Leeds cocktail bar Roland’s set to open late night Harrogate venue

The owners of Leeds-based cocktail bar Roland’s look set to open a late night venue on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

An application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council for a licence to sell alcohol at the new bar, which it says will be open from Monday to Sunday from 10am until 2.30am.

The unit, at 23 Parliament Street, was most recently home to menswear store Moss Bros and is currently empty.

Roland’s website says it serves up “exceptional drinks, great music and a good time”. The Leeds bar opened in 2014 and is situated on 39 Call Lane, one of the most popular streets in the city for nightlife.

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The new bar would be the latest addition to Parliament Street’s nightlife scene, which includes the Harrogate Arms, Revolución de Cuba, Mojo, Wetherspoons and the Viper Rooms.

The Ginnel hosts bars Montey’s and Major Tom’s Social.

Some venues on Parliament Street have struggled to survive in recent years including Jamie’s Italian, Wagyu Bar and Grill and The Restaurant Bar and Grill, which all closed.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back. It’s Leah with you this morning bringing you all your latest traffic and travel news.

The aim of these blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, is to make sure your journey is as smooth as possible.

I’ll include all the latest roadworks, traffic hotspots and any delays to public transport.

If you spot anything or get stuck in a jam, give me a call on 01423 276197.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this mornings. I will be back with you on Monday morning from 6.30am with updates every 15 minutes. Have a lovely weekend!

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8:45am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8:30am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8:15am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads 

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

  • Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite, between West Lane and Brookfield
  • Leeds Road near Crimple Hall
  • Forest Moore Road at Belmont View
  • Otley Road at the Harlow Moor Road and Hill Rise Avenue junction
  • Oatlands Drive near St Aidan’s School
  • Boroughbridge Road, Ferrensby
  • Ripley Road, Bond End Knaresborough

Trains

  • Services on the Leeds, Knaresborough and York lines are all running on time so far

Buses

  • Buses in the Harrogate district look to be running on time with no reported delays or cancellations

 

Five of the 10 care homes with most covid deaths in Harrogate district

A breakdown of covid deaths for each care home in North Yorkshire has revealed five of the 10 worst affected are in the Harrogate district.

The new figures released by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates care homes, revealed 18 care homes in the county reported a total of 515 resident deaths during the course of the pandemic.

Health officials said the results “bring into stark relief the ravages” of the virus.

Five of the 10 care homes worst affected during the pandemic were in the Harrogate district. These included three in Harrogate, one in Knaresborough and another in Scotton.

Top 10 worst affected care homes in North Yorkshire:

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Every death from covid during the course of this terrible pandemic has been one death too many.”

“The death toll in care homes over the last 20 months, published by the Care Quality Commission, brings into stark relief the ravages of covid and the price we have paid as a society and that we continue to pay.

“All the families and friends who have lost loved ones to the virus are very much in our hearts and in our thoughts.”

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Care home managers must inform the CQC when one of their residents dies. From April last year they also had to say whether covid was believed to be a factor in the person’s death.

The newly published data is based on these notifications.

No link between care standards and deaths

The CQC said in its report that it has not found a link between standards of care and the number of deaths – something local health officials have also stressed.

The social care watchdog said contributing factors included the levels of covid in the local community and the age and health of the residents.

The struggle for PPE and hospital patients being discharged into homes without getting tested were also thought to contributors to the virus spreading quickly.

And although it is now widely available, testing was said to be a “critical” issue at the start of the outbreak with some test kits taking up to 20 days to be delivered to North Yorkshire care homes.

Mr Webb praised social care staff for their “heroic efforts” during the pandemic:

“Staff have worked heroically to contain the virus as best they could. We are grateful to staff in care homes as well as our own authorities who showed courage and bravery in doing all they could to protect our residents, working tirelessly during such a difficult period.

“We will never know, if we had not taken swift action supported by colleagues in the care sector in those early days, how many more would have died.”

Deadlock on Harrogate Christmas Market talks

Harrogate Borough Council and organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market seem to have reached stalemate in talks to save the event.

Since news that the market would not be able to go ahead on Montpellier Hill, both the council and event organisers have called for each other to engage in talks.

A week has now gone and both seem to blame each other for the situation. The council has now said it is working with other event organisers after it received “a number of expressions of interest”.

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In another statement prompted by a wave of questions, a council spokesperson said:

“Significant concerns remain for the emergency services and, as the organiser isn’t willing to address these, we simply cannot grant a licence for this location.

“We’ve made this decision now, following numerous conversations over the years, to allow enough time for alternative options to be explored.

“Other locations have been suggested but these have been refused. If the organisers wish to continue these discussions then we advise they get in touch soon.

“We’ve had a number of expressions of interest and we’re working with event organisers to ensure alternative Christmas festivities take place.”

Brian Dunsby, who is the event organiser, told the Stray Ferret after reading the latest statement:

“We have not been given the chance to see or hear the emergency services response this year. The police were satisfied with what we proposed last year.

“We have asked for an appeal to review the outstanding issues. Also we have asked for a meeting to review the alternative locations.

“The statement makes it feels as if the council is trying to get rid of the team that has organised a successful market for the past eight years.

“We welcome other festivities but they should be complimentary to the Harrogate Christmas Market.”

Council to award business case contract for £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre

A potential £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre looks set to move another step closer with the awarding of a contract to assess the economic impacts of covid.

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, will hold a meeting next Tuesday to approve the contract ,which will also involve work on a full business case and planning updates for the proposed project.

It follows a competitive tender process during which the council only received a single bid for the business planning works.

If approved, a decision would be made by the council on the business case in March 2022. The authority said this would fit with the timescales of the reorganisation of local councils in North Yorkshire.

The borough council will no longer exist by May 2023 as part of government plans to scrap the county council and seven districts and replace them with one super authority. It means it will no longer have control over the HCC.

The value of the contract and the bidder is not yet known – and will only be made public if it is agreed by both parties.

In a report to Tuesday’s meeting, Rebecca Micallef, economy and transport officer at the council, said the bidder’s proposals were “excellent overall” and that the business planning works would help form a final decision over whether the redevelopment should go ahead.

She said:

“The work will look in detail at the wider economic impact of the  redevelopment proposals on Harrogate, the district and beyond and help us to better understand the implications of covid on the industry and therefore the case for investment.

“Harrogate Convention Centre is a vital economic driver for the Harrogate district and wider region, providing a unique offer for the conference and exhibition market.

“The redevelopment of the venue offers the potential to deliver an exciting and major transformational project and is critical to the covid economic recovery plan for Harrogate district.”

After warning the 40-year-old convention centre may not survive without investment, the council awarded design firm Arcadis a £1 million contract earlier this year to produce design proposals.

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Can the events industry bounce back?

The venue was struggling financially before the pandemic hit and it was then used as an NHS Nightingale hospital for almost a year.

The 500-bed hospital did not treat a single coronavirus patient and after being dismantled in spring, several conference events have now made a return.

It was estimated before the pandemic that the convention centre attracted more than 150,000 visitors a year with an economic impact of £35 million. However, there are now questions over if the events industry can bounce back to pre-covid levels and what risks this could mean for the £47 million redevelopment.

There is also the question of how the project would be funded, with council leader Richard Cooper previously saying he hoped the government would provide cash to repay the “goodwill” of the convention centre’s use as the Nightingale hospital.

Economy and transport officer Rebecca Micallef also said in her report to Tuesday’s meeting that the development of the business case would play a “crucial part” in supporting bids for external funding.

Plans to rebuild the venue 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.

If this is not done, a report previously estimated the venue’s maintenance costs over 20 years could reach £19 million.

£300-a-night Harrogate district hotel shamed for paying below minimum wage

The government has named and shamed two organisations in the Harrogate district today for paying below the national minimum wage.

Swinton Park, near Masham, and Harrogate commercial cleaning company SBFM Limited were among the 191 national employers named by the government for underpaying workers.

Swinton Park, which charges around £300 a night, failed to pay £1,751 to 15 staff, according to investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs between 2011 and 2018.

The issue at Swinton Park, which is set in 20,000 acres, came to light following a HMRC visit in March 2017.

The hotel said in a statement today the HMRC meeting had highlighted how some staff accommodation deposits had been taken incorrectly.

The statement added:

“As soon as we were alive to the fact, all accommodation deposits were refunded to all staff and any errors were repaid in full, again in March 2017. The company did not receive a fine or any penalty.

“Swinton Park pays above national minimum wage to all staff and we are continually striving to be a hospitality business of choice for employees through our salary and benefits packages.”

Swinton, which has been owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s, is one of the top hotels in the Harrogate district.

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SBFM Limited, which is based at Cardale Park in Harrogate, was also named for breaching the national minimum wage.

According to the government, the cleaning company failed to pay £583.02 to one worker.

The Stray Ferret contacted SBFM for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Other notable businesses named on the list include John Lewis plc, Martin McColl Retail Ltd, One Stop Stores Ltd and The Body Shop International Ltd.

Business minister Paul Scully said:

“Our minimum wage laws are there to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay – it is unacceptable for any company to come up short.

“All employers, including those on this list, need to pay workers properly.

“This government will continue to protect workers’ rights vigilantly, and employers that short-change workers won’t get off lightly.”

Bilton garages could be demolished for social housing

Harrogate Borough Council is proposing to demolish seven garages in Bilton to make way for social housing.

The garages are on Woodfield Close, close to the iron bridge in the Harrogate suburb.

A report presented this week to the council’s cabinet member for housing, the Conservative councillor Mike Chambers says two one-bedroom homes could be built on the site, and more homes might be possible subject to planning permission.

The report says there are 24 garages but only 12 are occupied. Of these, four are used by local residents. It proposes demolishing seven to allow for the development.

The council also plans to build a two-bed property for social rented housing on grassland it maintains on the corner of Poplar Crescent and Poplar Grove.

According to the report, the grassland “is not used for any particular purpose and has no amenity value”.

If the council goes ahead with the plan, it would apply for funding from the government’s £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, which aims to get up to 6,000 rough sleepers into longer term accommodation.

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The council owns and rents out garages across the district and has increasingly looked at the pockets of land as a way to build social housing.

There are currently over 1,700 people on the council’s social housing waiting list.

Last month, the council approved a plan from its own housing team to build three council houses at the sites of two disused garage blocks in Ripon.

Could the Ginnel closure be permanent? Decision looms at end of month

A decision will be made at the end of the month on whether to keep the Ginnel in Harrogate closed to traffic.

Traffic was barred from the narrow road last year from 5pm until 9am each day as part of social distancing measures and to support the nighttime economy.

More than a fortnight after lockdown restrictions ended, the route remains closed to vehicles for 16 hours a day.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, when it would reopen or whether the closure would be made permanent.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, said:

“The closure of the Ginnel supports a number of local businesses with outdoor seating.

“While we recognise that customers can use indoor space, we feel that the continued support for outdoor space should remain in place over the summer months to help businesses and to enable customers to meet in the open air.

“This closure will be reviewed at the end of August.”

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Harrogate organic food shop to close after less than a year

An organic food shop on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate is to close next week, less than a year after opening its doors for the first time.

Nicola Mawdsley opened Joy In Store as an environmentally-friendly one-stop shop that would change stock with the seasons.

Ms Mawdsley hoped the venture would compete with smaller supermarkets but it has been unable to attract enough customers to make it work so it will close for good on Saturday, August 14.

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Like other businesses, Joy In Store has endured a series of lockdowns since it opened in November.

Although the shop is closing, Ms Mawdsley told the Stray Ferret it might return in a different form:

“There are potentially opportunities down the line. I will keep the online shop that is now ready and I could also do some pop-up shops.

“People loved the idea of organic, sustainable and plastic free shopping. It just seems to take a long time for people to change their habits.

“It is a real shame. Had I known that there would have been more lockdowns down the line I would not have gone ahead with it at that time.”

A sale in the 10 days before closure will see Joy In Store sell off its remaining stock for 25% discounts.

The shop will include not only the food but also the shop fixtures and fittings, including crates, trollies and more.

Staff absences force Harrogate council to delay bin collections

Harrogate Borough Council has warned residents that some waste collections will be delayed this week due to staff absences.

The council tweeted this afternoon that refuse, recycling and garden waste pick-ups will be delayed through the week but it hopes to have outstanding collections caught up by 5pm on Saturday.

It is not the first time waste and recycling collections have been disrupted in recent months.  In June, an outbreak of covid among staff working for HBC caused delays.

Last month, Cllr Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of HBC, said people should not expect public services such as bin collections to be “immune” to the same disruptions seen in the private sector brought on by the NHS covid app “pinging” people.

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Due to a number of staff absences, some garden waste, refuse and recycling collections may be delayed this week.

If your street isn’t collected as normal, you don’t need to worry about reporting it to us… [1/2]

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) August 3, 2021