Harrogate is the cannabis hotspot of North Yorkshire

Police have raided more cannabis farms in the Harrogate district in the last three years than any other area of North Yorkshire.

A Freedom of Information request by the Stray Ferret to North Yorkshire Police revealed that 25 or more cannabis plants had been seized on 13 occasions in the district since 2017.

The district has also seen the most police activity this year, with 11 cannabis raids compared with just four in all the other districts combined.

In total, police have raided 43 cannabis farms across the county since January 2017.

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Officers also made 22 arrests relating to cannabis farms, though the figure includes people who may have been arrested for more than one offence.

North Yorkshire Police have been approached for comment, but did not respond by time of publication.

Figures on the number of cannabis farms seized across North Yorkshire. Data: North Yorkshire Police.

Figures on the number of cannabis farms seized across North Yorkshire broken down by Safer Neighbourhood Command. Data: North Yorkshire Police.

‘Sophisticated’ cannabis farms

Police were called to a cannabis farm in the district just two months ago.

In September, officers launched an investigation after a large cannabis farm was found in a former Ripon nightclub.

Officers were called to the former Matrix nightclub on Kirkgage when two people were reportedly seen running away away after being disturbed during a routine building check.

Despite an extensive search, including the use of a police drone, the two people were not found but a search of the building found a “large scale, sophisticated” cannabis farm.

Patrolling Harrogate’s streets during lockdown

Being a police traffic sergeant and father to a young child, Sergeant Paul Cording is used to being busy. Some nights he is the only traffic sergeant patrolling North Yorkshire’s 6,000 miles of roads.

But although the first lockdown decimated the volume of traffic on the roads, the second one has been far busier — and more challenging in some ways. He says:

“We’ve seen more high end speeding. That could be a result of less traffic on the road and people thinking they can use it as a race track.”

Sgt Cording, 49, who lives in Harrogate, said there have also been more incidents involving drink and drug drivers and more domestic incidents. But late night alcohol disturbances are down.

14,000 Twitter followers

Sgt Cording’s sometimes shocking tweets about life on the frontline have brought him a near-14,000 following,

North Yorkshire Police trust him to communicate directly with journalists and the wider public in his warm, engaging manner.

He weaves personal anecdotes, such as cannabis drivers, chasing suspected poachers and a colleague being bitten by a person with covid, with more serious messages, such as promoting the charity Brake’s road safety week.

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He says there were “some issues” within the force when he started tweeting in 2011 but increasingly the police recognise the value of officers engaging directly with the public and showing a bit of personality rather than parroting corporate lines.

“You have to be engaging otherwise there’s no point.”

A former RAF man, he works from 7am to 7pm for two consecutive days, then from 7pm to 7am for two consecutive nights then has four days off. What has been his most distressing incident?

“Being first on the scene of a fatal road traffic accident involving one of my colleagues. She was hit by a speeding drink and drug driver.”

Likes a beer

Since joining the police in 2001, Sgt Cording says there has been “huge progress” in looking after officers’ mental health by providing welfare meetings, incident briefings and trauma incident management. But some things are never forgotten.

To unwind, he spends time with his wife and three-year-old son, plays hockey, runs and “likes a beer”.

He tries to answer every direct message he receives on Twitter.

“I’ve only ever had to block two people and that’s because I didn’t want to buy any Raybans and because I’m a happily married man. Read into that what you will!”

£60 million A59 Kex Gill reroute could start in summer

A £60 million project to reroute part of the A59 Harrogate to Skipton road is scheduled to start next summer, if government funding and planning permission is granted.

The project, which will take a year to complete, will see the creation of a three-mile diversion west of Blubberhouses at Kex Gill.

The Department for Transport and North Yorkshire County Council hope the new route will solve problems caused by landslips, which have blighted travel on the road for years.

The road was closed for eight weeks in 2016 and traffic diverted through Ilkley and Otley after heavy rain caused a landslip.

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County councillors are set to pledge further funding next week for the realignment of the road if costs go above a government grant.

Plans for the new road on the A59 at Kex Giill. Picture: North Yorkshire County Council.

Plans for the new road on the A59 at Kex Giill. Picture: North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, told the Stray Ferret he was “hopeful” the scheme will go ahead.

He said:

“We are pressing for a decision on the funding.

“It has been a difficult year and there has been a change of government since we put the bid in.

“But everything we are hearing from the Department for Transport is positive.”

Cllr Mackenzie added the project could begin without traffic disruption to begin with but it might occur towards the end when the new road is connected with the existing A59.

The Department for Transport has indicated it will offer up to £56 million towards the project, with the county council covering the remaining £4.95 million.

While the government has yet to give final funding approval, it has set a condition that any further costs would need to be met by the authority.

Council bosses have estimated the overall cost to be £60 million, but added it could increase to £61 million if a public inquiry is held.

A planning application for the project will go before the council’s planning committee on December 15.

Senior county councillors have been recommended to accept the funding condition at a meeting on Tuesday next week.

Site revealed for new Knaresborough leisure centre

The new Knaresborough leisure centre is set to be built on the same site as the current one, it was revealed today.

Harrogate Borough Council said it had chosen the existing site on King James Road as its preferred option.

It was one of four options, along with Conyngham Hall, Knaresborough House and Hay-a-Park under consideration.

The council faced a backlash for considering Grade II* listed Conyngham Hall, with Knaresborough Civic Society among those opposing the move.

A Hands Off Conyngham Hall Grounds petition by the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats attracted more than 1,600 signatures.

But that option now seems to be off the table.

Conyngham Hall

Conyngham Hall appears to be off the table.

Ian Clark, Knaresborough Civic Society’s secretary, welcomed the decision. He told the Stray Ferret:

“This is good news for many people in Knaresborough. Conyngham Hall was not a suitable option for a leisure centre.

“It would not have done the historic building any favours if they built a new site right next to it and replaced park land with a car park.”

The decision is likely to be ratified at a council cabinet meeting on December 2. Residents will then be consulted on whether they agree.

Local property consultants Carter Jonas looked at the leisure centre options.

The council said the decision was based on factors including location, physical appearance, access as well as planning and legal issues.

A new £10 million leisure centre is also being built in Ripon. It will have a six-lane, 25-metre pool, an extended gym and sauna suite, three activity studios and meeting rooms.

Leisure services plans for the district take a step forward

Harrogate Borough Council also announce today is was set to appoint Alliance Leisure Services as its development manager for leisure.

The company, based in Somerset, will be responsible for the delivery of investment in leisure sites in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, will be asked to approve the decision tomorrow.

Cllr Lumley said:

“There are some exciting times ahead that shows our investment in the future of the sport and leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.”

Three weekends of disruption to improve Harrogate rail services

Three weekends of rail disruption in and around Harrogate will begin this weekend.

The disruption is due to a £9.8 million project that will enable trains to run more frequently between Leeds and York.

North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership is funding the upgrades, with Network Rail carrying out the work.

Network Rail will begin by installing equipment at Harrogate’s train station this weekend that enables trains to change track.

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Weekends of disruption

North Yorkshire county councillor Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access, said:

““When complete, it will significantly enhance the rail infrastructure in the north. The capacity of services as well as their frequency will be increased, making it much more convenient and reliable for passengers using this line.”

Ice cream show set to return to Harrogate

The Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate has received a welcome boost with the news that a major three-day event will return.

The Ice Cream & Artisan Food Show will be held from February 8 to 10 in 2022.

Harrogate has hosted the show, which is organised by the Ice Cream Alliance, every year since 2008. But the February 2021 edition has been cancelled.

Zelica Carr, chief executive of the association, which is a trade body and membership association for the ice cream industry, said:

“Harrogate is an amazing town with its array of hotels, excellent choice of restaurants, shopping and transportation connection from all over the UK, which caters for all visitors here and abroad via Leeds-Bradford Airport.”

The event showcases a huge assortment of ice cream varieties, equipment and supplies.

It also attracts companies from the coffee, pastry and bakery industries.

The Yorkshire Event Centre, and Harrogate as a whole, has had to cancel numerous trade shows and events this year due to coronavirus.

 

Several hundred people miss early cancer diagnosis in Yorkshire

Several hundred people in Yorkshire have missed potentially life-saving early cancer diagnosis because of covid, according to a Harrogate-based research charity.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive of Yorkshire Cancer Research, gave the figure in an interview with the Stray Ferret.

The NHS halted screenings in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Scott said:

“We have lost some opportunities to find early cancers. People were also very nervous to go to the doctors. Then the people that do go have delays in diagnosis and treatment.

“The NHS tried innovative ways to get around that. But it is still a sad fact that we think several hundred people have missed out on early diagnosis in Yorkshire.”

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She added that when people miss out on early diagnosis they often have to go through more invasive treatments and have a worse chance of survival.

Dr Scott spoke to us after the publication of the charity’s annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2020, which showed total income had increased from £12.8 million to £18.7 million.

Royalty income accounted for £12 million – up from £6.7 million – of this.

The charity, however, is expecting its next accounts to be more challenging because of covid, with fundraising income likely to be down by more than £1 million.

£8.3 million for new cancer research

To combat what Dr Scott sees as a “big hill to climb” with cancer, the charity is pumping another £8.3 million into new research.

Of this sum, £3.4 million will be used to fund research into whether chemotherapy before surgery in bowel cancer patients improves survival rates.

Other projects it funds will look into ways to use medication to slow the spread of prostate cancer, urine tests to detect bladder cancer and whether vaping products can help those with mental illness quit smoking.

How coronavirus vaccine push can help cancer research

There has been much excitement about the development of coronavirus vaccines with efficacy of up to 95%.

Dr Scott hopes the development of new technologies, such as synthetic DNA-based vaccines, could be adapted to improve cancer treatments. She said:

“One of the benefits of the way they have run the clinical trials is the new technology and the new techniques they’re using in those trials.

“It really compresses the time and so absolutely in the future, fingers crossed, we can get cancer treatments and therapies through that pipeline faster.”

Although the pandemic is likely to hit Yorkshire Cancer Research hard financially, it believes its future is bright, and that it will be able to continue with its aim of helping 2,000 more people survive cancer every year in Yorkshire.

Bilton housing scheme criticised for lack of affordable homes

Harrogate Civic Society has said it is “very disappointed” a 19-home council development in the Bilton area of the town doesn’t include any affordable homes.

North Yorkshire County Council was granted permission last week to demolish its Woodfield House care home on Woodfield Square and build the new homes through its property company, Brierley Homes.

Henry Pankhurst, ex-chairman and current planning spokesman for the society, told the Stray Ferret he was not happy that all the new homes will be sold at market value with no provision for affordable properties, particularly as they are being built by a local authority.

He said:

“It’s very disappointing. I would have hoped North Yorkshire County Council would have recognised that Harrogate Borough Council has a difficulty in providing affordable housing. It’s an ideal location to have more affordable housing.”

The government defines affordable as homes sold at 80% of the market rate or homes for social rent.

Harrogate Borough Council policy requires 30% affordable on all brownfield developments.

However, for this scheme North Yorkshire County Council applied for a Vacant Building Credit — a government mechanism to encourage vacant properties back into use, which can be used to remove the provision for affordable housing.

Instead, it will make a financial contribution of £72,528 to Harrogate Borough Council, which granted planning permission.

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Mr Pankurst called the Vacant Building Credit a “dreaded thing” and said North Yorkshire County Council should have done more to provide affordable housing, particularly as Harrogate Borough Council had identified a need to build 208 affordable homes in the district every year.

Prior to the decision to grant planning permission, a report from Harrogate Borough Council case officer Kate Broadbank also expressed “disappointed” in the lack of affordable housing in the scheme.

‘Excellent opportunity’

Brierley Homes was established in 2017 by North Yorkshire County Council. All profits are used to support frontline council services in the county.

A spokesperson for Brierley Homes said:

“Brierley Homes welcomes the planning approval to redevelop the former care home at Woodfield Square, Harrogate into 19 quality new homes.

“The regeneration and redevelopment of brownfield land is recognised by government as an important aspect of our national ambition to deliver much needed homes.

“The scheme will deliver a mixture of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes, with over 50% of the homes being 2 beds. This will offer first time buyers an excellent opportunity for modern and contemporary living within walking distance of the town centre of Harrogate.”

Bradford to Harrogate county lines drugs: two men arrested

Two men have been arrested as part of a major police investigation into the supply of drugs from Bradford into Harrogate.

It brings the total number of arrests under Operation Jackal, the name give to the initiative, to 19.

North Yorkshire Police revealed today officers from its organised crime unit and West Yorkshire Police arrested the men aged 26 and 23 in Bradford on Wednesday.

A police statement said:

“Both men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, human trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act and money laundering.

“Officers also seized a number of mobile phones and sim cards as part of their enquiries. The two men have been released on conditional bail while further enquiries are carried out.”

The arrests follow 11 made in Harrogate and six in Bradford in February as part of Operation Jackal.

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North Yorkshire Police has also taken civil action to take down three phone lines operating between Bradford and Harrogate, which were believed to be part of county lines drug dealing.

The force successfully obtained three drug dealing telecommunications restriction orders, which allowed officers to take over a phone line and give them powers to disconnect it on a specified date and time.

The police statement said:

“These valuable, protected and often branded phone lines allow out-of-town heroin and cocaine dealers to send mass text messages advertising their drugs for sale and when and where they can be picked up.

“Taking them out means no adverts, no sales and no profit for drug dealers.”

Eighteen suspects remain under investigation. One has been released with no further action taken. The investigation continues.

A-Plan Harrogate: a personal insurance experience

This article is sponsored by A-Plan

The opening of A-Plan Insurance’s first ever Yorkshire branch in Harrogate could not have come at a better time. As the coronavirus pandemic leaves many feeling isolated, A-Plan’s personable approach and support for the local community is heartening.

As a broker, A-Plan provides a tailored service with high standards of personal care to its clients, ensuring that policies are properly explained and meet your specific home or car insurance needs.

No transactions are done online, so whether you’re able to attend the new Princes Street branch in person (which is fully covid-secure and open during this lockdown), or prefer to speak to an advisor over the phone, you are guaranteed a personal service.

Despite being a national firm, A-Plan’s service is refreshingly local. All of the staff live in the area, so have the knowledge of local streets, properties and risk areas to ensure your quote is personal to you – and not just based off an internet search.

A-Plan Harrogate was opened by the Deputy Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Zoe Metcalfe

Branch Manager Chris is Ripon born and bred, and after two decades working for A-Plan elsewhere, has returned to God’s Own County.

Chris said:

“I am excited to be coming back to my Yorkshire roots and bringing the A-Plan experience to the north of the country.

Harrogate’s a vibrant town for both business and pleasure and I can’t wait to introduce my young family to everything the town has to offer.”

All of the advisers at Harrogate’s A-Plan branch are fully qualified with a CII (Certificate in Insurance); they work and build relationships with over 30 insurance providers at a time, but as they aren’t paid commission you get impartial advice and the very best price for your individual needs.

Buying insurance has become an impersonal experience; price comparison websites expect you to do all the work, and you can’t always be completely sure that the cover meets your specific needs. If your home, vehicle or other item is out of the ordinary it can be very hard to be sure you’ve bought the right product for your requirements.

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Unlike some call centre systems, there are no time-targets for A-Plan staff, and they genuinely care about you. Branch manager Chris once arranged for a staff member to make a two-hour round trip to deliver documents to a customer without access to a printer, and makes it his personal mission to ensure every client receives the first-class service they deserve.

That person-centred approach carries over into A-Plan’s support of the local community. Chris and the team have launched a scheme in support of Saint Michael’s hospice, where a £50 donation is activated if you mention the charity when taking out a new car, van or home insurance policy, providing much needed support to the Harrogate based charity. The branch is also supporting the Harrogate Theatre Emergency Appeal and has sponsored 2 seats for when this valued venue reopens to the community.

To speak to A-Plan Harrogate about your insurance needs, you can call the local branch on 01423 647235 or visit them at 10 Princes Street, Harrogate, HG1 1NH.