that on September 24, 2021, he sent an email to all his colleagues with an informal apology. In this way he feels there are no outstanding courses of action for him to take when you assess that against the decision notice.”

However, six Conservative councillors on the committee — Richard Cooper, Tim Myatt, Rebecca Burnett, Matt Scott, Ed Darling and Sam Gibbs — all voted against recommending Cllr Brown for the honorary alderman title.

Ripon independent, Pauline McHardy, Liberal Democrat, Philip Broadbank and Cllr Brown himself voted in favour.

Longest serving female also excluded

By six votes to three, the committee also voted against recommending Liberal Democrat member for Hookstone, Pat Marsh, who is the longest-serving female councillor on the authority with 33 years’ service.

Cllr Marsh was found to have breached the council’s code of conduct after she made comments to a resident, that were secretly recorded, about council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

A standards panel at HBC asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology but she refused, citing her right to free speech and accusing the panel of not being politically balanced, having two Conservatives and one independent councillor.

By five votes to four, councillors voted against former Ripon councillor and current county councillor Andrew Williams from becoming an honorary alderman despite his 20 years of service.

The full list of councillors put forward for the title and how long they have served is below:

Philip Broadbank, Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck (44 years)
Nigel Simms, Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard (24 years)
Margaret Atkinson, former Conservative councillor for Fountains and Ripley (23 years)
Jim Clark, former Conservative councillor for Harlow (22 years)
Trevor Chapman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange (19 years)
Michael Harrison, Conservative councillor for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite (19 years)
Sid Hawke, Ripon Independents councillor for Ripon Ure Bank (18 years)
Stuart Martin, Conservative councillor for Ripon Moorside (18 years)
Christine Willoughby, Liberal Democrats councillor for Knaresborough Eastfield (17 years)
Matthew Webber, Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park (16 years)
Robert Windass, Conservative councillor for Boroughbridge (15 years)

24 bus from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate saved

The 24 bus route between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate has been saved until at least April next year.

The service provides a lifeline for many people in rural parts of Nidderdale, including Birstwith, Darley and Summbridge.

North Yorkshire County Council warned this month it was one of about 80 bus routes in North Yorkshire facing uncertain futures at the end of March.

But councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said today:

“The 24 is a key route that many people rely on so I am pleased to announce that we have been able to step in to support this service.

“When the operator notified us that it planned to withdraw most services on this route, we secured short-term funds to cover these until April 2023.

“This allowed us time to investigate a longer-term solution. We have now secured continuation of the service until April 2024, operated by Transdev (The Harrogate Bus Company).

Cllr Duncan added the timetable will continue unchanged, but with most journeys now receiving financial support.

“We hope that passengers will support the 24 service and that usage will build over the coming 12 months.

“This positive outcome on the 24 is part of our efforts to support several at risk routes across North Yorkshire.

“We will continue to work closely with operators in order to protect as much of the bus network as we can through a period of unprecedented pressure.”

Business Breakfast: Harrogate law firm appoints new solicitor to disputes team

The Stray Ferret Business Awards will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will be a celebratory night with prize draw and afterparty.

Richard Flinton, the chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council is the guest speaker. Early bird ticket prices are available until February 9 and available to buy here. Bring your team, network and have fun.

A Harrogate law firm has hired a new solicitor in an effort to bolster its disputes team.

LCF Law has hired Will Bates, who has joined the company from fellow Harrogate-firm McCormicks.

Mr Bates has advised companies and individuals on all types of commercial disputes over the last five years since qualifying and has particular expertise in sport related disputes.

He said:

“I wanted to join LCF Law because its disputes and litigation team has a great reputation for being cohesive and effective on behalf of a broad spectrum of clients.

“The firm is also well-known for encouraging career progression.”

Charles Abraham, head of disputes at LCF Law, said:

“Will will be working on a wide range of commercial disputes, as an Associate solicitor in our six-partner dispute resolution team.

“He has an impressive track-record for getting the best possible outcome for his clients and is also skilled at mediation. He is a welcome addition to our team.”

Harrogate businesses invited to quiz broadband experts

The NYnet connectivity team.

Businesses in Harrogate will have the chance to quiz broadband experts at two drop-in sessions next month.

NYnet’s connectivity team will be at Indulge Café on Hornbeam Park to answer questions from companies and provide information on how to access the company’s high performance full fibre network.

The sessions are open to all businesses in the Harrogate district, including those on Hornbeam Park.

Alastair Taylor, CEO of NYnet, said:

“These sessions are a chance for local businesses to sit down with our team over coffee and have an informal chat about any issues they might be experiencing with connectivity.

“We can share our knowledge and talk through some of the options for improving their digital performance, including connection to our gigabit full fibre network and applying for match funding through Digital Enterprise.”

The drop-in sessions will be held on Thursday, February 9, from 10.30am to 12.30pm and Tuesday, February 28, from 1pm to 3pm.

Those businesses interested in attending should e-mail sales@nynet.co.uk to register their interest.

Local Liberal Democrats could determine fate of £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

A decision on whether to proceed with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway could depend on a Liberal Democrat-controlled committee of councillors.

The gateway scheme, which would radically transform the area opposite Harrogate train station, has proved highly divisive and controversial.

It would see James Street partly pedestrianised and a section of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to make way for cycle lanes.

Funding for the scheme was secured in March 2020 but nearly three years later, and despite three consultations, North Yorkshire County Council has yet to make a final decision on whether to proceed.

Part of James Street would be pedestrianised.

The council’s Conservative-controlled executive has now said the scheme will come before its Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee before a final decision is made. Eight of the committee’s 14 members are Liberal Democrats.

The committee is currently only an advisory body but Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways and transportation at the council, suggested its views will be crucial. He said:

“It would be very difficult for us to proceed with the scheme if local elected councillors were opposed.

“The people of Harrogate and Knaresborough have elected councillors. The majority of those are not Conservative, they are of a different political persuasion to the executive. We want to listen to what those councillors say.”

Asked whether the Conservatives had passed the buck on such a political hot potato, Cllr Duncan replied:

“It is a hot potato but with great power comes great responsibility. Local people in Harrogate and Knaresborough have elected their councillors and we have all stood on a platform to make difficult decisions.

“The executive of the county council believes very strongly in localism. We want to ask local councillors for their views and we will pay very due attention to their views. That’s the right thing to do.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Keane Duncan in Harrogate

Cllr Duncan, who lives in Ryedale, said he had no vested interest in the scheme, which he inherited when he took up his role in May last year. But he added:

“Having looked at it as an outsider, I feel there are great advantages in terms of improving the pedestrian and cycle links and making this corner of the town centre easier to access and a better place to spend time, so on balance I’m supportive.”

Consultation was ‘never a referendum’

The third consultation revealed once again more people feel negatively than possibly towards the scheme, albeit by a slender margin of 46% to 45%, with nine per cent neutral.

Cllr Duncan said the consultation “was never meant to be a referendum” and there was “significant support” for key elements of the scheme, including changes to the public realm and better walking and cycling infrastructure. He added:

“If you look at the actual figures there were just 17 more negative responses than positive responses. And if you factor in the nine percent neutral responses, actually that’s a long way away from the universal negativity that many people would suggest, because most people are positive or neutral towards it.

“With all that support that’s been expressed by the public, it would be a shame not to bring this project that’s been ongoing for a very long time to a decision point for councillors to be able to make a decision one way or another.”

Cllr Duncan also suggested scrapping the scheme could damage Harrogate and North Yorkshire’s chances of future funding.

“More than £11 million would be spent elsewhere in North Yorkshire or returned to government. I think that would be a great shame for Harrogate but also it would rock government’s confidence in North Yorkshire and that would be a great shame for Harrogate and the county.”

Cllr Keane Duncan will talk about other Harrogate transport issues, such as the A59 Kex Gill realignment, the proposed park and ride and the threat to bus services in an interview on Saturday.

Harrogate hospital told to reduce 18 month waiting list to zero patients

NHS bosses have set a target for no patient to be waiting 18 months for surgery at Harrogate District Hospital.

Officials at NHS England have told Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, that its waiting lists of more than 78 weeks should be brought down by the end of March.

Currently, the trust has 120 patients waiting more than a year and a half to have an operation.

The figure has gradually fallen since April 2022, when 205 people were waiting 18 months or more for surgery.

The number of patients waiting for an operation at Harrogate District Hospital since April 2022. Data: HDFT.

However, the number of patients waiting 52 weeks or more still stands at 1,299 people, an increase on the figure of 1,187 last April.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“During the Covid-19 pandemic there was a risk of the NHS being overwhelmed with the number of patients seriously unwell with the virus. Protecting the NHS became a top priority and to ensure there was hospital capacity to cope with the pandemic, and to protect patients and staff, non-urgent routine hospital treatment was postponed.

“Since we emerged from the pandemic, a key focus for the NHS has been to reduce waiting lists, with a particular focus on those waiting longest for planned care, and to eliminate waits of over 104 weeks by March 2022 and 78 weeks by April 2023.

“Elective (planned) care is planned treatment at our hospital involving specialist clinical care or surgery, following a referral by a GP or health professional. It can refer to elective admission, outpatient appointments and diagnostic services, and relate to many conditions to improve the quality of life of a patient, to help them psychologically, or extend their life – for example cataract surgery, hip replacement, physiotherapy, or reconstructive surgery.

“Our teams have been doing extraordinary work to reduce waiting times and to see patients as soon as possible despite the ongoing difficulties that Covid-19 has caused. They have worked hard to add additional clinics, scans and operations; as well as adapting pathways and using technology to improve our offer to patients.”

Last year, the trust’s board approved an increase in capacity at the hospital to help deal with the long waiting list.

The £14 million project will see two additional operating theatres, two procedure rooms and a 12-bed ward for patients who require extended stays in care built on the site.

The trust also hopes the project will help to “future proof” the hospital for a growth in population and changes in demographic in the district.

‘No suspicious circumstances’ in sudden death in Harrogate, police say

North Yorkshire Police has said there were “no suspicious circumstances” in the sudden death of a 77-year-old woman in Bilton this week.

The woman, who has not been named, died in a flat at Dene Park on Monday afternoon.

A 76-year-old man was arrested and later released under investigation.

Police were present at the scene from Monday afternoon until last night.

Police were at the scene until last night.

In an update this afternoon, police said:

“The investigation into the sudden death of a 77-year-old woman at a flat on Dene Park in Harrogate on Monday afternoon has confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

“The 76-year-old man arrested in connection with the investigation has been released without charge with no further action to be taken.

“The scene has been stood down at the address and a report has been sent to the coroner.”

Business Breakfast: Ripon company invests £500,000 in new manufacturing machinery

The Stray Ferret Business Awards will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will be a celebratory night with prize draw and afterparty.

A Ripon company has invested £500,000 in new machinery to improve its manufacturing base.

Econ Engineering invested money into new Bystronic Xpert Pro press brakes, which are used for bending sheet metal.

The two new acquisitions, one of which is a 2500KN 3.1m machine, the other a 3200KN 4.3m machine, means the firm will be able to press materials up to a length of 7.4 metres.

This latest investment comes on the back of the family-owned and run business – which makes more than eight out of 10 winter maintenance vehicles on the UK’s roads – purchasing a £250,000 welding robot and the opening of a £7m engineering facility in Sowerby, Thirsk, which has now become home to Econ’s 1,000-strong gritter hire fleet.

Jonathan Lupton, Econ Engineering’s managing director, said:

“The purchase of these two new press brakes is a further demonstration of our commitment to investing in new technology within our manufacturing process.

“The opening of Sowerby has given us more space within our Ripon headquarters to accommodate the press brakes and the laser cutter, which help to boost efficiency and reduce waste.

“One of our strengths is being able to adapt our products to a customer’s individual specification, and this technical advancement will enhance our ability to craft each vehicle to meet their exacting needs.”

Harrogate developer starts work on £4.5m business park

Artist’s impression of the Marrtree Business Park, Clifton Moor, York.

A Harrogate developer has started work on a £4.5 million new business park in York.

The 2.4 acre park will be built on the site of the former B&M store at Clifton Moor in the city.

Marrtree Investments is constructing the scheme, which will create a 27,000 sq ft of modern business space across four units ranging from 4,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft, as well as a Starbucks drive-through café.

William Marshall, director of Marrtree Investments, said:

“We are really pleased to be bringing more of the high-quality modern business space, for which Marrtree has become well known, to York.

“Since the pandemic, well-thought-out, ergonomic workplaces, where people actively want to come to work each day, have become more important than ever and that’s what we aim to deliver with all our business parks and the kind of space that is in short supply for York employers.”

The new units are due to be completed in the autumn.

Harrogate-based HACS construction group has been appointed as main contractor for the construction of the business park.

Man, 76, arrested after ‘unexplained death’ of woman in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police is investigating the “sudden and unexplained death” of a 77-year-old woman at a flat in Harrogate.

Officers were called to the property on Dene Park in Bilton at 2.49pm on Monday this week. Enquiries at the flat are still ongoing.

A 76-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the sudden death inquiry and released under investigation.

A police statement today added:

“At this stage, the cause of death remains unexplained.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101, option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

“If you would prefer to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Please quote refence number 12230013571 when providing details.”

Harrogate train passengers braced for further strikes next week

Train passengers in the Harrogate district are set for two days with no services next week due to strike action.

Members of train drivers’ union the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) are set to walk out on Wednesday and Friday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Northern, which operates services between Leeds and York, has confirmed no trains will run on the days of strike action.

The company has also urged passengers not to travel as no rail replacement services will be operated.

It said in a statement:

“There will be no rail replacement buses on strike days for Northern services and some Northern stations may be closed or have reduced hours due to the limited staffing and services.

“Advanced tickets have been withdrawn from sale for strike day.”

The operator added that some services on the day after strikes may be also be affected.

Meanwhile, LNER, which runs services to London King’s Cross from Harrogate, said it would be running a limited timetable on the days of strike action and urged passengers to check their journeys before travelling.

Union bosses said the planned walkouts were a result of a pay proposal made by train operators which it said could not be accepted as it represented a “real terms pay cut” amid soaring inflation.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said:

“The proposal is not and could not ever be acceptable but we are willing to engage in further discussions within the process that we previously agreed.”

Besides train drivers, teachers, nurses and ambulance workers are all set to strike in the Harrogate district in the next two weeks.

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Longest serving female also excluded

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Harrogate businesses invited to quiz broadband experts

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Consultation was ‘never a referendum’

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