Knaresborough and Central Harrogate are the current covid hotspots in the Harrogate district, according to the latest government figures.

The seven-day average rate of infections in the week to November 10 reveals the two local areas each recorded 44 new cases — more than anywhere else.

Harrogate Central was the fourth highest local area in the district last week, with 26 cases. Knaresborough was not in the top five.

Both areas also appear in the top 10 list for the county.

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The Scarborough borough accounts for seven of the top 10 places, with Filey and Hummanby reporting the most of all with 79.

Dishthorpe, Baldersby and Markington reported the lowest number of cases in the Harrogate district with six.

Highest number of cases
1= Harrogate Central 44
1= Knaresborough 44
3 Harrogate East 37
5= Harrogate West and Pannal 36
5= Killinghall and Hampsthwaite 36

Lowest number of cases
1 Dishthorpe, Baldersby and Markington 6
2= Masham, Kirkby Malzeard and North Stainley 7
2= Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley 7
4= Knaresborough Central 13
4= Ripon North and West 13

Schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough could be forced to lay-off teachers because of spiralling debts, a councillor has warned.

Cllr Geoff Webber, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire County Council, said schools may be forced to act after new figures showed debt increasing.

A council report published last week on schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough showed four schools are projected to have debts totalling £1.6 million by March 2021.

By March 2023, this is forecast to have risen to five schools with total debts of £1.6 million.

Cllr Webber told the Stray Ferret:

“The schools will start off with an overspend one year and will not be able to bring that debt back under control. It just spirals from there.

“When the schools are in debt the only way for them to save money is to make staff redundant. It’s usually the more experienced ones that go first.”

The financial situation is bleak across the county: 37 schools in North Yorkshire have total debt of £7.2 million.

This is expected to soar to 93 schools with total debt of £18.3 million by 2022/23. This would mean 40 per cent of schools in the county will be in debt.

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Two primary schools, one secondary school and one special needs school are currently in debt in Harrogate and Knaresborough. The council paper does not name them.

The government has frozen education funding in recent years.

North Yorkshire misses out

The funding formula focuses on deprivation. So schools in more affluent areas like the Harrogate district tend to miss out.

The report says:

“North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 133 out of 149 local authorities in terms of funding.

“On average, a school in North Yorkshire will receive £5,151 per pupil in 2020/21 compared to a national average of £5,496.

“Comparing the funding for a 1,500 pupil secondary school this equates to a difference in funding of £0.5m.”

Cllr Webber said the council should use its reserves to plug funding shortfalls if the government does not increase funding.

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, the Conservative executive member for education and skills at the council, who represents Airedale, told the Stray Ferret:

“I do sympathise with the schools. It has been difficult for them since the funding was frozen with austerity. This puts us in a difficult position.

“We have been lobbying MPs to ask for more school funding. We had a 3% rise in funding per pupil this year and hope that continues.”

Knaresborough’s FEVA festival is calling for volunteers to join its committee as it begins to plan for its comeback in 2021.

The festival went virtual this year holding events and a “Knaresborough’s Got Talent” show online.

2021 marks 25 years since the first ‘Knaresborough Festival’ and organisers are planning a celebratory event.

The committee is looking to fill a number of vacancies including secretary, treasurer and other general event support roles.

The large group of volunteers help to organise over 90 separate events for FEVA each year. These include live music, plays and workshops.

Current Chair Lucy Barrow says it’s an exciting time to get involved:

“It’s been devastating for so many to have cancelled events in 2020, and it was the first time FEVA has ever been pulled.

“We’ve used the time wisely to take stock, and now we are working on establishing a new organising committee.”

Read more:

• FEVA’s weekend of virtual events begins. 
• Harrogate Mind calls for more volunteers for its programme offering a companion to those isolating. 

The committee is working hard to raise funds for next year. They say they have a “responsibility” to boost morale for the town.

Lucy added:

“As a community festival we believe we have a responsibility in 2021 after such a difficult time to bring joy back to the local community and to boost tourism for the good of our local businesses. We’ll be working harder than ever to do just that and we have everything crossed.”

To get involved in the committee applicants are being asked to email admin@feva.info.

The Knaresborough Community Land Trust is hoping to develop a disused area in the town centre to provide three flats as affordable housing.

The group, made up of volunteers, says there isn’t enough affordable housing for key workers to live close to work.

The site for the group’s first project is at the bottom of the high street near the roundabout for Boroughbridge Road.

It is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council but could be sold to the land trust under the proviso it was made into affordable housing.

Previously a public toilet and an air raid shelter the trust feel it is a good spot for accommodation as it is in a residential area and has nearby travel links.

(Left) The ground floor plans of the building and its proposed stret view (right). Photograph: Bauman Lyons Architects.

Hilary Garner, secretary of Knaresborough Community Lands Trust, said:

“We need the housing in Knaresborough – we have a lot of care workers and professionals but there isn’t the affordable housing.

“Any profit made goes back into the next project. We aren’t looking to build social housing because that is taken up by the big housing associations. This is to provide for the town’s population.

We all care very much about keeping Knaresborough alive. This is about catering for the population that lives here and catering for the young people too.”

The plans – as they stand – will include a bus shelter with a ‘living’ roof and maintain the public access to the buildings at the rear. Seven trees will have to be felled and 14 others will be planted elsewhere in the town.

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On Monday, November 9, the plans were discussed at Knaresborough Town Council planning meeting.

A resident and some town councillors voiced concern about the look of the building:

“KTC is unhappy about the colour of the finished building. Design is not in keeping with the Grade II listed buildings next door and nearby. Given the very prominent location within the conservation area this needs to be revisited. KTC is very concerned about the removal of seven trees.

“This particular development as a whole is unsuitable for the land and surrounding area.”

The resident, living near to the site, said the development would have a “detrimental effect” on their property.

“We congratulate the Community Land Trust on producing an innovative design that respects the conservation area setting of the site and reflects the surrounding historic buildings without trying to imitate them.

“It is exciting to see a community led development bring affordable housing of this quality to the centre of Knaresborough.”

The current plans are yet to be agreed by Harrogate Borough Council as they’re open for public consultation until December, 5.

The organisation behind plans to build the Harrogate district’s first community-owned woodland has just 10 days left to raise the final £50,000.

The Long Lands Common Community Benefit Society, which aims to buy open farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough, has so far secured £252,400 of its £300,000 target.

It has set a deadline of November 20 to reach the target.

The society recently delivered 48,000 leaflets to local homes encouraging people to buy shares in the scheme.

It now plans to take news of the appeal national and offer people “their own piece of Yorkshire land”.

The greenbelt section of land sits between the Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond and a sensory garden are just some of the ideas for the land. Photograph: Gary Lawson.

It consists of 30 acres of farmland that was previously looked at by North Yorkshire County Council as a location for a bypass.

The society hopes buying the land will prevent another bid for a bypass, create a green space local people can enjoy and increase the biodiversity in the area.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers, said:

“We want to be part of the solution. Habitats are being lost by local developments and we want to address that imbalance.

“We are very hopeful about reaching our target. We just need more people to buy shares and help make a positive change.”

Read more:

• WATCH as we look at the land hoped to be used for the community woodland. 
• The local green party has began a petition against Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to expand its site. 

One of the first items on the society’s agenda is to improve access to the woodland by creating an accessible entrance suitable for wheelchairs and prams.

Once the money is raised the Long Lands Common team will consider other plans, including creating a duck pond, wildflower meadow and a sensory garden.

The volunteers hope that through further social media campaigning and word of mouth the target will be reached and plans can get underway.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

Shoppers at a retail park in Knaresborough who were fined for parking in unmarked trolley bays are to have their penalty notices written off.

People using St James Retail Park received fines from management company, HX Car Park Management Ltd, after parking in bays that did not have the usual barriers, markings or shelter.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, wrote to the company following complaints from angry constituents.

Now the company has said all appeals will be accepted and markings will be put in place to distinguish the bays from parking spaces.

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In a letter to Mr Jones, the company said:

“As we only recently began issuing tickets through a self-ticketer, our client received a high volume of complaints due to drivers parking here previously and not being issued a penalty charge notice.  

“Consequently, our client requested that all appeals be accepted and no further tickets issued until markings have been put in place to state ‘no parking’.”

The Stray Ferret contacted HX Car Park Management Ltd for further comment, but did not receive a response.

In a post on his website, Mr Jones said he welcomed the move from the company to waive the fines.

He said:

“I was pleased to help several constituents with their appeals. Thanks to the parking management company for being sympathetic to the appeals that were made.  

“They could simply have ignored them and implemented the fines but they properly considered the evidence we put before them and chose a fair way or resolving the problem. Credit where credit is due.

“The letter does end with the warning though that when the bays are marked up then fines will start again so I would urge everyone to make sure they are parking legally to avoid a nasty shock when they get back to their car.”

Remembrance Sunday is going to look very different in the Harrogate district this morning.

The pandemic has seen the Harrogate remembrance parades at the town’s war memorial cancelled, with people encouraged to to stay at home.

Instead, those who wish to pay their respects have been urged to stand on their doorsteps for a two minutes silence at 11am.

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A service will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Harrogate.

The Stonefall event will be a much smaller scale event due to the pandemic, with only a handful of people taking part.

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club said a few of its members will lay wreaths on behalf of the Royal British Legion, politicians and local service groups.

Knaresborough pays its respects on Remembrance Sunday in 2019. Picture: Charlotte Gale.

Meanwhile, David Houlgate, from the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion, asked that people commemorate the occasion from home.

He said:

“Unfortunately we can’t do anything this weekend due to covid-19.  So there will be no parade, no service and no official wreath laying.

“The Knaresborough Branch of the Royal British Legion is asking townsfolk to stay at home in order to protect themselves and those closest to them.

“They can attend the remembrance service in Whitehall via TV, remembering that this year is the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of both the Cenotaph and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

“At 11am, we ask that people please stand on their front door step, for a two minutes silence and remember.

“If people and organisations wish to lay  wreaths, individually, at some time later, please do on either Remembrance Sunday afternoon or on Armistice Day on the 11th.

“I’m sure that our fallen would understand the reasons behind these actions, in view of this terrible pandemic.”

In Ripon, a dedication ceremony was held in the city’s Garden of Remembrance last Sunday ahead of the national lockdown coming into force.

Numbers in attendance were kept to a minimum and social distancing measures were in place, as the Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd John Dobson, blessed the garden and led prayers.

Nationally, a small ceremony will be held at the London Cenotaph. People have been encouraged to watch it on TV at home to pay their respects.

Plans to open a dedicated museum in Knaresborough have taken a significant step forward after Harrogate Borough Council backed the plans.

The council’s cabinet have decided to let the Knaresborough Museum Association (KMA) take on the former dance school for a “fair and reasonable rent”.

Before the museum can open the KMA has said it needs to fundraise a few thousand pounds and renovate the building, which has fallen into disrepair.

However the group sees this as a major boost for their museum plans at the Castle Girls’ School building. Kathy Allday, chair of KMA, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is terrific news and it has been around 18 months in the making. This is a great location so close to the castle and the court house museum.

“Knaresborough has such a rich and fascinating history. We want to complement what the existing museum already does, not replicate it.”

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Kathy has called for anyone who wants to join the KMA or just help as a volunteer to get in touch by sending an email here.

The plans for the building on Castle Yard in Knaresborough include a hub for historical exhibitions and to become an educational space for the community.

“Our Knaresborough: Our Stories” will be the first exhibition and it is already ready to go. It tells the town’s story from the pre-historic age right through to WWII.

The group is already working on a second exibition about how life change from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade has begun talks with Harrogate Borough Council to take over the management of the town’s market.

Relations between the chamber and council have deteriorated in the wake of disputes over issues such as rent increases, upholding the town’s traditions and the management of the market over lockdown. 

The council has always defended itself, saying it works “tirelessly” to support the traders and promote the market to residents and visitors.

But the chamber said it no longer feels the council is running the market in the town’s best interest and matters have reached the “final straw”.

It now hopes to take over the market’s day-to-day running in conjunction with the Knaresborough Town Council.

‘We need to take a stand’

Chamber representatives told the Stray Ferret discussions were in the early stages and no official proposal has been sent to Harrogate Borough Council yet.

Steve Teggin president of Knaresborough Chamber, said:

“It is being run in a style that could lead to its eventual demise, which we don’t want. The people of Knaresborough won’t want that either.

“We need to take a stand, we’ve had enough. It could be destroyed if we don’t look at it properly. We want to take it over.”

Councillor Andrew Paraskos, Harrogate’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, who is responsible for the management of markets, said:

“Running a weekly market in both Knaresborough and Ripon is not an easy task and requires a lot of council resources to make it happen safely each week. This is on top of the pitch bookings, licences, publicity, waste removal, etc. that is also required.

“But if Knaresborough Chamber of Trade believe they can run the market more successfully, then I welcome them getting in touch.”

Read more:

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A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“To suggest we are running Knaresborough market into the ground is simply not true whatsoever.

“Our vibrant and popular historic markets in both Knaresborough and Ripon are an important and integral part of our district.

“That’s why we have worked tirelessly to make sure they can operate safely every week, even during lockdown and will continue to promote them on our social media channels regularly.”

Fresh plans have been submitted for 170 homes at Water Lane in Knaresborough after a previous application was refused last year.

Landowner Geoffrey Holland’s application would see homes built on the north-eastern edge of Knaresborough, 2km from the town centre.

Harrogate Borough Council refused an application from Mr Holland for 218 homes in October last year, despite the site being allocated for development in what was then the council’s draft Local Plan.

The council said the proposal did not include enough affordable housing and was ‘of poor quality and out of character with its surroundings’.

The new application has reduced the number of homes by 48 to 170, with 40% classed as affordable.

This is still more than the 148 homes allocated for the site in the Local Plan, which was adopted in March this year.

The application proposes 19 x 1-bedroom, 70 x 2-bedroom, 55 x 3-bedroom, 24 x 4-bedroom and 2 X 5-bedroom properties and 170 car parking spaces.

Read more:

• Renovation plans approved for Knaresborough’s Cromwell building

• Knaresborough pub sold with planning for homes

Other housing developments have been granted planning permission to the north of Knaresborough over the past couple of years. These include 78 homes by Persimmon off Orchard Close and 78 homes by Avant Homes off Bar Lane.

In September last year, the council overturned its own decision to allow Gladman Developments to build 175 homes on Bar Lane.

The public has until November 22 to comment on the Water Lane development before the plans go before the council’s planning committee.