Harrogate salaries increase as number of EU workers drop

The average salary of jobs advertised in the Harrogate district from January to March 2021 rose by 28% compared with the same three-month period last year, according to a report by Harrogate borough council.

The quarterly economic overview of the Harrogate district says that the average salary for jobs advertised in the first quarter of this year was £32,000 – up from £25,000 in 2020.

The five sectors providing the largest number of employment opportunities were human health and social work; education; professional, scientific and technical; wholesale and retail trade; and accommodation and food services.

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However, the number of vacancies in the care and hospitality industries in particular are causing headaches.

It was reported this week that around 500 care workers in North Yorkshire could be forced out of their jobs when compulsory vaccines come into force in November.

Mike Padgham, chair of the non-profit organisation Independent Care Group, which provides care services in North Yorkshire and York, told the local democracy reporting service about the scale of the crisis. He said: 

“The staffing crisis is now so bad that providers are battling day-to-day to cover shifts both in homes and in looking after people in their own home.

“Many say it is the worst they have known in more than 30 years and so we need urgent action now before the added pressures of winter turn this into a total meltdown.”

EU nationals in the Harrogate district

Meanwhile, the number of national insurance number (NINO) registrations by EU nationals has decreased year-on-year by 64%.

Between January and March 2020, there were 67 NINO EU registrations.

In the same period this year, there were only 24 NINO EU registrations in total.

There are some signs that this may change though. Last month, the branch manager of Travail Employment Group, which recruits front-of-house and catering positions across the district, spoke to the Stray Ferret about the impact of Brexit on hospitality recruitment.

Lisa Headford believed it’s overly simplistic to blame Brexit on the recruitment crisis in hospitality. She said:

“It’s not definitive. We’ve had a number of people come back to Harrogate from Poland as during the lockdown they didn’t have a permanent job, and they wouldn’t have got furlough. They are now gravitating back.”

Good news for the high street

The council report also shows an improving picture for the town centre, with the retail vacancy rate decreasing from 8.6% in January-March 2020 to 6.8% in 2021.

Councillor Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development, said:

“It is really encouraging to see that the economy is recovering well across the Harrogate district. Especially with shop vacancy rates reducing.

“As the district starts to exit coronavirus lockdowns and returns to a more normalised ways of living, we are keen to ensure that key investment projects are pushed ahead to ensure the local economy recovers and thrives.

“We will also not want to do this alone, and have already been working proactively with a wide range of people and organisations and will continue to work in collaboration with our partners to share ideas and maximise resources we have available to us.”

Starbeck artist goes viral… at the age of four!

A four-year-old boy from Starbeck has racked up over 2,500 likes on Facebook for a painting he created.

Clive Leeming, who started reception at Starbeck Primary Academy this week, became a sensation in the Family Lowdown Tips & Ideas Facebook group after his mum Elena shared his abstract painting.

Proud mum Mrs Leeming said:

“Like most parents we have our kids’ paintings on the fridge or wall for a while then put them in a box and don’t think anything of it. But this one in particular, when he brought it to us we were like ‘wow’.

“He only paints about once a week, but since he was really young he’s loved messing around with paint.”

Clive’s abstract painting

Over 1,000 people in the million-strong Facebook group commented to say how impressed they were with Clive’s artwork. Some even said that after years of art school they struggled to produce work of this calibre.

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Clive’s dad, Darren, added that they’re now trying to find him art classes in Harrogate:

“We really want to encourage him as best we can, because he’s got a talent. He’s loved painting from an early age, and it’s often abstract art.

“We’re trying to find a class, but it’s hard for a four-year-old!”

Four-year-old Clive Leeming with his painting.

Clive created the painting on regular paper, using acrylic paints and water. But what is the budding Picasso’s painting of?

“It’s an elephant!” he says.

Hotel Chocolat to open cafe in Harrogate

A new Hotel Chocolat cafe is to open on Harrogate’s James Street next month.

The nationwide brand currently has a shop on James Street but is set to open a new store across the road for its for chocolate-loving customers.

The new store, in the former jewellers Swarovski, will replace the company’s other shop and include a cafe.

It is due to open on October 18. Builders are currently on site renovating the unit.

The new store is recruiting a full-time retail assistant as well as a temporary position for Christmas.

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In July last year Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive of Hotel Chocolat, listed Harrogate as one of its “high flying locations” alongside York Designer Outlet and Beverley.

The unit was occupied over summer by Ellie Warburtons pop-up shop, selling premium cakes and hot drinks.

Woman sexually assaulted at Harrogate train station

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following a sexual assault at Harrogate Station.

A woman waiting for a train was approached by a man who tried to strike up a conversation with her shortly after 7pm on Saturday August 7.

The woman turned away but the man continued to speak before sexually assaulting her.

British Transport Police said in a statement today:

“Officers believe the man in the image may have information which could help their investigation.”

If you recognise him, or have any information, you can contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference number 567 of 07/08/21.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

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Tesco to revive controversial Skipton Road supermarket plans

Tesco is to revive controversial plans to build a new supermarket on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

No formal planning application has been submitted but multiple well informed sources have told the Stray Ferret discussions have taken place between the supermarket and Harrogate Borough Council with a view to submitting a bid before the end of the year.

The supermarket would be built on the old gasworks close to the New Park roundabout, which is on the junction with Ripon Road.

It is believed the supermarket, which would be built on land between Electric Avenue and Oak Beck, would be smaller than the one previously proposed during the 2010s.

However, it would be Harrogate’s first full size Tesco. There are Tesco Express stores on Cambridge Road and Knaresborough Road and one is being constructed in Killinghall, about a mile from where the new one could be built.

A 20-year history

Tesco has harboured ambitions to build a supermarket on the site for almost 20 years.

The Stray Ferret has obtained Land Registry documents that reveal Tesco bought the site for £2.8m in 2003.

It submitted a proposal to build a supermarket there in 2009, which was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2011.

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However, Tesco pulled out in 2016 following years of opposition from retailers, which said the supermarket would damage local trade. An Aldi supermarket opened on the retail park just off Skipton Road in 2016.

A computer generated image of the abandoned 2009 plans.

In a media statement in 2016, Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK chief executive at the time, said the site would be sold. He said:

“Our priority now will be to ensure the site is sold so that it can play a positive part in Harrogate’s future development.”

In 2018 Consolidated Property Group said it had agreed to buy the site from Tesco to develop a retail park but the plans never materialised, despite obtaining planning permission.

Land Registry document reveals that Tesco held on to the site and is its current owner.

Tesco declined to comment when approached by the Stray Ferret.

Police say wanted sex offender who is ‘danger to women’ could be in Harrogate

Police are searching for a man with links to Harrogate after he failed to appear in court.

Stephen Thrower was due in court for failing to comply with with the requirements of his sex offenders registration.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he didn’t turn up.

West Yorkshire Police said in a tweet today the 53-year-old was as a danger to women and should not be approached.

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He has a number of tattoos, including a swallow, eagle, tiger and dagger on his right arm.

Thrower has links to Harrogate, York and Bradford and police believe he could be employed as a fairground worker.

Police urge anyone who sees him to call 999.

Otley Road cycle route work confirmed to start in 12 days

North Yorkshire County Council today published details of the forthcoming roadworks on Otley Road due to the construction of a cycle route.

The scheme, which has been beset by delays, will start on September 20, with work taking place between 7am and 5.30pm every weekday.

Temporary traffic lights will also be used and there will be overnight road closures for resurfacing,

The council said it was liaising with Harrogate Grammar School to ensure pupils and vehicles travel safely to the school. Pedestrian access to homes and businesses will remain in place throughout the works.

Officials at the county council said they expected the work to be completed within 10 weeks, dependent on weather conditions.

The Stray Ferret reported this month that Hull-based PBS Constructed Ltd has been commissioned to construct the first phase of the route as part of a £827,100 contract.

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Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said:

“These improvements are being delivered as part of the government’s £4.6 million award to the council from the National Productivity Investment Fund for sustainable transport in the west of Harrogate.

“The measures will help to improve safety and alleviate the congestion experienced along the Otley Road corridor. 

“They are essential to accommodating existing traffic and supporting future growth, as set out in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan. The improvements will significantly benefit the community and help to create a better-connected and safer network for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Widening Otley Road

Cllr Mackenzie also apologised for any disruption caused as part of construction of the scheme. He said:

“The work has been timed to start after the busy summer holiday period, but we realise there will be some disruption, so we apologise for that and thank people in anticipation for their patience.

“Most of the work will be carried out during the day, to minimise noise for residents at night, though some work, such as resurfacing, can be carried out only at night under a full road closure.”

Work will include widening Otley Road on the approach to Harlow Moor Road as well as the creation of a designated left turn lane on the western approach to Harlow Moor Road and designated right turn lane on the eastern approach.

An off-road cycle route will also be created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road as part of the first phase.

 

Lost planning appeals have cost Harrogate district taxpayers £209,000 in legal fees

Planning appeals lost by Harrogate Borough Council have cost taxpayers almost a quarter of a million pounds in legal fees over the last nine years, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show the council has spent £209,411 on lawyers plus £15,765 on covering developers’ costs when being found guilty of “unreasonable behaviour” in unsuccessful legal battles over where new homes and businesses should be built.

The findings have prompted questions over how willing the Conservative-run council is to take on developers and why third-party lawyers are sometimes used over in-house legal teams.

It also comes at a time when the authority is waiting to hear how much it will have to pay developers behind plans for a Starbucks drive-thru on Wetherby Road which was approved by the government’s planning inspectorate at an appeal in June.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats and a long-serving member of the council’s planning committee, previously expressed her disappointment over a decision by council officers not to contest the Starbucks appeal and instead leave it to residents.

She has now said:

“The council should be prepared to defend the decisions using staff at an appeal, after all they are the qualified staff with local knowledge, what could be better.

“Every time they employ outside help it also adds to the cost.

“And even when they refuse to defend members’ decisions, as they did with the Starbucks application, they still had costs awarded against them so it would have been better for them to at least defend the council’s decision.”

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Councillor Marsh also took aim at the “unfair” planning system which allows appeals to be lodged by developers, but not by councils or residents.

She added:

“Why should developers have the upper hand? Why not a more level playing field? You never see a poor developer but you can see poor, underfunded councils.

“The planning system is very unfair and the balance is on the side of the large developers, in particular, those with the biggest purse.

“Appeals are costly and councillors are aware that it is council tax payers money that is at risk so would only proceed if they truly felt they were making the right decision for their community.

“There have been successes and also failures, but that is the cost of decision-making.”

Flaxby costs

Legal costs are only made against the council if it is found to have acted “unreasonably” when making planning decisions.

These costs are also made regardless of whether the council has won or lost an appeal, meaning successful appeals can also prove costly.

Last year, the council was successful in an appeal against rejected plans for 2,750 homes at the former Flaxby Park golf course, but spent £57,360 on external legal teams and paid £17,000 to cover a proportion of the developer’s costs.

These figures are not included in the total £225,176 spent over the last nine years because this sum only focuses on lost appeals.

Defending its record, the council said the majority of appeals made against it are unsuccessful, with 80% of applications referred to the planning inspectorate over the last two years resulting in defeat for the developers.

A council spokesperson said:

“This is positive as, by and large, the inspectorate has noted that our recommendations and decisions align with national and local policies.

“Costs would only be awarded to the council if it had deemed the actions of the applicant to be unreasonable, had made an application to the planning inspectorate and this had been successful.

“This only occurs in a very small number of cases.

“It is inevitably disappointing for the actions of the council to be judged as unreasonable. We work hard to ensure such occurrences do not occur, and to learn from the rare examples where a costs award is made.”

When has the council paid legal costs to developers at lost appeals?

And how much has been paid to external legal teams?

Harrogate’s Ashville College reports battery thefts after travellers depart

Harrogate’s Ashville College has reported the theft of batteries from lighting towers to police after travellers left the school’s playing fields.

Caravans departed the fields on Yew Tree Lane yesterday after an altercation, believed to be between two travellers, on Saturday night.

It was the second time in a fortnight caravans had pitched up at Ashville, sparking safeguarding concerns about pupils returning to the fee-paying school this term.

A spokesman for Ashville College said today:

“The travellers who arrived on Saturday and set up an illegal camp on our sports pitches have finally left.

“However, since their departure, we have discovered that a number of batteries from two lighting towers have been stolen. In addition to cutting wires, the culprits have also damaged the lifting mechanisms, and we have reported this to the police.

“We would like to thank the local policing team for their support and their continued on-site presence was a great comfort to members of staff and returning boarding pupils.”

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North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this afternoon the travellers had moved on “following intervention by Harrogate’s neighbourhood policing team”.

The statement added officers have been “working with land owners including the council to ensure security is maintained at other potential sites around the district”.

Travellers also descended on Hay-a-Park rugby field in Knaresborough last month.

Chief Inspector Andy Colbourne said:

“Communication is key in resolving community matters such as this, which can cause tensions on all sides if they are not managed properly.

“By working closely with all concerned as well as the wider local community, we’ve been able to help deliver a relatively swift resolution and prevent any further disruption.”

Harrogate Town boss nominated for Manager of the Month

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has been nominated for the manager of the month award in League Two of the English Football League.

It’s been a dream start to the new campaign for Town despite a covid outbreak forcing the club to postpone two league fixtures.

Weaver’s men are currently sitting pretty at the top of table, with four wins and one draw from their opening five games.

August saw home wins against Rochdale and Barrow and a 1-1 draw with Exeter.

Their only defeat last month came in a 0-2 loss to Leyton Orient.

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The winner will be announced on Friday. The shortlist is below.

Dave Challinor (Hartlepool United)

Rob Edwards (Forest Green Rovers)

Ben Garner (Swindon Town)

Simon Weaver (Harrogate Town)