‘No further action’ after Harrogate peer breached Lords code

No further action will be taken against a Harrogate peer who breached the House of Lords code of conduct, the standards commissioner has said.

Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate was found to have committed a “minor breach” of the code after he did not make clear the nature of business of one of the companies of which he is a director.

A report published on Thursday by the Lords commissioner for standards, Martin Jelley QPM, said Lord Kirkhope was one of 24 peers to commit a breach.

However, he said the matter was resolved by each peer providing a description of the registered companies.

Mr Jelley said:

“Apart from the Duke of Wellington, the other 24 members committed a minor and inadvertent breach of the code of conduct by failing to provide a description of companies they had registered. 

“Each of them has resolved the breach to my satisfaction and I consider that no further sanction is necessary.”

The complaint against Lord Kirkhope followed allegations made by UnlockDemocracy, a London-based pressure group.

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Tom Brake, director of the group, wrote to Mr Jelley to allege that 39 peers had breached paragraph 53 of the House of Lords code of conduct, which says a peer should “give a broad indication of the company’s business, where this is not self-evident from its name”.

It said Lord Kirkhope did not make clear the nature of business of Reading-based Brass Trustees Limited, of which he has been a director since June last year.

The other peers investigated include Lord Sugar, the former Tottenham Hotspur chairman and founder of electronics company Amstrad.

Mr Jelley added in his report:

“It is the responsibility of members to ensure that entries within the register of interests are correct and up to date. It is in everyone’s interest that matters are reported accurately and fully.”

As Timothy Kirkhope, he was MP for Leeds North East and MEP for Yorkshire before being created a life peer in 2016. He has a keen interest in local radio.

The Stray Ferret has approached Lord Kirkhope for comment.

Why one woman’s roadside jam is Harrogate’s best kept secret

By the roadside on Brackenthwaite Lane near Burn Bridge, you might spot an umbrella and table outside a house with perhaps the best jam and marmalade in Harrogate for sale.

It’s all been homemade by former dairy farmer Elaine Church, who has lived there for 47 years.

If you leave £2 in her postbox, you can pick up a jar of orange, lemon, apricot, plum or pineapple jams or marmalades all made without preservatives. 

Ms Church said:

“I’ve always made it but I started selling it 12 years ago to see if I could, and I just kept going. 

“It’s seen me through lockdown. I think I’d have gone mad if I hadn’t had it.”

When Ms Church is in the garden she enjoys chatting to customers and said she meets people from all walks of life.

She said:

“Usually they tell me it’s alright, They go mad for the piccalilli, I can’t sell enough piccalilli! They say it’s lovely.”

‘Not out too fancy’

Ms Church also bakes cakes, which she describes as “not out too fancy”, on request. She had two delicious Bakewell tarts fresh out of the oven waiting for the Stray Ferret when we visited.

“Last week a lady said I made the best Bakewell tarts she’d had in her life. That was nice”

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Ms Church grows as much of her own produce as she can to make the preserves. However, a recent experiment growing raspberries failed to bear fruit after some cunning voles climbed the stalks to eat them. She is philosophical.

“You have to share these things with wildlife.”

At the end of the day, when she brings her table inside, she’s pleased to see an empty box and is even happier when people return their used jam jars.

“I hadn’t sold anything for three days this last weekend, for some reason nothing went. I thought I wonder why? But then on Monday the whole lot went.

“I want people to bring to bring jars back. I like to recycle.”

The secret to her recipes is nothing elaborate, just good old-fashioned Yorkshire cooking.

“Chuck some fruit in a pan, add sugar and Bob’s your uncle.”

‘The Grantley effect’: Property boom near luxury hotel

This post is sponsored by Lapicida

Since opening its doors in 2019, Grantley Hall has quickly earned a reputation as a top destination for the rich and famous.

It is a stately countryside stay, a glitzy resort, a wellness retreat and a foodie haven. And it is without doubt the place to be you want to show off on Instagram.

The 18th-century mansion, which has been dubbed by guests as “The Ritz of Ripon”, opened as a hotel after a £70m refurbishment.

It boasts 47 rooms, four restaurants, including one with a Michelin star, and 30 acres of sweeping wooded parkland and grounds.

The Palladian playground also has an elite performance fitness centre, with equipment so plush –  I would genuinely be scared to perspire – and a luxurious spa with two swimming pools. There’s even a nightclub.

Then there are the lavish events that are held regularly at the hotel, for example this month you can attend a champagne party and discover the “floral secrets of the stars” with a celebrity florist. There are also various super car meets across the year, so you can show-off your Lamborghini and swill champagne.

The fact that you can live your best life without leaving the grounds of the hotel, has sparked a property boom in the Grantley area, according to the owner of a Harrogate estate agents.

‘The Grantley effect’

Jeremy Hopkinson OBE, owner of Hopkinsons, said as well as property prices going up, people are also requesting to live within a 20-mile radius of Grantley Hall, making it one of the most desirable areas to live in the district.

He has labelled this ‘The Grantley effect’.

He said:

“We have seen a strong demand for the villages within a short drive to Grantley Hall.

“For example properties in Ripley, Hampsthwaite and the Burnt Yates area, as well as the immediate villages close to Grantley.

“Clients have approached me to see if there are properties that can be offered off-market.

“I have one client at the moment looking for a period family home within a 15-20 minute drive of Grantley.

“The whole Grantley set-up appeals to a wide range and age of buyer. They offer a high quality service and obviously you have got some fantastic bedrooms there as well.

“People are staying for two or three nights at Grantley and then ringing me to see if they can view properties close to it.

“I’ve currently got two local clients trying to find something in the area because they like going there. I’ve also got a couple from London coming to view properties because they have heard about Grantley.”

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Property boom 

Mr Hopkinson OBE said the whole district is currently seeing a major property boom.

He said:

“It’s a very interesting time. Most estate agents are short of properties because they have been so busy.

“In this area there has been a 10 per cent increase in property prices this year – specifically for country homes which are in huge demand.

“People want a change of scenery and more space for everybody. I think they want a view and bigger gardens and are prepared to travel to Ripon or Harrogate and get the train down to London for work.

“There are also more people wanting to move into the area.”

Mr Hopkinson OBE said he had just sold three major properties off-market in the area, including one as a result of the buyers wanting to use the spa at Grantley Hall.

He said:

“It has boosted sales of properties around that area and will continue to do so.

“It’s a very desirable area and people want to be in a short drive of it. This is good news for the local economy basically. They use local producers and employ a lot of staff locally as well.”

Three properties that have sold or are for sale in villages near Grantley

A £1.7million five-bedroom detached home in Burnt Yates that has just been sold by Hopkinsons.

Click here to view the property

A detached five-bedroom property for sale by Hunters in Kirkby Malzeard for £750,000.

Click here to view the property

Nicholls Tyreman is selling this new semi-detached three-bedroom home in Birstwith for £395,000.

Click here to view the property

Harrogate protesters tell Philip Allott to go over Sarah Everard comments

Protesters braved the rain and wind in Harrogate today to call on North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) to resign over his Sarah Everard comments.

The group gathered near the war memorial at 11.30am to coincide with a public engagement meeting organised by the PFCC’s office, which Mr Allott did not attend.

It comes after Mr Allott said in an interview with BBC Radio York that women “need to be street wise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.

Those comments sparked widespread anger. Mr Allott’s name trended on Twitter with calls for his resignation yesterday.

Less than 24 hours later a group of Harrogate residents waved placards and organised a petition to call on the PFCC to step down. They gathered more than 160 signatures in under an hour.

“The Police Fire and Crime Commissioner tells us not to trust the police.”

‘Police need to get to the root of the problem’

Margaret Smith, one of the protesters, told the Stray Ferret:

“I think his comments were totally unacceptable. It was an insult to all women to say that we should be more streetwise to stop this violence.

“It shows what he really thinks. His position is completely untenable, he should resign immediately. This protest should not be necessary.”

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Freya Kesteven also said:

“In my opinion a lot of violence against women and victim blaming starts in schools, I don’t think girls are safe at school.

“The behaviour is not challenged and I think it can lead to extreme incidents like the Sarah Everard case. So I felt awful reading Mr Allott’s comments.”

They urged people passing by to sign a petition.

Hannah Ruddy added:

“I was very, very shocked. I studied criminal law, I would say that I am intelligent and clued up, I keep myself safe. But I would have got in that car.

“What needs to happen is the police need to start getting to the root of all of this, they need to take complaints more seriously.”

A man at the protest who wanted to show support for Mr Allott, but did not wish to be named, said:

“I think the comments were made with good intent. I don’t think he was trying to demonise or victimise women.

“We all have to take more personal responsibility for our own safety. Like Mr Allott I am only saying that in the wider context, not for Sarah Everard’s case.”

More than 160 people signed the petition.

The Stray Ferret approached the PFCC’s office but it did not wish to comment on the protest today but pointed us back to Mr Allott’s apology on Twitter:

“I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for my comments on BBC radio York earlier today, which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.”

Harrogate district continues to set new coronavirus rate record

The Harrogate district’s coronavirus seven day rate continues to climb after it hit a record high earlier this week.

According to latest Public Health England figures, the district average has increased to 580 cases per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate stands at 470 and the England average is 339.

However, just nine patients are being treated for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital. That number has remained much lower during previous waves before the vaccination programme.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

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Elsewhere, 128,232 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 120,511 have had a second dose.

North Yorkshire’s director of public health, Louise Wallace, said this week that the spike in covid cases is down to “school-age children”.

She also said it was “quite unusual” that the county’s infection rate had climbed above the England average.

Organiser hails success of first event for Harrogate district climate festival

With therapy sheep, a passive house and plenty of environmental experts on hand – the organiser of the first event as part of the Harrogate district Climate Action Festival has hailed its success.

The three-week festival, which encourages local people to reduce climate damage, kicked off with an exhibition at Harrogate College on Hornbeam Park today.

More than 30 exhibitors were at the free event between 10am and 4pm with demonstrations, live music as well as vegetarian and vegan food.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development lead at the college, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have been extremely busy, people have been coming through the doors since the moment we opened despite the weather.

“The people attending have given us some fantastic feedback and our speakers were great, we hope it enourages people to take action.”

Step inside Pure Haus.

One of the big attractions at the event was a passive house, which Pure Haus built on site for the event. Kevin Pratt, a co-director at Pure Haus, also said:

“Our goal is to revolutionise the way houses are built in the region. There’s a lot of versatility with what we produce, I am really glad that we’re here today.

“There are a lot of misconceptions. There is a slight premium to the material but you get that back.”

On your bike!

Heather and John Rowe, who set up Resurrection Bikes, were on hand to fix up bikes and show off a specially-made cargo bike.

Mrs Rowe told the Stray Ferret:

“We have got this bike because lots of people go to the supermarket and make fairly short trips for a small amount of shopping and that is really bad for the environment.

“It’s bad for people’s health and for people’s wallets, especially with the petrol crisis. So if you have a cargo bike you can use pedal power to get to the shop.”

Tickets please!

Dale French, who was showing off an electric bus on behalf of Transdev and the Harrogate Bus Company. He said:

“I am here to show off our existing electric buses and also to say that we are investing in more electric buses, we want to electrify our Harrogate fleet.

“So this is step one in Harrogate. Then we need to start electrifying Leeds, Knaresborough and more.”

Meet Tiny and Dave.

Cath Wilson, who runs Corn Close Care Farm near Pateley Bridge, brought two sheep called Dave and Tiny to the event. She added:

“We have brought the sheep here today because they are part of our management of wildflower meadows, they graze the land and a byproduct is wool.

“Farming has earned a bit of a bad reputation with the environment. I think because we are small it’s easy for us to be sustainable.”

Three local gin cocktail recipes to get you in an Autumnal mood

As the leaves start to turn and the cool crisp Autumn air sets in, we tend to seek out more earthy autumnal flavours when it comes to our tipples.

Yep, seasonal drinks are totally a thing.

And there’s nothing like a good gin to warm the cockles when it starts getting cold outside and the nights begin to draw in.

In the Harrogate district, we are fortunate enough to have some of the best distilleries in the country.

Bar manager at Harrogate’s West Park Hotel Jordan Davis said there was a huge gin scene in Harrogate – unlike anywhere he had seen before.

He said:

“With the beautiful distilleries we have that’s no surprise. Our Masons range and Slingsby Rhubarb Gin are the clear favourites amongst them all.

“Our best selling gin cocktail would have to be either the Yorkshire Tea Negroni, or our Rhubarb and Wild Berry Sour.”

The Yorkshire Tea Negroni, a signature West Park cocktail, featuring Masons Yorkshire gin, Campari Martini Rosso and cranberry bitters.

Three Harrogate gin producers share their favourite Autumn cocktails

Slingsby Harrogate – Blackberry Sour

Slingby’s Blackberry Sour

Starting out as a flavour exclusively enjoyed by visitors to The Spirit of Harrogate store, Slinsgby decided to launch its Blackberry Gin last month after receiving rave reviews. The new gin was released to coincide with the traditional blackberry picking season and has been designed encompass an array of autumnal flavour

With floral hints of violet, followed by notes of rich blackberry jam and a beautifully sweet finish, it makes for the ideal base for this delicious Blackberry Sour recipe, a personal favourite of Slingsby senior marketing executive, Rebekha White.

INGREDIENTS

35ml Slingsby Blackberry Gin

15ml Slingsby Rhubarb Gin 

25ml Lemon juice 

10ml Hibiscus syrup 

Egg white (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Shake all of the ingredients together and then double strain into a coupe glass. To finish, garnish the glass with an edible flower or a lemon twist.

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Harrogate Tipple – Blueberry Fields

 

Whittaker’s – 007 Martini

Whittaker’s 007 Martini

There’s no escaping the huge fanfare surrounding the long-awaited Autumn release of the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

So as we say goodbye to the summer – and Daniel Craig – Whittaker’s has come up with this tasty little number, that is guaranteed to make you feel shaken and not stirred.

Toby Whittaker, co-founder of Whittaker’s, which is based in Dacre Banks, said:

“We have chosen this recipe incorporating our Navy Strength Gin as a nod to Commander Bond’s Royal Navy Heritage and obviously the Martini ‘shaken not stirred’, as this is his tipple of choice.”

INGREDIENTS

50ml Whittaker’s Barley Mow Vodka

15ml Whittaker’s Navy Strength Gin

15ml Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth

10ml Olive brine

INSTRUCTIONS

Police commissioner trends with calls for his resignation

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is facing thousands of calls for his resignation for comments he made about the murder of Sarah Everard.

Philip Allott told the BBC today that women “need to be streetwise” about police powers and that Ms Everard should “never have submitted to arrest”.

Mr Allott initially defended his comments by saying he was not blaming the victim on Twitter before he deleted the Tweet and apologised.

However, his apology has not stemmed a tide of fury on Twitter. More than a thousand people commented on his apology in under an hour.

These comments are completely obscene. It is victim blaming 101.

The onus should never be on women to change their behaviour, but on men, our institutions and society to reform. https://t.co/U8SThWM6tb

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) October 1, 2021

These comments are appalling. It’s not up to women to fix this. It’s not us who need to change. The problem is male violence, not women’s ‘failure’ to find ever more inventive ways to protect ourselves against it. For change to happen, this needs to be accepted by everyone. https://t.co/8oC2c5U9Pj

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 1, 2021

This idiot needs to be fired. Immediately. https://t.co/tNgeEluFWf

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 1, 2021

The police are telling women that women are responsible for whether or not they are attacked or murdered by the police https://t.co/TS8IAtObuY

— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) October 1, 2021

Since then “Philip Allott” has become number one trending in the UK, “Resign” is number seven trending and “Police Commissioner” is number eight trending.

Labour leader Kier Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, and TV personality Piers Morgan were among those expressing anger about Mr Allott’s comments.

The Stray Ferret asked if he would consider his position, Mr Allott said:

“No, I’m not. I have got a great record in protecting women. It was one of my campaign pledges.”

Mr Allott’s comments come as murderer Wayne Couzens, a Met Police officer, had falsely arrested 33-year-old Ms Everard in order to abduct her.

Couzens was given a whole life sentence at the Old Bailey yesterday

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Speculation Harrogate council leader will not seek re-election in 2022

Sources have told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper will stand down as a councillor next year and leave local government.

Multiple senior political figures have reported to us that the Conservative, who has been council leader since 2014, will not seek re-election when the Harrogate district next goes to the polls in May 2022.

He is expected to continue in his role as office manager for the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones.

With Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council set to be abolished and replaced by a new single authority for North Yorkshire, the number of councillors in the Harrogate district is likely to be halved from 40 to 20.

Cllr Cooper, who represents Harrogate Central, has been on Harrogate Borough Council since 1999.

In 2013, he was also elected to represent Harrogate Central on North Yorkshire County Council.

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Cllr Cooper has been at the helm during the borough council’s move from Crescent Gardens to the Civic Centre, the development of the Harrogate district Local Plan, which outlines where development can take place in the district, the staging of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate and proposals for a £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Cooper if he would like to comment on the speculation but he asked us to direct the inquiry to the Harrogate Borough Council press office.

However, the press office said it would not comment because it was a political matter for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party.

Free event kicks off three-week Harrogate district climate festival

A free six-hour event on Hornbeam Park tomorrow will kick-off the first ever Harrogate district Climate Action Festival.

The three-week festival, which encourages local people to reduce climate damage, is being held in the run-up to the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow .

Thirty-two exhibitors will be at Harrogate College from 10am to 4pm for a day of demonstrations, discussions and activities. There will be live music on two stages, as well as vegetarian and vegan food.

Visitors can drop in whenever they like and see a model, energy efficient passive house that has been built on site and learn about how their homes and businesses can become more environmentally friendly.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development lead at the college, said the event would be a family-friendly way of engaging people in climate action.

She added there were plans for the festival to become an annual event.

The festival will be launched by the Mayor of Harrogate and there will also be speeches by Andy Shepherd, professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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