Nearly half disagree with council’s leisure service shake-up

As senior Harrogate councillors decide on setting up a new leisure company to run services across the district, the responses from the public have not all been positive.

Nearly half of the 433 respondents to the council’s consultation on the future of leisure and sport said they either strongly disagreed or disagreed with the plan to set up an arms length company.

The authority is to vote tonight on whether or not to set up the company owned by the council, called Brimham’s Active, to run services such as the Harrogate Hydro and Ripon Leisure Centre.

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Within the consultation document there are a number of reasons why people don’t agree with the proposal.

One person said they were concerned that the move was the first step toward higher prices.

“Although it will be a Local Authority Controlled Company, I see this as the first step to handing over the company to a private company for profit and this would lead to higher charges in the long run.”

Another said the authority should retain control of the service.

“Given the anticipated savings are not proportionally huge, I would rather the council stayed in full control.”

Others said it should serve the interest of the wider public.

Giving over control of our wonderful leisure services to a private company (even a LACC), whose primary aim will be to generate a profit rather than serve the best interests of the society, seems a very bad idea.

Around 27% neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal, 19% agreed and 8% strongly agreed.

If given the go-ahead, the company would run services in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

The council said the company and future investment would help to save money on leisure services which currently operate at a £3.5 million loss.

But the plans have been met by opposition from both residents in Starbeck, where the local baths future would be considered by the council, and unions which expressed concern at the consultation process.

Harrogate Council to borrow £26 million to fund leisure overhaul projects

Harrogate Borough Council is expected to borrow money to fund two projects worth an estimated £26 million as part of its overhaul of leisure services in the district.

The council has linked the investment plan and the part privatisation of the service saying to two come “hand in hand” in order to save money.  However, the reality is that the two don’t necessarily have to be connected and the investment in leisure could happen without the partial privatisation if councillors chose to do this.

Two projects are lined up as part of the proposal, including refurbishing the Harrogate Hydro at a cost of £13.5 million and building a new leisure centre at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough to replace the current site which is estimated to be £13 million.

The schemes would see an investment in current and new leisure facilities which the council said will help to reduce maintenance costs of the Hydro.

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According to a council report due before cabinet, the authority said borrowing for the projects would help to free up funds for its coronavirus financial recovery plan.

It said: “Given the unfunded nature of the capital strategy, beyond the existing five year programme (2020 to 2025), it would be prudent to fund the two schemes by external borrowing (given the council’s heavily under-borrowed position), though there may be potential to finance the design development from internal borrowing.”

When asked whether the council could invest in its facilities without a company, Councillor Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the authority, said the two go “hand in hand”.

He said: “The two decisions are separate but they go hand in hand.

“We need to invest in our stock to give us the best chance to save on the service. We looked at every option, compared them with each other and decided that this was the best option not just for the council but for the public.

“In order to free up our ability to provide a service, it has to be a commercial service.”

It comes as the authority’s cabinet will vote on handing over services to an arms-length company called Brimham’s Active on Wednesday in order to save money.

If given the go-ahead, it would mean facilities such as Harrogate Hydro, the Turkish Baths and Ripon Leisure Centre would be run by the new company.

The Turkish Baths, Harrogate, is among the facilities earmarked to be handed over to the council-owned company

The council’s services are currently running at a loss of £3.5 million and some centres and swimming pools in the district have increased in cost year on year.

But the leisure plan has been met with opposition from the community in Starbeck over the future of the 150-year-old swimming pool in the area and union’s raised concern over the authority’s consultation process.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats group, said the authority needed to arrive at the right decision over the plan.

She said: “We have not been properly briefed on the proposal, so we have questions about it.

“Whatever decision the council makes it has to be right, because this is not a statutory service and the council does not have to run it.”

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for a comment on the proposal but has not received a response at the time of publication.

Store owners optimistic as Knaresborough shops reopen

Knaresborough was busy this afternoon as shops opened their doors for the first time since lockdown.

Shop owners were feeling optimistic as they took their first tentative steps to reopening.The town’s independent shops were hopeful for a sense of normality to follow their reopening.

All of the shops had safety measures- each had its own measures in place including cleaning stations and one-way systems.

Jordan Thompson owns women’s clothing store Harriet’s in Knaresborough, the store is operating at a maximum of three customers in the store at a time. She told us:

“I’m feeling excited and a little anxious today, but we’ve already had a few customers come in and purchase items. We have to get back to some kind of normality, although it’s going to be a change in normality with the gloves and masks and social distancing, we still need to get back to some sort of normality.”

Martin Sturdey, the owner of Zigzag, a cards and gifts shop in Knaresborough, said:

“We’ll probably have quite a good few days and then it’ll tail off and then build up again, its just difficult to predict. The good thing about Knaresborough is theres lot of independent stores and people want to support us. All we can do is take all the precautions and see what footfall is like. I think it’s going to take the rest of the year to slowly pick up as people gain confidence and return.”

Stations such as these are present in many of the shops in Knaresborough to encourage customer safety.

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Knaresborough town centre didn’t see the queues that other towns across the country did, but many shoppers still came out to browse. One happy shopper told The Stray Ferret of her experiences, Linda Humphrey said:

“I feel confident in shopping again today, I’m being sensible I have my mask and sanitiser with me. There’s been no problems in the shops I’ve been to, everybody is doing what they should be. I’m doing my dads shopping today and I’ve had no issues today or when I’ve been in previous weeks. I’m glad it’s like this again.”

 

 

Mother Shipton’s reopens this weekend

Mother Shipton’s cave in Knaresborough is reopening tomorrow. Visitors will be allowed to explore the park for a maximum of two and a half hours to maintain limited contact.

There is a pre-booking system in place to allow visitors to book an arrival time slot in advance of their visit. The attraction is also limiting the number of passengers to seven people per car and each car will be charged at £20.

Vans, minibuses, and motorhomes will not be allowed and neither will pedestrians who arrive without a car. This is in an attempt to control the number of vehicles and people within the attraction.

Mother Shipton’s Cave reopens with several measures in place to make sure visitors are kept safe.

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Most of the favoured elements will be accessible to visitors including the petrifying well and of course, Mother Shipton’s Cave.

But the museum and gift shop will remain closed until the reopening of non-essential shops on the June 15. The adventure playground will also stay closed until government advice on playgrounds changes.

Which shops across the district are opening next week?

As shops prepare to open their doors for the first time in three months, The Stray Ferret has created a list of those ready to welcome customers across the Harrogate district from Monday.

Those with an asterisk have either altered their normal opening hours or are opening later on in the week. Please visit individual shop websites for more details.

Harrogate Borough Council said it is prioritising the opening of public toilets for shoppers in the busiest areas, but a definitive list is not yet available.

Do you know of any more shops reopening? If so, email details to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate: 

Bek’s Electrical

Bijouled

Boho Chic

Bridal Rogue Gallery

Card Factory

Crown Jewellers*

Elegant era*

Furnish & Fettle

Georgie’s

G23

HMV

Hotel Chocolat

Imagined Things

India Mahon Jewellery

Inger & Rae

iStore

Lynx Menswear*

Morgan Clare

Number One Travel

Pandora*

Paper Chase

Porters Menswear

Primark

Rocca Fashion

Shine

Sophie Likes

Tiger Fifty 7

TK Maxx

Victoria Shopping Centre

27 West Park

Knaresborough: 

Chris Holmes Antiques

Country 2 Western*

Dragonfly Cards and Gifts

Harriets Ladies Clothing

Knaresborough Book Shop

Knitting pretty

Little Darlings Toys

Ruebury Flowers*

Sheer Bliss

Shoes@Knaresborough

Stomp

Wild Orchid

Ye Olde Chymist Shoppe

ZigZag Cards

Boroughbridge:

Issima

K.M & G Farrer

La tienda

K.M & G Farrer

Waltons Mill Shop

Ripon: 

Antiques & Collectables*

Hopscotch

Karma Clothing & Gift Shop

Kirkgate House

Memorable Moments

Oasis Florists

Ripon Bookshop*

Rosie and Clover*

The Original Factory Shop

Upstairs Downstairs

Wrens*

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Stall numbers double as Knaresborough market re-opens today

Knaresborough market re-opened with more stalls this morning. Coronavirus meant only essential stalls such as food stalls opened during the pandemic, but from today a further range of stalls opened.

The market has clear safety measures in place and encourages socially distanced queues in front of all of its stalls. Visitors were keen to resume their regular shopping habits and supporting the local traders.

In previous weeks, 12 essentials stalls opened on average but today saw that number more than double. This was due to extra stalls being allowed to return such as those selling clothing and electronics.

John Alexander, runs a card and gift wrap stall on the market, he said:

“From today, I’ve got about a third less space, so that equates to a third of the takings. But I still have the same overheads, so I’ll see what happens. But there’s a lot [of other traders] here that are the same and we have to find a way to make the business viable. So I hope it works. I’ve been here 25 years so its a big change but I understand. People will return once they get the hang of it. I would say the majority of our customers are elderly ladies so we just have to be careful, but the market has made a real effort to keep everyone safe.”

Visitors were keen to return to the market this morning, but the traders are aware safety has to be a priority.

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Another market trader Andrew Sutcliffe, runs a women’s clothes stall and is pleased to have returned this morning. He told The Stray Ferret:

“I mean I’m normally always here, my family have been here for 80 years. But I had to move slightly so there’s enough room between the stall and the shop door. I’m hopeful for sales, I’ve had a few already this morning but its still early. I’ve found its actually a bit busier than I thought it would be and I think people are more likely to shop outside anyway. We could do alright from this or we may not, its just a waiting game. “

Henshaws art centre to close “for the foreseeable future”

Henshaws has announced its Arts and Crafts centre in Knaresborough will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The centre has been hit hard financially during the current coronavirus crisis which has lead it to make this decision.

The centre was closed before lockdown, in line with safety measures. The centre had previously been running a fundraising appeal ‘Art is the Start’ to update the centre to suit the people who use it. But have now concluded the centre is no longer economically viable.

The charity is now considering options for the future in order to find a sustainable future.

Henshaws Chief Executive Nick Marr said:

“We are now consulting Centre staff about the future of their roles within the organisation. We also know that the Centre and its work are valued hugely by both the Art Makers and the local community. This decision will undoubtedly cause a great deal of distress to our Art Makers and their families and all of our loyal volunteers, as well as to our staff, and we will do everything we can to help during these sad times but we find ourselves unable to continue to provide this service. The financial situation was stretched before lockdown but COVID 19 has had a huge financial impact on us.”

Henshaws is concerned about its income during the coronavirus outbreak

The closure of the Arts and Crafts Centre will likely sadden some of its visitors, but the charity is hopeful for the future.

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Henshaws Specialist College has remained open to students throughout the crisis. It is hopeful that numbers will be maintained into the new academic year starting in September.

Nick Marr added:

“This is an extremely difficult decision being taken in exceptional circumstances and our team has done, and is doing, some fantastic work supporting hundreds of people across Yorkshire.”

Knaresborough food bank re-opens today

Knaresborough food bank re-opens today after closing because of the coronavirus.

The food bank was previously closed because its base at Holy Trinity Church was not being suitable for social distancing measures. However, Reverend Stroma McDermott, of the church, has given the volunteers another room to work within allowing them to re-open safely.

The service provides food packages to residents of Knaresborough will open from 10.30 this morning to serve as many people that needs their help. The centre are still in need of public donations of food, these can be arranged through their Facebook page.

This re-opening comes as Harrogate food bank reported their numbers had doubled during the lockdown period. Among those who need support are people who have been left furloughed or without a job during the pandemic.

Helen Ketteringham, one of the volunteers at the Harrogate food bank.

Volunteers are prepared to help those in need once again, with safety measures in place to ensure the safety of everyone at the centre.

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Lucy Stewart, the Project Manager of Harrogate District food banks, said:

“Where we were before wasn’t lending itself to social distancing. The lack of the right kind of space and hand washing facilities combined with some of our volunteers sheltering made us decide to close. We really don’t know how many people to expect, the plan going forwards is to run a pre-order service. The client will call the voucher holder to request a voucher. The voucher holder then calls us in advance and we will pre-pack the right amount of food for the family size or individual. This means the package is ready and waiting for the client rather than us asking people to wait around.”

The Knaresborough Foodbank aims to provide a regular network of support for those in need in the area.

 

Queues as McDonalds Drive-thrus open in Knaresborough and Ripon

The McDonalds drive-thrus in Knaresborough and Ripon re-opened today to queues of customers.

During the pandemic, the restaurant chain had to close its doors but with safety measures in place it believes they can now safely operate the drive-thru’s.

There will be fewer staff on each shift to allow for social distancing. A limited menu and a capped spend of £25 have also been implemented.

In Knaresborough the customers queues saw up to 25 cars waiting to collect the food they had been missing for almost three months. Each car was stopped by a member of staff at the entrance and showed a leaflet of safety instructions.

Cars queued from the roundabout on St James retail park to be some of the first to eat at the restaurant since lockdown.

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At the Ripon restaurant, the first in the queue were Matthew Jones and Georgia Coates, who live in Ripon and are regulars at the restaurant.

Matthew told The Stray Ferret:

“We were gutted when it closed, but it’s all good now.”

Throughout the day, a steady flow of cars came in from the Ripon bypass roundabout, marshalled into the drive through queue by two McDonald’s staff.

Franchisee Matthew Midwood said:

“We have been liaising for some time with North Yorkshire Police and they have been marvellous, helping us to put a traffic management plan in place. We anticipate being busy and want to avoid vehicles backing up to the roundabout. The takeaway side of our operation could have stayed open, but we took the decision as a business to close on 23rd March, for the safety and wellbeing of staff.”

Staff who have been furloughed during the temporary closure, will gradually return, as the government lockdown restrictions ease further and when restaurants are able to open their doors to eat in customers once more.

 

Council delays fully opening Knaresborough and Ripon markets

Knaresborough and Ripon markets won’t be fully re-opening this week- despite the government relaxing restrictions.

From Monday markets can open if social distancing guidelines are in place. But Harrogate Borough Council has chosen to delay fully opening the markets until next week, saying it wants to put more safety systems in place.

After seeing markets in Leeds and Barnsley re-opening fully, Ripon market traders were confused by the council’s decision.

The market stallholders representative at Ripon market, Brian Murphy said:

“I only heard from the council on Monday evening that we would not have a full market on Thursday. This has come as a surprise and disappointment to a number of non-food traders who hoped to be back after being unable to trade for weeks.”

Essential stalls such as those selling fruit and vegetables have remained open but other sellers have had to stay away.

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However, Steve Teggin, the President of the Knaresborough Chamber of Trade thought this was a sensible decision:

“The council have been sensible to make this decision, they need to take time to see how it goes. There’s no way that we can accommodate all the stalls, so I think it’s the right decision. The health and safety would allow for 25 market stalls to open but road closures would be needed to accommodate this. The difficulty comes when they have to decide who to allow to return to their stalls.”

Mr Teggin said he thought it was likely there would be staggered approach to opening and that the chamber is having a meeting with the council later this week to discuss it.