A law firm with offices in Harrogate and Ripon has been closed down by the regulator over concerns about the way it was operating.

Kingly solicitors, which was trading as Ray Nixon Brown from offices on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Duck Hill in Ripon, was shut by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The organisation has intervened in the firm, part of national company Kingly Solicitors, as well as the practice of its three directors, Simon Hutcheson, Simon Peacock, and Champitka Ratnayake.

A spokesman for the SRA said:

“The grounds of intervention are a failure by Mr Hutcheson, Mr Peacock and Ms Ratnayake to comply with SRA rules, and a reason to suspect dishonesty on behalf of Nural Miah, who is a manager of Kingly Solicitors.

“The practising certificate of Mr Hutcheson, Mr Peacock and Ms Ratnayake have been automatically suspended, so they cannot practice as a solicitor. Mr Miah is not a solicitor.

“An intervention means the SRA has closed a firm with immediate effect. It will stop the firm from operating, take possession of all documents and papers held by the firm, and take possession of all money held by the firm (including clients’ money). It is not responsible towards employees or trade creditors of firms that it has intervened in.”

The spokesman said all current clients of Ray Nixon Brown and Kingly solicitors will be contacted by two agents – James Dunn of Devonshires Solicitors LLP and John Owen of Gordons LLP – about their cases. However, anyone concerned can contact Mr Dunn at intervention-team@devonshires.co.uk, or call 0207 065 1830, or Mr Owen at kingly@gordonsllp.com, or call 0113 227 0360.

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An uncertain economic climate for housebuilders could mean Harrogate Borough Council will buy more social housing like its unprecedented £4.5m spend on 52 homes on Whinney Lane.

HBC’s cabinet gave the green light for 36 of the homes to be made available for social rent with 16 transferred to HBC’s housing company, Bracewell Homes, to be sold under shared ownership.

The developer Stonebridge would not tell the Stray Ferret why it is selling the homes to HBC, but there have been signs locally that housebuilders are expressing caution in a market that has been thrown up in the air by coronavirus.

HBC’s planned purchase at Whinney Lane has been called its biggest investment into social housing in over a decade and could open the door to similar investments that will help people living in the district pay rent at a genuinely affordable price.

Waiting lists

The council has 1,523 households on its waiting list  — but in Harrogate, less than one in ten applicants are likely to be allocated a property each year.

This waiting list has swelled as Right to Buy sales have depleted HBC of its housing stock.

Introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, Right to Buy gives council tenants the option to buy the property they live in for a discounted rate.

But critics say it has trapped people into expensive and often poor quality private rented accommodation and has stripped councils like Harrogate of a vital revenue stream.

Affordable housing

HBC says that to create socially diverse communities, every large development in the district must include 40% “affordable” housing, which means homes sold at 80% of the market rate.

However, in a high-value town like Harrogate, an “affordable” home still costs over £300,000.

HBC’s own Draft Housing Strategy 2019-24 concedes that the town is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the town.

This means people earning a modest salary will never be able to get on Harrogate’s unforgiving housing ladder and could be trapped paying high rents forever, unable to save for a deposit.

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Liberal Democrat county councillor Geoff Webber told the Stray Ferret that he’s “ecstatic” HBC looks set to make the Whinney Lane purchase, and hopes there will be more to come.

He called on the council to usher in a “comprehensive programme of council house building”, where the homes are protected from Right to Buy and are available in perpetuity at a social rent.

Winds of change

Council estates have at times gained a reputation for bad behaviour which Mr Webber blamed on austerity and the closure of local housing offices.

Planners have avoided placing large concentrations of social housing together over fears of creating so-called “ghettos”.

But where once social housing was seen as politically difficult, it’s now firmly on the agenda. In each of the major political parties’ manifestos there were commitments on building more social housing.

After the second world war, the UK rebuilt itself with a massive programme of social housing and it’s been suggested that we should do the same to recover from coronavirus and deal with the housing crisis.

Locally, the mood music is also positive and at the cabinet meeting both council leader Richard Cooper and cabinet member for housing Mike Chambers enthusiastically backed the Whinney Lane purchase.

While the 32 homes at Whinney Lane will only represent a small dent into the council’s waiting list, Geoff Webber said building more social housing is a win-win for Harrogate.

He said:

“People living in council homes are no different to anybody else, they might have a little less money but they are no different. Some of them are absolutely essential to Harrogate’s economy.”

People from across the district came together today to commemorate VJ Day on its 75th anniversary.

Today commemorates Victory over Japan which led to the end of World War Two.

Services were held in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough to remember all of those who served and sacrificed their lives in the Far East to bring an end to the war. A two minute silence took place at 11am to remember the fallen.

Similar to VE Day in May, celebrations had to be reduced to allow for social distancing.

In Harrogate, members of the public, local dignitaries and members of the armed forces gathered to pay their respects at the war memorial. The Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Stuart Martin, said it was an “honour” to lay a wreath this morning.

Harrogate’s Mayor, Councillor Stuart Martin, lay a wreath this morning to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. Credit: Ernesto Regatta.

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• The county council chairman encourages residents to to commemorate VJ Day.
• A small service was held in Ripon to remember the fallen today. 

Members of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion arranged a service at the town’s war memorial in the castle grounds. During the service the newly refurbished commemoration bench was unveiled.

In Ripon, a small service was held within Spa Gardens with local representatives placing a wreath on the war memorial.

Ripon’s Mayor Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“On landmark days like these, we take a few minutes to remember what the men and women of the armed forces have done for us in every theatre of war and continue to do for us in keeping the peace.”

More Harrogate district schools and colleges have released data showing the a large number of A-level grades have been adjusted under the new standardisation process.

The figures paint a clearer picture of the scale of the issue.

Each congratulated students for their resilience during this unprecedented school term but expressed disappointment with the grading system.

St Aidan’s & St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form had more than 500 results adjusted after being sent to Ofqual, amounting to 38% of the total number of grades. The school said:

“Many students have asked about the possibility of appealing using their mock exam grades following the government’s last minute announcement this week. Clearly we have to wait for clarification of this process before we can offer guidance for specific individuals. We are truly proud of the students’ achievements and we are confident that they will move on to rewarding careers”

Harrogate Ladies’ College, it said 33% of its grades were reduced with a smaller number of grades going up.

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King James’s Sixth Form in Knaresborough saw 80% of its students have at least one grade changed. Head teacher Carl Sugden said:

“Whilst the vast majority of students have what they need for the next stage of their education there are some clear cases of the grades not reflecting the true potential of students and that has also negatively impacted on some individuals’ university entry. We are now waiting to see what right to appeal we will have for these students.”

Harrogate Grammar School reported yesterday that  35% of grades were changed after being sent to Ofqual.

Rossett School are planning to release this data at a later date and said they were “extremely proud” of each of its students. Helen Woodcock, headteacher, said:

“Whilst the school celebrated the achievements of all students, they were particularly disappointed in the disparities thrown up by the national moderation process. As many Rossett students have had their places confirmed today, others have been affected by national moderation, outside of the school’s control, and will be the subject of robust appeals. Along with other schools both locally and nationally, we have concerns about the methodology used to calculate the grades this year and the ‘triple-lock’ appeals process.”

The majority of those changed achieved a grade lower than the school anticipated.

The Stray Ferret put requests in to other schools in the district who are yet to publicise the data.

Two Harrogate bars and restaurants have seen a boost as a result of temporary alfresco drinking and dining and want it to become the new normal.

Both the Blues Bar and the Yorkshire Hotel have taken full advantage of the temporary relaxing of rules around alfresco dining.

They do not know when the scheme will end but suspect that it might come to a close as social distancing rules relax further.

Sharon Colgan said that the Blues Bar has seen its overall sales double compared to the same period last year. Simon Cotton also said that the bar sales at Yorkshire Hotel has doubled.

Mr Cotton told the Stray Ferret:

“We have been very fortunate with the weather. We might not be as busy without the sun but when it shines we have a good continental vibe that lots of people enjoy. Even when weather isn’t great we could put out some blankets and heaters.”

The Blues Bars has also enjoyed a boost.

Mrs Colgan also told the Stray Ferret:

“It might have taken the pandemic for the council to soften up a bit on this but we have welcomed it. I would love it if we could continue to use the grass just outside and I think there is a real appetite for it in Harrogate. The town would really stand out.”

North Yorkshire County Council relaxed the rules on outdoor dining to help businesses without dedicated outdoor spaces to welcome customers back with social distancing in mind.

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It has always been a temporary measure but the local authority has now said it is “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for alfresco dining.

David Bowe, the corporate director for business and environmental services at the county council, added:

“We have had some really positive feedback from businesses about the measures already in place. However, it is important to understand that there are inevitably differing demands for all road users and these have to be safely balanced.”

A group of Harrogate residents have raised concerns after a property developer chopped down five trees in the grounds of St Mary’s Church.

One of the residents, Matthew Weller, said he noticed that three trees had been felled last week. A couple of days later he woke to the sound of chainsaws.

It is unclear at this time whether the trees are protected or in a conservation area. The council is investigating.

Mr Weller rushed out of his flat as he watched the fourth tree fall. He asked to see their workman’s paperwork but said he was dismissed. The workers chopped down a fifth tree soon after.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The planning department has not made any decision on the original planning application from a year ago so we stopped paying attention to it. We are not trying to halt this process, we recognise that it needs redevelopment. This group just wants the best possible outcome for everyone.”

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The group has now got 45 members and has called a meeting for residents outside Westcliffe Hall at 4pm this Saturday. The organisers have asked just one person per household to attend.

St Mary’s Church on Harlow Terrace dates back to 1916 and is a Grade II* Listed Building. The church has structural problems and is in need of a lot of work.

What remains of the trees at St Mary’s Church.

The Stray Ferret approached Hattersley Property Solutions as well as Shaw and Jagger Architects with a request for comment. Both said they were not responsible for the felling of trees.

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret that it is considering placing a Tree Preservation Order on the remaining trees:

“We have been made aware of trees that have been removed from the site and we are now looking into whether that has been a breach of planning conditions, or not.”

Those who deliberately destroy a protected tree face fines up to £20,000 per tree through a magistrates’ court.

Ashville College in Harrogate has reported an increase in this year’s grades with the number of A* to B grades going up to 64%.

A further 39% of grades were A* and A, including students studying art and music who all achieved those grades.

Further subjects seeing high grades were English literature, French and Latin. The school has congratulated all of its pupils on their dedication to their studies and work during the lockdown period.

Acting head of the school Elspeth Fisher said:

“We want to pay tribute to our most senior pupils who have lost out on many activities and privileges throughout their final year at school but have continued to actively engage with staff through online lessons until May half-term. Each individual deserves to be proud of their achievements.”

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Read more:

• We have created a list of the district’s colleges and their results revealed today. 
• Harrogate Grammar School has reported 35% of its student’s grades were changed following the government’s standardisation process. 

Fourteen students from the college received A* to A grades across the board.

Among the high achievers were Mia Croft and Simon Floyd, who both gained A*s in all three of their A levels. Mia will now study geography at Durham, while Simon will go to Bath to study economics.

Harrogate Grammar School A-level students received their grades this morning, with 35% of grades being changed.

It is estimated that 384 grades have been changed at the Harrogate Grammar School, with the majority of those changed achieving a grade lower than the school anticipated.

Due to coronavirus, the 2020 cohort of students have had their exam marks generated by the school, taking into account factors such as teachers’ expectations and mock exam results. This grade was then passed on to government body Ofqual for standardisation.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“Our immediate priority today is to support our students to secure suitable progression routes. Our focus over the forthcoming days will be to further analyse and investigate the variation between grades and pursue subsequent appeals. We will pursue change through the appeals process as it is our view that the overall final grading of the cohort does not fully reflect what a typical cohort at our school would achieve.”

Read more:

• This list of the district school’s results will be updated throughout the day.
• Harrogate Ladies’ College students exceed previous year’s results today. 

The impact of this year’s grading system reflects a national picture of grade changes for many students.

The Harrogate Grammar School students received their results via an email due to social distancing restricting their ability to go onto school grounds.

Today was A-level results day for hundreds of young people in the district, most of whom have received their results online this morning.

Amid the pandemic, the students’ exams were cancelled and their grades have been based on teacher expectations, mock exam grades and previous cohorts’ results. All were then standardised by government body Ofqual.

Unlike previous years, students weren’t able to attend their college or sixth form today and instead found out their grades online.

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Apprehension regarding the results was heightened after a U-turn in Scottish exam results. All results that were downgraded through the new system were replaced by the original estimates.

Here you can find out how each centre has performed (more links will be added as results are released):

• Ashville College
• Harrogate Grammar School
• Harrogate Ladies’ College
• Ripon Grammar School 

Students at Harrogate Ladies College have achieved over 50% more A* to A’s in their A-level results than previous year groups.

Further success was achieved with 85% of the girls achieving A* to C grades across all subjects.

Unlike other schools in the district, the pupils were invited to a socially distant celebration on the lawn after reading their results online this morning.

Sylvia Brett, principal of Harrogate Ladies’ College, said:

“We are enormously proud of the achievements of all our girls who have worked incredibly hard in these exceptional and challenging circumstances. As an all-girls school we make it our business to encourage the girls to be bold and brave in their subject choices away from fear of judgement or embarrassment.

“I’m delighted to see that so many of them have achieved so highly across such a breadth of subjects. The teaching staff at Harrogate Ladies’ College and I are extremely proud of them all.”

As with all schools, the college students were unable to take their exams this year due to coronavirus. The grades have been calculated using a range of factors and then standardised by government body Ofqual.

Read more:

• Colleges across the district release their results online.
• Ripon Grammar School students are jumping for joy after their A-level achievements.