An inquest will investigate how a 16-year-old Harrogate schoolboy, who was exploited by county lines drug dealers and struggled with mental health issues, died in a homeless hostel for adults.

Benjamin Nelson-Roux, a student at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died in Harrogate on April 8 2020. His body was found by his mother, Kate.

The North Yorkshire Coroner’s Office held a second pre-inquest review in Northallerton today to review the evidence ahead of a full inquest.

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Jon Heath, senior coroner for North Yorkshire, listened to submissions from lawyers acting on behalf of the family as well as the various agencies involved in the case. Mr Heath said:

“In the full inquest I must consider the risk to Benjamin and the responsibility Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council had for him.

“He was placed in this hostel because it was staffed 24 hours a day. The hostel is for adults. Benjamin was 16-years-old. He was deemed to be ‘at significant risk of death’ just two days before he died.”

Mr Heath revealed that he would call 23 witnesses at the full inquest, which is due to be heard over 12 days on a date to be determined before July.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Sarah Armstrong as the new chair of its board.

Current chair Angela Schofield announced she is retiring having been in the role since November 2017.

Ms Armstrong, a former director of operations at Healthwatch and chief executive of York Centre for Voluntary Service, will take up the role from April 1.

She is also a non-executive director at Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the hospital trust that looks after its estate.

Ms Armstrong said: 

“I am delighted to be appointed chair of HDFT. Being a non-executive director over the last few years has enabled me to understand the work that the trust does, and the difference it makes. I feel extremely proud to be part of HDFT and very much look forward to undertaking this new role.”

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Steve Russell, chief executive of HDFT, said: 

“Sarah’s vast knowledge and experience has been invaluable since she joined the trust’s three years ago and I am looking forward to working with her in her new role.

“The energy and enthusiasm she brings is infectious and her inquisitive, challenging nature keeps us on our toes and ensures we are always striving to provide the best possible healthcare for our community.”

Harrogate Borough Council is set to bring forward part of its redevelopment of the town’s convention centre over fears it may lose £475,000 in bookings.

A report due before the council’s cabinet next week will recommend setting aside £2.8 million from its reserves to accelerate creating “breakout rooms” in studio 2.

Paula Lorimer, director of the convention centre, said previously that bringing the studio part of the project forward needed to be a priority as it would be a “game changer”.

The work to studio 2 will include the creation of seminar rooms to cater for up to 1,200 people. Currently, the studio only caters for 570 delegates, which can deter some organisations from booking.

The work for studio 2 is now expected to be considered as a standalone project, while approval for the wider first phase of the project is likely to return before councillors at a later date.

The report to councillors says:

“If the studio 2 package is not ready by April 2023, the potential negative impact on the HCC order book would be significant.

“It is highly likely that the contracted events for the period 2023/24 would be lost, as without studio 2 these conferences would exceed the current breakout capacity of the venue.”

£12.9m hit to local economy

The council estimates that if the acceleration of studio 2 is not approved then the authority faces a loss in income of £475,000 and an associated economic impact on the district as a whole of £12.9 million.

This is because events for the convention centre are often booked 18 months in advance.

Read more:

• No final decision on HCC investment until 2022, says council
• Harrogate Convention Centre boss warns big events ‘at risk’ unless £47m refurbishment is accelerated

Ms Lorimer told a cabinet meeting in December 2021 that there was a “strong case” to bring the studio project forward.

She said:

“We are lucky to have one of the largest and most gorgeous auditoriums in the country with just over 1,900 seats, but we only have breakout space for 570 people.

“These larger conference rooms that we are hoping to have in studio 2 will mean we will attract much larger conferences.

“We therefore believe there is a very strong case to accelerate this part of the project.”

The remainder of the project has yet to receive a final go-ahead from councillors and could cost up to £47 million over three phases if approved.

Other plans as part of the project could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Around £20 million would be needed to complete a first phase of redevelopment, with another phase later.

Speculation has been mounting on social media after a photographer snapped pictures of a film crew in action at Crimple Valley viaduct yesterday.

James Forster, a wildlife photographer, set out to capture the wildlife in Crimple Valley when he spotted some unusual activity on the viaduct.

Pictures he shared with the Stray Ferret show a limousine, film crews with cameras and boom microphones as well as three actors preparing for the shoot.

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It is unclear what film or TV show the film crew is working on. There has been much excitement in Leeds where Samuel L Jackson has been filming a new Marvel series for Disney Plus but he is not thought to have headed north to Harrogate.

Mr Forster’s images on Twitter provoked comments that ITV has been filming Emmerdale in the area.

The Stray Ferret asked ITV whether it was filming Emmerdale in Harrogate but the broadcaster said it was unable to comment at this time.

The 31-arch viaduct is one of the most photographed structures in the Harrogate district.

The prospect of Harrogate Borough Council staff going on strike over pay has been removed after a national ballot.

Trade union Unison balloted members over whether or not to take industrial action after members rejected a 1.75% pay increase last year.

The offer followed a national consultation from the Local Government Association over a pay increase.

Of 62% of Unison members in the Harrogate district, 74% voted to refuse the pay offer.

However, a national ballot held last month on whether to take strike action over the offer saw just 14.5% of Unison members turn out to vote.

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Under government trade union laws, strike action cannot legally progress unless there is at least a 50% turnout for the ballot and the majority votes to strike. Because the national turnout was just 14.5%, the strike will not therefore take place.

David Houlgate, secretary of the Harrogate branch of Unison, said the proposed 1.75% pay offer would only increase pressure on frontline council services.

He said:

“While an overwhelming majority of those who voted were prepared to show their anger at the employers’ derisory 1.75% pay offer by taking strike action, they are prevented from doing so because the number of votes cast in the ballot is less than 50% of the number entitled to vote in the ballot.

“With inflation predicted to hit 6% this year, this amounts to another real terms pay cut for council workers across the country and will increase the pressure on frontline services, already struggling with a huge number of vacancies and losing employees at an alarming rate.”

Council staff ‘deeply unhappy’ over pay

Unison and other trade unions have said they will now look towards next year’s pay offer.

Mike Short, head of local government at Unison, said:

“The results show there’s deep unhappiness among council and education staff about a pay offer so far below the ​spiralling cost of living.

“There’s a real danger ​local authorities and schools will now lose staff to employers willing ​and able to g​rant above-inflation wage rises. Leading supermarkets, hospitality outlets and ​other private sector firms ​have either made, or are ​considering, pay increases allowing workers to keep on top of ​rocketing bills.

“Unison will consider ​its next steps and liaise with ​other unions when the​ir ballots are complete.”

Pharmall Country Store in Killinghall has urged dog owners not to bring their pets into the shop due to a mystery virus.

There have been widespread reports of vomiting and diarrhoea affecting dogs across Yorkshire, including in Harrogate, in recent weeks.

The shop on Otley Road, which sells pet food and animal supplies, posted on its Facebook page yesterday that it has made the decision to reduce the chance of the virus spreading.

It said:

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The Harrogate Vet, on Leeds Road, told the Stray Ferret this month that its vets had seen a three-fold increase in dogs with gastroenteritis.

Sarah Woods, one of the vets at the practice, said:

“It is not unusual for viruses to spread but this is different in terms of the sheer number of unwell dogs we are treating — around a dozen a day.

“We do not want dog owners to panic or change anything they are doing.

“Dogs that have symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea just need to avoid popular areas to prevent the spread.”

Work on the first phase of the new Otley Road cycle lane in Harrogate is due to be completed this week.

North Yorkshire County Council blamed “severe weather” for delaying the completion of the initial section between Harlow Moor Road and Arthurs Avenue before Christmas.

Last week it said it would be completed by February 21 but in a further update this week it said it will be ready on Friday.

The Stray Ferret has been sent footage of a cyclist travelling downhill along the route towards Cold Bath Road last weekend.

Much of the route is shared with pedestrians, which was one of several points flagged up in a blog by Hedgehog Cycling, which says shared use is not appropriate on urban streets. Some businesses have expressed similar concerns.

The blog, which covers cycling in Yorkshire, also raises concerns about the width of the route in some sections, saying it measures 93cm in one area — below the 150cm minimum requirement.

But it hails the cycleway priority at side roads, such as Pannal Ash Drive and Hill Rise Close, as “the biggest improvement over previous North Yorkshire pavement cycling efforts”.

Another cycling group, Harrogate District Cycle Action, has urged people to hold judgement until the entire route is completed.

Read more:

• Don’t judge Otley Road cycle path until its complete, says campaign group
• ‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate

What happens now?

Construction of the second phase, which will cover Harlow Moor Road to Beech Grove, is due to start in April. There is still no timescale for phase three.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said:

We are aiming to complete phase 1 by January 28, and we hope to start phase 2 in April 2022. Phase 3 relies on developer funding from the west of Harrogate urban extension.

“Plans are currently being worked on, which will then lead to more detailed planning, including a feasibility study.”

A cyclist sent in this video of the cycle lane to give others an idea of what to expect. What do you make of the layout?

A new hair and beauty salon is set to open on Harrogate’s Montpellier Street next month.

Allertons, which currently has two salons in Leeds and one in Nottingham, will take over the space previously occupied by Lifestyle Lounge.

Founder Nicholas Nicola said he’d lived in north Leeds all his life and always hoped to open a salon in Harrogate because he believed his brand would be well suited to the town.

Mr Nicola said Allertons hoped to bring something “new and fresh” to Harrogate and plans to start welcoming clients by February 22.

The left shows how the shop will look once the re-fit is complete.

The quick conversion of the premises aims to encourage Lifestyle Lounge customers to move their appointments to Allertons.

Mr Nicola said he has invested about £100,000 in the re-fit. The studio will open just one of its three floors at first with four members of staff.

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He added the other two floors will open in the months ahead and the team will grow to 16 staff offering hair and beauty treatments. He said job opportunities were still available:

“We think it will be well received. We aren’t led by fashion but what the clients want from root tints to bright blue. Harrogate already has so many lovely salons and hopefully we can bring something different.”

A Harrogate man has received a community order after admitting carrying a baseball bat down Parliament Street and making unlawful threats of violence.

Dan Swift, 21, of Fewston Crescent, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday charged with threatening unlawful violence towards other persons which would cause fear for personal safety.

Swift was also charged with carrying a baseball bat on Parliament Street on September 26 last year without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

He pleaded guilty to those charges.

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The court imposed a community order, which included 100 hours of unpaid work to be undertaken over the next 12 months.

The court said Swift’s guilty plea was taken into account when imposing the sentence.

Harrogate Borough Council has been forced on the defensive after revealing the draft version of a long-awaited master plan on how part of the town will cope with 4,000 new homes.

The West of Harrogate Parameters Plan was requested by government to identify infrastructure, transport and education needs in the area.

After months of delays, the 160-page plan was finally published last week but hopes it would provide a clear vision for the future were quickly dashed when residents reacted with disappointment.

Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association said the plan “totally avoids the heart of the problem” of thousands of new homes piling pressure on already congested roads.

The group also claimed the plan appeared to have been produced for the benefit of housing developers – not residents.

Harrogate Borough Council – which is working alongside North Yorkshire County Council – has now defended the plan which it insisted is still in draft form and will take account of residents’ concerns.

A council spokesperson said:

“The West of Harrogate Parameters Plan (WHPP) is a high-level master plan that seeks to deliver the policies set out in the adopted Local Plan, including those related to climate change, design and active travel.

“As we have explained previously, we do not have the powers to introduce new policy requirements through the WHPP.

“However, the WHPP will look ahead to planned changes to building regulations that are being introduced nationally and will continue to strongly encourage developers to meet high standards of design to help mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

Fears over schools and roads

Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council is another group which shares concerns over the impact of new housing developments on traffic congestion.

Its chairman, councillor Howard West, said the area’s infrastructure has suffered from years of “neglect” and that there is “no evidence whatsoever at this stage that any such provision has been made”.

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Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, also said the plan should give greater importance to the need for investment in areas including bus services, road junction improvements, the widening of footpaths and more cycling routes.

He also questioned how schools will cope with an expected shortfall of nearly 700 pupil places across Harrogate and Knaresborough by 2025/26. Mr Dziabas said:

“Many of the problems have existed for years, so we feel that it is about time that they were properly addressed.”

Final version coming

The WHPP includes provision for two new primary schools – one off Whinney Lane and another off Otley Road. It also identifies potential locations for sports pitches, employment areas, public transport routes, community centres, allotments and walking and cycling links.

Once approved, the plan will sit alongside the Harrogate District Local Plan as a guide for how future planning applications should be decided.

Several meetings have recently been held between council officials and residents to discuss the WHPP, and the council said feedback is now being taken onboard before a final version is prepared.

A council spokesperson said:

“Many of the community stakeholders – who have publicly stated that the plan should be published as soon as possible – have been involved since the preparation of the first draft of the WHPP over a year ago.

“And although there is no statutory requirement to consult, we are thankful for the ongoing constructive feedback we have received in response to the second working draft.

“Throughout the preparation of the plan, we have consistently aimed to deliver quality place-making that will provide a wide-range of private and affordable homes to meet the current housing demand, while also ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure to support these future communities.

“This feedback will be carefully considered as we prepare the final version for recommendation to the cabinet member.”