Public Health England figures show 12 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate District in the past week, but infection rates across the county remain low.

The data shows a small day-by-day increase in the number of cases between July 20 and 26, with just one positive case since then.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the prevalence of the virus is “likely to be rising” in England with some lockdown easing due for August 1 being delayed.

Further data has been released by government, known as the “middle super output area”, which shows the number of cases at a neighbourhood level across the country.

The move follows complaints from local authorities that a lack of data at a local level prevented them from managing outbreaks effectively.

According to the data, four cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton area last week. However, data for areas where fewer than two positive cases have been reported is not included.

Read more:

• No positive coronavirus patients at Harrogate hospital
• Harrogate Nightingale cost £15m – but still no news on its future

So far, a total 724 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the district compared with 2,566 in the wider county.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital announced yesterday that it currently has no positive coronavirus patients for the first time since the pandemic began.

The hospital has also gone 16 days without reporting a coronavirus death and no further deaths were recorded in care homes in Harrogate last week.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said that people “must remain vigilant” in order to keep cases low.

Well done to each and every one of #teamHDFT. pic.twitter.com/zimIENBlfF

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) July 30, 2020

It comes as last night Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care, announced a local lockdown in Greater Manchester, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale. Residents in those areas will no longer be allowed to mix with other households indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.

Mr Hancock said the government was placing areas into local lockdowns in order to prevent a second wave of the virus.

The government also announced a delay on reopening of “higher risk” areas, such as bowling alleys and weddings of up to 30 people

However, earlier this month, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, told senior councillors that the county was not in the same position as those areas with high infections.

Dr Sargeant said figures in the county “remained low” and that rates in Scarborough, which were the highest, were at half the levels of Leicester – which was also put into a local lockdown in June.

He said:

“We are in a situation where the numbers are low and that gives us a good opportunity to consolidate that situation to work effectively with test and trace to keep those numbers low.”

Disability Action Yorkshire’s second-hand furniture warehouse in Harrogate is to reopen on Tuesday.

The warehouse, in Hornbeam Park, sells office and home furniture as well as ornaments, books, DVDs, clothes, games and jigsaws.

The location has been a favourite haunt for TV prop buyers, with items acquired appearing in programmes such as Shameless, EastEnders and Birds of a Feather.

The enterprise not only generates income for Disability Action Yorkshire but also provides retail and customer experience skills for young disabled people.

The warehouse will be open for sales from 10am to 2pm Monday to Fridays. It will also be open for donations from 2pm to 3pm Monday to Friday.

Customers will be required to wear face coverings and observe social distancing measures.

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Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said:

“Since we were forced to close the operation down, we have lost more than £12,000 in revenue – money which would otherwise be used to fund our services to disabled people.”

“We have introduced a one-way system around the warehouse for customers, and there will be regular cleaning, quarantining of all donations, and fogging at the end of every day.

“And whilst we won’t initially be able to collect or deliver items, we will be reviewing this later in the month.”

In his first interview since he left office ten years ago, we spoke to former Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis about Harrogate’s retail woes, whether the House of Lords should move to York and what he thinks makes an effective constituency MP.

Read part one of the interview here, where Lord Willis of Knaresborough, as he is now known, discussed why he thinks Harrogate’s convention centre has lost its way.

What makes an effective constituency MP?

You did not need to be a great sociologist to see that Harrogate was a Tory-leaning town so I saw no future trying to spend my time outdoing the opposition.

I saw my job as an MP to really represent those who required representation. It didn’t matter to me what their politics were.

More than that, I actually enjoyed people. I enjoyed being at the summer fair, the Christmas bazaar or going to church on a Sunday. I enjoyed visiting elderly people’s homes and having a laugh with residents.

If you don’t enjoy these things then actually being the MP is a pretty miserable job, quite frankly.

Can Harrogate’s high street be saved?

Anyone who thinks the high street can go back to what it was, even 10 years ago, is living with false hope. High streets throughout Britain are undergoing a revolution.

There’s a limit to how many coffee shops you can have because in order to enjoy that there has to be other things going on.

I was delighted to see the Everyman cinema come in. It’s a good experience in a part of the town that was slightly off-centre. I do feel the answer for Harrogate is, how do you get people to come in and stay? It means you have to have some attractions.

Simply having more of the same is really not the answer. Harrogate starts from a very good place. It hasn’t got huge 1960s and 70s shopping centres that are tired. Our centre is very attractive but I don’t see research into the future of the town going on.

It’s not something that politicians should do, it’s something for business people and local people — and you have to inspire them to work at it.

Do you have any regrets from your time as an MP?

I never live with regrets. I’ve always had that philosophy. You do your best and sometimes you get things wrong or right. As a constituency MP I genuinely believed my team and I did make people feel they were represented.

If they had an issue then we would deal with it. I’ve never claimed to create miracles — but there were literally thousands of people who were better off during our time there.

Should the House of Lords move to York?

If we think as a nation the one thing we need to do is provide a retirement home for elderly politicians then I do think we’ve hit rock bottom! I don’t think it’s going to happen.

The House of Lords is becoming more irrelevant with every day. This government has adopted a US-style where Parliament is a nuisance rather than being what it should be — which is holding up the flames of democracy to the government’s feet.

Would local government devolution benefit Harrogate?

During my time, the relationship between HBC and North Yorkshire County Council was always fraught. There was no doubt NYCC saw itself as being of far greater importance than HBC and sometimes decisions were taken that were not always to Harrogate’s benefit.

The whole two-tier system was flawed right from the outset in 1974. As we move forward to the devolution era, will we make the same mistake again? Instead of making democracy closer to people will we take it further and further away?

Once people feel they do not have ownership of decisions, then you get mass cynicism and people say, what is the point of all this?

I’m a great lover of local government. It wasn’t always totally successful but I don’t think the models being drawn up will bring us closer to the people. Unless local people are involved in the services which they pay then you will not get the quality they need.

Is Harrogate’s Local Plan good for the town?

When you design a Local Plan and you base it on what is best for us politically then you lose out. Local Plans have got to be designed with a number of broad concepts in mind.

Harrogate has a lot of incredibly wealthy people but it’s serviced by a lot of people on modest salaries who want to live in homes they can afford — they’ve not had that.

As council leader, I did deals with the late George Crowther to put in affordable housing on the old general hospital site. I just think unless you provide good housing for local people then your town dies a bit really.

It’s a truism that development is never popular with those who don’t want it, but it has got to be evenly distributed. Unless you have a plan that is long-term that you can sell to the people as their plan, not our plan, then you won’t get a buy-in. You look at the 3,000 homes in Green Hammerton and think to yourself — what’s all that about? Does that serve Harrogate?

One reason I won the election to be council leader in 1990 was because we refused to sell land to a supermarket at where is now Stonefall Cemetery.

We turned down £15m, but when you look at how many people have the ashes of their loved ones spread there over the last 30 years, you realise that was a price worth paying.

We still got a supermarket but we didn’t get the money for it — but that’s not what councils are in business for. They’re in business for weighing things up and making sure they’re creating an environment for people to live in. That’s my philosophy.

Do you miss being an MP?

I miss enormously being the MP in Harrogate. I enjoyed those 13 years very much indeed. They were exciting times and I felt an enormous connection to the people of Harrogate.

I owe them an enormous debt for the way they supported me in what I was trying to do. I remember it with huge fondness. I had a love affair with Harrogate.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for the last two weeks.

It is the second-longest time the hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, highlighting how the number of deaths has slowed in recent weeks.

The hospital has so far reported 82 coronavirus deaths and released 141 people after treatment for covid.

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• Harrogate Nightingale cost £15m – but still no news on its future

Care homes figures for the Harrogate district, released yesterday, showed the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 104.

NHS England figures today showed that a further 14 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died, including three in the North East and Yorkshire. They were aged between 55 and 90, and all but two had known underlying health conditions.

Former Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis has called on “amateur councillors” at Harrogate Borough Council to step back from their involvement with the convention centre.

In his first interview since he left office ten years ago, Lord Willis of Knaresborough, as he is now known, told The Stray Ferret that local businesses need to have a greater say in how the “highly specialised and highly competitive” business is run — or else Harrogate’s unique vibrancy could fail.

He said:

“I’m at a loss to what the council’s about anymore. You need to have some clear direction as to what it is they want to achieve and what are the time scales, then work back from there.”

Lord Willis, who was Harrogate & Knaresborough’s MP from 1997 to 2010, still lives near York and said he has kept an eye on local politics.

He said it made “good sense” for HBC to allow the NHS use the site as a Nightingale hospital – but said there “was no long term planning to see what happens when they move out”.

He added:

“It’s that lack of looking forward that as an outsider very much worries me.

“It’s too easy to just collect the rent. In the short term it was good for the town and the NHS. But it was quite obvious, literally within a month of it opening, that it wouldn’t do any business.”

Before becoming MP, Lord Willis was the leader of HBC running a Liberal Democrat council. In 1990 when he took up the role, the conference centre was haemorrhaging money.

He estimates that two out of every three pounds of council tax that was collected at that time went to financing its debts.

During this period, Lord Willis was chair of the convention centre board and said they placed more decision making in the hands of local businessmen, including John Hardy and Richard Hanwell.

Lord Willis said they brought the dynamism required to make the convention centre a success in the 1990s.

He said:

“They were right wing in a political sense but very successful businessmen. They really influenced the way in which we had to use the conference centre. I was in awe of the way business people made it work.”

Read more:

• £60m or £35m: What is the value of Harrogate Convention Centre to the district?

• District businesses’ ‘dismay’ over plans for £46.8m convention centre upgrade

Regarding the convention centre’s future, Lord Willis said HBC has failed to come up with a modern vision for the site.

He suggested they could be trying to target more American-style comic book, movie or videogame events.

He said:

“We’ve moved into a digital age but I don’t get the sense we’ve gone after that market.

“They are hugely popular everything from Star Wars to more niche conventions. You need people to think outside the box as to where is our next people coming from. I just don’t see that.”

Last week HBC announced it planned to spend £1.1 million on detailed design and project work for the facility, potentially leading to a major £47 million investment.

However, Lord Willis said this is only worthwhile if HBC has a sound plan, which he doubts.

He said:

“It’s not about bringing in a set of consultants, it’s about bringing key individuals who have an interest in looking at the business’s strengths and weakness.

“It’s not just money. It’s how you invest that money and recognising it might be three years before you get a return on it. That takes a lot of political selling.

“The council has already made the faux pas of getting rid of the council offices and building a new palace. That’s done nothing for the town and all it has is a semi-derelict building.

“It’s that lack of thinking ahead.

The Stray Ferret has asked current Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones for his thoughts on the future of the convention centre but he has so far declined to comment.

Tomorrow The Stray Ferret will publish part two of our interview with Lord Willis, where he talks about how Harrogate town centre could be reinvigorated and whether the House of Lords should move to Yorkshire.

Harrogate business leaders have urged the local authority to press ahead tomorrow with plans for a £46.8m renovation of the town’s convention centre.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will recommend spending £1.1m on a detailed feasibility study and a full economic impact assessment, according to confidential cabinet documents seen by The Stray Ferret.

The prospect of this leading to such a huge investment in the centre of Harrogate has alarmed some people in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, who fear their locations won’t reap the benefits.

But businesses in Harrogate have said investment is necessary for the survival of the town’s hotels, restaurants and bars.

Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, whose properties include the Yorkshire Hotel, the White Hart Hotel and the Fat Badger pub, said the visitor economy was “massively driven” by the centre, which is currently being used as a Nightingale hospital. He added:

“The hotels are really feeling the effects of it being closed. Some are asking whether they can afford to stay open.

“I absolutely support investment. I don’t see an alternative.”

Read more:

• EXCLUSIVE: Leaked report reveals dire financial state of Harrogate Convention Centre
• District businesses’ ‘dismay’ over plans for £46.8m convention centre upgrade

A spokesperson for Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Association said redevelopment “will help Harrogate attract new events and drive even more business to the town, which is great for local restaurants, retailers and the hotel and accommodation sector”.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the “backbone of the town” would change if Harrogate lost the centre.

But Ms Doherty said the centre was “far behind its rivals, which offer more adaptive space to include breakout rooms, the ability to offer smaller conference space and the technology to support it”. She added:

“The need to invest should be part of a rolling programme rather than years of little to no investment, which results in the big ticket option we are faced with today.”

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“It’s vital we have a modern facility, one that will continue to attract major clients from not just within the UK, but from abroad too.”

A trade show usually held at Harrogate Convention Centre in September has announced it will stay in Harrogate, with new dates released.

With the future of the NHS Nightingale still unconfirmed, The Flooring Show has struck at deal with Yorkshire Event Centre to use its halls from February 28 to March 2 next year.

It is good news for the town’s economy, keeping visitors in the area to use hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, bars and more during the event. Organisers said they will put on a free shuttle bus for delegates to access the town’s “unique charm and plentiful amenities”.

Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre Ltd said:

“We are delighted to be able to host The Flooring Show at the Yorkshire Event Centre and ensure that the UK’s biggest national flooring event remains here in Harrogate.

“Harrogate continues to be an ideal destination to hold events, in keeping with the latest government advice on social gatherings. We are pleased to play our part in supporting the local economy.”

Event director Alex Butler said:

The Hydro in Harrogate will reopen tomorrow with new safety measures in place for the pool and gym.

All sessions will need to be pre-booked to help the centre control numbers and allow for cleaning.

The safety measures mean that people will only be able to swim for up to 45 minutes and use the gym for up to an hour. Anyone who turns up early will need to queue outside or wait in their cars.

Read more:

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Harrogate Borough Council has not yet given a date for the reopening of its other leisure facilities.

This comes after the council gave its backing to an overhaul of its leisure services. It will mean that the council will hand over control to its new company.

Heading to the pool?

Those heading to the pool will be allocated their own changing cubicle and locker to ensure social distancing.

However, the current guidelines mean that the showers will need to remain off-limits.

The council has limited the number of people who can swim to a maximum of five per lane. Family sessions will be in the activity pool.

At the end of the session, the staff will ask people to leave as soon as possible.

Heading to the gym?

There are no lockers or changing cubicles available for those visiting Brimhams Fitness Centre so people will need to turn up ready for their sessions.

Staff have widened the space between equipment and limited the number of members in each zone, so there may be a wait.

The council has also provided cleaning equipment for gym users to apply before and after their workouts.

A Harrogate jeweller may shed a tear when he closes the doors for the final time in the next month after 43 years in business.

GA Taylor, on Oxford Street, is coming up to the end of its five-year lease in September but will not renew after the owners saw sales dwindle.

They are holding a closing down sale.

The shop’s owners did not blame coronavirus and said it had plenty of government support. But, they said, the business is not viable going forward.

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It has seen a spike in interest recently after holding a closing down sale, but will close when the stock runs out, which could be in the next few weeks.

Andrew Taylor, son of the owner Graham Anthony Taylor, told The Stray Ferret:

“It’s sad but positive at the same time. Speaking for my father, it is hard to tell that anything is happening, but when we close that door for the final time I think it will be emotional for him.

Through the years we have seen a lot of changes in Harrogate. It was quite a prosperous business when we first set up but there wasn’t the competition from online shops.”

They have seen a spike in interest since the closing down sale.

Mr Taylor added that a combination of high rent and low footfall in the area has made it difficult for the business going forward.

Since announcing the closure, GA Taylor has been inundated with supportive messages from former customers – many of whom reminisced about buying their wedding rings from the long-standing firm.

A Harrogate resident has organised an emotional tribute to her friend who was cared for in her final days by Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Anne Boland lost her “soul mate” Dora Storey this month. Dora was cared for by the home service palliative team at Harrogate-based charity Saint Michael’s.

To say thank you, Anne invited residents from her street to clap for the end of life team when the hearse carrying Dora passed by on Friday.

Both Anne and Dora worked in end of life care for over 25 years. Anne said:

“Dora knew how ill she was and wanted to die at home – she got her wish and for the last weeks of her life received the most wonderful care. We both felt the Saint Michael’s home care service was thoughtful, responsive and that the level of communication between services was extraordinary.

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Residents of Poplar Crescent as well as a member of the Saint Michael’s home team lined the street to applaud as the hearse drove past. Anne said:

“I invited the street to come and applaud as I wanted to be able to honour Dora and at the same time, draw attention to the wonderful teams who work in local palliative care.”