Harrogate social distancing measures to be reviewed next month

The use of planters on James Street in Harrogate for social distancing purposes is set to be reviewed as lockdown restrictions ease.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council‘s executive member for access, told the Stray Ferret the issue would be reviewed next month.

June 21 is the date in the roadmap when the government is due to lift all limits on social contact.

At the start of the pandemic North Yorkshire County Council closed off parking bays to give pedestrians more room to spread out, in a move that upset some businesses.

A year later, planters and traffic cones remain on several streets in Harrogate and Knaresborough and it’s unclear how long they will stay.

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The measures continue to be a bone of contention. Harrogate Residents Association has set up a petition calling for their removal. So far, 561 people have signed.

Anna McIntee, one of the association’s founders, said:

“Please remove the planters that are blocking parking for customers on James Street and Albert Street in Harrogate town centre.

“It’s vital customers have convenient access to our shops as they try to recover from the pandemic.”

 

Shaw’s Trailer Park residents fight 66% hike in car parking charge

Residents of Shaw’s Trailer Park in Starbeck have signed a petition against a 66 per cent increase in car parking fees.

The site, which has 140 permanent park homes, has also hiked the cost of renting porches by 78 per cent.

The weekly parking increase from £3 to £5 amounts to an extra £104 a year.

The cost of porches has also increased from £1.40 to £2.50, meaning an extra £57.20 a year.

Those who pay for both, including bus driver Chris Taylor and his wife Maxine, will therefore have to pay an extra £161.20 a year.

Mr Taylor, who moved to the park from Bilton four years ago, said about 30 residents had signed the petition opposing the “blatantly unfair” level of increase. He added:

“We can pay it but there’s a lot of people here who are old and not well off who will struggle. It has caused a lot of ill feeling.

“I would accept the increases if they were by an appropriate amount, such as in line with inflation, but a 66 per cent increase in parking is outrageous.”

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The Stray Ferret called the park, on Knaresborough Road, and was told the owners did not wish to discuss the matter.

According to Companies House, the three current directors are John-Barry Noble and Anthony Shaw, both of Harrogate, and Nicholas Shaw, of Scarborough.

The site warden wrote to residents on April 27 notifying them of the increase. The letter, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:

“As you are aware there have been a lot of changes in the running of the park in recent months.

“Having gone back over our previous records we realise there has been no increase in the cost of your car parking and porch fee for many years. However, the running and maintenance costs of the park have continued to rise year on year.

“With this in mind, we feel it is necessary to increase the fees for your car parking and porch from June 1.”

‘They shouldn’t have to pay’

Not all residents pay for car parking and porches so those that do — including Mr and Ms Taylor — feel it is wrong that they are having to pay extra for the running and maintenance costs. Mr Taylor said:

“We absolutely love living here. It’s like being on holiday all year round. It’s a lovely little community that nobody knows much about unless they visit but this is unfair.”

Ken Bell, who has lived on the site for eight years, does not rent either a porch or parking space but he said he supported the move to oppose the price increases.

“It’s absolutely unfair. They should not have to pay it.”

Joanne Sadler, who has lived on the park for nine years and also doesn’t pay the charges, also showed support.

“I just think it’s wrong. They shouldn’t have to pay it.”

 

Harrogate strip club drops legal challenge as new licence agreed

A legal challenge between Harrogate’s only strip club and the council has been dropped after the owners warned a ban on dancers drinking alcohol would “simply finish the business”.

The Kings Club, on Oxford Street, had its sexual entertainment licence renewed by Harrogate Borough Council’s sub-licensing committee in September.

But conditions that dancers do not drink alcohol and must be paid by bank transfer led to the owners lodging an appeal with York Magistrates Court.

An appeal hearing was due to take place on Friday next week but will not go ahead after committee members agreed to new licensing rules at a meeting today.

Speaking at the meeting, Paul Kinsey, the owner of Kings Club, told councillors that he and dancers themselves ensured they do not drink excessively “because drunk girls don’t earn money”.

He said:

“The dancers are all there to earn money and they themselves realise that actually they are not there to drink.

“They are very self aware they don’t want to be drunk because drunk girls don’t earn money.”

Mr Kinsey also gave reassurances that dancers are escorted to a safe mode of transport at the end of their shifts, as his legal representative Paddy Whur argued an alcohol ban would “simply finish the business” due to dancers not wanting to work.

Mr Whur said:

“We do want dancers to have the opportunity to have a drink with the customers. That is something that has always happened here. It happens in every venue nationally of this type.

“Quite often customers will go into the premises and they don’t even want to be dancing. They will buy a drink for a dancer and sit and talk to them.

“You wouldn’t get dancers coming to work here if they weren’t allowed to socialise.”

Mr Whur also said the venue “wouldn’t get the quality of girls that we want” if payments to dancers had to be made through bank transfer.

He added:

“A lot of dancers will not work here if they have to be paid in BACS – they want the money when they finish their shift and that is for a variety of reasons.

“We do keep a very clear audit trail of who has paid what and when. Everything is done properly.”

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In September, councillors raised concerns over the safety of dancers after they heard how council officers inspected the venue in 2019 and found some panic alarms in dancing booths were not working correctly, although they were repaired the same day.

Councillors were also told the venue had been in “cahoots” with two former dancers over payments, although this was dismissed by legal representatives at the time.

It was agreed by councillors today that the venue’s new sexual entertainment licence would be renewed with the ban on dancers drinking alcohol and need for them to be paid by bank transfer removed.

The new conditions will be added to existing licensing rules, which include no physical contact between dancers and customers, no photography, no throwing of money and no use of sex toys.

The sexual entertainment licence covers topless pole dancing, topless stage striptease and full nudity lap dancing, and is separate to the venue’s alcohol and premises licence.

Free tours of Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery as covid puts focus on British war graves

Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery is holding free tours on Friday next week as part of a bid to encourage more visitors to British war graves.

With covid preventing people travelling to pay their respects to fallen soldiers in France and Belgium, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is highlighting alternatives in this country.

Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission.

It therefore looks very similar to sites abroad, with rows of immaculately maintained white graves of even size.

Junior soldiers at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College, who usually travel to war graves in Normandy, recently visited Stonefall and the commission hopes the covid travel restrictions will encourage others to do likewise.

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Stonefall will be the focus of the final day of the commission’s first War Graves Week from May 21 to 28.

Tours limited to 10 people will take place throughout the day at the cemetery off Wetherby Road, which is open 24 hours a day to visitors.

Tours are free but places must be booked in advance.

Stonefall Cemetry

Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the commission in the north-east, said:

“We are trying to draw people’s attention to the fact that we have a lot of war graves in this country,. People are aware of them abroad but less so here.

“Harrogate is a really special site for us.”

Stonefall’s Canadian connection

Stonefall has more than 1,000 graves, mostly of soldiers from the Second World War.

About two-thirds are Canadian, as its air force was based in North Yorkshire. But there are also also almost 100 Australian graves, five Caribbean graves and also the grave of the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force.

Stories of those who gave their lives will feature prominently in the tours.

A private closing ceremony for the week will take place at Stonefall on the 28th. It will be broadcast live on a Facebook as part of the commission’s digital festival.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, the mayor of Harrogate and the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire are expected to visit Stonefall that day.

 

Harrogate council’s judicial review bill amounted to £74,000

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed it paid Flaxby Park £17,000 in legal costs after last year’s judicial review between the two parties.

The sum is in addition to the £57,360 the council spent on its own legal fees to contest the case.

It means the council’s full legal bill for the long-running saga amounted to £74,360.

The developer brought the judicial review after the council opted for a site at Green Hammerton over Flaxby as the location for a new 3,000-home settlement in the district. It claimed the process was flawed.

At October’s High Court hearing, Mr Justice Holgate ruled in the council’s favour by saying it did not have to make the decision again.

But he ordered the council to pay 15% of Flaxby’s legal costs because it failed to adequately consider an environmental assessment of alternative locations for the settlement.

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The council initially refused to say how much it had spent on legal fees.

The Stray Ferret sent a request under the Freedom of Information Act for the information but the council said it was exempt from disclosure because its lawyers’ legal fees should remain private.

We requested an internal review of this decision. Joanne Barclay, acting chief solicitor for corporate services, overturned the council’s decision and revealed the fee paid.

Today’s revelation of the sum paid to Flaxby means the full legal cost of the review is finally known.

Police issue CCTV images of wanted man after Asda theft in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has released CCTV images of a man it would like to speak to after a theft from Asda in Harrogate.

The theft occurred at the supermarket on Bower Road between 12.30pm and 1pm on Monday, March 29.

According to a police statement today, “large quantities of valuable stock” was taken without payment.

The statement said:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the person in the images as they believe they will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC 383 McCabe.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12210108977 when passing on information.”

Pensioner with bladder issue wins Harrogate parking fine appeal

A pensioner with a bladder problem, who was fined after parking in Harrogate for four minutes to use the toilet, has won his appeal.

Lee Chadwick, 78, was able to get the fine overturned at the second time of asking by sending proof of his medication.

Mr Chadwick, who lives in Markington, parked at the back of the taxi rank on Station Parade to use the public toilet, leaving his wife in the passenger seat.

When he returned his wife was explaining the situation to the traffic warden. Mr Chadwick also talked to the warden but he still issued a fine.

Harrogate Borough Council wrote to Mr Chadwick saying he could either settle in the next 14 days at the discounted rate of £35 or pay £70 if he waited longer.

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He thought the fine was unreasonable so appealed. The council initially rejected the appeal but asked for a doctor’s letter as proof of his bladder problem.

Mr Chadwick was not prepared to bother with such a request. Instead he sent proof of medication, which has now worked.

Mr Chadwick told the Stray Ferret his good news, adding:

“Harrogate Borough Council has just advised me that they have cancelled the parking penalty notice.

“It means that my anticipated appearance in the Supreme Court will not come.”

Harrogate and Ripon vaccine centres to close in August

The vaccination centres at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon Races will close in August after clinical leaders decided they were no longer needed.

The two GP-led sites have administered more than 120,000 jabs so far. The Harrogate centre will close on August 13 and the Ripon site will close on August 31.

The pharmacy-led centres in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge are set to play a larger role in the vaccine rollout as a result.

NHS England believes the pharmacy sites, along with regional vaccine hubs in Leeds and York, will provide more than enough capacity to administer vaccines after August.

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Dr Chris Preece, a GP partner at Church Lane Surgery in Boroughbridge and clinical director of the Knaresborough and Rural District Primary Care Network, said the vaccination programme in the Harrogate District had been “phenomenally successful”. He added:

“As the programme moves towards vaccinating younger and more mobile cohorts, we’re already seeing evidence that people are choosing to travel to one of the larger, regional vaccination hubs, rather than waiting to be contacted by their GP practice.

“We would like to place on record our extreme gratitude to the Yorkshire Events Centre and Ripon Racecouse for their support and the generous use of their facilities.”

Dr Ian Dilley, a GP partner at East Parade Surgery in Harrogate and clinical director of the Mowbray Square Primary Care Network added:

“With the huge number of people now vaccinated in the local area, we feel August is an appropriate end date.

“We need to be mindful of the other pressures that will be placed on doctors’ surgeries as we head towards autumn and winter, and the annual flu vaccine campaigns that GP practices need to provide.

“We also need to enable our kind hosts at the Yorkshire Events Centre and Ripon Racecourse to provide their own events as restrictions continue to be eased and more public events are permitted.”

The primary care networks will continue to run vaccination clinics from both the Harrogate and Ripon sites for the next three months,

‘Victory for the people!’: Harrogate’s plastic grass removed this morning

Harrogate Borough Council has removed the plastic grass from planters on Cambridge Street after a huge backlash.

Workers have already taken out the fake turf as the council considers what to do next to brighten up the town centre. It said yesterday it hoped to have something vibrant in place by June.

Last night’s council apology prompted a big reaction on social media. Many praised the council for holding its hand up and admitting it had made a mistake while others called for it to collaborate more with people and groups to prevent a repeat.

Sarah Gibbs, an environmental campaigner who set up a petition calling for the removal of the fake grass, told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s a victory for the people. This change shows that people power really does work.

“I was really pleased when I saw the council’s second apology. This is a real one this this time because they are actually doing something about it.

“The petition still stands though. It also called for the council to work with schools, businesses and others to manage the planters.”

So far, in just under two days, her petition has attracted about 500 signatures.

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Shan Oakes, a spokesperson for the Green Party in Harrogate, said:

“It’s good that the council have apologised and accepted that they had done something wrong.

“I just hope the council will review its policy on biodiversity going forward, it needs to change its whole outlook.

“There should be a people’s assembly. If the council collaborated with people then this would have been avoided.”

Fake grass and planters

How it looked before the plastic grass was removed.

While many called over the last two weeks for the council to remove the astro turf, Extinction Rebellion Harrogate took direct action last week when it replaced the plastic grass with plants in one of the raised beds.

Jess Thompson, who took part in the protest, told the Stray Ferret;

“We are pleased with the council’s apology. It is a positive step but there is still a way to go.

“Biodiversity needs to be the priority, not aesthetics. I do not know how much would have been done if we did not take action.

“Hopefully the council will use this as an opportunity. Hopefully the people will also continue to hold those in power accountable.”

Parkrun tentatively scheduled to return to Harrogate and Knaresborough in two weeks

Parkrun could resume in Harrogate and Knaresborough in just over a fortnight’s time after an absence of more than a year.

Organisers hope to restart the weekly 5km run in the two towns on June 5.

The government’s roadmap out of lockdown has permitted parkrun since March. But obstacles have remained in the way of organisers, who still have to negotiate with whoever owns the land on which the runs take place.

Harrogate Borough Council has given parkrun permission to return on the Stray in Harrogate and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.

However, a spokesperson for the National Trust, which owns Fountains Abbey in Ripon told the Stray Ferret:

“We are still working closely with the organisers and volunteers at parkrun. We have no set date for a return yet.

“The National Trust is committed to working with parkrun. But we have to limit the numbers of people in our busiest areas.”

The Harrogate district appears to be in better position than much of the rest of the country. So far parkrun only has permission for 161 of its 589 locations.

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That low number means that the return of parkrun “hangs in the balance.” A spokesperson for Parkrun UK said:

“A combination of obstacles, including misunderstanding the government’s roadmap, reluctance, hesitation and unnecessary red tape threatens to delay the return of parkrun indefinitely.

“Parkrun UK must make a decision two weeks ahead of the planned return on whether restarting events on June 5 is viable.

“With all other sports returning, alongside the reopening of indoor dining and hospitality, further roadblocks to parkrun’s return feel unreasonable.”