Court orders Harrogate builder James Moss to pay £11,000

A court has ordered Harrogate builder James Moss to pay £11,495 to a woman who was unhappy about the quality of his work.

The Harrogate Justice Centre held a virtual hearing yesterday with claimant Anna McIntyre, which Mr Moss failed to attend.

District judge Helen Wood said at the hearing:

“I understand that you have limited your claim to £10,000 to get this small claims court hearing and that it would cost £22,705 to put this right.

“I have no difficulty giving you what you have asked for. As well as the £10,000 for your claim I can give you £745 for your court fees and £750 for your expert fees.

“The company has filed a counter claim without any supporting documents so I am striking that out.”

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The judge added enforcement of the claim was “a different matter”.

In a separate case last month, Harrogate Justice Centre adjourned another civil claim against Mr Moss after he told the court he was self-isolating.

Karen Macgillvray-Fallis claimed £9,996 through the small claims court, which is close to the maximum threshold of £10,000.

The court said Ms Macgillvray-Fallis’s case would be held in January but it has yet to be heard.

Andrew Jones MP ‘shocked’ by ‘inadequate’ free school meals

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has spoken of his “shock” at the inadequacy of free school meals and called for urgent action.

A constituent in Knaresborough told Mr Jones she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days.

The Conservative MP said on his website this “simply isn’t good enough” and that he would ask children’s minister, Vicky Ford to investigate the issue “as a matter of urgency”. He added:

“There are reports that the companies distributing this food have been paid £30 for a week’s food but you could buy what my constituent received for a few pounds. Fortunately my constituent can manage this week but that isn’t the point.

“Surely it would have been better and cheaper to give parents a loaf of bread and the ingredients to make their own sandwiches rather than send supermarket pre-packs? It would have been more nutritious too.

“What has been sent seems to me to be completely inadequate. Whichever companies are being used to supply the meals need to buck their ideas up and do it pronto.”

Mr Jones voted against free school meals last year and his comments have drawn criticism from political opponents.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats tweeted:

“We were shocked that he voted against giving free meals to low income kids in the first place.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party tweeted:

“Ten days worth of food costing £30! Cronyism in all its glory, profiteering from poverty and neglecting the very children that need to receive healthy, substantial food! Let’s hear our MP justify this!”

Nidderdale minibus helps rural people get vaccines at showground

It’s nearly 16 miles from Pateley Bridge to the covid vaccination centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

So for rural communities in the Nidderdale and Washburn valleys with limited public transport and a high proportion of older people, getting there can be difficult.

Nidderdale Plus community hub in Pateley Bridge is playing a key role in solving this and helping the government achieve its aim of vaccinating the over 80s as soon as possible.

Helen Flynn, the executive director of Nidderdale Plus, a charity that works in partnership with local authorities to provide services to the community, told the Stray Ferret:

“For some people, the prospect of travelling to and from Harrogate for their appointment could be daunting.

“There are those who live on their own; some have stopped driving and a number may not have a member of a family bubble to accompany them to and from the vaccination centre.”

Photo of Nidderdale

Older people living in rural Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley can travel by mini-bus for vaccination in Harrogate.

With Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley covering half of the total land area of the Harrogate district, a logistical issue had to be addressed.

It was rapidly solved when Nidderdale Plus called on assistance from Jill Quinn, chief executive of Dementia Forward, to secure the use of a mini-bus that had not been used for some time because of covid restrictions. Ms Flynn said:

The vehicle, with its volunteer drivers, makes regular journeys from Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley to Harrogate, collecting people en-route.

To ensure social distancing is maintained, the minibus takes a maximum of three people at a time for vaccination, and a rigorous cleaning regime involving anti-bacterial ‘fogging’ of all surfaces is carried out after each use.

Ms Flynn added:

“Jill lives in Pateley Bridge and was happy to help.

“Our aim is to ensure that all people aged 80 and above living in this area have no reason to worry, either about getting to and from Harrogate or their vaccination.

“As the vaccination programme progresses to target different age groups, the minibus will remain in use to help those aged 70 and above in the Nidderdale and Washburn valleys and others seeking assistance.”

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Bryan Ayers, who lives in Hampsthwaite, has already used the service. He said:

“The transport service for my covid vaccination was magnificent, I don’t know what I would do without the help as I do not drive myself and I have no relatives who can help me.

“When I got to the site it was really well organised both with clinic staff and the volunteers were very good, I hardly had to wait any time at all.”

Mr Ayers added:

“My driver was very friendly and just waited for me, I could not have asked for a better service.  I have had no side effects of the vaccine at all so far.”

 

Staff let go as Harrogate Debenhams will not reopen

Debenhams has announced today that its store on Parliament Street in Harrogate will not reopen and staff will therefore lose their jobs.

It marks the end of the department’s store’s long history in Harrogate.

Debenhams had planned to reopen all of its stores to sell off stock but has changed its plans in light of the third national lockdown.

Harrogate is one of six sites where the company has been unable to agree a lease extension and its store will therefore close.

A total of 320 staff across the six sites will lose their jobs. The Stray Ferret has asked Debenhams how many staff are affected in Harrogate but had no response.

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Debenhams announced on December 1 that it would wind the business down after entering administration in April.

FRP Advisory, the administrator for Debenhams, said it was continuing to engage with third parties about the sale of all or parts of the business.

Geoff Rowley, a joint administrator to Debenhams and partner at FRP Advisory, said:

“We continue to engage with interested parties over alternative proposals for the future of Debenhams.

“Inevitably the latest lockdown has had an effect on our plans for the wind-down of the business.

“We regret the impact on those colleagues affected by today’s announcement.

“We would like to thank all those who continue to keep the business trading in very difficult circumstances.”

Road works in Harrogate district to continue during lockdown

Road works in the Harrogate district will continue during the third lockdown, according to North Yorkshire County Council.

Several long-term projects were scheduled to take place on some main routes at the start of the year, including Otley Road and Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The lockdown has brought many businesses to a halt, with staff encouraged to stay at home.

But county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said construction projects, including street and road works, were permitted to continue in accordance with Public Health England and industry guidance.

He added:

“All of this work contributes to the safe, efficient operation of the highways network so other key workers can do what they need to do.”

“As traffic levels are reduced to a minimum, our repair work can be carried out quickly, efficiently and with little or no disruption.”

Mr Mackenzie added contractors were nearing completion of the £15.1m Local Full Fibre Networks scheme, which has seen 170km of gigabit fibre installed in 20 towns in North Yorkshire. He added:

“At the same time, the Superfast North Yorkshire project has continued throughout the covid pandemic in order to ensure that increasing numbers of businesses and households in rural areas have access to high quality broadband, which is even more vital in times of lockdown.”

M&S buyout set to bring closure of Harrogate Jaeger store

Marks & Spencer’s buyout of Jaeger is expected to lead to the permanent closure of the fashion brand’s remaining stores, including the one in Harrogate.

M&S workers were seen this afternoon clearing stock from the Jaeger store on Cambridge Crescent and removing objects from the windows.

The future of the Harrogate store has been uncertain since November, when Jaeger and its sister company Peacocks went into administration.

Other brands have been in talks with Jaeger’s administrators for months but no deal had been reached.

The deal with M&S is still being finalised but is expected to include Jaeger’s intellectual property and not its 63 stores, leaving jobs at risk.

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M&S did not confirm, when questioned by the Stray Ferret, whether its deal would save Jaeger’s existing stores.

In a M&S statement, Richard Price, managing director of M&S clothing and home, said:

“We have set out our plans to sell complementary third party brands as part of our Never the Same Again programme to accelerate our transformation and turbocharge online growth.

“In line with this, we have bought the Jaeger brand and are in the final stages of agreeing the purchase of product and supporting marketing assets.

“We expect to fully complete later this month.”

 

Harrogate homeless units still not used this winter

Harrogate Borough Council’s temporary accommodation units for homeless people have still not been needed this winter, despite heavy snow and ice over the weekend.

The four yellow units were installed in Harrogate’s Tower Street car park at the start of last month.

Councils are obliged to provide accommodation for rough sleepers under the severe weather emergency protocol.

The protocol is usually activated by sub-zero temperatures but other forms of extreme weather, such as high winds, heavy rain and heatwaves can also trigger it.

A council spokesman told the Stray Ferret:

“The units have not been used because they were only ever there as a back-up, or perhaps to provide immediate shelter for someone presenting homeless at 2am, when sorting an alternative would be a challenge.

“We’ve not needed them as a back-up and no-one has required emergency help at 2am. It’s a positive that they have only ever been on standby.”

Some people have raised concerns about the suitability of the units for people but the council has defended their use and highlighted the fact they are heated and insulated.

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Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, told the Stray Ferret last month the units were “comfortable and appropriate for someone who needs some shelter for a couple of nights”, adding:

“Each of the shelters has windows, heaters and toilets. We have several hostels and we are an exemplar council for looking after homeless people.”

New government guidance this year warned of the dangers of coronavirus in night shelters. It also asked local authorities to consider “self-contained accommodation options”.

No plans to close Valley Gardens amid concern over gatherings

Harrogate Borough Council has said it has no plans to close the open spaces it manages amid concerns about the number of people using them.

City of York Council closed Rowntree Park on Saturday after police and council officers received reports of groups gathering, in contravention of social distancing rules.

Government ministers have also urged people only to visit parks to exercise.

Some claimed on social media that people in Harrogate also broke social distancing rules over the weekend when they were enjoying the snow in Valley Gardens.

However, a Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“We’ve not had reports of people mixing against the rules. As you know enforcement of the law is an issue for the police rather than us.

“There are no plans to close, or restrict access to, the open spaces we manage.”

We also asked Yorkshire Water, which manages Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs whether it had any plans to restrict access but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Update – A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water has since sent the following statement:

“Currently our car parks remain open but we are continually reviewing in line with the most recent Government advice.

“We would urge anyone thinking of visiting our reservoirs during lockdown to follow Government advice and stay local to their area.”

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the government press conference yesterday:

“People should only be meeting with one other person. We have seen some large groups mixing. We do not want to change the rules, it can be the only contact for some.

“It is OK to go for a walk with one other person if you stay two metres apart. Just don’t say you are exercising when you are socialising.”

More snow warnings for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district is bracing itself for yet more travel disruption after the Met Office today issued another weather warning for snow.

Snow has just melted around the district but could make a comeback as early as Wednesday as today’s milder weather, which reached eight degrees centigrade, makes way for much colder temperatures of around freezing.

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A Met Office yellow warning for ice is in place tonight and another yellow warning for snow has been issued from 5am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

The Met Office said:

“There is a chance of a period of heavy snow across this region; should it occur it is likely to cause significant travel disruption.

“There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel

“There is a slight chance that some rural communities, mainly those at higher elevations, could become cut off.

“There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.”

Heavy snow caused significant disruption and chaos on the roads and for schools on Friday and Saturday.

Snow started falling at about 8am on Friday and did not stop in some places until after sunset.

North Yorkshire County Council’s gritting teams will be out in the Harrogate district tonight and tomorrow.

Bettys to close shops and takeaways ‘until further notice’

Bettys is to close all six of its branches at 5pm tonight because of concerns about the rising number of covid infections.

The closure will also affect its order and collect service as well as takeaways and will be in force until further notice.

Bettys online shop will remain open.

The cafe’s tea rooms were forced to close at the beginning of the third lockdown but management today announced the new measures.

Simon Eyles, Bettys managing director, said:

“Given the severity of the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently witnessing, Bettys has decided to close its Yorkshire branches completely. This means our café tea rooms and now our shops too will be shut until further notice.

“For us all at Bettys, our colleagues, customers and communities are our main priority. We will continue to do what we feel is right to keep people safe and to shoulder our social responsibility as a business.”

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